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ANKARA/ISTANBUL, July 16 (Reuters) - A defiant President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday stepped up his attack on the European Union, saying Turkey had to go its own way and vowing to bring back the death penalty if parliament passes it.

Erdogan, who was at the opening ceremony for a memorial dedicated to the roughly 250 people who died during last years failed coup, accused Brussels of messing about with Turkeys decades-long bid to join the bloc.

The speech, in front of the presidential palace in Ankara in the early hours of Sunday, wound up a marathon session of public appearances by Erdogan in both the capital and Istanbul to mark the anniversary of last years failed coup.

The stance of the European Union is clear to see... 54 years have passed and they are still messing us about, he said, citing what he said was Brussels failure to keep promises on everything from a visa deal to aid for Syrian migrants.

We will sort things out for ourselves, theres no other option.

Umit Bektas / Reuters

Ties with Europe were strained after the coup, given the Wests alarm about the scale of the government crackdown that followed. Some 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from their jobs and more than 50,000 detained on suspicion of links to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the attempted putsch.

He also said he would approve, without hesitation the death penalty, if parliament voted to bring it back a move that would effectively end Turkeys bid to join the European Union.

I dont look at what Hans and George say. I look at what Ahmet, Mehmet, Hasan, Huseyin, Ayse, Fatma and Hatice say, he said, to cheers from a flag-waving crowd.

Erdogan, the most popular and divisive politician in recent Turkish history, sees himself as the liberator of pious millions who were deprived for decades of their rights and welfare by Turkeys secular elite.

Umit Bektas / Reuters

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU remained committed to dialog with Turkey and called on Ankara to strengthen democracy and the rule of law. He also warned against reinstating the death penalty.

One year after the attempted coup, Europes hand remains outstretched, Juncker wrote in Germanys Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

If Turkey were to introduce the death penalty, the Turkish government would finally slam the door to EU membership.

Addressing a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Istanbul on Saturday evening, Erdogan promised violent retribution against Turkeys enemies, including FETO - his term for Gulens network - and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

We know who is behind FETO, the PKK and all of them, he said. We cannot defeat the queen, king, or sheikhs without defeating the pawns, knights and castles. Firstly, we will rip the heads off of these traitors.

He also said that alleged members of Gulens network would be forced to wear jumpsuits like those worn by prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, after one detainee showed up to a court hearing wearing a T-shirt that said Hero.

(Additional reporting by Michael Nienaber in Berlin; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Keith Weir)

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Erdogan Vows To Punish Turkey's Enemies On Anniversary Of Failed Coup - HuffPost

The cover of French newspaper Libration on July 17, 2017. The headline reads: "Turkey: But who wil stop Erdogan?"

euro-press review

Divisions over Macrons housing tax in France. Mays fractious cabinet gets top billing in London.

By Saim Saeed

7/17/17, 12:02 PM CET

Updated 7/18/17, 12:41 PM CET

Its been one year since a failed coup tried to dislodge Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan from power. In the year since, thousands of government officials, soldiers, police officers and lawyers, as well as academics and opposition activists, have been arrested and jailed, allegedly for colluding with the coup plotters. Also in that time, Erdoans relationship with Europehas worsened, putting Turkeys chances of entering the EUeven lower. Commemorating the one-year anniversary in a large rally in Istanbul, the Turkish leader promised to break the heads of the coup plotters and to reinstate the death penalty, despite capital punishment being a red line for EU negotiators. While Turkeys pro-government press hailed the presidents words, the European press lamented them.

Pro-government paper Akam: Stopping the tanks with the fist: there is no other country [like Turkey] referring to Erdoans success in averting the coup attempt. Centrist Hrriyet Daily News led with Millions mark failed coup bid anniversary. (Its Turkish language version led with the same headline as Akam.) Opposition newspapers Cumhuriyet and Szc ignored Erdoan on their front pages entirely.

