'Visa-Free Regime With 'Islamist' Turkey May Increase Terrorist Risk in EU': EU Report.

'Visa-Free Regime With 'Islamist' Turkey May Increase Terrorist Risk in EU': EU Report. (SP).

The proposed visa liberalization for Turkish citizens travelling to the EU could potentially have an impact on the terrorist risk in the EU in as far as the movement of terrorists of Turkish citizenship to and from the Schengen area is concerned, an extract from the report, seen by The Telegraph newspaper, reads.


Criminals could also take advantage of the unrestricted entry to the European Union to pursue their own goals, including through drug trafficking, importing illegal firearms and people smuggling into Europe, the report revealed.

"It can be expected that, as soon as Turkish citizens will obtain visa-free entry to the EU, foreign nationals will start trying to obtain Turkish passports in order to pretend to be Turkish citizens and enter the EU visa free, or use the identities of Turkish citizens, or to obtain by fraud the Turkish citizenship. This possibility may attract not only irregular migrants, but also criminals or terrorists," the report stressed.

Turkey is yet to meet five out of the 72 total requirements, notably those related to data protection and anti-terrorism laws, among other issues. Hmmm......Giving Turkey visa free travel is pure madness. Read the full story here

Related: 

Theresa May says UK may block Turkey & Balkans EU membership!

EU hopes to grant Turkey visa-free travel in migrant deal, but the U.K might Veto this 'madness'.

EU hopes to grant Turkey visa-free travel in migrant deal, but the U.K might Veto this 'madness'. (AA).

The European Union is set to give conditional approval on Wednesday for Turks to gain visa-free access to the Schengen zone, meeting a key demand by Ankara to keep a migrant crisis deal alive.
The European Commission, the executive arm of the 28-nation EU, will say Turkey must still meet further measures to access the passportless Schengen area without visas by June, sources told AFP on Tuesday.

Ankara has demanded that the visa requirement be scrapped in exchange for taking back migrants who land in Greece under a seal signed in March, but there are still widespread concerns among EU states, especially over human rights issues in Turkey.

"The Commission will put forward a plan to include Turkey in the list of countries exempted from visas," a European source told AFP, adding that "only 64 out of the 72 criteria are fulfilled" and that the offer, therefore, remains conditional.

Turkey has to meet a list of 72 criteria – ranging from biometric passports to respect for human rights – that were set when Brussels and Ankara first talked about 90-day visa-free travel to the Schengen area.

EU member states and the European Parliament must still approve the Turkey visa plan after it clears the Commission, which is by no means a foregone conclusion.

Germany and France have proposed an emergency brake or "snap back mechanism" under which it could halt visa-free travel if large numbers of Turks stay in the EU illegally or if there are a large number of asylum applications by Turks.

Even politicians in favor of EU membership, such as Home Secretary Theresa May,have signalled that further enlargement needs to be reconsidered for countries with "poor populations and serious problems with organised crime, corruption and sometimes even terrorism".

Ministers have emphasised that the UK has the right of veto over future prospective members, while insisting the talks with Turkey and other countries are unlikely to be rushed and, as such, the issue will not come to a head for a while.

Theresa May says UK may block Turkey & Balkans EU membership!

Last month, George Osborne said a Turkish agreement was "not on the cards any time soon" and insisted the UK would not allow any free movement deal with countries which weren't closely aligned in terms of size and prosperity . Hmmm.....Once again the U.K. can make the difference and stand for freedom.

Turkey has become such a thorny issue, that its prospects of joining the EU are receding.

Turkey has become such a thorny issue, that its prospects of joining the EU are receding. (BBC).

                              EU referendum: Will Turkey's EU hopes affect UK vote?

The question of whether Turkey and six Balkan countries will join the European Union and, if so, what it will mean for the UK has become a live issue in the EU referendum campaign.

Campaigners wanting to leave the EU say such a further enlargement could result in a migration "free-for-all" and pose a "serious and direct threat" to UK public services. Is there any truth in this?

Nothing will happen for at least three years, because European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker imposed a five-year moratorium on enlargement in 2014.

Seasoned EU-watchers say Montenegro and Serbia are, to coin a phrase, at the front of the queue, while there are major hurdles to overcome with Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia.

As for Turkey, the challenges it faces in meeting the membership criteria are so big, and it has become such a thorny issue, that its prospects are receding.

In short, yes. Turkey has a customs union with the EU, but its troubled relations with the Republic of Cyprus have always been a unique stumbling block - a situation exacerbated by Cyprus' own admission to the EU in 2004.

