Almost half of the US's 277 warships are stationed close to Iran

[seemslikeadream]

Thanks Hissyspit
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2918414


http://www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2127343,00.html

The White House claims that Iran, whose influence in the Middle East has increased significantly over the last six years, is intent on building a nuclear weapon and is arming insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The vice-president, Dick Cheney, has long favoured upping the threat of military action against Iran. He is being resisted by the secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and the defence secretary, Robert Gates.

Last year Mr Bush came down in favour of Ms Rice, who along with Britain, France and Germany has been putting a diplomatic squeeze on Iran. But at a meeting of the White House, Pentagon and state department last month, Mr Cheney expressed frustration at the lack of progress and Mr Bush sided with him. "The balance has tilted. There is cause for concern," the source said this week.

Nick Burns, the undersecretary of state responsible for Iran and a career diplomat who is one of the main advocates of negotiation, told the meeting it was likely that diplomatic manoeuvring would still be continuing in January 2009. That assessment went down badly with Mr Cheney and Mr Bush.

"Cheney has limited capital left, but if he wanted to use all his capital on this one issue, he could still have an impact," said Patrick Cronin, the director of studies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The Washington source said Mr Bush and Mr Cheney did not trust any potential successors in the White House, Republican or Democratic, to deal with Iran decisively. They are also reluctant for Israel to carry out any strikes because the US would get the blame in the region anyway.

"The red line is not in Iran. The red line is in Israel. If Israel is adamant it will attack, the US will have to take decisive action," Mr Cronin said. "The choices are: tell Israel no, let Israel do the job, or do the job yourself."

Almost half of the US's 277 warships are stationed close to Iran, including two aircraft carrier groups. The aircraft carrier USS Enterprise left Virginia last week for the Gulf. A Pentagon spokesman said it was to replace the USS Nimitz and there would be no overlap that would mean three carriers in Gulf at the same time.

[lovuian]

1. 1/2 of our navy and most of our troops

all in Mideast

One wonders if WWIII is coming soon

[Captain Hilts]

2. A good chunk of our navy is ALWAYS there. nt

[TomInTib]

4. Yep. And you don't see THAT cost reflected at the gas pump.

If the average American knew how much of their income went towards getting that crude out of the ME, they would hit the streets.

[Double T]

5. Don't wonder; KNOW it is!!!

Some one needs to STOP the two madmen!!!

[leftchick]

3. Calm Down!

I heard Sen. Reed on C-Span today tell me this is the "big stick" show of force, no worries!
:sarcasm:

Fucking Clueless Idiot!!!! I suspect all of the democrats in congress agreeing to this "show of force" will be in the bunkers and SPEECHLESS when cheney makes the next war/power grab.

:(

[2Design]

6. And it is the saudi's who are fighting us in iraq after they attacked us here

see this topic
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x294461

[seemslikeadream]

7. AND TURKEY IN THE NORTH!

What country in the world is most anti-American? Take a guess, no peeking!

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1184168563444&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Truly democratic - and anti-American
By JOSHUA W. WALKER
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Talkbacks for this article: 16

What country in the world is most anti-American? According to the Pew Global Attitudes Project's 47-nation survey released Wednesday it would not be one of the usual suspects - the Palestinian Authority, Pakistan, or Venezuela - but rather America's 50-year-NATO ally, Turkey.

This finding should trouble the Bush administration deeply; Turkey is exactly the type of Muslim-majority democracy that officials have been touting as a model for the Middle East and the Islamic world.

Consider the facts: Turkey ranked dead last in all the most important categories on the survey, something which indicates the depth of anti-American sentiment. Most tellingly, Turks have the lowest favorability for both America and its citizens (9% and 13%). Moreover, Turkey tied with the Palestinian Authority for the lowest percentage of citizens who think the US is fair in its Middle East policies, a paltry 2%.

