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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim speak at the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Economic Council in Ankara on Feb. 7. Voters will decide in April whether to give Erdogan broad, new powers that would eliminate Yildirim's job. Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim speak at the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Economic Council in Ankara on Feb. 7. Voters will decide in April whether to give Erdogan broad, new powers that would eliminate Yildirim's job.

This spring, voters in Turkey are being asked if they want to transform their government, giving broader executive powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Opposition parties say the proposed constitutional changes would put Turkey on the road to one-man rule, but supporters say in these dangerous times, Turkey needs a strong leader to fend off enemies at home and abroad.

The vote is expected in April, and the government is already in campaign mode, trumpeting its accomplishments and promising more if the referendum is approved.

What might have been just another sleepy ribbon-cutting ceremony, a recent re-launch of a long-stalled Istanbul housing project, turned into a full-on rally. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a flag-waving crowd the answer to Turkey's problems is a "yes" vote on a strong presidency.

Yildirim was only appointed prime minister last year, but he's campaigning hard for voters to eliminate his job. Under the new system, Turkey would have no prime minister. His executive and administrative powers would be transferred to Erdogan.

Yildirim also showed the hard edge of the "yes" campaign, likening Erdogan's opponents to outlawed Kurdish militants and backers of cleric Fetullah Gulen. Erdogan accuses Gulen of backing last summer's failed coup attempt against him, something Gulen who lives in Pennsylvania denies.

President Donald Trump spoke to Erdogan this week, affirming Turkey's status as a key strategic partner and NATO ally. It's not clear what Trump thinks about Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian style, which bothered the Obama administration.

Erdogan began running Turkey in 2002 as prime minister, and has effectively controlled the country ever since, despite moving into what had previously been the largely figurehead role of president in 2014. He presided over years of robust economic growth, but became entangled in regional and internal conflicts that brought a wave of terrorist attacks and economic decline to the country.

Some Turks seem to be rallying around Erdogan in part because of the current gloomy outlook. Faisal Demir, 55, believes Western powers have it in for Turkey, so everyone he knows is ready to stand with their tough-talking president.

"In the history of our republic, we haven't had a better leader," he says. "And now the wolves are living among the sheep, you know? These are dangerous times, so we're going to say yes to these changes."

Many Turks agree that the country could use a new constitution. The current one was enacted in 1982, after a military coup toppled the elected government. But there's little agreement about how exactly it should be changed.

"Yes" voters argue that America has a strong president, so Turkey should, too. And there would be similarities: like the U.S. president, Erdogan would become a partisan leader, and his cabinet picks would be independent from Turkey's parliament. Currently, the cabinet members are also members of parliament and are accountable to parliament in various ways.

But analysts say there are crucial differences, especially when it comes to democratic checks against presidential powers. The proposal would give the president increased influence over the Turkish parliament, as well as more control over the hiring and firing of judges. The changes would also permit Erdogan to run for two more terms, potentially remaining in office until 2029.

Ersin Kalaycioglu, a political scientist at Sabanci University in Istanbul, says it's impossible to predict how Erdogan would use some of these new powers, but critics are worried nonetheless.

"It [would be] a strong presidency, nothing like any president of the United States has ever experienced," he says. "If this amendment carries, then for a while, Turkey will have a system with very little, if any, checks and balances, as far as many of the experts can see."

In Istanbul's Balik Pazari or Fish Market Street, a silver-haired fishmonger named Sener doesn't want to give his family name since he plans to vote no on the referendum. He says he doesn't expect a level playing field, with the media already focusing on the "yes" campaign. Dissenters may be treated harshly.

"I saw a bunch of young people, they wanted to demonstrate against the referendum," Sener says. "They got arrested. So that's the deal if you say no, you get arrested."

At the moment, experts say Erdogan is enjoying even greater powers than he would if the referendum is approved. That's because Turkey has been under a state of emergency since last July's failed coup attempt. Over 100,000 people have been sacked or suspended, and thousands have been charged with backing the coup or supporting terrorists. The constitutional changes, if approved, would only go into effect once the state of emergency is lifted.

Constitutional law professor Ibrahim Kaboglu at Marmara University has spoken out against the idea of asking Turks to hold such an important vote while under a state of emergency. He fears the "no" camp will be intimidated, and the media will be afraid of offending the government. He calls it "a big and essential problem. It's a serious, serious problem."

Just days after talking with NPR about the referendum, Kaboglu was himself caught up in the latest emergency decree fired from his job, along with hundreds of other academics.