Turkey would also be the first country with a majority Muslim population to join the EU, in itself a major development.

Some see a future advantage for Europe if many young Turkish workers fill jobs, as ageing populations cause the labour force to shrink.

But the migrant crisis, caused by the five-year civil war in Syria, has fueled doubts among those EU politicians who, in principle, have always been in favor of letting Turkey in.

More than two million Syrian refugees have fled to Turkey, a country which already had a population of nearly 76 million.

EU leaders are desperate to uphold free movement rules, enshrining the right of any EU national to live and work elsewhere in the union. They are nervous that admitting a country of Turkey's size could make this untenable.

Under a recent agreement with Turkey to curb the migrant influx to Greece, the EU undertook to "re-energise" the stalled accession talks.

But there are major concerns about Turkish human rights violations, including curbs on the media and rule of law - all key issues when judging a country's fitness to join the EU.

At the same time, economic hardship, Islamist terror and the migrant crisis have fuelled a nationalist backlash in much of Europe, often expressed as hostility to Islam.

Even politicians in favour of EU membership, such as Home Secretary Theresa May, have signalled that further enlargement needs to be reconsidered for countries with "poor populations and serious problems with organised crime, corruption and sometimes even terrorism".

Ministers have emphasised that the UK has the right of veto over future prospective members, while insisting the talks with Turkey and other countries are unlikely to be rushed and, as such, the issue will not come to a head for a while.

Last month, George Osborne said a Turkish agreement was "not on the cards any time soon" and insisted the UK would not allow any free movement deal with countries which weren't closely aligned in terms of size and prosperity.

Hmmm......Thank God for Churchill, 'we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender'.Read the full story here.

Related:

  Theresa May says UK may block Turkey & Balkans EU membership!

Theresa May says UK may block Turkey & Balkans EU membership!

Theresa May says UK may block Turkey & Balkans EU membership! (ConservativesHome).

It is time to question some of the traditional British assumptions about our engagement with the EU.  Do we stop the EU going in the wrong direction by shouting on the sidelines, or by leading and making the case for taking Europe in a better direction?  

And do we really still think it is in our interests to support automatically and unconditionally the EU’s further expansion?  

The states now negotiating to join the EU include Albania, Serbia and Turkey – countries with poor populations and serious problems with organised crime, corruption, and sometimes even terrorism.  

We have to ask ourselves, is it really right that the EU should just continue to expand, conferring upon all new member states all the rights of membership?  

Do we really think now is the time to contemplate a land border between the EU and countries like Iran, Iraq and Syria?  Having agreed the end of the European principle of “ever closer union”, it is time to question the principle of ever wider expansion. Hmmm..........Make your choice gentlemen ...Them or Us. Full speech can be read here

Cyprus and Egypt on Monday signed an oil and gas Memorandum of Understanding.

Cyprus and Egypt on Monday signed an oil and gas Memorandum of Understanding.(CM).

It provides for cooperation between the two countries in the development and exploitation of the Cypriot ‘Aphrodite’ gas field in block 12 of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone, utilising gas infrastructure existing in Egypt for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

In particular, the MoU authorises the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and the Cyprus Hydrocarbons Company (CHC) Ltd to examine technical solutions for transporting natural gas, through a direct marine pipeline, from the Aphrodite field to Egypt.

The Cypriot Government is in advanced talks with Russia regarding the signing of a number of cooperation agreements, the Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides, referring to the upcoming visit of President Nicos Anastasiades in Moscow.

Commenting on statements by Russian Ambassador Stanislav Osatsi in an interview with "Kathimerini" newspaper, that Russian - Turkey relations is not an obstacle for Russia's cooperation with Cyprus, Christodoulides said that "each country works solely trying to serve its own strategic interests and that is what Russia does, that is what the Republic of Cyprus does”.

"In this context we are in advanced processes, in advanced talks for the signing of a number of significant agreements and within the next week there will be more specific announcements by both the Russian side and the Republic of Cyprus," he said. Read the full story here.

Cyprus - Talks can resume only if 'Neo Otoman conquerors' Turkey acts responsibly.

Cyprus - Talks can resume only if 'Neo Otoman conquerors' Turkey acts responsibly. (CyprusMail).


The Cypriot government expressed the hope yesterday that Turkey will act in a way that will allow the resumption of reunification talks, suspended last October when Ankara dispatched a research vessel inside the island’s exclusive economic zone.

“It is an illegal action showing that Turkey does not respect the sovereign rights of the Republic inside its EEZ,” government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said.