Left-leaning Libration and Catholic paper La Croix focused on Erdoan and the coup anniversarywith grim assessments of the current state of Turkish politics. Libration led with But who will stop Erdoan? And La Croix: Since the failed putsch, its only been a year, President Erdoan has extended his control over the country with purges that followed. Conservative Le Figaro railed against President Emmanuel Macrons tax plans. Housing tax: the great worry for mayors, led its headline. Its editorial, titled False good idea, was also about the housing tax, with the question: How will the state compensate for the scrapping of the housing tax?

The German press also led with Turkey. The Frankfurter Allgemeine had an opinion piece on its front page titled, Turkey is lost, which argued that talks on Turkeys accession to the EU should be stopped as well as a front pager on the Erdoans rally. Putschists will find no peace. Turkish president recommends death penalty more clearly than before, FA wrote. Sddeutsche Zeitung led with Social Democrat leader Martin Schulzs proposal to cut funding to EU countries, such as Hungary and Poland, that refuse to take in migrants. Right-leaning Die Welt, weighing in on Schulzs 10-point plan, added criticism from the ruling Christian Democrat coalition that said Schulzs ideas for greater public sector investment and a joint eurozone budget would be too expensive.

Brexit talks begin with the government in chaos: That sums up Mondays front pages in London. A bust-up between Chancellor Philip Hammond, an avowed Remainer, and senior Brexiteers in cabinet comes just as Brexit Secretary David Davis arrived in Brussels to continue negotiations with the EU on the terms of the U.K.s departure from the bloc. Metro led with the title, Wicked leaks, referring to statements attributed to Hammond, who allegedly said public sector servants were overpaid. Hardcore Brexiteers were responsible for the leaks, according to the chancellor. Hammond accused of Brexit treachery, led the Times. Cabinet chaos as Brexit talks resume, was is headline. The Mirror called Hammond a hypocrite: Multi-millionaire chancellor calls nurses and cops overpaid whilst raking in 10k a month renting property as he lives in luxury for free, it said.

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'Who will stop Erdoan?' POLITICO - POLITICO.eu

Ankara (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said he has never known Qatar to give support to terror organisations, a charge made by Saudi Arabia and its allies who have cut ties with the gas-rich emirate.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other states broke off relations on Monday over what they say is the emirate's financing of extremist groups as well as its ties to Iran, Riyadh's regional arch-rival.

On Friday, the Saudis and their allies placed several Qataris and Doha-based organisations on a "terror list" as the bitter diplomatic row escalated.

They released a joint statement listing as many as 18 individuals, including members of Qatar's royal family and a former minister as involved in "terrorist" activities.

While maintaining good relations with the Gulf states, Turkey has vowed to continue to back its close ties with Qatar, which Erdogan again defended on Friday.

"They declare foundations established to provide different services as terror organisations. Something like this should not happen. I know those foundations. Until today I have not witnessed Qatar give support to terror," Erdogan said in Istanbul.

In addition to cutting ties, Saudi Arabia has also sealed off Qatar's only land border, a crucial lifeline for food imports.

The Turkish leader called for the "blockade" against Doha to be "completely lifted", urging Saudi Arabia to show leadership and encourage good relations in the region.

"I have a request to the Saudi administration: you are the biggest in the Gulf, the strongest... not with hostilities, you should be the leader of fraternity there, you should bring everyone together," Erdogan said.

He also ratified a bill approved by Turkish lawmakers on Wednesday to deploy troops to a Turkish base in Qatar in a move seen as Ankara's show of support for Doha.

Erdogan defended the action, asking "our friends" in the Gulf: "Why does the American base not discomfort you? There are other countries' bases too, why doesn't it discomfort you?"

He was referring to the enormous Al-Udeid airbase, the United States' biggest in the Middle East which is home to some 10,000 US troops.

It is a crucial hub for US military operations in the Middle East, especially the battle against the Islamic State group.

Erdogan said Turkey would continue to help Qatar such as exporting food and medicine to them.

"Sorry, but we will continue to give all kinds of support to Qatar," he said.

See more here:
Erdogan says 'not witnessed' Qatar give support to terror

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will wade deeper into the Gulf crisis with trips to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar from Sunday, diplomacy that may be as much about protecting his nations regional interests as finding a way out of the six-week impasse.

