Hollande vows 'no concessions' to 'Islamist' Turkey on rights, visas in migrant deal.

Hollande vows 'no concessions' to 'Islamist' Turkey on rights, visas in migrant deal. (Yahoo).

French President Francois Hollande said Saturday that the EU must not grant Turkey any concessions on human rights or visas in exchange for guarantees to stem the flow of migrants to Europe.

"There cannot be any concessions on the matter of human rights or the criteria for visa liberalisation," Hollande told reporters ahead of the resumption next week of tough negotiations between Turkey and the EU in Brussels.

Hollande spoke after meeting in Paris on Saturday with more than a dozen social democrat leaders from the EU, including Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel.

Turkish whistle blower claims Erdogan Ordered not prevent refugee flow to Europe.

Turkish whistle blower claims Erdogan Ordered not prevent refugee flow to Europe. HT @AbdullahBozkurt

According to insider @fuatavni_f, #Turkey president #Erdogan believes the more refugees flock to Europe, the more money he would ask of #EU

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) March 12, 2016

Whistleblower @fuatavni_f claims Interior Minister Efkan Ala ordered by #Turkey president #Erdogan to not prevent refugee flow to Europe

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) March 12, 2016

#Turkey president @RT_Erdogan calls journos who call on @NATO & #EU for action as agents of influence, contractors, acting in espionage

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) March 11, 2016

#Turkey president spox @ikalin1 scolds retired US envoys, says days of giving orders to #Turkey is over @BPC_Bipartisan

— Abdullah Bozkurt (@abdbozkurt) March 11, 2016

The case of Turkey's mysterious disappearing refugees.

The case of Turkey's mysterious disappearing refugees. HT: Balkanist.

It seems nothing short of phenomenal that the European Union has not considered the discrepancy between refugee registration and refugee tracking in its dealings with Turkey—nor the large group of vulnerable individuals fleeing through Turkey from conflicts outside Syria. Frantic negotiations set to continue this weekend will be based around bargaining for Turkey to prevent this large number of Syrian refugees from entering Europe, many of whom are already there. Read the full story here.

Doubts arise over Turkish refugee numbers while the EU is being strong armed into an impossible deal https://t.co/ERzR3VXoU1

— Peter Nut (@nipped) March 9, 2016

Turkey already blowing up EU deal on refugees, saying it won’t take back migrants & refugees from Greek islands.

Turkey already blowing up EU deal on refugees, saying it won’t take back migrants & refugees from Greek islands. HT :  KeepTalkingGreece. (Yahoo).

The EU-Turkey deal is getting better day by day… Turkey will not take back migrants and refugees already on Greek islands under a deal proposed to European Union leaders at a crunch summit this week, Ankara’s EU affairs minister said Thursday.

Minister Volkan Bozkir was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as saying :

Turkey would take back “tens of thousands” of migrants, “not hundreds of thousands or millions”, and they would “not include the existing refugees on the Greek islands”.

Bozkir said the offer did not include migrants already on the Greek islands and sounded a note of caution about how many people Turkey, which already hosts 2.7 million Syrian refugees, would take back.

“It would be more accurate to say the number of migrants to be returned to Turkey in the event of a readmission agreement with the EU will be thousands or tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands or millions,” Bozkir added.

A week before the crucial EU Summit on the Refugee and Migration Crisis, Minister Bozkir apparently wants to limit the number of migrants Turkey will take from the Greek islands.

As for the refugees on the Greek islands… apparently he wants to take none.
Bozkir’s statements quoted here. Hmmm.........You can't make deals with dictators and blackmailers. Read the full story here.

"We are giving the keys of Europe to Sultan Erdogan" liberal ALDE leader Guy Verhofstadt.

"We are giving the keys of Europe to Sultan Erdogan" liberal ALDE leader Guy Verhofstadt. (HLN). (ALDEgroup)

"We give the entrance keys to the gates of Europe to the successors of the Ottoman Empire: to Erdogan, Sultan Erdogan."

 During today's debate on the EU-Turkey agreement, ALDE leader Guy Verhofstadt voiced strong criticism:

"We need practical arrangements with Turkey, but with this deal we try to outsource our problems. We give the entrance keys to the gates of Europe to the successors of the Ottoman Empire: to Erdogan, Sultan Erdogan."