Turkey, which supports the Turkish Cypriot breakaway state in the north, disputes Nicosia’s rights to search for gas.

The government said Turkish Cypriots can share potential benefits, but only when there is a peace deal. President Nicos Anastasiades pulled out of talks in October after Ankara issued a navigational telex, or NavTex, reserving research areas inside the Republic’s EEZ.

It subsequently dispatched a research vessel, Barbaros, to carry out seismic surveys in the area.

The NavTex expired in December but Turkey issued a fresh one early in January, which expires on April 6.

The Barbaros is currently anchored 2.5 kilometres off the coast of Salamis, in occupied Famagusta.

But the government said anything short of withdrawing the telex will not get the talks going.

“The key for the resumption of talks is not having a navigational telex on Turkey’s part,” Christodoulides said. That however, is unlikely to happen.

In any case, Turkish Cypriots have leadership elections on April 19, and even without the NavTex holding up the talks, any form of substantive dialogue would have been doubtful. Hmmm.....Giving Turkey a permanent Seat at the U.N. would only unleash the 'beast'

U.S. Denies 'Islamist Sometimes NATO Ally' Turkey Leftover Warships.

U.S. Denies 'Islamist Sometimes NATO Ally' Turkey Leftover Warships.(Eurasianet).

The U.S. Congress has approved the handover of some leftover naval vessels to allies, pointedly excluding Turkey from the list of recipients.

In late December, the U.S. finally approved the long-delayed handover of six naval frigates to Mexico and Taiwan. But the bill passed Congress only after Turkey (along with Pakistan and Thailand) were eliminated as potential recipients, for a variety of political reasons. 

In the 2012 version of the "Naval Transfer Act," Turkey was to receive two Oliver Hazard Perry class guided missile frigates, the USS Halyburton and the USS Thach, which are being decommissioned by the U.S. Navy.

But the inclusion of Turkey proved controversial, as members of Congress pointed out Turkey's increasingly hostile stance toward Israel and its threats against natural gas exploration by American companies near Cyprus. 

"I believe we should hold off on sending powerful warships to Turkey and encourage the government in Ankara to take a less belligerent approach to their neighbors," said Representative Eliot Engel during that debate.

That bill was ultimately defeated, and an alliance of Greek, Jewish, and Armenian lobbying groups took credit.

But the defeat was only a symbolic one, says Can Devrim Yaylali, a Turkish naval blogger, who notes that the frigates in question were significantly more poorly equipped than the ships Turkey currently operates (including those of the same class) and could only have been cannibalized for spare parts.

"The lack of these frigates will not have any effect on the Turkish Navy at all from a technical point of view," Yaylali tells The Bug Pit. "If the US lawmakers tried to give some kind of a signal to the Turkish government by not adding Turkey to the list of the nations that may get a frigate is beyond my understanding. But if they did; the message was not delivered as the medium is not the correct one."  Hmmm........US frigate donation to Obama's BFF Erdogan ‘Sunk’

Cypriot Archbishop : 'Neo Ottoman conqueror' ‘Turkey’s goal is the occupation of whole Cyprus’

Cypriot Archbishop : 'Neo Ottoman cqnqueror' ‘Turkey’s goal is the occupation of whole Cyprus’.(Independent Balkan News Agency)

Cypriot Archbishop Chrysostomos II called for “spiritual and national alertness”, noting in his Christmas message that the Turkish occupation of Cyprus poses a threat, not only to the country, but to faith as well.

In his Archiepiscopal circular, read after Christmas mass in all churches of Cyprus, the Archbishop notes that the teaching of Jesus Christ is in contrast with the passive acceptance of the occupation and illegal settlement of Cyprus by Turkey,

Turkish occupation poses a danger to faith, he added.

“Turkey`s final and permanent goal is the occupation and turkification of the whole of Cyprus” the Archbishop says, noting that this is also evident by its continuous provocations in Cyprus` exclusive economic zone.  Hmmm......I applaud the Archbishop for his wisdom and agree. 

Chance for Cyprus talks as Turkish ship 'Barbaros' to exit Exclusive Economic Zone.

Chance for Cyprus talks as Turkish ship 'Barbaros' to exit Exclusive Economic Zone. (Famagusta).

Turkish Cypriot negotiator Ergun Olgun has confirmed reports that the Turkish exploration vessel "Barbaros" will leave waters in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone on Tuesday, reports local media.

The about turn comes just days after Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot administration said they have no intention of halting exploration of the eastern Mediterranean.

The departure of the ship could open the way for a resumption of UN sponsored talks, which have been suspended since the vessel arrived in Cypriot waters in mid October.