Read more:
Turkey's President Erdogan Pushes For Broader Powers - NPR

WASHINGTON/ANKARA Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed in a phone call overnight to act jointly against Islamic State in the Syrian towns of al-Bab and Raqqa, both controlled by the militants, Turkish presidency sources said on Wednesday.

The two leaders discussed issues including a safe zone in Syria, the refugee crisis and the fight against terror, the sources said. They also said Erdogan had urged the United States not to support the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.

Trump spoke about the two countries' "shared commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms" and welcomed Turkey's contributions to the fight against Islamic State, the White House said in a statement, but it gave no further details.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of U.S.-backed militias, started a new phase of its campaign against Islamic State in Raqqa on Saturday.

Turkey, a NATO ally and part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, has repeatedly said it wants to be part of the operation to liberate Raqqa but does not want the YPG, which is part of the SDF alliance, to be involved.

Erdogan's relations with former U.S. President Barack Obama were strained by U.S. support for the YPG militia, which Ankara regards as a terrorist organization and an extension of Kurdish militants waging an insurgency inside Turkey.

The Turkish army and Syrian rebel groups it supports are meanwhile fighting Islamic State in a separate campaign around al-Bab, northeast of the city of Aleppo. Ankara has complained in the past about a lack of U.S. support for that campaign.

The offices of both leaders said Trump had reiterated U.S. support for Turkey "as a strategic partner and NATO ally" during the phone call on Tuesday.

The Turkish sources said new CIA Director Mike Pompeo would visit Turkey on Thursday to discuss the YPG, and battling the network of U.S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of orchestrating a July coup attempt.

Turkey has been frustrated by what it sees as Washington's reluctance to hand over Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.

There was no immediate confirmation from Washington of Pompeo's visit.

(Reporting by Washington newsroom, Tulay Karadeniz and Humeyra Pamuk in Ankara; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Louise Ireland)

PARIS Conservative French presidential candidate Francois Fillon appealed to voters on Wednesday via a newspaper column to back his campaign, trying to claw back support after losing his place as frontrunner over accusations of fake jobs for his family.

BUCHAREST Romania's Social Democrat government survived a no-confidence motion by the centre-right opposition in parliament on Wednesday with ruling coalition partners abstaining from the vote.

LONDON The British government does not believe there should be a second referendum on Scottish independence, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said when asked about a report it was preparing contingency plans for one.

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Erdogan, Trump agree to act jointly against Islamic State in Syria: Turkish sources - Reuters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Donald Trump had their first telephone call late Tuesday, a highly anticipated conversation in which Erdogan was expected to press the new U.S. leader to reject Pentagon proposals to arm Kurdish fighters in Syria and to quickly extradite a Turkish cleric exiled in Pennsylvania and regarded by Turkey as an enemy of the state.

Trump may have preferred to change the subject.

Meeting either demand could be problematic for the administration, analysts said, testing a relationship between the two men that for months has been filled with high hopes and mutual admiration.

A brief White House statement said the two discussed their "shared commitment to combatting terrorism in all its forms." It said that Trump "reiterated U.S. support to Turkey as a strategic partner and NATO ally, and welcomed Turkey's contributions" to the campaign against the Islamic State.

During the U.S. presidential campaign, Trump referred in glowing terms to Erdogan's handling of a failed coup attempt that shook Turkey last summer. He spoke optimistically about the bilateral relationship, telling the New York Times that he hoped Turkey "can do a lot" about the Islamic State.

In the same interview, Trump declined to criticize Erdogan for a campaign of mass arrests and dismissals that followed the attempted coup. "I think it's very hard for us to get involved in other countries when we don't know what we are doing and we can't see straight in our own country," he said.

Erdogan hailed Trump's election, quickly extended an invitation to visit Turkey and even praised Trump for putting a reporter "in his place" during a news conference a few weeks ago. More recently, the Turkish president has avoided condemning Trump's ban on travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries - despite the fact that Erdogan is the Islamist leader of a Muslim-majority country who has spoken out forcefully in the past against perceived anti-Muslim bias.

When it comes to Turkey's most urgent demands, however, it may be difficult for Trump to show much flexibility. The Pentagon is still weeks away from completing a Trump-ordered 30-day review of its strategy to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Top U.S. military commanders had pushed former President Barack Obama's administration for months to directly arm Kurdish fighters in northern Syria for a final assault on the city of Raqqa, the militants' de facto capital. Turkey has long warned that it considers the Syrian Kurds to be part of Turkey's own Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which both Turkey and the United States have labeled a terrorist group.

Obama deferred the decision on the Kurds to Trump, while noting that such plans depended on a quick determination.

Trump's advisers have not ruled out the military plan but have asked the Pentagon to explore other options, including the possibility of adding Turkish troops to an Arab force that would be aided by an increased U.S. military presence in Syria.

