There must still be tensions with Israel:
"Clinton chides NATO ally Turkey on rights curbs" by MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press – Jul 16, 2011
ISTANBUL (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, chiding a NATO ally whose support is critical to American goals in the Mideast, said Saturday that Turkey must act on concerns about backsliding on human rights and its secular traditions
Speaking politely but firmly about the moderate Muslim nation, Clinton said Turkey should recommit itself to the course of modernization and embrace the democratic institutions of statehood. By doing so, Turkey could serve as a model for Arab nations now in the midst of revolt or transition, America's top diplomat said.
"Across the region, people in the Middle East and North Africa are seeking to draw lessons from Turkey's experience," she told reporters at a news conference with Turkey's foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. "Turkey's history serves as a reminder that democratic development also depends on responsible leadership."
And the military conducting coups when necessary, sigh.
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At a town hall event earlier where she took questions from young Turks, Clinton criticized the arrests of journalists. She said the detentions have fed fears about threats to press freedom in the majority Muslim nation.
"I do not think it is necessary or in Turkey's interests to be cracking down. It seems to me inconsistent with all the other advances Turkey has made," she said.
Turkey's institutions should be able to withstand the scrutiny and debate that a free press brings, Clinton said....
Clinton's comments were likely to encourage more liberal Turks but irritate Turkey's leaders, including Davutoglu and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan, long seen as a vital bridge between East and West, has worried some by taking steps at odds with U.S. and Western policies.
Since President Barack Obama took office, Erdogan has clashed with Israel and opposed U.N. sanctions on Iran....
During George W. Bush's administration, Turkey opposed the war in Iraq and refused to allow troops to enter Iraq from its territory, creating additional divisions over the conflict within NATO....
But I don't see anyone complaining about them being in Afghanistan.
Related: Clinton chides NATO ally Turkey on rights curbs
Globe web article is a totally rewritten pos?
And what is she complaining about anyway?
"Turks say 15 plotted to hit US Embassy; Arrests follow long surveillance" by Selcan Hacaoglu, Associated Press / July 14, 2011
ANKARA, Turkey - Police have detained 15 suspected Al Qaeda militants who were allegedly planning to attack the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey’s capital, the state-run news agency said yesterday.
Turkey’s Interior Ministry confirmed the capture of suspected Al Qaeda militants but would provide no other details about the case. US officials said they have contacted Turkish officials about the arrests, which came several days before US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is to visit Istanbul....
Clinton is to visit Istanbul tomorrow and Saturday to meet with the Libya Contact Group, which includes more than 40 nations that are participating in or are backing the NATO mission supporting opponents of Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy.
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"Kurdish rebels attack Turkish soldiers" July 15, 2011|Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey - A clash in a forest left 13 Turkish soldiers and seven Kurdish rebels dead yesterday in the country’s rugged southeast, the military said. The rare daylight violence was the deadliest attack on troops in more than three years.
In response, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held an emergency meeting in the capital of Ankara with top military and intelligence officials. Top army commanders and senior Cabinet members were sent to the southeast to assess the situation, Turkish media reported.
The attack is expected to escalate tensions in the Kurdish-dominated southeast, where frequent clashes and violent protests have undercut reconciliation efforts.
Hours after the clash, an umbrella group that includes Turkey’s Kurdish party proclaimed Kurdish autonomy in Diyarbakir, the largest city in the southeast. It was unclear what practical effect such a declaration would have, although the Turkish government has repeatedly warned against such a move, which it views as a threat to national unity.
Kurdish rebels periodically cross the border from Iraq to stage attacks in their war for autonomy for Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast....
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