In October, the Greek Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos stated presence of the Turkish research vessel constitutes a "brutal violation of the international law of the sea”.

On Wednesday President Anastasiades said that Ankara`s positions for a resumption of the talks not only do not satisfy us but create more problems.

He told journalists after a cabinet meeting that he will not tolerate partners who undermine the existence of the Republic of Cyprus.

"I would like to make clear that I will never tolerate partners to a state which are not active but instead make threats with new plans,” he remarked.

Greek Cypriots suspended peace talks with Turkish Cypriots on in October in protest at what they called attempts by Turkey to undermine gas exploration off the island. Hmmm.....It's not because the 'Barbarians' 'Barbaros' leaves that they have given up.

'Neo Ottoman conqueror' Turkey will be the primary user of 'Occupied' Cyprus gas.

'Neo Ottoman conqueror' Turkey will be the primary user of 'Occupied' Cyprus gas. (HD).

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu highlighted Nov. 22 the importance of the use of Cyrpus's natural resources for peace, adding that Turkey would be the primary user of gas coming out of the divided island.

Davutoğlu made the remarks in a speech at the closing session of the sixth Atlantic Council Energy and Economic Summit in Istanbul.

"Everyone will gain in Cyprus if both sides accept that natural sources around the island belong to all sides. Peace should be achieved without delay," he said.

He called for restarting negotiations over the issue. "Let's use this opportunity for the solution of this issue," he said.

The prime minister also referred to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline spanning the Caspian and the Mediterranean. He called on Armenia to remain peaceful when Caspian oil gets transferred to Europe.

"Energy is a great value for us; it should be used for the prosperity of humanity. When it is used as a tool for conflict, there will be no winners in the long term," Davutoğlu said.

Davutoğlu also said energy-related issues would top Turkey's agenda during its G20 presidency term.

Turkey is set to take over the 2015 term-presidency of the G20 group in December.

"Around half of humanity does not have access to power. When we start our G20 presidency, we will take steps to improve the situation for all humanity," he said.

"The cooperation between the two countries is needed even more in these days," Davutoğlu said. "Especially for energy and economy, we know that crises are becoming intense in our region," he added.

He said the geopolitical issues leave an impact on Turkey.

"All the crises in Turkey's neighboring countries have made an impact on our country," he said. "We are not willing to see regimes torturing their nations and terrorist organizations threatening peoples' lives and safety."

"Iraq can become the fastest-growing country in the world if stability is achieved. It is the luckiest country in the Middle East in terms of its rich natural sources and big population," the premier added. Hmmmm........

#ISIS appeared just in time to give 'Neo Ottoman conqueror' #Turkey this great deal. @etabori @friendsofbibi #ISIS http://t.co/mLF3NqrNTP
— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) November 21, 2014

Related: Turkey's oil and gas reserves to diminish in 20 years, reason why Cyprus, Iraq and Israel should worry?


EU Parliament urges 'Bully' Turkey to stop maritime surveys for gas in Cyprus Exclusive Zone


Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkır said on Nov. 13 that Ankara will “not accept” the European Parliament’s decision on the resolution. 

“It has no validity for us,” said EU Minister Volkan Bozkır, in reference to the draft resolution, during a meeting with Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade in Ankara. 

Israel pitches ‘massive’ natural gas pipeline plan to Europe, via Cyprus.

Israel pitches ‘massive’ natural gas pipeline plan to Europe, via Cyprus. (TOI). HT: Cypruspuzzle.

Israel has proposed that EU countries invest in a multi-billion euro pipeline to carry its natural gas to the continent, noting that the supply from Israel would reduce Europe’s current dependence on natural gas from Russia

A proposal for the “massive” project was introduced by Israel’s Energy Minister Silvan Shalom to energy ministers from Euro-Mediterranean countries who met in Rome earlier this week, Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Thursday.

It said the project would require a multi-billion euro investment from Europe to build a pipeline from Israel’s Mediterranean cost to Cyprus, from where the gas would be carried on to Greece and Italy.

The TV report said Cyprus, Greece and Italy were all supportive of the idea, and that Israel would make a formal presentation of the project to European representatives in Brussels in three weeks’ time.

It would be cheaper for Europe to work on a supply route with Egypt, but this could expose the Europeans to instability because of the unpredictable political developments in Egypt, the report noted. Similarly, a pipeline from Israel to Turkey would be less expensive, but bilateral relations rule this out so long as Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a prominent critic of Israel, holds power there.