Trump also may have difficulty with Erdogan's request that the United States extradite the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of masterminding the coup attempt. Turkish officials were encouraged when Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, published an article on Election Day calling Gulen a "radical" and saying the United States "should not provide him safe haven."

A decision on whether Turkish evidence is strong enough to merit extradition rests with the Justice Department. Even if it recommends such a move, the final decision must be made by a U.S. federal court, where Gulen can contest extradition and appeal if he loses, a process that could take months, if not years.

Gulen has denied playing any role in the attempted coup.

Semih Idiz, a Turkish political analyst and columnist who writes for the al-Monitor news site, said Turkey has left "too many unanswered questions" about its proposed alternative to the Kurdish fighters, including how many Turkish troops would need to be mobilized to replace them.

Even so, any demands made on Tuesday's phone call could aid Erdogan. "There is public opinion that has to be fed," Idiz said. "They have to appear to be pushing this to the limit."

DeYoung reported from Washington. Adam Entous in Washington contributed to this report.

Originally posted here:
Trump has first phone call with Turkey's Erdogan - Chicago Tribune

Turkey and Ethiopia are determined to wipe out the tumor" of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FET), President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said Tuesday.

Ethiopia is our friend who sees the criminal face of FET, which poses a great threat to humanity," Erdoan said, referring to the group Ankara holds responsible for last July's coup attempt in Turkey, which left 248 people martyred. In this regard, we are taking steps within the alliance.

I would like to express this point in particular. After the July 15 coup attempt, Ethiopia was one of the first countries to explain its support and solidarity to us."

Speaking at a news conference in Ankara with Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome, Erdogan underlined Turkey's strategic partnership with the east African state, particularly in the economic sphere.

Hopefully, we will begin negotiations on preferential trade agreements very soon in line with this objective," he said.

Georgian Ministry of Education has canceled Saturday the license of the school that is known to be linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FET) in Batumi. Sahin Primary and High Schools' license was cancelled due to some serious deficiencies such as student enrollment system, officials from the country's Education Ministry told Anadolu Agency, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking with the media. The officials said the formal decision on the cancellation of the school's license would be issued within 10 working days.According to Georgian law, when a school's license is canceled, educational procedures are suspended from the day the decision is formally issued.By the decision of the Ministry, the students will be transferred to various educational institutions.It is known that there were seven FET linked schools in Georgia, as the Georgian Education Quality Improvement Center did not renew the licence of one of those schools located in capital Tbilisi at the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year.According to Turkey's government, FET leader Fetullah Gulen -- a resident of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania -- masterminded the July 15 defeated coup, which left at least 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.Ankara has also said FET is behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary. The terrorist group is also known for its network of hundreds of schools around the world.So far, over 80 FET organizations operating abroad, including schools and training centers, have been shut down or transferred to the Turkish government.

Teshome congratulated Turkey for the courage and determination shown in defending democracy on July 15. He pledged to transfer schools linked to FET to Turkey's Maarif Foundation.

Turkey's head of Presidency of Religious Affairs Mehmet Grmez has said that the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FET) headed by Fetullah Glen has nothing to do with providing free education to the children of poor families. "The terrorist organization's only target is that it's known to be used as tools to reach the children of the richest families of the country, provide them education and intervene in the politics and make them become a part of this systematic malignity," Grmez said. "The representatives of the global malignity focused on the Middle East and Balkans along with Europe to serve their dirty targets," Grmez said. "The terrorist organization has been conducting its activities in Africa, and the geography where the Soviet Union collapsed to take advantage of the situation there," he said.Pakistan requests help from Turkey against FET Turkish officials repeatedly warned countries of the threat of the FET formation in many countries, which may trigger possible coup bids there, similar to the recent coup attempt in Turkey. The FET is known to have 24 schools across Pakistan; six of them in Islamabad, five of them in Lahore, three of them in Karachi, three in Quetta, two in Peshawar, two in Multan, and one each in Haripur, Hyderabad and Amshoro.The 'FET Empire' in Kyrgyzstan Another country that FET has the largest number of schools in is Kyrgyzstan where the terrorist organization is known to have 23 schools. Also, another FET center is the African country Chad, which has dealt a blow to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization that attempted the coup in Turkey on July 15. A violent coup bid was witnessed on July 15, mostly in Turkey's cities, when the terrorist group headed by Fetullah Glen attempted to topple the democratically-elected government. Turkey's government says the deadly plot, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,100 others, was organized by followers of U.S.- based Fetullah Glen.

He heralded his meeting with Erdoan as fruitful and productive" and said they had exchanged views on wide range of issues.

