NEWS FOR FRIDAY

"Actually, Cemil Çiçek's approach, in a way, is Turkey's century-long general approach. The hysterical, assimilationist, exclusionist, vengeful, denialist policy reveals itself through Cemil Çiçek."
~ Mehmet Nuri Güneş, DTP mayor of Iğdır.

Last week the Vineyard Saker interviewed Zerkes from Zerkesorg. It's an excellent and extensive interview discussing the current situation in Turkey, the Turkish Deep State, and potential Kurdish alliances in the region, so go on over to The Vineyard of the Saker and enjoy.


This week the third installation of an examination of the career of the new American Turkish Council chairman Richard Armitage is up at Sibel Edmonds' place. You can also find Part 1 and Part 2 on Armitage if you missed them.





Down in Tucson, Arizona there's been a bit of a dust-up over a Gülen school. You might want to notice the final comment of the Turkish principal:

"I'm hoping that they know that these are defamatory allegations which may put them in trouble later on. These are excelling schools. ... I hope they are aware of what they're doing."

Cue threatening music . . .

Turkish is taught in the school and students are encouraged to participate in Gülen's Turkish Olympiads. The Turkish Olympiads are sponsored by local Turkish organizations around the world and news about these Olympiads regularly appear on Fethullah Gülen's official website.

The interesting thing about this, especially in the US, is that the Bush administration created the National Security Language Initiative in 2006. Turkish is included as a language that is "fundamental to the economic competitiveness and security interests of the Nation."

Now, that begs the question: What kind of translators are former Gülen students going to be? Are they going to be like Sibel Edmonds? Or are they going to be like Melek Can Dickerson? Does anyone think, if these students have a Gulen-inspired view of Turkey--a Turkish nationalist view of Turkey--that they are going to translate things in a way that is favorable to Turkey? Doesn't that undermine the whole idea of a "National Security Language Initiative"?

Finally, last week the DTP/BDP mayor of Iğdır, Mehmet Nuri Güneş, was among those detained in the continuing terror actions against the Kurdish people in Turkey. Many here will remember an interview with Comrade Mehmet from ANF last year. This was after deputy prime minister Cemil "Chicken Little" Çiçek almost had a stroke because the DTP (read: the KURDS) had taken over Iğdır. The problem being, of course, that Iğdır borders Armenia and you know how Kurds might just let the Armenians in the back door so that they would be able to SEPARATE--OMG! OMG! OMG!--Turkey.

According to Roj TV, Comrade Mehmet's detention officially became an arrest last weekend.

THE FETHULLAHÇI AND SOUTH KURDISTAN

"These schools are like shop windows. Recruitment and Islamization activities are carried out through night classes ... Children whom we educated in Turkey are now in the highest positions. There are governors, judges, military officers. There are ministers in the government. They consult Gülen before doing anything."
~ Nurettin Veren.

A little over a week ago, I wrote about the activities of the Gülen movement in Central Asia--among other regional actors. In order to "infect" a region, the Fethullahçı take over education, particularly the education of the children of a society's elites. Cadres of Fethullahçı businessmen permeate the economy, spreading Gülen's version of Islam, which is inseparably intwined with Turkish nationalism, and serve as conduits to funnel money into the movement.

Now it would appear that the same tactics are being used in South Kurdistan, from Özgür Gündem:

The Federal Region of Kurdistan Wrapped Up in the Movement

Since the beginning of the 1990s, universities, associations, foundations, hospitals, and language centers, which belong to the Fethullah Gülen movement, have been opened in Central Asia. Such schools must fall under the National Education Ministry and must be evaluated by it. Instead, they are being evaluated by the National Security Council (MGK) and the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). In addition, MİT is one of the primary organizations that supports this movement.

Additionally, it is very well known by everyone that the Gülen movement's schools in Uzbekistan were shut down in 1999-2000. The reason for the shutting down of these schools was that the people who were working in them became directly involved with the assassination attempt against Uzbekistan's president, Islam Kerimov.

The Russian Security Service revealed the relationship of the movement, which founded schools and foundations in this country, with MİT. They [the movement] were implementing ideological work as well as trying to form a Turkish lobby in the regions in which they were located. Thus the movement's schools, foundations, associations, and business in Russia were shut down and their employees were deported by the Russian Security Service.

The Gülen movement started to open "education" associations in the Federal Kurdistan Region since 1994, and it is still conducting its activities there. It is obvious that these foundations and associations ideologically conduct Turanism and Pan-Turkism in the Federal Kurdistan Region. Despite the fact that the movement's racial, imperialist, and invasive activities were banned by several states, who are allowing it to conduct its activities in the Federal Kurdistan Region? Who is turning a blind eye? Again, additionally, who is getting an advantage out of it and of what kind, are the questions that must be answered.

Teaching in English language in Gülen's schools causes an increase their demand. In addition, there are increasing demands for lessons to be taught in Arabic and Kurdish Sorani dialect in elementary and middle schools. However, the reality of these schools is different. Although in the schools' records English is indicated as the official language, in reality lessons are being conducted in Turkish. To see this reality, it is enough to check the weekly lesson schedules. Turkish, Turkish grammar, and Turkish history lessons make up the greatest amount of the existing lessons in high schools, in addition to elementary and middle schools.

