Things That Make You Go Hmmm .. Snip ~ "Earlier on Monday, Biden joked about bringing money to help Greece out of its deepest financial crisis in decades" ...
December 5, 2011
US ready to help Greece - Biden
ATHENS - The United States will support Greece in these difficult times, US Vice President Joe Biden told reporters ahead of a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos on Monday, without spelling out any concrete help.
"We stand with you in solidarity as you meet some difficult requirements of the IMF and European Union," Biden said. "We stand ready to help in every way we can."
Biden travelled to Greece before EU leaders meet for a key summit on the debt crisis in Brussels on Friday.
"With a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck, a year from now we will have not only weathered this crisis, but even be in a stronger position," he added.
Earlier on Monday, Biden joked about bringing money to help Greece out of its deepest financial crisis in decades.
Papademos said he was confident Athens could count on the support of the United States.
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Friday, December 2, 2011
Joe Biden urges Turkey to impose new sanctions on Iran
US Vice President Joe Biden has called on Turkey to impose new sanctions against Iran, while praising Ankara for its role in pressuring Syria to stop its bloody crackdown on protesters.
Biden's comments — published today in the Turkish daily Hurriyet — raise further pressure on President Bashar Assad's regime. A top UN human rights official warned Thursday that Syria has entered a state of civil war with more than 4,000 people dead and an increasing number of soldiers defecting from the army.
Assad, trying to defeat an 8-month-old revolt challenging his rule, faces widespread international condemnation at the growing death toll, with Turkey, a major critic of the autocratic leader's actions, announcing a new set of economic sanctions against his regime earlier this week.
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"We look forward to the broadening of international sanctions as a means to bring about change in Syria," Hurriyet quoted Biden as saying on Friday.
He also urged Ankara to adopt further sanctions against Iran, which the West suspects is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful.
On Friday, Biden met President Abdullah Gul and Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek in Ankara. Biden was scheduled to visit Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who is recovering from a surgery at his Istanbul home on Saturday, US officials said.
Biden also said that the United States "will continue to work with Turkey on pursuing shared interests in the Middle East and North Africa."
"We continue to support a diplomatic solution to our concerns with Iran," Biden said. "However, we also believe that putting pressure on Iran's leadership is necessary to secure a negotiated settlement and that is why we encourage our partners, including Turkey, to take steps to impose new sanctions on Iran."
An Iranian general said Saturday that Tehran would target Nato's early warning radar in Turkey if the US or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic after an International Atomic Energy Agency report said for the first time that Tehran was suspected of conducting secret experiments with the sole purpose of developing nuclear arms.
Ankara agreed to host the radar in September as part of Nato's missile defense system, which is capable of countering ballistic missile threats from its neighbor. Turkey insists the shield doesn't target a specific country, but Tehran says the radar is meant to protect Israel from Iranian missile attacks if a war breaks out with the Jewish state.
The US and its Western allies also suspect Iran of trying to produce atomic weapons, and Israel, which views Tehran as an existential threat, has warned of a possible strike on Iran's nuclear program.
Biden was also expected to encourage Turkey to repair ties with its formerly close ally Israel. As a long-serving member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Biden cemented his reputation as an unyielding supporter of Israel, winning the respect of many in the Jewish community.
Relations between Turkey and Israel remain strained following last year's Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed eight Turkish citizens and a Turkish-American.
"It pains us to see the two of them at odds because they're both such close partners of the United States," Antony Blinken, national security adviser to Biden, told a teleconference briefing from Washington on Monday. "And the bottom line is that improved relations between Turkey and Israel would be good for Turkey, good for Israel and good for the United States and indeed good for the region and the world so that's something we will continue to encourage."
The leaders also discussed Turkey's conflict with autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels. The US has deployed four Predator drones to Turkey from Iraq and also agreed to sell three helicopter gunships to help fight the rebels, who stage attacks on Turkish targets from their bases in northern Iraq.
Gul said after his talks with Biden that cooperation between the countries against Kurdish rebels "will continue more strongly."
Biden said the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by the end of December would not leave "chaos behind."
"As the majority of US forces have already withdrawn from Iraq, we do not expect that the security environment in northern Iraq will change dramatically," Biden said.
Turkey also closely works with US forces in Nato operations in Afghanistan and Libya, though it is not directly involved in combat.
Turkey, however, is also home to radical Islamic groups who oppose Turkey's cooperation with Washington and regard Osama bin Laden, killed May 2 in American helicopter-borne raid in Pakistan, as a hero.
A group of Islamist, some carrying posters of bin Laden, burned down an American flag in Istanbul during an anti-American protest outside a central mosque.
Biden, meanwhile, voiced concern over human rights issues in Turkey.