In September, Israel signed a deal to supply Jordan with $15 billion worth of natural gas from its Leviathan energy field over 15 years. The deal was Israel’s largest collaboration with Jordan to date, and will make Israel its chief supplier. Representatives of the gas companies involved, Delek Group Ltd. and Nobel Energy Inc., were in Jordan to sign the agreement.

Shalom hailed that deal as “a historic act that will strengthen the economic and diplomatic ties between Israel and Jordan.” Thursday’s report underlined that Israel hopes a natural gas partnership with Europe would also boost diplomatic relations with the EU, which are strained by major differences over policy on the Palestinians.Hmmm..... Only one problem 'Neo Ottoman conquerror' Islamist dictator Erdogan. He will use the Hatred towards Israel and the Al aqsa imaginary 'threat' to start war with Israel.Read the full story here.

Could 'Neo Ottoman Conqueror' Turkey go to war for Cypriot Gas?

Could 'Neo Ottoman Conqueror' Turkey go to war for Cypriot Gas? (HD).

The Greek academic with whom I had that interesting conversation last week in Istanbul was in a good position to know what is going on in both Nicosia and Athens. For many years his advice has been sought by political leaders on policies related to the two countries and consequently to Turkey.

It was interesting to hear from him that the Greek Cypriots are now fully confident that they have “got it right” by focusing their policy on their right of exploration of resources in their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), confident that their move, together with Greece’s toward Egypt, was well thought-out and over-confident that they could create a new geostrategic balance in the region. Naturally, both Nicosia and Athens consider the presence of the Barbaros inside the Cypriot EEZ enough of a “provocative” action to justify their stance.

My academic friend also assured me that the Greek Cypriot leader is “determined to go until the end,” in building up further his country’s relations with Israel and that this will be apparent during Nicos Anastasiades’ visit to Israel on Dec. 2, when he will have extensive talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (According to Greek sources, the original plan was that Netanyahu was going to meet Anastasiades in Nicosia, but he asked for the meeting to take place in Tel Aviv due to security reasons).

It looks like December might be a diplomatically hot month for Greece-Cyprus-Turkey relations.

The visit of Anastasiades to Israel will be followed almost immediately by the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to Athens on Dec. 5-6. If Davutoğlu’s team indicates that they want to de-escalate tension, will there perhaps be new ideas leading to cooperation rather than the isolation of each party behind their own lines?

Needless to say, the only answer that the Greek academic really wanted to hear from me was “Could Erdoğan go to war for Cyprus?” This, he told me, is what is on everybody’s mind on the Greek side. To that, I could not give him a definite answer. Hmmm....He wants the Gas as much as he wants Iraqi oil.Read the full story here.

Athens furious at 'Neo Ottoman conquerors' Turkey's "blatant flouting of the international legal order"

Athens furious at 'Neo Ottoman conquerors' Turkey's "blatant flouting of the international legal order" (Famagusta).

The Greek Foreign Ministry has issues a strongly worded statement regarding Turkish activities in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus.

In the statement, Athens says that it will never accept the legitimization of the fait accompli in Cyprus, "to which we now see being added, in a provocative manner, the flagrant violation by the Turkish side of the International Law of the Sea in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, which is a sovereign state and a member of the UN and the European Union,"

It adds: "The unilateral declaration of the illegal secessionist entity of the pseudo-state in the occupied section of the Republic of Cyprus and the insistence for 31 years now on the fabrication that is the `TRNC` is a blatant flouting of the international legal order and the resolutions of the United Nations.”

BRUSSELS CONDEMNATION

Last week the European Parliament adopted a resolution strongly condemning Turkey’s "illegal and provocative actions" in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkır said on Nov. 13 that Ankara will “not accept” the European Parliament’s decision on the resolution.

“It has no validity for us,” said EU Minister Volkan Bozkır, in reference to the draft resolution, during a meeting with Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade in Ankara.

“Although Turkey is respectful of the European Parliament’s decision, this draft resolution is likely to end up like many other resolutions,” he added, implying that it will have little or no consequences. Hmmm....As long as Obama 'protects' the new ME dictator things will only get worse.

'Occupier' Turkish Dep PM urges Greek Cypriots to "turn back from the wrong way".

'Occupier' Turkish Dep PM urges Greek Cypriots to "turn back from the wrong way". (HD).

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç urged Greek Cypriot authorities to "turn back from the wrong way" and return to the negotiation table, as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus celebrated its 31st anniversary on Nov. 15.

"It is naturally not possible to let Greek Cypriot side to act like it is the only owner of the island," Arınç said in a speech in Lefkoşa, reiterating the Turkish Cypriots' rights over natural resources in the east of the Mediterranean.