The movement finalized work to open a school in Kerkuk in 2006. However, the movement's members met PUK's high administrators and the Federal Kurdistan Region Vice*President, Kosrat Rasul, to open new schools in the city. After conveying their thanks to each other, the representatıve of Gülen's schools (responsible for all Gulen schools), Muammer Turk, and [Kurdish] officials agreed on the new projects for Kerkuk.

The Gülen Movement's Schools Opened in the Federal Kurdistan Region:

Hewler:

1- Fezalar Eğitim Kurumu
2- Işık Dil Merkezi
3- Işık İlköğretim Okulu
4- Nilüfer Kız Koleji
5- Işık Erkek Koleji
6- Işık Üniversitesi

Süleymaniye:

1- Süleymaniye Kız Koleji
2- Selahattin Eyyubi Erkek Koleji
3- Selahattin Eyyubi Dil Merkezi

In Kerkuk also there is one school and one language center.

In the movement's schools, [there are] celebrations like 23 April (Children's Day and Republic Day) and 19 May (Youth and Sport Day), and the [Turkish] national anthem is memorized. Celebrations are held in the schools' yards and the students' guardians are also invited. However, neither the Kurdish national anthem "Ey Reqib" is sung nor are official holidays of federal Kurdistan celebrated.

Meanwhile Atatürk's pictures are put in the schools. It disturbs Kurdish students and their guardians to make students memorize Turkish history and Atatürk's life. However, the students' guardians want the regional government to take precautions about these issues.

These schools also have activities about Turkey. Some of the students of these schools are taken to Turkey for sightseeing once a year wıth the goal of "introducing Turkey and improving sympathy for Turkey"; however the real goal is known by the students' guardians. The chosen students are taken to vacation resorts and camps. It is not a secret that ideological education is given to them under the name of "vacation".

The movement's activities are not limited to these, of course. Every Thursday, "reading" and "regional conversations" are held with some students and their guardians. Through such activities, that aim to form a mass movement, the Fethullahçıs made a remarkable improvement. Despite all these activities, the turning of a blind eye by the KRG creates several questions.

Hewler is one of the cities on which the Fethullahçıs are most focused. In addition to school activities, an important improvement is just as much the case in the field of health. For this goal, Sema Hospital was opened in "Doctors' Street" in Hewler in 2006. This hospital, in addition to being a laser eye center, treats people with internal diseases. The hospital has a 50% off promotion for people who are close to Gülen's movement. For teachers, officials, and students who are working in the movement's associations, treatment is free.

Another movement "organization" in Hewler is Atasay Jewelry. Opened late due to not getting permission from the government, it was officially opened in recent months. The function of Atasay Jewelry for the Gülen movement is to conduct money transfers between Iraq and Turkey. It transfers the revenue received by the movement, specifically from the federal Kurdistan area, to Turkey or to other countries.

The majority of the students who attend Gülen movement schools are either Turkmen children and the children of high-level KRG officials. Some of the students who graduate from these schools are sent to Turkey to "continue their education". These students are placed in the universities under the quota such universities dedicate to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) [i.e these students are counted in TSK's quota]. They [the students] are admitted to universities especially in Ankara and Kayseri. The number of the TSK quota that is being spared for Gülen's movement changes every year. Students sent from the Federal Kurdistan Region receive "other education" in addition to their university education. Students receive their education through TSK's and MİT's scholarships; whenever they finish their university education and go back to federal Kurdistan, they start working in the Iraqi Turkmen Front, Turkmen TV, radio, or cultural associations.

Another group of students who attend such schools are the children of high officials of the KRG. The existence of these students is important for the movement in order to get their [official] work done more easily.

Another group that is used by the movement is businessmen from Turkey. Gülen's schools are the first schools applied for by some of these businessmen, for their children's educations. In their internal discussions, officials in the movement consult with businessmen coming from Turkey for implementing their new projects. That is, having their children in Gülen's schools for their education is not the only reason to make contact with the movement. For getting their children's education in these schools, these businessmen contribute great help both in the Federal Kurdistan Region and in Turkey.

What kind of money are we talking about, with regard to Turkish businessmen who support the movement? Ten to seventy percent:

We asked the group of a dozen businessmen in Ankara whether each of them contributes financially to Gülen-inspired projects and, if so, approximately how much they give each year. Each of the 12 men said that they contribute as they can to the movement projects. Amounts of contributions varied from 10%-70% of their annual income, ranging from $20,000-$300,000 per year. One man, in particular, said he gives 40% of his income every year which is about $100,000; however, he said he would like to give 95% but is not able to do so and still maintain himself and his family.

[ . . . ]

Another very successful businessman in Istanbul whom we interviewed provided insight into the sums of money being contributed by the supporters of the Gülen Movement to local projects. He is 48 years old and is in the textile business. He contributes 20% of his 4-5 million dollar yearly income to movement-related projects. 80% of his good friends are also members of the movement and contribute as they can to projects.

