by Utku Cakirozer
Cumhuriyet - It was reported that the American government issued a written warning to Turkey with respect to the humanitarian aid foundation, IHH, which it investigated for more than two years on suspicion of the IHH's members supporting international terror organizations. The investigation on the IHH, which is taking place in Washington, is also of crucial importance due to Turkish-Israeli relations that grew tense after the attack on the Mavi Marmara flotilla.
According to information that the Cumhuriyet daily collected from its western sources, the US Foreign Ministry and the US Ministry of Justice with the FBI and other American security units carefully examined the IHH's links to terror organizations around the world and started an official inquiry.
The method used against the PKK
The sources stated that the methods used by the US in the past for organizations like the PKK and Al-Qaeda, putting them on their list of terrorist organizations, were conducted the same way as this investigation, which is ongoing for more than two years. They indicated that in case the findings at the end of the investigation prove the IHH to be a terrorist organization or a supporter of such, it would lead to serious consequences. The sources called into memory that Turkey had started a legal investigation against the IHH in the 1990s itself on charges of providing financial support to terrorist groups outside the country. They specified that a number of investigations were carried out in various countries for over ten years on the IHH's links to especially the Balkans and Chechnya.
Ankara was warned before the Mavi Marmara incident
It was also reported that Washington informed Turkish authorities about the two year long investigation in writing. It was emphasized that information on the IHH members' links to international terror organizations was conveyed before the Gaza aid flotilla organization, where the Mavi Marmara attack took place, occurred. The sources, which stressed that they studied the foundation's links to various international terror organizations around the globe, evaluated the situation to the Cumhuriyet daily as:
"In the last two years the US administration corresponded with the Turkish government about the IHH many times in writing. All of this happened before the Mavi Marmara incident. In these written statements the US government's concerns, especially about the IHH members' involvement in special activities were conveyed. The activities mentioned had nothing to do with Gaza. They dealt with the support provided to organizations that continue to be active in other parts of the world and which every rational human being calls a 'terrorist' organization."
The western diplomatic sources expressed that the Mavi Marmara incident came on top of this investigation. "We don't believe that the attack on the Mavi Marmara and the events after will have a great effect on the ongoing investigation. In any case, there is a long continuing process due to the financial assistance they give to organizations in other areas of the world", they said.
It is uncertain, however, to which authority in Ankara these warnings went to. The Foreign Ministry sources stated that they did not receive any messages from the US government concerning the IHH. Intelligence units, on the other hand, underlined that the IHH supported no terrorist element in its link to HAMAS and that its activities are limited to humanitarian relief, yet, that there had been suspicion regarding the foundation's campaigns, which it conducted in different areas but mainly in the Balkans during the 1990s.
The timing of the reports could collide
The United Nations Human Rights Council's report on Israeli's responsibility concerning the attacks on the Mavi Marmara and the subsequent resolution, which came out after Turkey took the initiative, was approved as the US voted "no" and European countries' abstained. Ankara expressed that it was disappointed with the attitude of the US and European countries. The United Nations Human Rights Council's report is not regarded to be objective by international circles as Israel was no party to this suit. In this matter, eyes thus turned to the report that will be written by the international commission, that was formed under the initiative of Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon, to which both Turkey and Israel sent members. Yet, Israel has not yet handed in its mandatory national report. It is put forward that Israel could delay the report until November. It is expected that Israel will back its Mavi Marmara incident report on the provocations of the IHH. It is very likely that Israel is waiting for the outcome of the investigation on the IHH. If the US government, just in this process, puts the IHH on its list of 'supporters of terrorist organizations' you may guess on who will come off as the loser.