Spiegel| Überfordertes Uno-Hilfswerk: Bedroht und verfolgt? Kommen Sie 2020 wieder

Von Hasnain Kazim, Istanbul

DPA

Latif ist 2014 aus Bagdad in die Türkei geflohen. Er wird nun jahrelang in der Illegalität leben müssen, ohne Job, ohne Geld. Grund: Das Uno-Flüchtlingshilfswerk, das die nötigen Papiere ausstellt, ist total überlastet.

Latif, 28, staunte nicht schlecht, als er in Ankara beim Flüchtlingshilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen UNHCR um einen Termin bat, um als Flüchtling anerkannt zu werden. Der Iraker, ein schiitischer Muslim, war im vergangenen Jahr von Bagdad in die Türkei geflohen. Man teilte ihm schriftlich mit, er möge zur Feststellung seines Status persönlich vorsprechen – und zwar am 13. Februar 2020.

„Fünf Jahre soll ich mich nun in der Türkei durchschlagen, ohne Job!“, empört sich Latif. Er hat Glück, dass er von Ersparnissen leben kann. In Bagdad war er Mitglied einer Death-Metal-Band. Weil er mit seinen Liedern die Zustände in seiner Heimat kritisierte, wurde er bedroht. Einmal zwangen ihn Unbekannte, sich die Haare abzuschneiden. Aus Angst verließ er acht Monate lang seine Wohnung nicht mehr.

Latif gelang die Flucht in die Türkei, wo er als Asylbewerber registriert wurde. In einem zweiten Schritt muss die Uno-Behörde ihn nun interviewen, um ihn als Flüchtling anzuerkennen und über seine Zukunft in der Türkei zu entscheiden. Diese Aufgabe übernimmt das Flüchtlingshilfswerk in all jenen Ländern, in denen ihm diese Aufgabe vom Staat übertragen wurde.

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Spiegel| Eine Milliarde Dollar: Kuriere schmuggeln Koffer voller Geld nach Iran

REUTERS

Irans Hauptstadt Teheran: Mit Geldkoffern gegen Sanktionen

Sanktionen wegen des Atomstreits umgeht Iran offenbar erfolgreicher als gedacht: Laut einem Bericht schmuggeln Kuriere aus der Türkei und Dubai Koffer voller Bargeld ins Land – in den vergangenen Monaten mindestens eine Milliarde Dollar.

London/Ankara – Iran ist einem Medienbericht zufolge äußerst einfallsreich, wenn es darum geht, die internationalen Sanktionen im Atomstreit zu unterlaufen. Darunter zählt unter anderem das Verbot, Waren gegen Devisen zu verkaufen oder Devisen ins Land einzuführen. Doch allein in den vergangenen Monaten sei mindestens eine Milliarde Dollar in bar in die islamische Republik geschmuggelt worden, berichtet die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters unter Berufung auf iranische Regierungskreise und westliche Diplomaten.

Demnach fliegen Kuriere aus Dubai und der Türkei Business- oder Erster Klasse ins Land und tragen dabei Koffer voller Geldscheine mit sich. Zum Teil werde das Geld auch über die irakische Grenze gebracht. Treibende Kraft hinter den Aktionen sei die iranische Zentralbank, welche die Geschäfte mit einem System von Tarnfirmen verstecke.

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Iranian-Turkish relations strained over Syrian agendas

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R), speaks with Turkish officials while meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish prime minister at the time, in Tehran, Dec. 3, 2006.  (photo by REUTERS)

In an Oct. 13 speech marking the new academic year at Marmara University, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked, “What kind of religious leader is this [who] says ‘[Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad is the only one challenging Israel’? Assad didn’t shoot a bullet at Israel. Assad killed 250,000, and you’re still supporting him, sending him money and arms.” The religious leader in Erdogan’s crosshair was Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Marmara speech was possibly the first time since the Syrian crisis erupted that Erdogan has directly slammed Iranian policy on Syria. The weirdest part of it was his criticism of Khamenei, a clear indication that what once had been strong ties between the two countries has been radically altered by the clash of interests laid bare by the ongoing civil war. Despite deserving to lead the news, Erdogan’s remarks did not receive the media coverage they warranted in Iran, the Arab world or internationally.

While discussing Erdogan, an Iranian official told Al-Monitor by phone, “The death of 250,000 in Syria was caused by nations that back the terrorists in Syria. Turkey is one of those states, and it has full responsibility for the situation today. Mr. Erdogan personally knows that Iran is innocent. Iran is helping a legitimate government restore control over its land and fight terrorists coming from around the globe to kill and terrorize civilians.”

