Excerpts: Iraq,Turkey to jointly fight IS. Hamas chief lauds Turkey as
'source of power' December 27, 2014

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 27 Dec.’14:”Iraq, Turkey to jointly fight IS,
Agence France Presse

Subject: Iraq,Turkey to jointly fight IS

ANKARA — Iraq and Turkey on Thursday[25 Dec.] pledged to join forces to
fight the self-declared Islamic State insurgents who are holding swathes of
Iraq and Syria.

“ISIS threatens not only Iraq’s and Turkey’s security but the entire
region,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi told a joint news conference
with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu, using an alternative name for
IS jihadists.

Turkey, a vocal critic of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, has
faced international criticism for letting radicals pass through its
territory to fight in Syria.

Ankara wants a wider strategy for Syria that would ultimately bring Assad’s
downfall. It has repeatedly called for a buffer zone, backed by a no-fly
zone, to be put in place inside the war-torn country on the Turkish border.

“We can defeat this organization by uniting all our powers, with the support
of the countries in the region,” Al-Abadi said, in translated remarks.

Al-Abadi said he expected Turkish support on intelligence-sharing, military
training and armaments. Davutoglu said Turkey was already training Iraqi
Kurdish peshmerga fighters to combat the IS.

“We are open to any idea” to extend further support to Baghdad, he said. —
AFP


+++SOURCE: Al Arabya News 27 Dec.’14:”Hamas chief lauds Turkey as ‘source of
power’ for Muslims”, Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Hamas chief lauds Turkey as ‘source of power’

QUOTE”:Senior Hamas leader Khaled Mashal and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu greet the audience during a meeting of Turkey's ruling AK Party
(AKP) in central Anatolian city of Konya December 27, 2014” [ Title of photo
by Reuters]

FULL TEXT:Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal on Saturday praised Turkey as a “source
of power” for all Muslims in gratitude to Turkey's leaders for supporting
the Palestinian cause.

“A democratic, stable and developed Turkey is a source of power for all
Muslims,” Meshaal said in an address to the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) annual congress in the conservative central Anatolian city of
Konya.

Meshaal said a “strong Turkey means a strong Jerusalem, a strong Palestine,”
voicing hopes to “liberate Palestine and Jerusalem,” according to the
state-run Anatolia news agency.

His brief address was interrupted repeatedly by cheering crowds in the hall
waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanting: “Allahu Akbar (God is
greatest)” and “Down with Israel!”

The Hamas chief often shows up at the ruling party's events. He also
attended the AKP's congress in 2012 when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was
serving as prime minister.

Current Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, in his speech said Turkey's red flag
featuring a crescent with a star was a “symbol of the innocent in the
world.”

“God is witness ... we will make this red flag a symbol of the innocent.
This red flag will fly side by side with the flags of Palestine, free Syria
and all other innocents' flags anywhere in the world,” he told the congress.

Turkey’s leaders, in particular Erdogan, are known for their angry outbursts
at Israel. A staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, Erdogan has often
blasted the Jewish state over its military assaults on the Gaza Strip, which
is ruled by Hamas.

=============
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA