Turkey’s PM Erdogan, a Muslim fanatic, enters a military engagement with Syria by spinning a single morter shelling as an attack on its sovereignty. NATO and the world is watching how the situation worsens. I’m waiting for Putin and Russia to call Erdogan’s bluff. Russia already offered a stern warning for outside forces not to invade Syrian territory. In the past days, Turkey committed an act of air piracy by intercepting a civilian jetliner traveling from Moscow to Damascus. See story here.
In Egypt Tahrir Square has seen its largest protests against President Morsi for changing the constitution in line with the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Salafists and Sharia law. Protest started after Morsi granted an universal pardon for all participants in the uprising last year. The Egyptian prosecutor was dismissed by executive order from Morsi, however a protest was lodged by many judges.
Breaking News – Egypt keeps state prosecutor in office after Mursi backs down
In Tunisia, there is unrest for identical reasons, the constitutional changes towards a less secular state and withdrawing rights for women. In Iraq we have seen the same development, attacks on the Christian community, stores selling alcohol, movie theaters and policing Islamic culture as modest dressing for women.
In Jordan, US and British special forces are getting ready to take action by military intervention when Syrian missile facilities and its chemical warheads storage comlex come under siege from Al Qaeda linked jihadist forces making up the majority of the so-called opposition army to Assad. Turkey, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and western powers have joined forces supplying arms, munition, funds and intelligence. Does Madam Clinton realize she is creating a failed state which will lead to a decade long civil war and an extremist government in the end. This will be worse than the Balkans of the ’90s or the ill conceived invasion and occupation of Iraq this past decade.
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Senator Hillary Clinton 'Misspoke' About Bosnia Trip (NY Times)
As Israel and the U.S. put it’s focus on Shia Iran and its nuclear program, the region is becoming more hostile towards Israel in the long term due to Sunni agression as illustrated especially in the regime overthrow in Syria. Are the oil profits of the Gulf States blinding western politicians or are the voices of western Islamic experts muted.
President Mubarak’s voice in 2003 as warning to George Bush: “Pandora’s box will be opened and will not close very easily thereafter.” Words were prophetic, of course US exploited the authoritarian regimes of Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Syria for torture and rendition of its battlefield detainees. Such shameful acts and it will be children and women who will suffer the consequences of men’s agression and millitarism. The Middle-East will be pushed backwards for decades.
Liberals, leftists demand Morsi investigate ‘Brotherhood’s assault’ on protest
CAIRO, Egypt (Ahram Daily) – Liberal and leftist political groups and parties demand president Morsi open an investigation immediately into violent clashes that left hundreds injured in Cairo’s Tahrir Square Friday afternoon.
A demonstration against the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi (who hails from the Brotherhood), turned violent reportedly when Morsi supporters attacked the square, prompting confrontations between pro- and anti-Morsi groups.
“What happened on Friday was that thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members occupied Tahrir Square in an attempt to suppress the voice of Morsi opponents and those that denounced his failure to execute his electoral programme during the first hundred days in office” reads a statement released by the group of liberal and leftist political parties and groups who had organised and participated the “Friday of Accountability” protest.
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Originally, Friday’s demonstrations aimed to denounce the new constitution proposed by an Islamist-heavy Constituent Assembly, which protesting groups decry as unrepresentative of all Egyptian citizens. Protesters were also to condemn what they describe as Morsi’s failure to deliver on promises by the 100-day deadline.
Defiant Egypt prosecutor general returns to work, holds press conference
More below the fold …
Syrian passenger plane flying from Moscow diverted and forced to land in Ankara
(Guardian) – Turkey received intelligence that a Syrian passenger plane which it has forced to land in Ankara was carrying “non-civilian cargo”, foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu says.
Speaking live on Turkish television, Davutoglu said Turkey was within its rights under international law to investigate civilian planes suspected to be carrying military materials. F-16 fighters jets were scrambled to force down the plane, which was travelling to Syria from Moscow.
Russia Today – Turkish F16s intercept Syrian civilian flight from Moscow to Damascus (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Jordan: US forces plan shield against Syria
AMMAN, Jordan (ABC News) – From the edge of a steep mountain overlooking a desert compound built into an old rock quarry, machine gunfire echoes just outside hangars where U.S. special operations forces are training Jordanian commandos.
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A general view of hangars at a desert military training facility where U.S. forces _ and a handful of British allies _ are training Jordanian commandos in Russeifeh, Jordan. (Photo AP/Mohammad Hannon)The Americans, who arrived in the kingdom a few weeks ago at the request of the Jordanians, are helping them develop techniques to protect civilians in case of a chemical attack from neighboring Syria, according to Jordanian officials.
On the Syrian border farther north, British military officers recently assessed the dangers of rockets constantly falling on the kingdom and ways to shield the Jordanian population and Syrian refugees as President Bashar Assad widens his military offensive against rebel enclaves in the vicinity, according to Jordan-based Western diplomats.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II has repeatedly discussed plans for reinforcing security along the Syrian border and expressed concern over Syria’s chemical stockpiles in meetings with visiting Western allies, according to the two diplomats, who monitor Syria from their base.