Another disturbing sign for US policymakers is the fact that Turkey, an active partner in Afghanistan and a crucial transportation hub for Iraq, has the second-lowest level of support for the US-led war on terror (9%) of all nations surveyed.


Turkey, Iran reach accord to carry gas to Europe

http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070715-072326-8364r

Turkey, Iran reach accord to carry gas to Europe
AFP

July 15, 2007


ANKARA -- Turkey and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to carry natural gas from Iran and Turkmenistan to Europe, Turkish energy minister Hilmi Guler said Sunday.

The memorandum of understanding was signed away from the public eye Friday evening in Ankara after talks between Guler and Iranian oil minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh.

"We discussed some requests from Iran in return their demand to export natural gas to European Union countries ... As a result, we agreed on carrying Turkmen gas via Iran to Turkey, and then to Europe," Guler said in the northeastern city of Ordu, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Iran has also agreed to let Turkey develop several natural gas fields in Iran, he said, without elaborating.
Officials from the two countries needed to complete technical work for the agreement to be finalized, he added.

The deal is seen as boosting the prospects of a planned 3,300-kilometer (2,000-mile) pipeline project, known as Nabucco, to carry gas from the Middle East and Central Asia to the European Union via Turkey and the Balkans, bypassing Russia.

Turkey already buys gas via a conduit from the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz to Ankara, which was inaugurated in December 2001, even though the deal was frowned upon in the United States, Turkey's long-standing North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally and Iran's archfoe.


Turkey, Iran reach accord to carry gas to Europe

http://www.metimes.com/storyview.php?StoryID=20070715-072326-8364r

Turkey, Iran reach accord to carry gas to Europe
AFP

July 15, 2007


ANKARA -- Turkey and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to carry natural gas from Iran and Turkmenistan to Europe, Turkish energy minister Hilmi Guler said Sunday.

The memorandum of understanding was signed away from the public eye Friday evening in Ankara after talks between Guler and Iranian oil minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh.

"We discussed some requests from Iran in return their demand to export natural gas to European Union countries ... As a result, we agreed on carrying Turkmen gas via Iran to Turkey, and then to Europe," Guler said in the northeastern city of Ordu, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Iran has also agreed to let Turkey develop several natural gas fields in Iran, he said, without elaborating.
Officials from the two countries needed to complete technical work for the agreement to be finalized, he added.

The deal is seen as boosting the prospects of a planned 3,300-kilometer (2,000-mile) pipeline project, known as Nabucco, to carry gas from the Middle East and Central Asia to the European Union via Turkey and the Balkans, bypassing Russia.

Turkey already buys gas via a conduit from the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz to Ankara, which was inaugurated in December 2001, even though the deal was frowned upon in the United States, Turkey's long-standing North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally and Iran's archfoe.



Turkish security services in possession of videotapes of weapon deliveries by US military to PKK

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38510

ANKARA, Jul 12 (IPS) - It seems now certain: No invasion of Northern Iraq by the Turkish army before the legislative elections scheduled for Jul. 22. Disappointed? Many in Turkey are, not least the military. Surprised? Not a bit. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's fingers are expert at navigating between buttons of the yellow and red traffic lights of the road to Arbil.

.....

The Turkish population, regardless of geography, political affiliation, or social class, is increasingly vocal in its anti-Americanism, as recent polls have revealed, and the press reflects on a daily basis. Ahead of the elections, some candidates adroitly use the "ugly American" card, and conspiracy theories abound.

Many analysts, including business executives and academics, seem genuinely convinced that the U.S. government is planning to create a Kurdish state, cutting into Iraq and Turkey, in a model inspired by the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

.....