Ankara has been a crucial ally of Qatar since it was isolated by a four-nation, Saudi-led coalition on June 5,shipping it food and expanding its military presence there ahead of joint military drills later this month. In a sign its looking to broaden that role, Defense Fikri Isik said Erdogans two-day visit to major trade partners would aim toease tensions rather than fueling instability, while reiterating that Qatars sovereignty must be respected.

We are saying that primarily Saudi Arabia and all other countries should sit down at a table and solve this through peaceful dialogue, Isik said in the capital on Monday. To that end, Turkey is ready to make any contribution.

Diplomatic efforts to end the standoff have so far failed. After four days of shuttle diplomacy between Gulf capitals last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the dispute -- which pits longstanding U.S. economic and security allies against each other -- may last quite a while. The sides still refuse to speak to each other directly and are no closer to resolving the 13 key demands made after the crisis started.

They include Qatar downgrading its cordial ties with chief Saudi foe Iran, ending the Turkish military presence on its soil, and stopping its backing for the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic group that has been in the crosshairs of the Saudis and other Gulf monarchies since the Arab revolts at the start of this decade. Qatar has rebuffed the demands and has also denied the blocs allegation that it funds terrorism.

Turkey also has a lot at stake. While it, too, backs the Brotherhood and is a major recipient of Qatari investment, Saudi Arabia and fellow alliance member United Arab Emirates bought $8.6 billion of Turkish exports last year, almost 20 times as much as Qatar.

Read More: Saudis Are After the Muslim Brotherhood, and Turkeys In the Way.

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Turkey has already been excluded as a main mediator and broker in the Qatar crisis because of the unwavering, expanded support it has extended to Doha and due to its position on the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, Anthony Skinner, a director with U.K.-based forecasting company Verisk Maplecroft, said by email. That said, President Erdogan has a clear interest in doing what he can to break the impasse and to ensure political, trade and commercial ties with Saudi Arabia are not eroded.

Speaking during a trip to the U.K., U.A.E. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said he saw little hope of a quick fix to the spat. He said that the alliance -- which also includes Egypt and Bahrain -- needed a clear signal that Qatar, the worlds largest producer of liquefied natural gas, is willing to reexamine its position regarding extremism and terrorism.

The situation we want to move to is a neighbor that we can trust, a neighbor that is transparent, that we can do business with, Gargash said in an interview outside parliament in central London. This is not a crisis where we are looking for a quick fix, he said. We need a solution that will stick.

Ilnur Cevik, a chief adviser to Erdogan, said by phone on Tuesday that Turkey was seeking to join the dialogue as an impartial player.

Mehmet Sahin, an analyst of international relations at Ankaras Gazi University, said he expected the Turkish president to stress that the Arab world should unite against the real threats from Iran as well as regional turmoil, including Syria.

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Erdogan's Gulf Crisis Trip Signals Conflicting Turkish Interests - Bloomberg

Speaking to hundreds of thousands of people at a massive ceremony on Saturday in Istanbul, Erdogan urged vigilance against lurking enemies and declared that last summer's bloody ordeal emboldened the nation.

"This experience has unified us, made us stronger," the President said. "This wasn't the first attack against our nation and it's not going to be the last attack either."

"We know who is behind these terrorists. However, there's also the fact that if you do not combat and fight against these pieces we cannot fight and overcome those who are manipulating them. Therefore, we are going to behead these traitors."

The country has remained in a state of emergency while allowing Erdogan to tighten his grip on power and oversee a massive purge of those who he says rose up against him.

Over the past year, Erdogan and his government have clamped down on civil liberties across Turkey, gutted public institutions and universities, heavily restricted the media and ordered mass arrests of activists, journalists and the political opposition.

Since the coup attempt, more than 169,000 people have faced "judicial action" ranging from travel restrictions and detentions to arrest warrants,, the justice ministry said, according to Anadolu.

The clampdown stoked widespread unease in the country.