Agreement goes against Geneva Convention

"Europeans will block all refugees who are looking for protection and it will be Turkey and Erdogan who will decide on an individual basis who is a political refugee and who is not, who can enter in Europe and who not."

"I find this hugely problematic. This is a type of collective 'refoulement' forbidden by the Convention of Geneva."

" Turkey has not fully adhered to the Geneva Convention and is rapidly falling into autocracy."

Agreement will not reduce smuggling

"This agreement will dramatically reduce the legal entry points into the Union,  forcing desperate refugees to look for other routes. We will see again the revival of the Lampedusa route. A new Malta route. A new Albanian route. A new Bulgarian route."

ALDE Vice President Sophie in 't Veld said: 

"The EU-Turkey deal is not a sign of strength, but a sign of weakness of the European Union. This deal is morally reprehensible. the fruit of short-term thinking, not a solution for the long term. Apparently the national leaders prefer a dubious deal with an authoritarian leader, rather than to show courage, vision and to take responsibility for a fully-fledged and sustainable European asylum policy."

Three pillars necessary to get a grip on the crisis

Verhofstadt urged the Council to roll out a European strategy based on three pillars:

1.    A Common border and coast guard - to manage our borders: To register the arrival of the refugees, to make the distinction between real refugees and economic migrants and to manage the reception centres.

2.    Use the 3 billion directly in the camps in Turkey. Not to give this to Turkish authorities or to international organizations but directly to the refugees who have to live today with 7 dollars

3.    An EU asylum and migration policy, including a relocation mechanism: "What we do with this deal is not changing or abolishing the Dublin regulation but it puts Turkey inside Dublin." 

'EU Ready to Betray Greece as it Did Czechoslovakia in 1938'

'EU Ready to Betray Greece as it Did Czechoslovakia in 1938' (SP).

"The extraordinary March 7 summit on migration issues in Brussels suggests that [the continent's leaders] have realized, belatedly, what's going on. Convened on the initiative of the German chancellor, who has become the de facto leader of the continent, the summit focused on two priorities: an agreement with Turkey urging Ankara to hold back some of the refugees, and the closure of the migration's Balkan route."

As far as the first question is concerned, Teas argues that it is completely legitimate for Europe to demand that Turkey keep a portion of the refugees it accepts, since "one of the overriding principles of asylum law is that the victims of persecution do not have the right to choose the place where they are held," and must settle in the first place where are made safe.

"As for economic migrants, in other words – illegal immigrants, Turkey should not push them into Europe. Ankara's role, under international law and readmission agreements, is to return them to the country from which they came."

At the moment, Teas suggests, "Mr. Erdogan's Turkey seems to be engaged in a showdown with Europe, using a form of blackmail by conditioning its aid to migrants to accession to the EU, which would open it unlimited access to the European labor market and billions in structural funds. Yielding to these conditions would make Europe into Turkey's hostage."

Ultimately, Teas notes, one should not count on Turkey fulfilling its obligations in good faith, in this case, to save Europe, "nor on Greece playing the role of a scapegoat, sacrificing itself on behalf of our continent's collective errors."

"There is only one solution to this drama: Europe, through the governments of its five or six largest states, should, on an equal footing, take its destiny into its own hands." They have a "historical responsibility" to struggle against the smugglers, "those who accumulate fortunes by throwing millions of poor into the sea."

"But is Europe in the face of its current leadership capable of getting out of its suicidal stupor and regaining its political will and respect the rule of law?", Teas asks.

At the moment, he warns, "it doesn't seem to have found the way." And, as far as France is concerned, "given the gravity and severity of the events, May/June 2017 [when France is set to hold its next presidential elections] seems light years away…" Hmmm.....Given all the new 'taxes' levied on the EU population to pay for the Turkish bribes, this can only result in a massive rise in extreme right voters, who in the long run will vote out all these cowardly politicians. Read the full  story here. 

The sight of Europe’s leaders kowtowing to the Turkish president, Erdogan, was sickening.

Translation: The EU Negotiates. 

The sight of Europe’s leaders kowtowing to the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was sickening. (TheGuardian).

But all this is nothing compared to the strength of the hand Erdoğan has yet to play. With failed or failing states now in Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, the more Turkish democracy fails, the more the west has to support him. And the more the European Commission, in particular, hangs on to the conceit that Turkey will one day join the EU, the more it strengthens forces in Europe who want to leave the union altogether.