Rumours on the streets of Ankara and other cities around the country, as well as in the editorial offices of newspapers and TV stations, purport that the Turkish security services are in possession of videotapes of weapon deliveries by U.S. military staff to PKK combatants in Northern Iraq. These, say critics of the Bush administration, are proofs of U.S. perfidy


Ex-PKK terrorist says northern Iraqi camps evacuated
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1319534&mesg_id=1319534



Ex-PKK terrorist says northern Iraqi camps evacuated

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=116576

Ex-PKK terrorist says northern Iraqi camps evacuated
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists have evacuated their mountain camps in northern Iraq due to fears that Turkey could carry out a cross-border operation, a former member of the group said in testimony to state authorities.

"The organization has evacuated all its mountain camps, and members deserted down to the plain in the face of a probable cross-border operation," the former member, identified as A.D., was quoted as saying by the Anatolia news agency in his testimony to state prosecutors in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır. A.D, nicknamed Şahin, faces charges of membership in a terrorist organization. He recently surrendered to security forces after spending four years in PKK camps in northern Iraq. Turkey is pressing the United States to crack down on PKK bases in northern Iraq, but there have been few examples of success in US efforts against the group, designated as a terrorist organization by Washington and the European Union. The perception in Turkey that the United States has ignored Turkish concerns about the PKK's operations in Iraq has increased pressure on the Turkish government to order military operations against the PKK in Iraq. The PKK has escalated attacks this year, killing at least 67 soldiers so far. More than 110 terrorists were killed in the same period.
Turkish Ambassador in Washington Nabi Şensoy told reporters on Wednesday that US weapons have been turning up in the hands of the PKK and blamed Iraqi Kurdish authorities for this. Şensoy blamed in particular Massoud Barzani, who heads the autonomous Kurdish region in the north of Iraq, for actively backing the PKK by providing logistical support and weapons.

A.D. said those members of the PKK who escaped from the organization are being provided shelter in the facilities of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by Barzani. A.D. said he had stayed for 15 days in such a camp after fleeing the PKK and was advised by KDP officials not to return to Turkey and to remain in northern Iraq instead. A.D. also said six people from the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), often accused of having organic links with the PKK, had visited his PKK camp in northern Iraq and brought small presents to residents of the camp.

Statements from Turkish officials that Turkey would carry out a cross-border operation to tackle the PKK threat have further strained relations with Iraqi Kurds, who have pledged to respond to such a move with force.

An Iraqi Kurdish news report said on Thursday that Barzani met with leaders of Kurdish political parties in the northern Iraqi city of Salahaddin to discuss a possible Turkish cross-border operation.


Turkey vs. Iraq?


http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4378

Turkey vs. Iraq?
Richard May | July 12, 2007

Editor: John Feffer




Foreign Policy In Focus www.fpif.org


While Capitol Hill battles the White House over Iraq, another battle is brewing in the Middle East. In the last week the Turkish military has moved 140,000 troops from across its country to the southern border with Iraq. These troops represent an invasion force meant to prevent the continued terrorist activities of the Kurdish minority that use northern Iraq as a safe haven. Turkey has previously voiced its intent to attack elements of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) after repeated bombings and recent attacks on civilians in the south of Turkey. If Ankara chooses to use military force in the north of Iraq now, the results would be dire for the future security and stability of Iraq.

The effects of Turkey conducting military operations in northern Iraq would undermine the fragile security environment that currently exists in two major ways. First, the Kurdish soldiers that are operating in Baghdad as part of the U. S. military “surge” would be tempted to abandon their posts in order to protect their homeland in the north. Second, because Turkish troops would not likely remain for long in the north of Iraq, the remaining PKK fighters could regroup and continue to use northern Iraq as a base of operations for its recent offensive attacks in Turkey. Iraq would have difficulty meeting either of these challenges. To face both simultaneously would only exasperate and quicken the destabilization of Iraq and the region.