He also stated that the Greek Cypriots' main reason to suspend negotiations was hydrocarbon resources.

The Greek Cypriot administration suspended talks in October in retaliation for Turkey's warship mission to monitor oil-and-gas exploration activity off the Cyprus coast.

Turkey and the government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have strongly opposed any unilateral move by the Greek Cypriot administration to explore any hydrocarbon resources around the island, saying that its natural resources should be exploited in a fair manner under a united Cyprus. Hmmm.....You invade and occupy a country and then claim it's all yours??

Related: 

EU Parliament urges 'Bully' Turkey to stop maritime surveys for gas in Cyprus Exclusive Zone.

The 1974 Turkish Invasion and its Consequences

EU Parliament urges 'Bully' Turkey to stop maritime surveys for gas in Cyprus Exclusive Zone

EU Parliament urges 'Bully' Turkey to stop maritime surveys for gas in Cyprus Exclusive Zone. (EUParl).

European Parliament resolution on Turkish actions creating tensions in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus (2014/2921(RSP))
The European Parliament, –   having regard to its resolution of 12 March 2014 on the 2013 progress report on Turkey(1), –   having regard to the General Affairs Council conclusions of 17 December 2013, –   having regard to the statement of 7 October 2014 by the spokesperson for the President of the European Council, –   having regard to the Turkey Progress Report 2014, of 8 October 2014, –   having regard to the European Council conclusions of 24 October 2014, –   having regard to Rule 123(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure, A. whereas on 3 October 2014 Turkey issued a NAVTEX (Navigational Telex) directive, by which it ‘designated’ a large area within the southern part of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus as being reserved for seismic surveys to be conducted by the Turkish vessel Barbaros from 20 October to 30 December 2014; whereas these seismic surveys affect blocks that have been allocated by the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to the Italian company Eni and to the Korea Gas Corporation for the exploration of possible hydrocarbon reserves in the seabed soil; B.  whereas, despite repeated calls by the EU, including in the Commission’s Turkey Progress Report 2014, Turkey continues to contest the existence of the Republic of Cyprus and the legitimacy of exploration and exploitation by the Republic of Cyprus of natural resources within its EEZ, thereby challenging the activity of a European company; whereas Turkey’s claims and actions have no legal foundation and are in direct conflict with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); C. whereas the UNCLOS sets out a comprehensive legal framework establishing a regime of law and order, and rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources; whereas the EU has ratified the UNCLOS, which is now an integral part of its acquis communautaire; D. whereas the EU has frequently reiterated that Turkey needs to commit itself unequivocally to good neighbourly relations and to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations; E.  whereas Turkey’s actions within the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus coincide with the recent appointment of the new Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, Espen Barth Eide, and are negatively affecting the negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem; 1.  Urges Turkey to show restraint and act in accordance with international law; deplores the escalation of threats and unilateral action by Turkey against the Republic of Cyprus in relation to the EEZ; recalls the legality of the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus; calls on Turkey to respect and fully implement the declaration issued by the European Community and its Member States on 21 September 2005, including the provision that the recognition of all Member States is a necessary component of the accession process; 2.  Stresses that the Republic of Cyprus has the full and sovereign right to explore the natural resources within its EEZ, and that the Turkish maritime surveys must be seen as both illegal and provocative; demands that Turkish vessels operating in waters in and around the EEZ of Cyprus be withdrawn immediately; 3.  Stresses that Turkey’s actions constitute a violation of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus and of international law, including the UNCLOS; reiterates its call on the Turkish Government to sign and ratify the UNCLOS, which is part of the acquis communautaire, without further delay; 4.  Urges Turkey to revoke its NAVTEX immediately, and to refrain from any violations of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus; 5.  Calls on Turkey to respect the sovereignty of EU Member States over their territorial waters; reaffirms that the sovereign rights of the Member States include the right to enter into bilateral agreements and the right to explore and exploit their natural resources in accordance with the UNCLOS; 6.  Shares the UN’s view that any gas finds would benefit both communities in Cyprus if a lasting, political solution can be found to end the conflict; believes that, if properly managed, the discovery of significant hydrocarbon reserves in the region could improve economic, political and social relations between the two communities in Cyprus; 7.  Supports the rights of the Republic of Cyprus to lodge formal complaints against violations within its sovereign territory or waters to the UN and the International Maritime Organisation; 8.  Reiterates the importance it attaches to the normalisation of relations between Turkey and all EU Member States, and is of the view that the continuation and/or repetition of these actions could have a negative impact on Turkey’s relations with the EU, including its accession process; 9.  Underlines the importance of stopping provocative actions within the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus and of refraining from making threats against the Republic of Cyprus; notes that these actions and threats undermine the continuation of negotiations for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem; calls for stability in this very sensitive region, in view of the challenges that lie ahead; 10. Requests that the European External Action Service and the Commission closely follow Turkey’s activities within the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus and report back to Parliament; 11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice‑President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Turkey.