We're talking some serious coin here, and this is in addition to the problematic issue of spreading Turkish nationalist ideology.

The questions that Goran Akreyi raises in the article most definitely need answers. Sooner rather than later.

TORTURE, FREEDOM, AND THE AWFUL TRUTH

"Man torturing man is a fiend beyond description. You turn a corner in the dark and there he is. You congeal into a bundle of inanimate fear. You become the very soul of anesthesia. But there is no escaping him. It is your turn now..."
~ Henry Miller.

From the Pot-Calls-the-Kettle-Black Department:

Britain can no longer believe what Americans tell us about torture, an MPs' report to be published today claims. They also call for an immediate investigation into allegations that the UK government has itself 'outsourced' the torture of its own nationals to Pakistan.

In a damning criticism of US integrity, the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said ministers should no longer take at face value statements from senior politicians, including George Bush, that America does not resort to torture in the light of the CIA admitting it used 'waterboarding'. The interrogation technique was unreservedly condemned by Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who said it amounted to torture.

The rest is at the Guardian. From the report itself:

52. There appears to be a striking inconsistency in the Government’s approach to this matter. As noted above, it has relied on assurances by the US Government that it does not use torture. However, it is evident that, in the case of water-boarding and perhaps other techniques, what the UK considers to be torture is viewed as a legal interrogation technique by the US administration. With the divergence in definitions, it is difficult to see how the UK can rely on US assurances that it does not torture. As Amnesty International argues, “what the USA considers torture does not match international law”. 86 Human Rights Watch adds that “President Bush’s statements on torture need to be considered in the light of the memoranda from his legal advisers that re-defined torture so narrowly as to make the prohibition virtually meaningless.”87

More on all of this is available on Glenn Greenwald's blog at Salon.

Gordon Taylor has a new item up about the German mountaineers who were released by PKK . . . from the German perspective:

Helmut Hainzlmeier, a 65-year-old Bavarian mountain-climber . . . , was one of three German tourists kidnapped from Mt. Ararat by a PKK platoon on July 8. He was released along with his companions on Monday July 21. They have now returned to Germany.

When the story first broke, Reuters Television did a report from Bavaria. Here is a partial transcription, which gives some background on Mr. Hainzlmeier, who evidently volunteered to be a hostage. Following that I have reprinted an interview with Helmut Hainzlmeier from the German magazine Stern, which I translated via Google and then cleaned up using a German dictionary. Thus I am responsible for any errors. The details are sparse but vivid: lava caves, a bear's den, and guerrillas who "knew very well where they wanted to go."

You can check the rest at Gordon's place. No doubt the Germans were relieved they had been guests of PKK and not of the American government.

There's a very good critique by Azadixwaz on a couple of articles by a Fethullahçı on his "solution" to the Kurdish situation. As far as I'm concerned, the analysis hits the mark:

So the Kurds have secured all of the economic resources in the shoe-shining, begging, car-parking sectors. That is what he talking about, I think, because I cannot think of any other sector that has Kurds, and by Kurds I mean real Kurds not the fake ones who have become Turks. If it was not for the Kurds, there would not be one person who would work in construction business without any benefits or whatsoever. So it is true that there are countless partnerships between Kurds and Turks, otherwise the Turks would not be able to find any servants for them. It is true that the Kurds enjoy equal status with Turks, as long as they deny their roots and say that they are Turks. True, a lot of Kurds in Syria do not have citizenship, but they live with their honor, living and passing down their culture to the younger generations proudly. And the Kurds in Syria can always proudly say they are Kurdish, and almost never hide their identity. You compare it!

OUCH!

TURKEY, ISRAEL, REALPOLITIK

"The more dubious and uncertain an instrument violence has become in international relations, the more it has gained in reputation and appeal in domestic affairs, specifically in the matter of revolution."
~ Hannah Arendt.

More on Israel's assistance to Turkey, in oppressing the Kurdish people, from Murat Karayılan via KurdishInfo:

Israel is not only assisting the Turkish state’s war machine, which is used to annihilate the Kurdish guerrillas, through technological sharing, but is also actively taking part in surveillance and inspection. During the course of the last year Israel has played a significant role in the killing of many of our militants. In the coming month Israel’s defence minister will visit Turkey.

[ . . . ]

It is very strange that on the one side Iran is in a partnership with Turkey to kill our militants, while on the other side Israel, by sending its special personnel to work alongside the Turkish Army, is also actively taking part in the killing of our militants. This is a serious paradox. The pragmatism and interest driven actions here have distorted all truth. This is why we call on the Israeli state to withdraw from these actions. We do not want the Jewish people to be an enemy of the Kurds. If they continue to be an enemy of the Kurds then the Kurdish people do have things that they can do and we will discuss this. But first we will try diplomatic means. Israel needs to reconsider its position.