Transcripts leaked to a Greek website last month appeared to show Erdoğan overtly threatening Europe with an uncontrolled flood of refugees unless he is given money and rapid accession to the EU. Although they were given credence by some news agencies, the transcripts have the ring of black propaganda of the kind Erdoğan’s newest enemy, the Russian secret service, is adept at producing.

Real or fabricated, the tragedy is that they cannot be far from the truth: Europe is already turning a blind eye to the erosion of democracy, to collusion with people traffickers, and to military action against civilians.

What happens next must be done calmly and proportionately.

The citizens of the EU have a right, first of all, to demand honesty from their own governments, and the commission itself. The EC’s “progress report” in November was an exercise in hypocrisy: while noting the slide to despotism, censorship and brutality, the report praised Turkey for its economic progress. Imagine what the same rapporteurs might have made of an accession request by Mussolini’s Italy.

The critical question is not, as the racists of eastern Europe ask, “Can 75 million Muslims join Europe?”

It is: can a state so fundamentally in breach of the Copenhagen criteria for EU membership remain in any kind of accession process?The answer must clearly be no – and once Erdoğan is told so, the EU has a duty to offer a programme of support to the secular democratic forces that need to come to power in order for accession talks to be resumed.

 The commission – which had no problem telling Greeks which way to vote in July 2015 – would surely have no problem supporting democratic parties against repressive ones in Turkey. Read the full story here.

EU Making `Historic Mistake' in Turkey Deal by selling out Human rights Kurdish Leader Warns.

EU Making `Historic Mistake' in Turkey Deal by selling out Human rights Kurdish Leader Warns. (Bloomberg).

The European Union is making an historic mistake in its haste to conclude a refugee deal with Turkey, overlooking human rights violations that risk plunging the bloc’s largest membership candidate into civil war, said Selahattin Demirtas, leader of the nation’s most prominent pro-Kurdish party.

The EU is turning a blind eye to an opposition crackdown in Turkey that’s polarizing society and complicating efforts to find a political solution to the nation’s Kurdish conflict, Demirtas said in an impromptu interview en route to Brussels. European leaders are expected to ink an agreement with Turkey on Monday that will offer faster EU membership negotiations and visa-free travel in exchange for stopping refugees from crossing the country to enter Europe.

"The EU is trying so hard not to upset Erdogan, and that’s a big mistake," Demirtas said, referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The world has gone very silent on what’s happening in Turkey, and that’s saddening and also short-sighted. If the war in Turkey continues like this, you’re also going to have refugees from Turkey." Hmmm.....The EU cowardly leadership has already shown in the past with Iran that human rights are worthless for them. Read the full story here.

#Turkey wishlist, via @alexebarker: another €3bn, visa liberalsiation quicker, 1 refugee to EU for every 1 returned https://t.co/VSN4WptKQx

— Peter Spiegel (@SpiegelPeter) March 7, 2016

Iran, Italy sign up to $18.4bn contracts.

Iran, Italy sign up to $18.4bn contracts. (Taz).

Iran and Italy have signed multi-billion dollar contracts covering various sectors including health, transportation, agriculture and energy, Press TV reported.

The contracts, worth up to 17 billion euros (USD 18.4 billion), were signed in a ceremony attended by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella in Rome on Monday night.


The Iranian president arrived in Italy on Monday on the first leg of his trip to three European destinations following the implementation of a nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries.

Rouhani flew into Rome at the head of a delegation of more than 100 businessmen and ministers. He will meet Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Pope Francis during his two-day stay before traveling to France on Wednesday.

Italy has traditionally had close economic ties with Tehran and no sooner had Rouhani's plane touched down in Rome, than a government source said Italian firms were poised to sign commercial accords worth between 15 billion to 17 billion euros.

These included a deal for Italian oil services group Saipem  for a 2,000 km (1,240 miles) pipeline worth between $4 billion and $5 billion, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Saipem was not immediately available for a comment.

Prior to the ceremony, Reuters reported that a pipeline contract worth between 3.6-4.6 billion euros (USD 4-5 billion) for Italian oil services group Saipem was among the deals.

Infrastructure firm Condotte d'Acqua was also scheduled to sign deals worth up to four billion euros (USD 4.3 billion).

In addition, Italian steel firm Danieli  will sign commercial agreements worth up to $5.7 billion with Iran, a company spokesman said. These accords will include a joint venture, to be called Persian Metallics, with other international investors, worth $2 billion.