The source also said that Tehran had decided that the time is not yet right to respond publicly to what he called Erdogan’s “irresponsible” comments. He stated, “It will require hours of speaking to remind him of his last visit and what he told the [supreme] leader. We don’t have to time for this right now, and we know this is only for domestic consumption.”

The official further said of Erdogan, “He has to ask himself, who opened the borders? Who gave weapons to these extremists? Who is it that transformed his country into a huge training camp?” He explained that Iran had been surprised by Erdogan’s rhetoric. “This is another indication that Ankara isn’t really serious about cooperating to end the crisis in Syria. It’s such a shame that an essential country in the region is still not determined to fight terrorism, is hesitant to help its Kurdish neighbors in any way and at the same time is attacking those who warned of this end from the beginning.”

Erdogan paid his most recent visit to Tehran on Jan. 29, as prime minister. Supposedly quoting Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Naqavi Hosseini, spokesman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told reporters Oct. 8 that Erdogan would be paying Iran a presidential visit and meet his counterpart and other high-ranking officials. It is not known whether the visit is still on after Erdogan’s critical remarks.

Turkish-Iranian relations appear to have peaked during Erdogan’s January visit and the signing at that time of a strategic cooperation treaty. Khamenei’s words were as clear as day, with his being reported as saying that Iranian-Turkish relations were at their best in centuries and that both countries must seize the opportunity to solidify their relationship. Erdogan offered that Iran felt to him like a second home. So what happened? Why do Turkish-Iranian relations now appear to be going in the opposite direction?

As with most other shake-ups in the region, Syria appears to be the problem. Both countries earlier expressed a keenness to move toward compromise, but events on the ground threw barriers in the way. The rise of the Islamic State (IS) and the formation of the US-led coalition imposed on all parties the need to move forward with plans to deal with the Middle East’s new sick man, i.e., Syria. There was no more time for diplomacy or kind words, as the map of regional alliances became clearer by the day. As it turned out, Turkey and Iran were not in the same boat. Each backed a different set of allies on the ground and around the region.

Turkey’s strategist and prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has been seriously thinking about his country’s role in the new regional order. On Oct. 19 he declared that Turkey would not become the guardian of the Sykes-Picot borders. Ankara is certain that the situation that prevailed before the war against IS and thecoalition airstrikes has been superseded. It is therefore aiming to secure some gains before shooting a bullet. It knows well that what applies today — when the coalition needs to make use of its borders and position — will not apply after the coalition prevails (should that become a reality).

The removal of Assad is Turkey’s first priority. This need not be achieved directly, but Ankara believes it should be acknowledged as a necessity in solving the Syrian crisis. Full control by Turkey’s allies over northern Syria, from the border with Iraq to the Mediterranean, would ease Ankara’s concerns over the possible establishment of a Kurdish state on its border, in addition to being an essential element in defeating Assad’s regime and hastening its fall. Northern Syria would become a safe haven for the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition to establish their control and expand under coalition airstrikes. Therein lies Turkey’s problem with Iran.

The Iranians want to rid the region of IS at any cost. Although it is true that they refuse to support or bless the US-led coalition and have criticized its effectiveness, they know that the strikes are succeeding in keeping IS somewhat in check. They are also thinking of their post-Sykes-Picot status, or at least about keeping the sick man alive to the extent possible to prevent losing too much of the ground they have gained during the last decade.

To Iran, the fall of Assad would mean the loss of Syria as a whole and the isolation of Hezbollah within the borders of Lebanon. It would also mean that Iranian-influenced Iraq, where most Sunni and Kurdish regions are outside the government’s control, would be under threat. In such a scenario, Iran’s influence in the Levant would be severely scaled back. This possibility has pushed Iran toward ditching its usual “policy of ambiguity” concerning its presence on the ground in the region. Today, images and statements touting itsmilitary role in Iraq have became common, even exaggerated, sending a clear signal that it has boots on the ground and that it is ready to do whatever necessary to achieve its objectives.

The clash between Iran and Turkey is likely to intensify, but only in regard to the battlefields of Syria and Iraq. These descendants of the Safavid and Ottoman Empires will always keep their differences away from their borders and mutual interests. Thus, it is unlikely that Turkish-Iranian economic relations will suffer. Business should proceed as usual.

Source: Al-Monitor

Bad NEWS: Iran, Turkey Ink Border Security Pact

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian and Turkish officials in a meeting in Ankara signed an agreement to boost security along the two countries‘ borderline.

The border security agreement was signed between Iranian Governor of Chaldoran region Karim Hosseinzadeh and Turkey’s Agri Province Governor Mohammad Takin Arsalan on the sidelines of a joint periodic security commission in the Turkish capita on Thursday.

