You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel fears Turkey spy chief is 'supporter of Iran'
2010-08-02
JERUSALEM - Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has expressed concern over Turkey's appointment of a new spy chief he called a "supporter" of the Jewish state's archfoe Iran, army radio reported Sunday.
NATO should be just as concerned: the new spy chief could give Iran all sorts of information, and not just about Israel.
"Turkey is a friendly country, a strategic ally, but the nomination in recent weeks of a new chief of the Turkish secret services who is a supporter of Iran worries us," he told a meeting of his centre-left Labour party.

Barak added that the appointment could result in "the Iranians having access to secret information," in a recording of his remarks broadcast by military radio.

The Turkish official, Hakan Fidan, 42, was appointed to head the National Intelligence Organisation, known by its Turkish acronym MIT, on May 27 after serving as undersecretary for foreign affairs to the prime minister and representing Turkey at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The latter position placed him at the forefront of Turkey's efforts to resolve the international standoff over Iran's nuclear programme, according to the Turkish press.

Israel has viewed Turkey's efforts with suspicion, especially a deal brokered with Iran and Brazil in May that would have seen Iran ship some of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for high-enriched uranium. The deal was promptly rejected by other world powers, which backed a fourth round of sanctions against Iran on June 9 over its refusal to halt its controversial uranium enrichment programme.
Posted by:Steve White

#1  On the one hand, if secret information were leaked by Turkey to Iran, which the rest of NATO will be watching for like hawks, then Islamic Turkey proves our lack of trust in it correct.
Turkey would fail to get brought into Europe (definitely) and would also get side lined by NATO (possibly). Quite a lot would be at stake.

On the other hand, Iran with nukes is a proper threat. When the Iranian religious dictators and the poodle Iranian government have too much pride in their throat (especially with talk of military action from the Pentagon and Israel coming out every other day) this appointment may be a precursor to Iran swallowing that pride and backing down gracefully.
Posted by: Bacon in the Mosque horror   2010-08-02 08:33  

00:00