Northern Iraq is more than just another piece of territory for Kurds. It is a homeland: it is Kurdistan. For decades Kurds have fought to secure northern Iraq in order to build a Kurdish nation, a nation that finally seems within reach. However, Kurds are also an essential part of the future of Iraq. Most recently, the Kurds have sent three brigades of the Iraqi Army from the north, comprised of a vast majority of Kurdish soldiers, into Baghdad to assist in security operations as part of the surge of U.S. forces. These three brigades represent about 10,000 soldiers and are an essential part of the strategy for securing Baghdad. This number does not even account for the other Kurdish soldiers that are serving in other units in Baghdad. Were Turkey to attack Kurdistan, these soldiers would undoubtedly leave Baghdad to defend their homeland, choosing Kurdistan over Iraq. The loss of these 10,000 indigenous, well-trained soldiers would threaten the already tenuous security situation even more.

If Turkey did invade northern Iraq, the incursion would not lack precedent. In 1995 and 1997, Turkey used 35,000 soldiers to conduct raids against the PKK. In both cases they remained in Iraq for fewer than 60 days and did not completely eradicate the Kurdish elements that they claimed were responsible for conducting attacks. A future invasion would be similar: a short incursion with limited success. Indeed, an incursion by Turkish forces against PKK elements would violate the new perception of territorial sovereignty that has grown in Kurdistan since the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

While most Kurds in northern Iraq are not members of the PKK, a perceived violation of territorial sovereignty of Kurdistan would unify the Kurdish population to either support the PKK to a greater extent or develop an increased Kurdish independence movement. Without the support of the Kurdish population, especially their military, the unity and stabilization of Iraq will be severely inhibited, requiring either more U.S. military forces to fill in the gaps left by the Kurdish troops or instigating a civil war that could spread throughout the region. The Kurdish population is one of the only stable influences in Iraq and the loss of their support would reverberate throughout Iraq, Iran and Syria.

Turkey’s invasion of Iraq would have limited benefits for Turkey and disastrous implications for Iraq. The violation of state sovereignty that a Turkish incursion represents would present the Iraqi government as ineffectual and unable to protect its own borders. Jalal Talabani, the president of Iraq, would be forced into a difficult position, having to choose between his ethnic group and his country. Turkey would gain little more than a minor disruption of PKK activity and would ultimately foster increased hostility from the Kurdish community, including the possibility of establishing an open policy of support for Kurdish separatists in other countries.

The only foreseeable solution is for a joint U.S.-Turkish-Kurdish agreement that focuses on addressing the PKK elements and not Kurdistan as a whole. Turkey will not likely be pacified by a political agreement alone and will demand evidence of action against the PKK locations. If the United States does expect to stop an invasion, an agreement with Turkey must be negotiated soon. While cooperating with Turkey will be distasteful to many Kurds, it will not be nearly as insulting as an outright invasion. A Turkish invasion will force the Kurds to choose between Kurdistan and Iraq. And in this choice, Iraq will lose out.



Iranian Forces, Kurdish Guerrillas Clash


http://www.townhall.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?contentGUID=91fccc1b-752f-4c05-8700-267e0e481f40

Iranian Forces, Kurdish Guerrillas Clash

Thursday, July 12, 2007


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Iranian artillery shelled near Iraqi Kurd villages Thursday as Iranian troops clashed with Kurdish guerrillas making an incursion across the border, officials in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan said.

It was the third day of shelling in two areas along the border in northern Iraq, said Jabbar Yawer, spokesman for the Kurdistan protection forces, or Peshmerga. Residents of the areas said the bombardment had not caused casualties but had killed farm animals and started a fire on a mountain.

Iranian shelling in the Peshdar region, 60 miles northwest of Sulaimaniyah, hit areas as far as 18 miles from the border, said the regional governor, Hussein Ahmed. He said many of the area's 1,000 families had fled for protection.

The other region hit by shelling lay farther north, near the Hajji Umran border crossing, 65 miles north of the city of Irbil, Yawer said. He said the shelling began with an incursion by Kurdish guerrillas into Iran on Tuesday that sparked clashes with Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

"We are not with either side, and we will not allow the lands of Iraqi Kurdistan to become a battlefield in which civilians in Kurdish villages are the victims," he said.