The periodic meetings of Iran-Turkey border security commission are held every four months either in Tehran or Ankara in the presence of provincial officials from Iran’s Chaldoran and Maku regions as well as Turkey’s Agri and Igdir provinces.

Hosseinzadeh and his Turkish counterpart reiterated that the two countries‘ borders are secured.

Meantime, the two officials called for enhancing level of border trade.

Iran and Turkey increased their trade transactions in the first two months of 2014 as compared with the figures of the corresponding period in the last year.

The value of trade transactions between Tehran and Ankara hit $2.115bln in January and February, the trade data recently released by the Turkish government said.

The two countries have in recent years increased their cooperation in all the various fields of economy, security, trade, education, energy and culture.

The Iranian and Turkish officials have repeatedly stressed the necessity for stronger relations and increasing bilateral trade to $30bln by 2015.

Source: FARSNEWS

DTN| Türkei soll israelische Agenten an den Iran verraten haben

Alte Allianzen im Nahen Osten fangen an zu bröckeln. Die Beziehungen zwischen Israel und der Türkei sind besonders belastet. Nun sorgt ein angeblicher Spionage-Skandal für einen erneuten Streit zwischen den beiden US-Verbündeten.

Ankara soll zehn Informanten des israelischen Geheimdienstes (Mossad) an den Iran verraten haben. Die türkisch-israelischen Beziehungen sind damit erneut an einem Tiefpunkt.

Auch die USA müssen sich damit auseinandersetzen. Denn Israel und die Türkei sind enge Verbündete der Amerikaner.
Doch Washington schenkt den Gerüchten über einen Geheimnisverrat der Türken an die Iraner keinen Glauben. Die türkisch-amerikanischen Beziehungen seien unverändert. Das jedenfalls geht aus einer Pressekonferenz des US-Außenministeriums hervor.

„Die Türkei ist ein enger Verbündeter der USA. Wir kooperieren auf allen Ebenen. Das schließt die geheimdienstliche Zusammenarbeit ein. Es hat sich nichts verändert“, sagte die Sprecherin der US-Regierung, Jen Psaki, am Freitag.

EIL: US-Sanktionen – Müssen Iraner türkische Bankkonten räumen?|

Zwei türkische Banken haben rechtswidrig versucht die Konten von iranischen Bürgern einzufrieren. Der Skandal kam ans Tageslicht. Beide Banken sollen sich nur an die amtlichen Verlautbarungen der türkischen Bankaufsichtsbehörde BDDK gehalten haben. Doch die BDDK lehnt diesen Vorwurf entschieden ab.

Zwei türkische Banken haben rechtswidrig versucht die Konten von iranischen Bürgern einzufrieren. Der Skandal kam ans Tageslicht. Beide Banken sollen sich nur an die amtlichen Verlautbarungen der türkischen Bankaufsichtsbehörde BDDK gehalten haben. Doch die BDDK lehnt diesen Vorwurf entschieden ab.

Die türkischen Banken Yapı Kredi und Garanti Bankası haben ihren iranischen Bankkunden damit gedroht, ihre Einlagen zu konfiszieren, falls sie jene Einlagen nicht bis zum 17. April abheben. Den Bankkunden wurde zudem mitgeteilt, dass mit dieser Entscheidung lediglich die amtlichen Verlautbarungen der türkischen Bankenaufsichtsbehörde BDDK erfüllt wurden. Doch die BDDK dementiert derartige Vorgaben.

In einer Mitteilung erklärte ein Sprecher der BDDK, dass man den beiden Banken, welche diese Gerüchte gestreut haben, eine Rüge erteilen werde. „Wenn wir eine solche Verlautbarung erteilt hätten, dann wüssten auch die anderen Banken Bescheid. Doch dem ist nicht so“, zitiert die Today`s Zaman einen Sprecher der BDDK. Auch die Finansbank, VakıfBank und Halk Bankası dementierten den Erhalt einer derartigen amtlichen Verlautbarung.

Ein seit zehn Jahren in der Türkei lebender iranischer Staatsbürger zeigte sich erbost über das Vorgehen von Yapı Kredi und Garanti Bankası. Im Gespräch mit der Today`s Zaman sagte A.G., dass er behandelt werde, wie jemand, der Uranium anreichere. Es könne nicht sein, dass jeder Iraner unter Generalverdacht stehe. „Ich werde diesen Vorfall vor Gericht bringen“, erklärt A.G.

Offenbar standen Yapı Kredi und Garanti Bankası unter dem Eindruck der US-Sanktionen gegen den Iran.