"We have made known our concerns over such issues as lengthy pre-trial detention and restrictions on the freedom of expression affecting journalists and the Internet," he said, adding that Turkey's plans for a new constitution should "deepen respect for human rights for all Turkish citizens."
Turkey is also under pressure to reopen a seminary that trained generations of Greek Orthodox patriarchs. The Halki Theological School on Heybeliada Island, near Istanbul, was closed to new students in 1971 under a law that put religious and military training under state control. The school closed its doors in 1985, when the last five students graduated.
"In many ways, Turkey has shown great tolerance toward minority religions. The continued closure of the seminary is an anomaly and an unnecessary mark against Turkey's international image," Biden said.
From Turkey, Biden will travel to Greece, where he will meet with new Prime Minister Lucas Papademos, who took office earlier this month.
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Biden in Baghdad, then off to Turkey and Greece and .. Biden To Attend ~ December 3-6-2011 ~ The 2nd Global Entrepreneurship Summit ... December 01, 2011
Biden in Turkey for Syria, Iraq talks
US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Ankara late Thursday, directly from an Iraq visit, for talks on the situation there as US troops prepare to leave, as well as on the troubles in Syria.
Biden, who was met at the airport by the US ambassador and Turkish officials, flew directly in from his surprise visit to Iraq where he thanked both US and Iraqi troops for their sacrifices, saying they helped to end the war.
While in Turkey he will meet on Friday, with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, and parliamentary speaker Cemil Cicek.
Talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are also on the official schedule but he has cancelled all official functions until Monday due to recent gastric surgery.
Biden will travel on to Istanbul later Friday ahead of an investors meeting the following day aimed at encouraging free trade in the Arab-Muslim world.
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Erdogan's conservative government enjoys warm relations with the administration of President Barack Obama, and the two countries are allies within NATO.
Biden will make mention of the US aid in the fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) separatists in Turkey said Tony Blinken, Biden's National Security Adviser.
The US vice preseident will also bring up the unrest in Turkey's neighbour Syria, where Bashar al-Assad's regime is carrying out a bloody crackdown on the opposition.
Syria has suspended its free trade agreement with Turkey, the official news agency in Damascus said Thursday, in retaliation for Ankara slapping sanctions on the Damascus regime.
Turkey, one of Syria's closest economic partners, followed in the footsteps of the Arab League on Wednesday in announcing a series of sanctions on the Syrian regime, including a freeze on commercial transactions and a break in links between the Turkish and Syrian central banks.
While Washington has applauded Turkey's stand on Syria it is at the same time concerned at its worsening ties with Israel.
Iraq and Cyprus will also be discussed in Ankara.
Biden will fly on to Greece from Turkey.link
ARABIA 500 to be part of the 2nd Global Summit on Entrepreneurship
Istanbul, Turkey
3 - 5 December 2011
Istanbul Congress Center
Once the world knows the Arabia 500, investment and empowerment won’t be the same.
The Arabia 500+Turkey has been asked to participate in the 2011 Prime Minister's Summit on Entrepreneurship in Istanbul on December 3-5, 2011. Hosted by Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey, the Summit will bring together the Arabia 500+Turkey winners with public, private and civic leaders from around the world.
Representing the largest collaboration of growth entrepreneurs from emerging countries, the AllWorld Arabia 500+Turkey entrepreneurs will be announced at the Summit during an Awards Gala.
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) in partnership with the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV) will host the inaugural Arabia 500+Turkey Awards. Other than the US Inc. 500, the Arabia 500+Turkey is the only ranking of 500 fast growth private companies. The Arabia 500 is a new milestone for the world.
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December 3-6-2011
SECOND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT ENTREPRENEURSHIP, VALUES AND DEVELOPMENT: A GLOBAL AGENDA
(December 03 – 06, 2011 – Istanbul, Harbiye Convention Center)
Second Global Entrepreneurship Summit under the theme of “Entrepreneurship, Values and Development: A Global Agenda” will be held on 03-06 December 2011 at Istanbul Harbiye Convention Center under the auspices of Turkey.
The opening remarks of the summit will be delivered by Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey and Mr. Joe Biden, Vice President of USA.
The Summit, bringing together 2,000 successful entrepreneurs from Turkey and throughout the world, will be attended by Turkish ministers, prominent international figures and leaders.
The Summit, as the follow-up of the "Entrepreneurship Summit" hosted by Barack Obama, President of USA, in Washington on 26-27 April 2010, aims to allow entrepreneurs to develop closer relations, cooperation and dialog among different cultures and societies and will provide a unique opportunity for creating networks and exchanging different ideas.
Summit schedule and further details can be accessed via http://www.entrepreneurshipsummit2011.gov.tr/
November 30, 2011
Biden: US pullout brings new relations with Iraq
Baghdad, US Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the US troop withdrawal from Iraq opened a new phase in relations between the two countries, including a robust security partnership.