The Free Life Party is a breakaway faction of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as PKK, which is dominated by Turkish Kurds but also had Iranian Kurd branches. Its fighters have sparked Iranian shelling into Iraq several times over the past two years, most recently in June.

Turkey has increasingly threatened to take action in northern Iraq, complaining that the Kurdistan government and U.S. forces are not doing enough to stop PKK fighters carrying out attacks on Turkish soil.


Turkey: Kurds have U.S. weapons


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-turkey_madhanijul12,1,3473840.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed&ctrack=3&cset=true

Turkey: Kurds have U.S. weapons
Envoy makes claim as troops reported along Iraq border

By Aamer Madhani
Washington Bureau
Published July 12, 2007


WASHINGTON -- Turkey's top diplomat in Washington said Wednesday that American weaponry has been found in the hands of Iraq-based Kurdish fighters captured while sneaking across the border to carry out attacks against Turkish civilians and military forces.

Ambassador Nabi Sensoy said he does not believe the United States is supplying weapons directly to fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party, a group better known as the PKK that for years has fought for an independent Kurdistan within Turkey. The American weapons, Sensoy suggested, may be coming from supplies provided by the U.S. military to the Iraqi government.


The allegation comes at a time when Iraqi officials have reported that Turkey's army is building up its forces along the two countries' shared border.

Sensoy pointed to the weaponry that has been found on PKK fighters as emblematic of the U.S. and Iraqi officials "not doing enough" to stop the PKK from staging attacks out of northern Iraq and said his government reserves the right to carry out military action to stop the guerrillas.

"People are simply saying: 'If the United States government feels itself to have the right to intervene in Iraq in order to protect itself from terrorists, Turkey should be able to protect its people and its country from the threat and actual activity from a terrorist organization,'" the ambassador said.



http://www.mrt.com.mk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3203&Itemid=28

Turkey: threats of incursion into Iraq increase
Thursday, 12 July 2007
On April 12, the chief of Turkey's General Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, announced that the military was ready to stage a cross-border operation into Iraq to put down Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants. The only thing holding it back was authorization from the government and parliament.
Since then, there has been a constant stream of rhetoric from military officers and opposition politicians seeming to agitate for action.
Recently, the government has also weighed in. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul confirmed that Turkey had drawn up a plan for a possible incursion into Iraq.
So has the balance tipped and can we expect Ankara to launch an assault in coming days? Not necessarily, say observers, but Gul's statement is a clear sign the government is under pressure.


Iraq: Turkish Incursion Into Northern Iraq Could Backfire

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/07/1389c950-2be8-4e00-98ff-7b49a7204399.html

Iraq: Turkish Incursion Into Northern Iraq Could Backfire
By Sumedha Senanayake

Turkey has demanded U.S. and Iraqi action against PKK bases in Iraq (file photo)
(AFP)
July 11, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Ankara had a plan in place for military incursions into northern Iraq to destroy Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases there.


His statements were the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive comments coming out of Turkey, warning the U.S. and the Iraqi government that if they do not curb PKK activities in northern Iraq, Turkey will have no choice but to carry out unilateral military action.

Iraqi Kurdish officials have reacted to the Turkish warnings and the massing of Turkish forces along the border with increasing alarm.

A Turkish incursion based on the principle of fighting terrorism sets a dangerous precedent for Iraq's neighbors. Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, who are widely believed to be involved in Iraq behind the scenes, may be emboldened to follow suit.Iraq's Kurdish Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari issued a statement on July 9 expressing his deep concern over intelligence estimates of more than 140,000 Turkish troops currently stationed on the border. He urged restraint and called for a diplomatic solution to the tensions.

The Pentagon disputed the numbers cited by Zebari, while Turkey had no comment. Zebari may have exaggerated intentionally, to focus greater international media attention on the Turkish threats in the hope of forcing Turkey to back down. In any case, it shows that he takes the Turkish threats seriously.