Quelle: DTN

 

Rüpel-Auftritt des scheidenden Botschafters in Ankara – Ansehen des Iran auf dem Tiefpunkt- selbst in der islamischen Welt

Im Zuge seines Abschiedsempfangs pöbelte der iranische Botschafter gegen die „Zaman“ und die türkische Regierung. Einmal mehr wird auf diese Weise der Überbringer für eine schlechte Nachricht verantwortlich gemacht. (Foto: ap)

Von Abdülhamit Bilici

Der iranische Botschafter Bahman Hüseyinpur, dessen Amtszeit in der Türkei abgelaufen ist, gab Reportern in Ankara einen diplomatischen Abschiedsempfang. Bei dieser Gelegenheit hat er als Gastgeber in seinem Noch-Amtssitz abseits aller diplomatischen Umgangsformen und gängigen Höflichkeitsregeln noch einmal ausgiebig seine Gäste beleidigt.

Er forderte Journalisten in drohendem Ton dazu auf, vorsichtiger zu werden und gab auf diese Weise seinem Verständnis von Pressefreiheit Ausdruck. Damit nicht genug, beschuldigte er auch noch einen Berichterstatter von „Today’s Zaman“ (TZ) einer Falschmeldung und fügte noch hinzu: „Ganz gewiss sind wir uns darüber im Klaren, wer Sie steuert!“

Die Begründung des iranischen Gesandten für seine Pöbelattacken war höchst merkwürdig: Der TZ-Korrespondent hatte lediglich nach der politischen Haltung gefragt, die der Iran in Anbetracht der aktuellen Lage in Syrien an den Tag legt. Anstatt auf diese harmlose Frage zu antworten, zog der Botschafter es vor, sich beleidigend über eines der führenden Medienunternehmen der Türkei zu äußern.

Reuters: Turkish gold trade booms to Iran, via Dubai

An employee holds a bar of 100 gram fine gold at a branch of Istanbul Gold Refinery in Istanbul August 19, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Murad Sezer

By Humeyra Pamuk

DUBAI/ISTANBUL | Tue Oct 23, 2012 10:04am EDT

(Reuters) – To see one of Iran’s financial lifelines at work, pay a visit to Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport and find a gate for a flight to Dubai.

Couriers carrying millions of dollars worth of gold bullion in their luggage have been flying from Istanbul to Dubai, where the gold is shipped on toIran, according to industry sources with knowledge of the business.

The sums involved are enormous. Official Turkish trade data suggests nearly $2 billion worth of gold was sent to Dubai on behalf of Iranian buyers in August. The shipments help Tehran manage its finances in the face of Western financial sanctions.

The sanctions, imposed over Iran’s disputed nuclear program, have largely frozen it out of the global banking system, making it hard for it to conduct international money transfers. By using physical gold, Iran can continue to move its wealth across borders.

„Every currency in the world has an identity, but gold means value without identity. The value is absolute wherever you go,“ said a trader in Dubai with knowledge of the gold trade between Turkey and Iran.

The identity of the ultimate destination of the gold in Iran is not known. But the scale of the operation through Dubai and its sudden growth suggest the Iranian government plays a role.

The Dubai trader and other sources familiar with the business spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, because of the political and commercial sensitivity of the matter.

Iran sells oil and gas to Turkey, with payments made to state Iranian institutions. U.S. and European banking sanctions ban payments in U.S. dollars or euros so Iran gets paid in Turkish lira. Lira are of limited value for buying goods on international markets but ideal for a gold buying spree in Turkey.

ROUTING VIA DUBAI

In March this year, as the banking sanctions began to bite, Tehran sharply increased its purchases of gold bullion from Turkey, according to the Turkish government’s trade data.

Direct gold exports to Iran from Turkey, long a major consumer and stockpiler of gold, hit $1.8 billion in July – equivalent to over a fifth of Turkey’s entire trade deficit in that month.

In August, however, a sudden plunge in Turkey’s direct gold exports to Iran coincided with a leap in its sales of the precious metal to the UAE.

Turkey exported a total $2.3 billion worth of gold in August, of which $2.1 billion was gold bullion. Just over $1.9 billion, about 36 metric tons, was sent to the UAE, latest available data from Turkey’s Statistics Office shows. In July Turkey exported only $7 million of gold to the UAE.

At the same time Turkey’s direct gold exports to Iran, which had been fluctuating between $1.2 billion and about $1.8 billion each month since April, slumped to just $180 million in August.

The Dubai-based trader said that from August, direct shipments to Iran were largely replaced by indirect ones through Dubai, apparently because Tehran wanted to avoid publicity.