Mîr at Rastbêj has a new post which should help to sort out some of the other alliances Turkey is using against the Kurds:

In Northern Kurdistan there were two main parties that received the most of the votes. One was the AKP and the other was the DTP, the pro-Kurdish party. After the elections, the AKP neither kept its promises about the Kurdish cause nor attempted to do so. Furthermore, it stood in a position to mediate or reconcile the other political parties in order to approve a parliamentary consensus for cross-border operations against the PKK. With the exception of the DTP, the AKP succeeded in receiving overwhelming approval for military operations from the other political parties. With this move, the AKP aimed both to marginalize the DTP in the parliament and forcefully silence the PKK.

Today, the DTP is under a severe political lynching campaign orchestrated primarily by the AKP, with the other parties willingly joining the campaign. Unlike the Turkish parties, the DTP was the only party in the parliament that opposed the use of military force in general, and cross-border operations in particular. Rather, it suggested achievable democratic solutions for solving the Kurdish Question. However, since the solution of Kurdish Question would end the dominance of the Turkish generals and the parties that benefit the status quo, the DTP labeled as the “separatist party” which praises terrorism. The DTP has subsequently been sued for immediate closure.

Then there's Erdoğan in bed with Büyükanıt:

When one looks back on the presidential elections, where Gul had been nominated by the AKP, one can clearly see the arm wrestling between the AKP and the Turkish generals for dominance in Turkish politics. The Turkish military never wanted Gul as president because it feared that the AKP would legislate laws to curb its powers. Gul, as president, would approve them immediately. However, something very different happened. Gul got elected without any serious opposition from the Turkish military. A question, then, becomes obvious: what made the Turkish generals accept Gul's presidency? The answer lies in the private meeting between Erdogan and the chairman of the Turkish General Staff ,Yasar Buyukanit, in Dolmabahce Palace, a short time before the July 2007 elections. Apparently Erdogan and Buyukanit came to a deal about Gul's presidency, in which the AKP would touch none of Turkish generals' privileges and would support their policies to the end. The AKP also used the monopoly of media manipulation to cover the generals’ black operations against the Kurds, such as Semdinli.

[ . . . ]

In short, the AKP and the Turkish military (TSK) agreed on classic annihilation policies, dictated by the generals, towards not only the PKK but also all the Kurdish people in general.

Finally, there's the spiritual leader of AKP:

The Kurds are historically conservative people and strictly adhere to their religion. It is this fact that religious people, primarily the shekhs and imams, had a distinctive position among the Kurds.

Today, knowing this fact, the AKP is using religious people, sects, associations, and schools to brainwash the Kurds and to cut their emotional and political affiliation with the PKK. Fethullah Gulen’s movement, which has strong ties to the AKP, is the most dangerous group due to its secret agenda. It is everywhere in North Kurdistan.

“Recently the Turkish based Zaman newspaper reported that Fethullah Gulen had filled planes with Turkey’s top businessmen and flown them to southeastern Turkey so they could go door to door to distribute meat and other foods to the poor in key cities.... Fethullah Gulen, founder of an Islamic educational movement and spiritual leader of tens of thousands of devotees around the world, has made a social revolution in Turkey. He is now one of the most influential people in Turkey. His followers will act upon whatever he says, doing what he wills… Today southeastern Turkey is in flames; the Kurdish people one more time are being labeled as terrorists. What kind of bridge of love and isles of peace is Gulen building in southeastern Turkey? Did Gulen ever dare to stand up against the unjust military presence involved in burning houses, kidnapping Kurds, raping women, and depriving everyone of the most important right of speaking their own language? Did he ever mention in public that the Turkish government is wrong and that Erdogan’s policy is oppressive?

Axin Arbili argues that "Support for Cruel Regimes Breeds Terrorism" at The Conservative Voice. There are bones of contention there for everyone to pick at: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey:

The West knows that the Mullah regime is not popular. It is rejected by most Persians, it is hated by the Kurds, Arabs, Azeris, who suffer from state oppression and terror. There are many dissidents and resistance movements, the strongest of which is the Kurdish PJAK. As with the Kurdish freedom fighters in Turkey, the PJAK were forced to take up arms to protect the Kurdish community against Teheran’s aggression and human rights abuses. These groups have the people’s backing, they want the end of the Mullah dictatorship; they want freedom and democracy for Iran. A change is possible from inside, without foreign military force. Only if carried out by the Iranian population themselves, the change and achievement would be seen legitimate and lasting. Although the West talks a lot about regime change, it does not give any open and substantial support for these groups. Although it talks about freedom and democracy all the time, it denies indigenous peoples, with their own distinct languages and ancestral homelands, their right for self-determination. Millions of people continue to be suppressed by hostile majorities in the Middle East.

