Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, facing an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Darfur, has pulled out of a summit in Istanbul, the Anatolia news agency reported Sunday. Quoting "credible" sources, the agency said that the Sudanese delegation in Istanbul to prepare for Monday's economic summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) could clarify reasons behind the cancellation later. The cancellation came amid mounting speculation over Beshir's attendance at the summit of the Islamic grouping after the European Union, which Turkey hopes to join, told the government it should bar or arrest him. Sudan's leader is the subject of an international ... Read Full Story

Turkey says it will welcome Sudan's leader even though he has been indicted for orchestrating crimes against humanity in Darfur. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is free to join an Istanbul summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The 57-nation group holds its main meetings Monday. Erdogan said Sunday that Turkey respects human rights and would not hesitate to challenge al-Bashir if it believed he had committed atrocities. But Erdogan said he doesn't believe that Sudanese paramilitary forces committed acts of genocide against African residents of Darfur. Turkey does not recognize the International Criminal Court, the Netherlands-based ... Read Full Story

JERUSALEM, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would rather meet with the president of Sudan, indicted of war crimes, than with Israel's prime minister. The Turkish leader made the statements while meeting with party members in Istanbul Sunday. Erdogan's response was to a question on whether Sudanese leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir planned to attend the Islamic Conference in the city, Haaretz said Monday. Bashir has since said he will not attend. Erdogan told party members he would rather confront Bashir who was indicted for allegedly orchestrating crimes against humanity in Darfur, than discuss with Netanyahu the deaths of ... Read Full Story

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had questioned the ICC charges against al-Bashir and said that "no Muslim could perpetrate a genocide." Serious statement. This is undoubtedly a red flag. Firstly in Erdogan's mind it is not possible for there to be genocidal actions in Sudan ~ because they are Muslims. Secondly there is the genocide committed by Turkey, which the EU and the world would like them to come clean on. Though such a statement could lead us to believe that he has no intention of doing so. And thirdly, shows the supremacist belief that is inherent in Islam - which says that ... Read Full Story

Turkey on Friday rebuffed a European Union call to reconsider its decision to host Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, who is wanted for alleged war crimes in Darfur, saying it had no plans to arrest him. A Swedish diplomat, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, visited the foreign ministry to convey EU discontent and ask Ankara, which would like to join the EU, to "reconsider", a Turkish diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which groups 57 Muslim nations, has invited Beshir to an economic summit in Istanbul and he is expected to be in the city ... Read Full Story