Update: 

Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkır said on Nov. 13 that Ankara will “not accept” the European Parliament’s decision on the resolution.

“It has no validity for us,” said EU Minister Volkan Bozkır, in reference to the draft resolution, during a meeting with Hungary’s minister of foreign affairs and trade in Ankara.

“Although Turkey is respectful of the European Parliament’s decision, this draft resolution is likely to end up like many other resolutions,” he added, implying that it will have little or no consequences.

Video - Nigel Farage on Juncker's 'election' as Commission chairman.

British Politician: ‘Everyone in Brussels knows that Juncker drinks far too much. I would call him an alcoholic.'

British Politician: ‘Everyone in Brussels knows that Juncker drinks far too much. I would call him an alcoholic.' HT: DailyMail.

New EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker faced shock new claims about his drinking last night.

A former Tory Foreign Office Minister who has worked with him closely said he drinks so heavily he ‘dribbles’ during meetings and is often ‘incapable of working after lunchtime’.

And a newspaper in Mr Juncker’s native Luxembourg carried lurid details of a drinking binge he allegedly embarked upon.

The prominent British politician, who served as Minister for Europe, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘All the stories about Juncker’s drinking are true. I know because I had to work with him. He is a complete drunk.

‘I regarded it as pointless talking to him after 12 o’clock because at times he seemed incapable of working, so drunk you couldn’t get any sense out of him. It is every bit as bad as people say. I have seen him so p****d that he was dribbling.

‘Everyone in Brussels knows that Juncker drinks far too much. I would call him an alcoholic. Talk to European politicians in private and they will all tell you about his drink problem.’

The politician, who spoke to The Mail on Sunday on condition of anonymity, said Mr Juncker’s drinking was not the only reason he was unfit to be EC President.

‘He is totally wrong for the job and isn’t any good. I was talking to a senior French politician only the other day and he agreed with me that Juncker is useless.’

Mr Juncker, 59, has been dogged by rumours of a drink problem for years.

Summit tables were said to have been awash with alcohol during his 20-year tenure as Prime Minister of Luxembourg. He resigned as a result of a spy scandal last year.

The newspaper Letzebuerg Privat (Luxembourg Private), has referred to him as the country’s ‘drunken stupor premier’.

Last year it ran a front-page report, accompanied by a photo of him guzzling drinks, in which it was alleged that he quaffed ‘a Campari, three glasses of wine and three Sambucas in only two hours’.

German journal Der Spiegel said: ‘Juncker no longer cares what others think about him'. Hmmmm......Why choose a 'Drunk'? Because lots of 'dirt' around to pressure him in doing what you want. Read the full story here.

'Yes We scan' - NSA monitors WiFi on US planes ‘in violation’ of privacy laws

'Yes We scan' - NSA monitors WiFi on US planes ‘in violation’ of privacy laws.(RT).

In a letter leaked to Wired, Gogo, the leading provider of inflight WiFi in the US, admitted to violating the requirements of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). 

The act is part of a wiretapping law passed in 1994 that requires telecoms carriers to provide law enforcement with a backdoor in their systems to monitor telephone and broadband communications.
Gogo states in the letter to the Federal Communications Commission that it added new capabilities to its service that go beyond CALEA, at the behest of law enforcement agencies.

“In designing its existing network, Gogo worked closely with law enforcement to incorporate functionalities and protections that would serve public safety and national security interests,” Gogo attorney Karis Hastings wrote in the leaked letter, which dates from 2012.

He did not elaborate as to the nature of the changes, but said Gogo “worked with federal agencies to reach agreement regarding a set of additional capabilities to accommodate law enforcement interests.”

Gogo, which provides WiFi services to the biggest US airlines, are not the only ones to adapt their services to enable spying. Panasonic Avionics also added “additional functionality” to their services as per an agreement with US law enforcement, according to a report published in December.

The deals with security services have civil liberties organizations up in arms. They have condemned the WiFi providers’ deals with authorities as scandalous.

“Having ISPs [now] that say that CALEA isn’t enough, we’re going to be even more intrusive in what we collect on people is, honestly, scandalous,” Peter Eckersley, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Wired.