[ . . . ]

The existence of the pseudo-democratic, pseudo-secular state of Turkey, too, is based on this understanding and cooperation. The Turkish case is an open and empirical textbook of the murderous double-standards and hypocrisy of the West. It is the only Islamic country in the NATO and the only Islamic candidate for membership in the EU. While negotiating membership, its military has been occupying the territory of an EU-member, Cyprus. It receives billions of dollars in economic and military aid from the West. That money and military hardware have been used to maintain occupation of North Kurdistan, oppress and terrorize the Kurdish population, launch raids against South Kurdistan, to crush the Kurdish freedom movement. The Turks are supported by the USA, EU, and UN. They call the slaughter of a defenceless people as "fight against terrorism". Thus Western governments and their media outlets dehumanize and demonize the struggle of 25 million people for freedom. The Turkish tyranny and fascism, a continuation of Ottoman imperialism, is rewarded while the natural, legitimate and honourable resistance of the Kurds is declared a crime. Goebbels would have envied such a masterful global deception, such a perversion of truth and justice.

But Western realpolitik is not bothered about what is right or wrong, it is concerned with securing resources and maintaining control. The present deal with the Turks is about Iran. The West has given green light to the Turkish army to attack the Kurdish resistance in South Kurdistan. As a further treat, America might have offered Ankara some rights over Kurdish oil fields. A full-scale invasion in spring is now becoming a "legal" possibility for the Turks and would not come as a surprise. For the fascist Turks, any form of free, self-governing and successful Kurdish entity, which is South Kurdistan, is unacceptable.

Memorandum: In the spring, let no one send me any panicked emails, or leave any panicked comments, about the fact that Turkey has launched a land invasion of South Kurdistan. You have been warned.

From the monkey-see-monkey-do department, International Socialist Review has a little something on that Little USA-Little Israel known as the Republic of Turkey:

In an eerie replay of the U.S. rhetoric leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Turkish government has insisted that it needs no other nation’s permission—including that of the U.S.—to wage a full-scale attack on the Kurdish rebels. Like Russia’s scorched-earth campaign against Chechnya or Israel’s war on the Palestinians, Turkey’s escalation against the PKK is a clear example of how Washington’s “war on terror” has given nations across the world a political logic to justify inflicting state terror against populations that hold long-standing and legitimate political grievances.

Given this logic, we can make the comparison between Israel's treatment of Gaza and Turkey's treatment of North Kurdistan. Of course, the majority of those who cry for Gaza in Western media have never bothered to cry for North Kurdistan.

Turkey-as-ally doesn't seem to be working, which should surprise no one. However, it's always interesting to see a wrench thrown into the works:

A U.S. warning to scrutinize the activities of Turkey-based Iranian Bank Mellat has not been welcomed by Ankara.

Bank Mellat does not feature in the United Nation's list of individuals and institutions that assist Tehran's controversial nuclear program. "What binds Turkey are the resolutions of the U.N. and not U.S. presidential decrees or congress decisions," a Turkish diplomat told the Turkish Daily News.

[ . . . ]

. . . Stating that foreign banks operate according to the regulations set by the current Banking Law and are controlled periodically, the official underlined that the conditions of suspending one bank's operations are clear. "Obviously we cannot move upon a third party's requests," he said.

The Bush administration issued directives last year cutting off three Iranian banks from the U.S. financial system: Bank Melli, Iran's largest, Bank Saderat and Bank Mellat. Bank Mellat is the only one of those with branches in Turkey, operating in the country since 1981 with three branches in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir.

Ha! May the Turkey-Iran (and Israel) alliance give Michael Rubin a heart attack.

THE MAN WHO GAVE PAKISTAN THE BOMB

"He was aiding foreign operatives against US interests by passing them highly classified information, not only from the State Department but also from the Pentagon, in exchange for money, position and political objectives."
~ Sibel Edmonds.

We have not heard too much from Sibel Edmonds since the end of October, when she let it be known publicly that she was willing to tell the whole story of her work at the FBI and the information she learned from the translations she made--information that would expose and damn the Turkish lobby in the US and that great American work of fiction, The 9/11 Commission Report.

The silence since Sibel's offer to go public has been mainly the result of the chickenshit American media, which continually refuses to show any interest in Truth or in telling a story that requires a bit of mental concentration to understand--no matter how important the story is. So much for the tradition of muckraking.

Until today, anyway.

Britain's The Sunday Times has placed Sibel's story front and center to tell who it was that was involved with selling nuclear secrets to Pakistan:

Among the hours of covert tape recordings, she says she heard evidence that one well-known senior official in the US State Department was being paid by Turkish agents in Washington who were selling the information on to black market buyers, including Pakistan.

The name of the official – who has held a series of top government posts – is known to The Sunday Times. He strongly denies the claims.

However, Edmonds said: “He was aiding foreign operatives against US interests by passing them highly classified information, not only from the State Department but also from the Pentagon, in exchange for money, position and political objectives.”

Oh, let me take three nanoseconds of my time to guess who that "well-known senior official in the US State Department" was: Marc Grossman.

Those familiar with the details of the conflict of interest surrounding the State Department's appointment of Lockheed Martin's Joseph Ralston as "PKK coordinator" for Turkey, will remember that Ralston works as a vice-chairman of The Cohen Group. The other vice-chairman of The Cohen Group is Marc Grossman.

