Free Republic

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad overshadowed his legitimacy. In a televised interview with the Al-Jazeera, Prime Minister Erdogan said, "when we came to the political power nine years ago, there was a 30-year resentment between Turkey and Syria. We made great efforts to improve relations with Syria with which we share 910 kilometres of border. We always proposed al-Assad to release political prisoners, make constitutional amendments and start multiparty system. Unfortunately, none of these reforms were made. I paid a visit to Aleppo earlier this year. I told al-Assad that we were...

Following are excerpts from an interview with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan, which aired on the Al-Jazeera network on September 11, 2011. Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan: The measures we have taken are only the beginning. As you know, we have taken five measures, and we will see the results of these measures in the days, weeks, and perhaps months to come. Israel must realize that it is accountable for its actions, past and present. It will realize this. We have seen that Israel has never observed any of the resolutions issued by the UN General Assembly or Security Council. Israel...

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Voicing exasperation at Greek Cypriots for rejecting a U.N. plan to reunite their island, the European Union is looking for ways to reward the minority Turkish Cypriots for backing the plan. EU foreign ministers vented their frustration at Saturday's split referendum result as they arrived in Luxembourg on Monday for their last meeting before the bloc enlarges to admit 10 new members -- including a still divided Cyprus -- next Saturday. "We're all profoundly disappointed that this historic opportunity has been lost," EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten told reporters. "I don't think the leadership of the...

Attempted Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in Cyprus	 By Michael Stephen, former British Parliamentarian (1992-97) The assertion by Mr. Christides (May 10, 1999) that there was no ethnic cleansing or attempted genocide of Turkish Cypriots by Greek Cypriots is ridiculous. Until influential Greek Cypriots come to terms with the appalling behavior of their community toward the smaller Turkish Cypriot community and stop trying to persuade themselves and the world that each side was as much to blame as the other, there will be no reconciliation in Cyprus. What did George Ball and Sir Alec Douglas say about the intentions of ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin said economic isolation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should be ended. Putin has signaled for concrete steps to be taken in this regard. Russian President hosting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an "honorary guest" in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi noted, the "meaningless" embargo imposed on TRNC must be lifted and his country will have direct contacts with both the Turkish and Greek Cypriot societies on the island. The two leaders emphasized their opinions overlapped on many issues. "The first thing we must do is to solve the problem...

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Saturday that the EU would weather the shock of the British vote to leave the union as he convened crisis talks. “I am confident that these countries can also send a message that we won’t let anyone take Europe from us,” he said heading into a meeting in Berlin of his counterparts from the EU’s six founding members. […] Steinmeier called the European Union “a successful project of peace and stability” and said that there was a “strong desire” within the bloc to defend and strengthen it. …

Watch any of the TV news talk shows Friday and almost all have ignored one important fact: the Brexit 'Leave' victory was another humiliating loss for President Barack Obama. In fact, some British polls even showed that voter sentiment moved decidedly in favor of Brexit after Obama traveled to Britain and urged a "no" vote. British voters delivered a stinging rebuke to Obama on Thursday when they opted to leave the EU by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin. So strong was the backlash to Obama's blatant attempt to influence the Brexit vote – polls following his April visit...

(AP) – Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has reverberated through London’s boisterous LGBT pride festival. The flags of European nations flew at the annual Pride in London parade, which ended with a rally in Trafalgar Square. London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the crowd of thousands that Europeans in London are “our friends, our families and our neighbors.” Khan says “I recognize the huge contribution you make to our city, you are welcome here. I make you this promise as your mayor. That won’t change.” Voters in London overwhelmingly supported staying in the EU, but a majority outside the...

There was little support among Swiss politicians for the idea and not a single parliamentary party came out in favour, but the proposal gathered more than 100,000 signatures and was therefore put to the vote under the Swiss popular initiative system. Critics of the measure said that disconnecting the link between work done and money earned would have been bad for society. But Che Wagner from the campaign group Basic Income Switzerland, argued before the vote that it would not be money for nothing. "In Switzerland over 50% of total work that is done is unpaid. It's care work, it's...

One of Europe’s wealthiest villages is refusing to accept any asylum seekers - and has instead voted to pay a fine of £200,000. Fears women and children could be at risk from sex attacks as well as the disruption to their peaceful way of life has led the super-rich of Switzerland’s alpine resort of Oberwil-Lieli to vote ‘no’ in a referendum to accept just ten migrants. The picturesque village, where 300 millionaires make up 2,200 population, they all used their financial muscle to reject a Government imposed quota.

