Turkey stirs pot with Cairo talks

[bemildred]

Source: SMH.AU, Guardian, MCT

TURKEY'S Prime Minister was due to arrive in Cairo overnight amid speculation that he will attempt to stoke anti-Israeli sentiment following last week's assault on the Israeli embassy in the Egyptian capital.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is embroiled in a separate diplomatic war with Israel over its refusal to apologise for killing Turks on a Gaza-bound ship 15 months ago, is seeking to strengthen Turkey's alliance with Egypt to cement and extend its influence in the region. In the first such visit in 15 years, Mr Erdogan is expected to offer the post-Mubarak government aid and trade deals.

In the wake of the storming of the Israeli embassy on Friday, Egyptian security police raided the Cairo offices of the Al Jazeera news channel and detained a member of its technical staff.
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The move against Al Jazeera on Sunday was denounced by a variety of Egyptian political organisations and fed a growing sense of crisis that has gripped the capital since Friday.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/turkey-stirs-pot-with-cairo-talks-20110912-1k5wu.html

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[Harmony Blue]

2. Turkey is starting to stand out and establish its own identity

and sphere of influence. Maybe not joining the EU may end up being a good situation long term afterall.

[14thColony]

4. Yes, something they were once very adept at

before they allowed NATO, the US and east-west dynamics hem them in.

I think alienating Turkey will go down as the Israeli foreign policy debacle of the 21st century.

[Dover]

3. If Turkey allows itself to be pulled into these conflicts I fear we will see WWIII

It is the linchpin and central stabilizing force in the region and if it loses that center then I fear the gates of hell will open.

And Israel is not a country you want to corner (even if they are seen to have brought it upon themselves)-

NYT - Beyond Cairo, Israel Sensing A Wider Siege

...Facing crises in relations with Egypt and Turkey, its two most important regional allies, Israel turned to the United States. Throughout the night on Friday, desperate Israeli officials called their American counterparts seeking help to pressure the Egyptians to protect the embassy.
...
Washington — for whom Israel, Turkey and Egypt are all critical allies — has watched tensions along the eastern Mediterranean with growing unease and increasing alarm. And though the diplomatic breaches were not entirely unexpected, they prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity in Washington.

Read more - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/world/middleeast/11israel.html?_r=2&hp

[roamer65]

6. Feels like 1914 or 1938 doesn't it?

The next World War is coming very soon.

[harun]

5. Bravo Turkey, proceeding wisely!

[Dover]

7. Turkish prime minister calls Israel "the West's spoiled child."

Erdogan - “Israel is the West’s spoiled child,” he said, “to this day it has never executed a decision by the international community.”

-----

CAIRO — Seeking to capitalize on Turkey’s growing stature and influence across the Arab world at a time of regional upheaval, its prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appeared on Egyptian television late Monday once again calling Israel “the West’s spoiled child.”

Mr. Erdogan’s appearance kicked off a so-called Arab Spring tour, with plans to also visit Libya and Tunisia in addition to Cairo. He is seeking to enhance his regional celebrity and bolster Turkey’s standing as a potential role model for Arab states fitfully inching toward democracy. His visit comes at a moment when the revolutions of the Arab Spring have thrown into question much of the established order that has prevailed in the region for the last 30 years, including the terms of Israel’s uneasy peace with its neighbors, in particular, Egypt.

cont'd - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/world/middleeast/13egypt.html?hp

[Behind the Aegis]

8. "bastard child" would be more accurate.