The Cohen Group, founded by former Defense Secretary William Cohen--a Clinton appointee--has been involved in nothing but dirty business since its creation, such as its role in the cover-up of Oil-for-Food kickbacks and the Australian Wheat Board. Then, of course, there was the appointment of Ralston as "special envoy" to Turkey to "coordinate" the PKK, even while he was listed as a lobbyist for The Cohen Group in order to export tactical fighter aircraft--and this while maintaining his position as a member of the Board of Directors of Lockheed Martin.

So it should come as no surprise that The Cohen Group should attract and employ a major rodent like Grossman.

Marc Grossman climbed his way to the number three position at the State Department during his 29 years at the department, during which time he worked in Turkey and Pakistan. As the US ambassador to Turkey, he supervised the procurement of American military hardware for the Turkish military and the guy who was directly in charge of that procurement was none other than US Air Force Major Douglas Dickerson who, with his wife, MİT operative Melek Can Dickerson, figures prominently in Sibel's story.

Note that Grossman and Dickerson worked together to provide Turkey with American weapons and military training at the height of Turkey's genocidal Dirty War against the Kurdish people, during which time the US provided more weapons to Turkey than it had during all the other combined years of the Cold War.

Grossman has also been seriously implicated in tipping off both the Pakistanis and the Turks as to the true nature of Brewster Jennings, earning him the status of "subject of interest" by US intelligence circles:

"When Beyaz Enerji began to encounter 'consultants' with Brewster Jennings, they expressed an interest to their ATC interlocutors in buying the firm along with other energy consulting companies. In the two phone calls intercepted by the FBI, Grossman told the called parties to 'stay away from Brewster Jennings . . . they're the government . . . they're nothing but a cover.' One of the calls was to a Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) top agent in Washington. The other call, bearing an almost identical message, was made to a Northrop Grumman official who was a key player with the ATC. The Northrop Grumman official made a phone call to his ATC handler, stating, 'Our guy warned us off Brewster Jennings.' A U.S. intelligence source stated that 'Grossman's name was all over the FBI wiretaps in 2001.'

"Grossman, who now works for the Cohen Group of former Defense Secretary William Cohen, was, according to U.S. intelligence sources, a subject of interest to counter-intelligence agents since his stint as U.S. ambassador in Ankara."

Then there was Grossman's Pakistan connection:

Ahmed [General Mahmoud], the paymaster for the hijackers, was actually in Washington on 9/11, and had a series of pre-9/11 top-level meetings in the White House, the Pentagon, the national security council, and with George Tenet, then head of the CIA, and Marc Grossman, the under-secretary of state for political affairs. When Ahmed was exposed by the Wall Street Journal as having sent the money to the hijackers, he was forced to "retire" by President Pervez Musharraf. Why hasn't the US demanded that he be questioned and tried in court?

A better question: Why hasn't the US demanded that Marc Grossman be questioned and tried in court?

Did claims against our "subject of interest" pan out? If not, then why did Grossman resign from the number 3 position at the State Department under cover of darkness--normal activity for rodents--by the beginning of 2005?

Sibel herself put it best:

The second Vice Chairman of Cohen’s firm is Marc Grossman, who was the U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs in the State Department from 2001 until 2005. From November 1994 to June 1997, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. In January 2005 Grossman resigned from his position and joined the Cohen Group. In late December 2005, Grossman joined Ihlas Holding, a large and alleged shady Turkish company which is also active in several Central Asian countries. Grossman is reported to receive $100,000 per month for his advisory position with Ihlas.’ Most and foremost, Grossman is known for his extraordinarily cozy relationship with Turkey and Israel; followed by Pakistan.

[ . . . ]

Please do not make the grave and naive mistake of assuming that Grossman found and obtained his highly lucrative and questionable positions after his resignation in January 2005. Within two months after his confident resignation, this boy got the vice chairmanship of the Cohen Group. Only six months later, Grossman ended up securing a ‘special advisory’ position for a foreign company that reported his monthly fee at $100,000 a month. The industrious Grossman seems to be juggling so many balls simultaneously: numerous foreign sponsored dinner speeches, the demanding pimping activities of Cohen’s firm, the very ‘special advising’ of a shady foreign company…

As Sibel noted, that "shady foreign company" is Ihlas Holding, a Fethullacı (i.e. Islamist) business. Obviously Marc Grossman was able to make a very comfortable transition to the private business world because he had made a lot of lucrative connections during his time at the State Department. These connections were his retirement plan, you might say. The fact is also that Grossman didn't cultivate any of his connections for high-minded ideological purposes; he did it for the money and the power.

Let's make it clear what I'm saying here, and what Sibel is saying: Marc Grossman sold nuclear secrets to the Turks, who turned around and sold them to Pakistan. Marc Grossman gave Pakistan The Bomb.

The rodent Grossman is in complete denial, again from today's Sunday Times:

The senior official in the State Department no longer works there. Last week he denied all of Edmonds’s allegations: “If you are calling me to say somebody said that I took money, that’s outrageous . . . I do not have anything to say about such stupid ridiculous things as this.”

But American intelligence types corroborate Sibel's version of the story, just as every official investigation into Sibel's accusations have done:

In researching this article, The Sunday Times has talked to two FBI officers (one serving, one former) and two former CIA sources who worked on nuclear proliferation. While none was aware of specific allegations against officials she names, they did provide overlapping corroboration of Edmonds’s story.