Rouhani is due to address a conference of entrepreneurs and industrial leaders in Rome on Tuesday.
Iran demonstrated its hunger for Western goods at an aviation conference in Tehran on Sunday, announcing plans to buy more than 160 European planes, including eight superjumbos from Airbus , and holding up the prospect of a major order for U.S. company Boeing. Hmmm......what happened to 'Thirty pieces of Silver' ?

'Human rights? What Human rights violations? Turkey important player in region – EU Mogherinni.

'Human rights? What Human rights violations? Turkey important player in region – EU Mogherinni. (Taz).

Turkey is an important player in the region, said the head of EU diplomacy Federica Mogherini at a press conference in Ankara, the Turkish TRT Haber TV channel reported Jan. 25.

Mogherini said that the relations between Turkey and the EU are increasingly developing.
Ankara applied for the EU membership in 1987, and negotiations on Turkey’s accession started in 2005.

Since then, the parties have agreed on 14 out of 35 technical points that Ankara must fulfill to achieve the standards required for EU membership.

In January 2015, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country is no longer interested in the EU accession.


The same year only 20 percent of Turkish population wanted the country to join the EU compared to 75 percent previously. Hmmm.....I said it before and i'll say it again the EU politicians would sell any human right for a profit.

How many more Syrian refugees will EU be forced to accept from Turkey?

How many more Syrian refugees will EU be forced to accept from Turkey? (HD).

As part of the deal reached on Nov 29, two parties will further increase the frequency of political dialogue and in this context Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu will travel to Brussels on Dec. 17 to meet eight EU countries at a mini summit. This meeting, which will bring Turkey, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Greece as well as the EU Commission, will further discuss ways to stem the flow of Syrian and Iraqi refugees from Turkey via Greece to Europe.

The EU, will provide immediate and continuous humanitarian assistance and will significantly expand its overall financial support. An initial 3 billion euros will be provided through adequate sources to Turkey in its spending for Syrian refugees.

However, another aspect of this understanding requires the acceptance of a certain number of Syrian refugees by EU countries. This is still a vivid and controversial issue within the EU as many Eastern European countries are not happy with the idea of imposing compulsory quotas.

Turkey obviously expects to hear concrete commitments from these eight countries and the number of refugees they will accept in a certain time frame. However, there are no strong signs that these eight countries will be able to announce any numbers at this meeting in Brussels.

The expectation in Ankara is to hear substantial numbers, if not during this meeting, then at upcoming ones. Hmmmm........The Islamization of EU[rabia] has begun. Read the full story here.

EU delegation in 'moderate' Iran barred from speaking to foreign media.

EU delegation in 'moderate' Iran barred from speaking to foreign media. (ZN).

Tehran: An EU delegation was stopped Sunday from speaking to foreign media in Tehran, with an Iranian security official threatening action against reporters and photographers if they tried to film the incident.

Having called a press conference at their hotel in the capital, the plans of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament were disrupted, prompting an angry exchange on the street.

After being ushered off hotel premises, Elmar Brok, chairman of the committee, angrily told the security official: "You cannot stop me from talking to reporters."

But Brok, a German MEP, was pointedly warned he had no right to speak to media near the end of a two-day trip, which comes as world powers near a June 30 deadline for a deal on Iran`s disputed nuclear programme.

A crew from Press TV, Iran`s English language channel which is broadcast worldwide, was invited to interview Brok but he cancelled the engagement.

Foreign journalists were earlier told by a hotel manager that there was no permission for a press conference.

Photographers and video reporters were also warned by the security official that they would face repercussions if they used their equipment in any way.

The activities of foreign media in Iran, particularly Western outlets, are strictly controlled and subject to multiple regulations and restrictions by authorities.

Sunday`s incident occurred despite the group of seven EU lawmakers being invited to Tehran by their Iranian counterparts.

"This is an old behaviour which has nothing to do with the new politics of Iran," Brok later told AFP by telephone, alluding to hopes of better political relations if there is a nuclear deal. Hmmmm......'Old behavior, New Politics' sure just ask all those hanged lately by the new politics.......'genius'. Read the full story here.

Small act of resistance by female MEP @MarietjeSchaake visiting Tehran towards forced hijab angers Iranian hardliners pic.twitter.com/MbsK4IXPYh

— Saeed Kamali Dehghan (@SaeedKD) June 7, 2015