We have recognized that additional effort is needed to further strengthen and deepen cooperation through economic interdependence by expanding trade and investments," he told reporters.

We discussed how to take new actions to further enhance Turkish investment in Ethiopia in much needed areas of infrastructure, manufacturing and energy."

Calling on Turkish investors to come forward, Teshome said he wanted Turkey to be the leading foreign investor in Ethiopia."

Both countries were leading the fight against terrorism, he added. We are partners in the struggle to fight terrorism, albeit in different regions," Teshome said.

Continued here:
Erdoan congratulates Ethiopia on tackling FET 'tumor' - Yeni afak English

Nilhan Osmanoglu, who claims to be a direct descendant of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and has pledged to vote yes in an upcoming Turkish referendum on adopting a presidential system of governance, is pictured in an undated photo.(photo bysultandan.com)

Author:Amberin Zaman Posted February 6, 2017

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes no secret of his yearning for the Ottoman Empire that was abolished by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern republic, with the stroke of a pen. Critics say this nostalgia and Erdogans seeming unquenchable thirst for powerindicate he wants to become a latter-day sultan with all the positions glory and accoutrements.

His campaign to endow himself with constitutionally enshrined executive authority many call it one-man rule is being cheered on by a real Ottoman princess. But Nilhan Osmanoglus blessing has had unintended effects, signaling that it wont all be smoothsailing for Erdogan.

A referendum on the package containing theconstitutional amendmentthat is meant to clear Erdogans path to an executive presidency is due to be held in early April. But some recent opinion polls put the no votes, albeit narrowly, ahead of the yes.Thismay explain why Erdogan has yet to approve the package, which has been sitting on his desk for several days after being rammed through the parliament. There is speculation that he may tweak it in the hopes of winning more support.

At any rate, he already enjoys that of the princess. Osmanoglu, who claims to be a direct descendent of Ottoman SultanAbdulhamid II, declared that she would naturally vote yesin a planned referendum on Erdogans long coveted superpresidency.

In an impassioned speech during a conference devoted to her forebears, Osmanoglu railed against what she called the injustices inflicted by Turkeys current parliamentary system. It was, she asserted, to blame for the execution of former Prime Minister Adnan Menderesand the ill-treatment of female students who wear the Islamic-style headscarf that was oncebanned on university campuses. Weve had enough of the parliamentary system, the sultana huffed. Her comments unleashed a furor.

Ozgur Ozel, a member of parliament for the main opposition Republican Peoples Party, led the charge, reminding the princess that the empire had lost more territory under Abdulhamid II than under any of his predecessors. If it werent for Ataturk you would undoubtedly still be alive, but in which room of whichpalace, in what cage and as which wife of some pasha your grandfather orfather deemed you fit for? Just think about it, Ozel stormed.

Others observed that the 29-year-old has usedher imperial credentials to turn a profit with her line of Ottoman-style jewelry, home decorand shawls, alleagerly lapped up by a rising conservative elite enriched under 15 years of Justice and Development Party rule.

Their increasingly ostentatious lifestyle,mirrored by the 1,100-room Ottoman-style presidential complex that Erdogan built for himself in Ankara, has drawn sharp criticism amid allegations of massive government corruption that erupted in 2013 and were hastily quashed. Osmanoglus endorsement helped to revive the debate allowing the opposition to cast the referendum as a fight between secular constitutionalists and reactionary monarchists.

Much like Erdogan, Abdulhamid II, who reigned from 1876 until 1908, when he was deposed by the Young Turk revolutionaries, is a divisive figure, both great and harmful.As Ottoman historian Caroline Finkel notes in her compelling Osmans Dream, there are two competing views of Abdulhamids reign. His Kemalist denigrators see the last years of the empire as an obscurantist and somewhat shameful past from which their country was delivered by the leadership and vision of Ataturk. To his far-right and Islamist fans, however, Abdulhamid is a hero re-emphasizing the Islamic character of the Ottoman state and championing Muslims against other peoples of the empire.

But as Finkel points out,neither version is completely accurate. The sultan, like Erdogan, used Islam to unite his crumbling empire. Unlike Erdogan, he appreciated European music and enjoyed nothing more than having the detective adventures of Sherlock Holmes read to him before going to bed.

Osmanoglu may have inherited some of his paranoia. In a Feb. 5 statement, she declared that she was perfectly aware of the ugly plan and thesystematic attack to discredit me.

The commotion may have cost Erdogan more votes, but it will have surely attracted more attention to the princess products.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/02/erdogan-ottoman-empire-sultan.html

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Ottoman princess stumps for Erdogan - Al-Monitor