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Talking
Turkey Not
Kurds, NATO
Picks Reuters
& Al
Arabiya, Ban
to Follow?
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
28 -- Of
Turkey's
letter to the
UN Security
Council, Inner
City Press
asked UNSC
President
Gerard von
Bohemen of New
Zealand on the
afternoon of
July 27. Inner
City Press was
informed that
it had been
received and
circulated; at
least this was
a
straight-forward
answer.
On July
28, NATO
Secretary
General Jens
Stoltenberg
delivered the
statement of
the North
Atlantic
Council after
Article 4
meeting
convened by
Turkey, then
took three
pre-selected
questions.
It
began with
"Turkish TV,"
asking if in
the meeting
there was any
controversy
(no, said
Stoltenberg).
Next was
Reuters, which
asked if NATO
will do any of
the work
currently done
by the US-led
Coalition -
Turkey's
bombing of the
Kurdish PKK
(and YPD, it
seems) was not
mentioned.
Third
and last was
Al-Arabiya,
about the long
sought no-fly
or "safe" zone
inside Syria.
Then it was
over. The
question, for
the Free UN
Coalition for
Access and
others, was
whether UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
scheduled
Q&A
stakeout on
Syria on July
29 will be
along with
same lines:
"Turkish TV,"
Reuters and
Al-Arabiya. Or
will US state
media be thrown
in?
On July 27
Ban's UN
issued one
statement
after the
day's noon
briefing - and
then
another.
At the noon
briefing,
Ban's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric said
Ban spoke
“over the
weekend to the
Prime Minister
of
Turkey.
They spoke on
regional
issues — that
is what I can
share with
you.”
More
than two hours
later at 2:41
pm, Ban's
spokesperson's
office sent
this out:
“In
response to
questions on
Turkey asked
at the Monday
noon briefing,
the Spokesman
had the
following to
say:
“The
Secretary-General
is concerned
by the latest
escalation of
tension
between Turkey
and PKK
elements. He
expresses the
hope that
there will be
an immediate
return to
constructive
dialogue in
order to
continue to
find a
peaceful
solution to
the challenge
at hand. The
Secretary-General
calls on all
concerned to
refrain from
returning to a
deadly
conflict which
has in the
past brought
so much
suffering and
grief to the
people of
Turkey.”
But
apparently
calling for a
return to
dialogue
didn't go down
well in come
quarters. So
more than five
hours later at
7:52 pm Ban's
spokesperson's
office put out
a second
statement:
“In response
to further
questions
asked after
the Noon
Briefing on
the recent
attacks in
Turkey, the
Spokesman
said:
“The
Secretary-General
expresses his
deepest
condolences to
the Government
and people of
Turkey in the
face of recent
violent
terrorist
attacks, which
have claimed
the lives of a
number of
citizens and
injured many
others.”
It
seems that if
Turkey wants
another
statement,
they'll get
one. Watch
this site.
* * *
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