The Turkey-Iran quid pro quo has been announced.
Imposing fresh sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program would hurt the region’s countries and contribute nothing to resolving the Mideast conflict, Turkey’s ambassador to Cairo said Wednesday ahead of a UN Security Council vote on the matter.
Huseyin Avni Botsali told Egyptian newspaper El-Gomhuriah that the international community must draw the necessary lessons from the handling of Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein. According to him, the sanctions imposed against Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait did not pressure Hussein into cooperating with the UN’s institutions and caused Turkey economic damage estimated at $50 billion.
Since Turkey’s offer to enrich Iran’s uranium didn’t work, they’re trying to block sanctions another way. Not that the new sanctions are all that great.
In the final version of the UN resolution, obtained Monday by The Associated Press, sanctions would be tougher than previous penalties but still far short of crippling economic punishments or an oil embargo.
Meantime, Turkey’s new BFF Syria is having a field day. Baby Assad held a press conference with Turkey’s prime minister to announce his condolences for the loss of nine Syrian terrorists and that Syria is going to work hand-in-hand to “lift the siege of Gaza” with Turkey. Assad continued his campaign of lies about Israel:
“We all know that the activists were not even allowed to carry knives. What happened was not the result of a mistake on the part of the (Israeli) soldiers or an erroneous government decision – it was Israeli instinct,” he added.
And now we know why Reuters is cropping knives out of their photos before distribution. To bolster the anti-Israel case, which is running along smoothly. Erdogan assured Assad that Israel will pay for the death of the terrorists.
And the Iranian leader was in Turkey, too. It’s a trifecta of dictators and Islamists!
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke before worshippers at the end of a prayer service at an Istanbul mosque on Monday, and said the “Zionist regime’s'” recent raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla is a major step towards its total annihilation, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
The crowd reacted with a few hearty chants of “Death to Israel!” Because after all, what’s an Ahmadinejad appearance without those chants?
Things are going really well for the anti-Israel nations this week. And the UN is just helping things along.
Palestinian liaison official Raed Fattouh said Israel has lifted the ban on soda, juice, jam, spices, shaving cream, chips, cookies and sweets. He said Wednesday some products have already entered Gaza.
Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement, say the move is meant to defuse pressure for an international investigation of the raid.
Victory for the terrorists. Once again, Israel knuckles under to international pressure raised after a terrorist organization tries to kill Israelis, and are killed instead. Great lesson, Israel. There will be more and bigger flotillas. They sense weakness. And so, frankly, do I.
You know what? I agree. We should learn that the proper way to deal with a dictator is to depose him and defeat his army and hold democratic elections. Sanctions don’t work. Thanks for that moment of clarity, Mr. Ambassador.