Setting Dangerous Precedent


Turkey: US Weapons in Guerrilla Hands - 140,000 soldiers on the border


http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/11/ap3903217.html

Turkey: US Weapons in Guerrilla Hands
By DESMOND BUTLER 07.11.07, 10:29 AM ET

Turkey's ambassador to Washington said Wednesday that U.S. weapons have been turning up in the hands of Kurdish guerrillas staging attacks in Turkey.

Nabi (nasdaq: NABI - news - people ) Sensoy said that the United States is not doing enough to influence Kurdish politicians in key positions in the Iraqi government to crack down on the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, which has been fighting for an independent Kurdistan within Turkey for decades. He said that Turkey has been pressing the United States to ensure that U.S. weapons supplied to Kurdish forces within the Iraqi army are not funneled to the PKK.

He did not suggest that the U.S. has been supplying the PKK directly. But he accused Kurdish members of the Iraqi government of allowing the group to operate in northern Iraq and to stage cross border attacks into Turkey.

U.S. officials have said they are working closely with Turkey to combat the PKK but that their focus in Iraq is in combating insurgents opposing U.S. forces. The United States considers the PKK a terrorist group and has taken steps to cut off its international financing. But U.S. officials have had few examples of success against the PKK in Iraq to point to in answering Turkish concerns.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6767972,00.html
Will Turkey Invade Northern Iraq?

Monday July 9, 2007 10:16 PM


By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA

Associated Press Writer

ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) - Reports that Turkey has massed a huge military force on its border with Iraq bolstered fears that an invasion targeting hideouts of Kurdish rebels could be imminent. But how deeply into Iraq is the Turkish army willing to go, how long would it stay and what kind of fallout could come from allies in Washington and other NATO partners?

All these questions weigh on Turkey's leaders, who have enough on their hands without embarking on a foreign military adventure. Turkey is caught up in an internal rift between the Islamic-rooted government and the military-backed, secular establishment, less than two weeks ahead of July 22 elections that were called early as a way to ease tensions in a polarized society.

A military operation could disrupt Turkey's fragile democratic process by diverting attention from campaign topics such as the economy, and raise suspicion about whether the government and its opponents are manipulating the Iraq issue to win nationalist support at the polls.

On Monday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Turkish television that Turkey would take whatever steps were necessary if the United States fails to fulfill its pledge to help in the fight against Kurdish rebels, but he appeared reluctant to order an invasion before the elections.

``We are seeing with great grief that America remains quiet as Turkey struggles against terrorism. Because there were promises given to us, and they need to be kept. If not, we can take care of our own business,'' Erdogan said. ``We hope there won't be an extraordinary situation before the election. But there'll be a new evaluation after the elections.''

[PATRICK]

8. Israel

albeit through select spokesmen is trying to bully and blackmail the US to "reluctantly" slaughter someone for them? has it all descended to that?

It sounds so bad, but nothing the FOX channel wouldn't try to handle "diplomatically" with the puzzled American masses. Yet it would seem they are there, floating around, waiting for a provocation or something that would pass for such. And the pressure is building to repeat the Gulf of Tonkin lie right under the bulbous, red veined noses of the media.

Or maybe the Israelis would sink a destroyer after putting an Iranian decal around one of the jets they bought from us. After all, we wouldn't dare make that an issue, would we? Such is the ongoing continuing mess everyone in the ME is in with the US determined to play its hayseed empire game with its expensive toys.

On the brink with madmen, villains and fools while the decent dither and think of vacation. We will continue to stay poised at this brink until we FORCE the WH to draw back or until the inevitable bombs fall on new children, evilly, pointlessly, to the ruin of all concerned and unconcerned.

[seemslikeadream]

9. Cheney's BAE to worry about too

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2918459




The official story of 9/11 has been told by professional, experienced, and successful liars.