The powers of the National Security Agency and other US law enforcement agencies have come under harsh criticism since the data leaks from whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the extent to which they monitor citizens’ communications. In particular, critics have taken issue with the NSA’s mass, indiscriminate gathering of metadata which has been described as “almost Orwellian in nature” and a violation of the Fourth Amendment.

Judge Richard Leon of the US District Court for the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit against the US agency and is pushing to have the case heard in the US Supreme Court. Last week the Supreme Court said that Leon would have to wait for a ruling from the lower court before his case could be heard.

Since the NSA scandal blew up last year, prompting widespread public anger in the US and internationally at the violation of privacy rights, President Barack Obama’s administration has reluctantly taken some modest steps to curb the powers of the agency.


At the beginning of this year, Obama announced that the NSA would no longer be able to monitor the personal communications of world leaders. In addition, last month Obama formally proposed to end the NSA’s bulk data collection, proposing legislation that would oblige the agency to get a court order to access information through telecoms companies.

"Yes We Scan" - NSA's Secret Toolbox: Unit Offers Spy Gadgets for Every Need.

"Yes We Scan" - NSA's Secret Toolbox: Unit Offers Spy Gadgets for Every Need.(Spiegel).

The NSA has a secret unit that produces special equipment ranging from spyware for computers and cell phones to listening posts and USB sticks that work as bugging devices. Here are some excerpts from the intelligence agency's own catalog.Read the full story here.

White House panel: Little to no indication mass NSA surveillance thwarts terrorism.

White House panel: Little to no indication mass NSA surveillance thwarts terrorism. (RT).

Geoffrey Stone, a University of Chicago law professor, told NBC he was “absolutely” shocked when the review panel’s findings turned up little to no indication that terrorist activity had been identified by the controversial National Security Agency practiced.

“It was, ‘Huh, hello? What are we doing here?’” he said. “The results were very thin.”

The NSA program was one of the first Snowden leaks to be made public in The Guardian and The Washington Post earlier this year. It was revealed that the agency does not listen in on telephone conversations in the US, but does compel major telecommunication companies like Verizon and AT&T to turn over the records – including the time and length of the call as well as the numbers dialed - belonging to millions of Americans.

Stone was among the five members of the White House review panel who were handpicked by the Obama administration to consider if major changes should be enacted to the NSA programs. The group began work on August 27 and has since met with executives from Google and Facebook, as well as lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union and even the chief judge of the FISA court.

The panel recommended this week that the massive collection of phone records be stopped immediately to protect Americans’ privacy. They issued this recommendation upon finding that it was “not essential in preventing attacks.”

That assertion blatantly contradicts statements made by President Obama and intelligence leaders for over six months.

“Lives have been saved,” Obama told reporters when the Snowden leak was first reported. “We know of at least 50 threats that have been averted because of this information.”
Yet Stone spared no sympathy for Snowden, saying that the former NSA contractor was wrong to release so much information regarding national security.

“My empathetic view is that a person who has access to classified information – the revelation of which could damage national security – should never take it upon himself to reveal that information,” he said.

Admitting he was using a “somewhat inflammatory” example, Stone compared Snowden’s actions to a crazed gun control advocate.
“Suppose someone decides we need gun control and they go out and kill 15 kids and then a state enacts gun control?” he said, decrying the whistleblower for putting the nation “at risk.”

This week’s recommendation quietly noted that the phone collection program, which uses Section 215 of the Patriot Act as legal justification, has “only made a modest contribution to the nation’s security.” It went on to note that “there has been no instance in which NSA could say with confidence that the outcome [of a terror investigation would have been any different” without section 215, as quoted by NBC.

It also proposed applying oversight to the US’ surveillance on targets outside the country, and increasing internal security in an attempt to stop future leaks. These points came as somewhat of a surprise to some pundits, who dismissed the White House panel as a political ploy that would have no real impact on the security vs. privacy discussion.
“That was stunning. That was the ballgame,” one congressional intelligence official told NBC. “It flies in the face of everything they have tossed at us.”
The President is expected to address the recommendation, and possibly enact some of the proposed changes, sometime in January.

“The message to the NSA is now coming from every branch of government and from every corner of our nation: You have gone too far. The bulk collection of Americans’ data by the US government must end,” Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters Friday. “This momentous report from the President’s closest advisers is a vindication of the efforts of a bipartisan group of legislators that has been working for years to protect Americans’ privacy by reining in these intelligence authorities.”

Related:

Obama defends NSA programs during rare White House press conference