But the sea of Erdogan supporters packing the streets waved flags and cheered on their popular and outspoken leader. The commemoration ceremony started at July 15 Martyrs Bridge with the national anthem. Then it was followed by a Quranic recitation, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said.

The names of those people killed were read out and their pictures were also shown on big screens. A monument honoring those killed while fighting the coup attempt near the bridge was unveiled.

Erdogan praised those who lost their lives in the fight against those carrying out the attempted putsch.

"I wish this bridge were able to speak about the heroic acts on this bridge," he said. "I express my gratitude to these martyrs. They have defended their freedom, their calls to prayers, their flags, their motherland, their state and their future."

After the address, he traveled to Ankara, the capital, where he spoke to throngs at the parliament building early Sunday, repeating the same themes that he did in Istanbul, sympathy for the people who died trying to stop the coup attempt, respect and confidence for the Turkish people, criticism of the country's opposition leader, and anger toward the people who tried to overthrow the government.

Speaking in Istanbul, Erdogan warned of groups that are using terrorists as "manipulation."

He cited followers of exiled cleric and former ally Fetullah Gulen. Erdogan has claimed Gulen was behind the coup attempt, a charge that Gulen denies. Gulen is the leader of a popular movement called Hizmet, but the Turkish government refers to his group as the Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization, known as FETO.

The government has said that the Gulen group "is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary," according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

"How dare you can attack this motherland? There will be those days that you will account for what you have done," Erdogan said in Ankara. "Hey FETO, is there anywhere you can safely go? Is there anything you haven't done to damage this nation. Is there any door left that you haven't knocked at?

"You have been allocated some land in Pennsylvania to use, now you are governing these places from there. Those who made calculations for a coup d'etat completely forgot that you cannot make calculations before God and they have hit the wall of the national will as a result," Erdogan said, referring to where Gulen now lives in the United States.

Erdogan also mentioned the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a designated terror group in Turkey, the US and Europe. Known by its acronym the PKK, it has been engaged in a 30-year conflict with the Turkish government. He also cited Daesh, another name for ISIS, which Turkey also views as a foe.

"We know very well that FETO is not just FETO. PKK is not just PKK. Daesh is not just Daesh on itself. These terrorist organizations and other are not only comprised of what you can see when you look at them, we know this very well," Erdogan said.

The President said many enemies were "waiting at bay ready to attack."

"We are not uttering their names but we know all about them. We know who they are," he said. "You will not be able to succeed. You will not be able to divide our nation. You will not be able to bring our flag down."

The attempted coup took place July 15, 2016, undertaken by a faction of the military Tanks rolled into the streets of Turkey's two largest cities, Ankara and Instanbul.

Soldiers blocked the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul -- now renamed the July 15th Martyrs Bridge in honor of people on the bridge who confronted the coup-plotters.

Bombs struck the parliament building in the capital Ankara, and a helicopter stolen by rogue pilots was shot down by an F-16 jet.

Erdogan was hundreds of miles away at a seaside resort when the coup got going. By the time he emerged to address the nation via FaceTime hours later, it had already begun to abate.

About 250 people died standing up to the soldiers who took part in the uprising.

Coup plotters were rounded up the next day. In the ongoing days and week, Erdogan and his government have clamped down on civil liberties across the country, gutted public institutions and universities, heavily restricted the media and ordered mass arrests of activists, journalists and the political opposition.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the opposition Republican People's Party, recently led a long trek through Turkey, about 250 miles over three-and-a-half weeks, to demand that the government loosen its stranglehold on the country's democracy.

Called the "March for Justice" Kilicdaroglu was joined by throngs of disaffected citizens -- many angry with Erdogan -- in the walk from the capital, Ankara, to Istanbul. Kilicdaroglu kicked off the march after the imprisonment of one of his party's parliament members.

In his Saturday address, Erdogan slammed Kilicdaroglu for repeatedly claiming that the government knew about the coup attempt in advance but it failed to stop it and called those remarks disrespectful and insulting.

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Turkey: Erdogan says behead traitors - CNN.com