And if Grossman is truly innocent, he won't have anything to hide and, therefore, will not mind a public investigation . . . will he?

By the way, check out this little zinger at the beginning of the article:

She approached The Sunday Times last month after reading about an Al-Qaeda terrorist who had revealed his role in training some of the 9/11 hijackers while he was in Turkey.

Let's see now . . . Turkey . . . that would be America's close ally and Model of Democracy for the Middle East, right . . . training 9/11 hijackers in Turkey?

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Americans are so stupid.

For more on Sibel and The Sunday Times, see Luke Ryland's latest post at Let Sibel Edmonds Speak. Also, see Grossman backgrounders:

"Marc Grossman, Man of Mystery".

"Doug Feith, Richard Perle and Marc Grossman"

"Lesser Neocons of L'Affaire Plame"


In order to put faces to names, Sibel has a State Secrets Rogues Photo Gallery. The list of rogues reads as follows, from left to right:


Richard Perle
Douglas Feith
Eric Edelman
Marc Grossman

*****

Brent Scowcroft
Larry Franklin

*****

Dennis Hastert
Roy Blount - ( Republican, Missouri)
Dan Burton - (R - IN)
Tom Lantos - (D- CA)
?
Bob Livingston
Stephen Solarz

*****

Graham Fuller- RAND
David Makovsky - WINEP
Alan Makovsky- WINEP
?
?

*****

Yusuf Turani (President, Turkistan)
Professor Sabri Sayari (Georgetown, WINEP)
Mehmet Eymur (Turkish MIT)


UPDATE: Luke has a post with the photos of the guilty. Take a look and read the comments.

PLOT AGAINST TURKISH GENERAL STAFF IN UTAH, AND OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE

"The root of the conflict unquestionably lies in Turkey's insistent refusal to give ear to Kurdish demands for equal political, social and cultural representation as well as an end to economic disparity between the Kurdish regions of Turkey and more prosperous areas of western Turkey."
~ Ismet Imset.

Ah, about those British sailors the mullahs are holding . . . I think the UK simply needs to acquiesce in the treatment it's getting from Iran.

Al-Maliki is not cooperating with the two big bullies of the region--Turkey and the US--when it comes to holding a meeting about Iraq in Istanbul. I have to agree with al-Maliki's position, from the Washington Post:

Washington has focused intense pressure on Maliki, who may yet agree to send Zebari to Istanbul rather than see the conference aborted. The reasons for his resistance were explained in these terms by an Iraqi official who requested anonymity in order to speak frankly:

"Why should we go to a meeting to be ganged up on by European and Arab countries that were against the liberation of Iraq to begin with? Why should it be held on the soil of a country that threatens and slights Iraqis instead of helping them?"

Turkey's military stands prepared to invade northern Iraq to destroy Kurdish guerrilla camps or to take control of the disputed city of Kirkuk, if circumstances warrant. Ankara has also pointedly refused to deal with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, an ethnic Kurd who asserts that his home town of Kirkuk is Kurdish, or with the regional Kurdish government of Massoud Barzani. Ankara's non-dialogue policy has led to interruptions of the movement of petroleum supplies across the Turkish border in recent weeks.

Turkey is merely an instigator. Remember, it was Turkey that had sent JITEM into South Kurdistan in 2003, to instigate the Turkmen population of Kerkuk. It appears that a US-based Turkish mercenary company will be taking over in that department so that the Ankara regime can claim plausible deniability in the event of any more "bagging" incidents.

NEWSFLASH: Kurdish politician delivers political speech in Kurdish! How long before he faces charges? Don't hold your breath; it's only Serafettin Elci. They'll never charge him for violating the law.

Let's see . . . who was it last week who was shooting off his big mouth about "financing terrorism?" Oh, yeah, it was Joseph Ralston's bosom buddy, Edip Baser! What exactly did he say?

Underlining that terrorism should not be considered only in terms of armed actions, Baser said that it has also financial and political dimensions. Thus, he said, cooperation with other countries is essential in the fight against terrorism.

"We cannot manage to eliminate financial sources of terrorism such as illicit drug trafficking and human smuggling without cooperating with the other countries since those sources are most present in Western Europe and NATO-allied countries," he said. "We cannot fight terrorism by rendering armed militants ineffective unless we drain financial resources."

Hmm. . . in light of the US State Department's recent report on drug-trafficking, it seems to me that Baser needs to take his own advice:

Turkey is an important regional financial center, particularly for Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as for the Middle East and Eastern Europe. It continues to be a major transit route for Southwest Asian opiates moving to Europe. However, local narcotics trafficking organizations are reportedly responsible for only a small portion of the total funds laundered in Turkey.

[ . . . ]

Money laundering takes place in both banks and non-bank financial institutions. Money laundering methods in Turkey include: the cross-border smuggling of currency; bank transfers into and out of the country; and the purchase of high value items such as real estate, gold, and luxury automobiles. It is believed that Turkish-based traffickers transfer money to pay narcotics suppliers in Pakistan and Afghanistan, reportedly through alternative remittance systems. The funds are transferred to accounts in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries. The money is then paid to the Pakistani and Afghan traffickers.