The remaining 13,000 US troops in Iraq are scheduled to leave by the end of the year when a bilateral security pact expires, nearly nine years after the US invasion that ousted Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.
“The United States of America keeps its promises,” Biden said at a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minster Nuri Al-Maliki during a visit to Baghdad.
“Our troops are leaving Iraq and we are entering on a new path together ... a relationship between two sovereign nations.”
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Violence in Iraq has fallen sharply since the height of the sectarian slaughter in 2006-2007, and Maliki leads a fragile power-sharing government consisting of Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political blocs.
US President Barack Obama announced last month that US troops would come home at the end of the year as scheduled after talks to keep a small number of American troops in Iraq as trainers fell apart over the sensitive issue of immunity.
“We will continue to discuss with your government over the substance of our security arrangements, including areas of training, intelligence and counter-terrorism,” Biden said.
Saying Iraq had earned the respect of all Americans for enduring decades of tyranny under Saddam, and the eight years of militant violence that followed the US-led invasion in 2003, Biden also noted the loss of USlives.
Almost 4,500 US troops have died since the invasion. The death toll among Iraqis is much higher, and is estimated at least around 60,000, according to government figures.
At least 19 people were killed on Monday when a suicide bomber attacked a military base in the town of Taji, and another person was killed and three more wounded by a blast in the car park of the Iraqi parliament.
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November 29, 2011
Biden in Baghdad, then off to Turkey and Greece
Vice President Joe Biden is in Baghdad right now on a surprise visit before he travels this weekend to Turkey and Greece.
Biden landed on Tuesday afternoon in Baghdad and is expected to hold meetings with top Iraqi officials about the future of the U.S.-Iraqi partnership. He will stay for two days, multiple news outlets reported.
"Vice President Biden has arrived in Baghdad, Iraq," his office said in a release. "While there, the Vice President will co-chair a meeting of the U.S.-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee. He will also meet with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, and other political leaders. The Vice President will also participate in, and give remarks at, an event to commemorate the sacrifices and accomplishments of U.S. and Iraqi troops."
On Friday, Dec. 2, Biden will arrive in Ankara, where he'll have meetings with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and lay a wreath at the Ataturk Mausoleum before continuing on to Istanbul. In Istanbul, Biden will attend a global entrepreneurship summit hosted by Erdogan.
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National Security Advisor to the Vice President Tony Blinken told reporters on Monday that he expects Biden to discuss U.S. assistance in fighting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been attacking Turkish forces recently.
"The PKK is a common enemy of Turkey, the United States, and Iraq, and we expect to focus on that," Blinken said.
Blinken also said Biden hopes to discuss the situation in Syria, the upcoming meeting of Cypriot leaders in January, the war in Afghanistan, "and the prospects for progress in normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia." He'll also meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the head of the Orthodox Christian Church.
Regarding Turkey's deteriorating relationship with Israel, Blinken said, "I suspect that that will come up."
"It pains us to see the two of them at odds because they're both such close partners of the United States," Blinken said. "And the bottom line is that improved relations between Turkey and Israel would be good for Turkey, good for Israel, and good for the United States and indeed good for the region and the world so that's something we will continue to encourage."
Biden will then travel to Athens on Monday, Dec. 5, where he will hold the administration's first meeting with new Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. He'll also meet with President Karolos Papoulias, as well as former Prime Minister George Papandreou, who heads the largest party in Parliament, and Antonio Samaras, who heads the second largest party.
But the Greeks shouldn't expect any direct financial assistance as they struggle with their fiscal crisis.
"I think the U.S. very much recognizes the sacrifices being made by the Greek people as they pursue this reform process and view the fiscal and structural reforms that have been agreed on with the European partners and with the IMF as critical," said Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs Michael Froman. "On the economic situation, the Vice President will be supportive of the overall reform effort and the package of measures that have been put in place by the European partners and by the IMF."
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28/11/2011
Vice President Biden to visit Turkey next month
Arbil, November 28 (Rn) - Turkish media sources said on Monday that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will pay an official visit to Turkey early next month, according to a Turkish site Khepri.
The Web site, "Turkey Day" to "Vice President Joe Biden, Khatib will pay in the first of December next official visit to Turkey for talks with senior officials on a number of bilateral and regional issues."
The Web site said, citing the agency's sincerity Turkish "Biden will meet during his visit, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss hot issues in the forefront of the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and the ongoing developments in Syria and the region and the developments of the Iranian nuclear file, as well as discuss strengthening bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern."
The agency said that "Biden will also meet Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Necdet Ozal will conclude his visit to participate in a conference of businessmen, investors and representatives of civic organizations from 70 countries."
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