„The trade from Turkey directly to Iran has stopped because there was just too much publicity around it,“ said the trader.

Dealers, jewellejewelersrs and analysts in Dubai said they had not noticed any large, sudden increase of supply in the local gold market during August. They said that suggested the increased shipments to the UAE were sent straight on to Iran.

It is not clear how the gold is moved from Dubai to Iran, but there is substantial trade between the two economies, much of it conducted by wooden dhows and other ships crossing the Gulf, a distance of only about 150 kilometers (100 miles) at its narrowest point.

A trader in Turkey said Tehran had shifted to indirect imports because the direct shipments were widely reported in Turkish and international media earlier this year. „Now on paper it looks like the gold is going to Dubai, not to Iran,“ he said.

Iranian gold buyers may want to conceal their Turkish gold deliveries for fear of attracting attention from the United States, which is pressing countries around the world to shrink their economic ties with Iran.

The buyers may also want to make their purchases less vulnerable to any possible interference by Turkey’s government. Turkey’s close relationship with Iran has begun to sour as the two states find themselves on opposite sides of the civil war in Syria, with Turkey advocating the departure of President Bashar al-Assad and Iran remaining Assad’s staunchest regional ally.

PASSENGER LOUNGE

There is no suggestion that the gold trade means Dubai is violating international sanctions against Iran. United Nations sanctions ban shipments of nuclear-related materials to Iran and freeze the assets of some Iranian individuals and companies, but they do not prohibit most forms of trade.

The UAE has not yet released its trade data for August. Officials at the Dubai customs authority could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts to contact them.

Turkish trade data confirms the gold is being transported to Dubai by air. According to the data, $1.45 billion of Turkey’s total gold exports in August were shipped through the customs office at Ataturk airport’s passenger lounge. Almost all of the rest, $800 million, were shipped from Istanbul’s smaller Sabiha Gokcen airport.

Turkey’s total exports of all goods to the UAE totaled $2.2 billion in August. Of that amount, $1.19 billion were registered at the Ataturk passenger lounge, while $776 million were registered at Sabiha Gokcen.

A customs broker who does business at Ataturk said couriers were boarding Turkish Airlines and Emirates flights to Dubai at the airport, carrying the metal in their hand luggage to avoid the risk of it getting lost or stolen.

The maximum amount of gold bullion which a passenger is allowed to take is 50 kilograms (110 pounds), he said. This suggests that during the month of August, as many as several hundred courier trips may have taken gold to Dubai on Iran’s behalf.

„It is all legal, they declare it, they give their tax number and it is all registered so there is nothing illegal about this,“ the broker said.

„At the moment there’s quite a lot of traffic to Dubai. During September and October we have also been seeing this.“

The trade data shows almost $1.4 billion worth of Turkey’s August exports to the UAE came from a company or companies with a tax number registered in the coastal city of Izmir, Turkey’s third biggest. Customs officials at Ataturk declined a Reuters request to provide documents identifying the exporters, saying the information was confidential.

The identity of the companies handling the business could not be confirmed. Traders said that because of the risk of attracting unwelcome attention from U.S. authorities, only a few companies were likely to be willing to get involved.

(Additional reporting by Behiye Selin Taner in Istabul, editing by Andrew Torchia, Simon Robinson, Richard Mably)

Source: Reuters

Iranian Studies Conference in Istanbul

By Sara Rushan (source: Radio Zamaneh)

Conversation with Tooraj Atabaki, professor of Social History of the Middle East and Central Asia in Department of History at University of Amsterdam about the 2012 Iranian Studies Conference in Istanbul

For centuries numerous experts on Iranian studies in Iran and all over the world have studied topics on Iranian art, history, language and politics and published their studies in various articles and books.

Since 45 years ago, a group of graduate students in the United States founded the Society for Iranian Studies. They aimed at creating a space to exchange the knowledge and scientific achievements of scholars and Iranian studies researchers in the fields of human and social studies including literature, history, sociology, anthropology and economy. The society boasts over a thousand official members to date and having stretched its reach beyond North America and Europe, a few years ago, it amended its mission statement renaming itself as the International Society for Iranian Studies to include Iran scholars from Far East, Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa.

Turkish Talk Show Host Creates Polygamy Stir

By Dorian Jones, VOA

ISTANBUL – In Turkey, a well-known women’s talk show host has provoked ire among some Turks by offering a friend as a second wife to her husband. The overture thrust polygamy into the national spotlight.

„You have no shame! You are defending adultery,“ a woman shouted at Sibel Uresin, an Islamic media personality, during a televised discussion program.