[ . . . ]

With the passage of several new pieces of legislation, the Government of Turkey took positive steps in 2005 to strengthen its anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing regime. It now faces the challenge of decisively implementing these laws and of securing final passage of the MASAK law that will, among other provisions, specifically criminalize terrorist financing in support of international terrorist groups. Turkey should improve its coordination among the various entities charged with responsibility in its anti-money laundering and counterterrorist financing regime, including the various courts with responsibilities for these issues, in order to increase the number of successful investigations and prosecutions. Turkey should also regulate and investigate alternative remittance networks to thwart their potential misuse by terrorist organizations or their supporters. It should also strengthen its oversight of charities.

I wonder how much OYAK makes off of all that money laundering? Say, what a stroke of luck it is that TSK is getting ready to take over the NATO command in Kabul. They'll be able to use military transports to transfer all those funds around. How convenient!

Shame, shame, Edip Paşa. Seems that you're cut from the same cloth as Ralston. Or at least, Edip Paşa is the same kind of liar as Ralston, again from TNA:

Baser said the closure of the [Maxmur] camp was a long process, stating that it has turned into a PKK camp rather than a refugee camp.

But let's reiterate what the UN says about Maxmur:

Çorabatır explained that a census conducted in the camp revealed that of the 12,000 people living there, 51 percent were women and 49 percent were children. Arguing that the inhabitants of the camp have no connections with the terrorist organization, he said, "The people living in the camp are civilians; they are not terrorists."

Noting that this was the first comprehensive study undertaken by the UN pertaining to the camp, he revealed that despite remarks by the US military to the contrary, no weapons were being kept in the camp and that measures had been taken to this end.

"In all our searches, we found no weapons," said Çorabatır, who maintained that almost all the inhabitants of the camp had gone there from Turkey and that a significant number of them were eager to return.

When he stated that the inhabitants of the camp had no connections with terrorist organizations, the deputies asked him about contradictory statements made by US commanders. In a speech delivered at the Turkish Parliament, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül claimed that a significant portion of the camp had begun to support the PKK due to propaganda disseminated by the group's members.

Of course, Abdullah Gul's claim is ridiculous. The best possible pro-PKK "propaganda" comes directly from Ankara itself, through its policy of genocide and its twenty military "pacification operations" against the Kurdish people. I mean, you can't buy "propaganda" like that. I also like how Baser claims that "Turkey has 'undeniable' information that some Kurdish groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq are involved in efforts to support the PKK." Baser should be more worried about the fact that 20 million Kurds in Turkey's colony Kurdistan definitely support the PKK.

But it certainly looks like the entire US military is nothing more than a pack of dirty liars. Kinda makes you wonder what else they're lying about.

Yusuf Kanli has a pretty funny opinion piece today about Fethullah Gulen. It's hilarious how he describes Gulen bawling about not being able to return to Turkey--which may be an indication that Gulen is off his meds. What's even more interesting about Kanli's piece is his suspicion that an Islamist "mole" in the Turkish General Staff is leaking worse than a puppy with a small bladder:

Interesting enough, we are learning that despite all the expulsions from the Turkish Armed Forces over the past decades in a bid to prevent infiltration by Islamists into the senior ranks of the military there might still be some loyal deep-throat messengers loyal to political Islam who are e-mailing top secret military documents to Utah, where the Gülen brotherhood is active. Why Utah and to which address in Utah? A military statement on the recent sensitive electronic leakage to Utah unfortunately did not elaborate on such questions except underlining that investigations have shown that a draft prepared to be used in renewal of media accreditation to military events was illegally e-mailed to an address in the United States and was then made available excluding the section on Islamist media from that source to various news people in the country.

Lawyers of the Gülen brotherhood organization immediately issued a statement stressing that Fethullah Gülen was not related at all with any such thing and efforts by some quarters in Turkey to implicate Gülen with the electronic theft of the military document lacked any legal basis and were the product of some ulterior motives and legally constituted denigration.

Who said Gülen was involved in that electronic theft? Gülen is not living in Utah anyhow. Or, did anyone try to implicate the Gülen brotherhood with the so-called memoirs of the former Navy commander, Özden Örnek, which are being distributed electronically from a Utah-registered Web domain? Or, is there a Utah-based campaign to harm the prestige of the Turkish military. If so, of course, the Gülen brotherhood is not involved in any way with such dirty games...

Oddly enough, in a discussion with a friend from Amed yesterday, we came to the same conclusion. The coup plans of the Turkish General Staff was the big news all through the weekend, and some general idea of that scoop can be read at Zaman, or in Turkish at Radikal, if you're so inclined.

Yusuf Kanli opined about this leakage on Saturday, as well. However, if anyone thinks it's time to "re-affirm our commitment to democracy," then they'd better understand that it's long past time to boot out the ruling elites at the Turkish General Staff.