With the main route (reportedly shut down) being from Turkey to Greece, and up through the Balkans... But now, in response to Balkan countries closing down traditional migrant routes to Europe, Switzerland's military is taking steps to prepare for a potential new wave of immigrants in case it becomes part of a new route. As such, Switzerland has put together a formal emergency preparedness plan, which outlines three scenarios, one of which would call for military intervention.

Dangerous Freedom versus Peaceful Slavery I am often asked what we would do if, for example, the US were to come out with a confiscation order. My reply is: We would do nothing whatsoever! Why? Quite simply, because no one in Switzerland has the political power to execute such an order! Even if Swiss politicians were to support such a confiscation order, the Swiss people would likely have the final vote. I am confident that any such confiscation order wouldn’t have any chance to be supported by a majority in Switzerland, especially one concerning assets held outside the banking system...

Switzerland will hold a referendum to decide whether to ban commercial banks from creating money. The Swiss federal government confirmed on Thursday that it would hold the plebiscite, after more than 110,000 people signed a petition calling for the central bank to be given sole power to create money in the financial system. The campaign - led by the Swiss Sovereign Money movement and known as the Vollgeld initiative - is designed to limit financial speculation by requiring private banks to hold 100pc reserves against their deposits. "Banks won’t be able to create money for themselves any more, they’ll only...

Muslim women can no longer wear the full-body garment in shops, restaurants or public buildings and anyone caught flouting the ban could be struck with a £6,500 fine. The local government of Ticino approved the referendum after the Swiss Parliament ruled that the ban did not violate the country's federal law. Two in three voters in the canton backed the move in an overwhelming result for a referendum, in the wake of heightened terrorist alerts across Europe. The law which MPs voted for only applies to veils which covers the body from head to foot worn by the 40,000 Muslim...

Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - Russian and Syrian warplanes pounded rebel-held areas of divided second city Aleppo on Saturday as government forces closed in on the rebels' sole remaining supply line, a monitoring group said. An AFP correspondent in the rebel-held east of the city said the air strikes lasted throughout the night into the morning. Aleppo, which was Syria's commercial and manufacturing hub before civil war broke out in 2011, has been a key battleground ever since rebels seized eastern neighbourhoods of the city the following year. A two-day truce brokered by Moscow and Washington earlier this month in a...

FBI agents have questioned employees at a Florida mall in an attempt to trace the steps of homegrown terrorist Omar Mateen after he killed 49 people at the gay nightclub Pulse. Investigators visited CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Florida, about 170 miles south of Pulse, and asked employees at a movie theater along with two restaurants whether they had seen Mateen. WSVN also reported Mateen had visited the mall as recently as five days before the mass shooting. Mateen had visited the shopping mall five times between February 25 of this year to June 6, less than a week before...

The Obama-appointed U.S. attorney for Idaho has taken the highly unusual step of intervening in a local criminal case involving an alleged sexual assault by juvenile Muslim migrants and threatened the community and media with federal prosecution if they “spread false information or inflammatory statements about the perpetrators.” WND and other national news outlets have reported on the case involving three juvenile boys, two from Sudan and one from Iraq, who allegedly sexually assaulted a 5-year-old special-needs girl in the laundry room of the Fawnbrook Apartments in Twin Falls, Idaho.

srael and Britain’s relations will not change once Britain leaves the European Union (EU), British ambassador to Israel David Quarrey said on Friday. Speaking to Channel 2 News after UK residents voted to leave the EU in a referendum and Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation, Quarrey said, “The relationship between Britain and Israel will not change significantly.” "...lies...more lies...self delusion..." .....

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attempted to walk back controversial statements made during a recent address to the European Union parliament in Brussels, claiming on Saturday that he opposed "any attack on any religion", after having accused Israel of “poisoning Palestinian wells”. "Palestine is the cradle of the three monotheistic faiths. We stand strongly against any attack on any religion," Abbas said in a statement. The tacit acknowledgement of Judaism's roots in the Land of Israel, comes in stark contrast to Palestinian Authority propaganda which has for decades attempted to diminish the Jewish people's ancient history in Israel. In apparently...

Ayatollah Khamenei reported Dead