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ISTANBUL � Turkish and Greek warships recently faced off in the Aegean Sea near contested territory that brought them to the brink of war back in 1996.

The recent trouble took place after a Turkish naval vessel carrying Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar visited the area, prompting Greece to send ships to shadow the Turkish boats. Athens accused Turkish fighter jets of violating its airspace a record 138 times in one day.

The standoff did not result in a military confrontation. As Turkish political columnist Semih Idiz of Al Monitor website says, both sides have experience at containing tensions over territorial disputes.

"We've had many of these storms in teacups; they can be very serious storms in the Aegean," Idiz said. "I am not trying to underestimate them or trying to approach it lightly, and a mishap could lead to a situation that is undesirable; but, generally I think the two sides, after a certain escalation, draw back in incidents like this. This has been the pattern between Turkey and Greece."

The outbreak in high seas tensions was widely seen as a thing of the past, with nearly two decades of rapprochement efforts.

"These events underline the wrong assumption that full normalization still has not been achieved between Turkey and Greece," warned analyst Sinan Ulgen, a visiting scholar of the Carnegie Institute in Brussels. "These latest events reveal how resolved disputes can erupt again."

Refugee factor

Ulgen suggests the catalyst for the latest outbreak in tensions was a Greek court's refusal last month to extradite eight Turkish soldiers wanted by Ankara for their alleged role in a failed July coup. Following the decision, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned of severe consequences. Ulgen says repercussions are still possible, even if a military showdown is avoided.

"The problems in the Greek-Turkish bilateral relationship have the potential to undermine also the refugee deal, which is of consequence to many European governments including Germany," warned Ulgen. "The other area where a deterioration of this relationship may have a negative impact is Cyprus."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Ankara recently for talks.

One item on her agenda was the assurance over the continuation of Turkey's deal with the European Union to stem the flow of migrants. Analysts predict Ankara will not end the deal because of tensions with Athens, as the issue is one of the few sources of leverage Ankara has over Brussels.

Reunification efforts

United Nations efforts to reunite the island of Cyprus, divided between Greek and Turkish-Cypriot communities, could be hurt.

"The two sides in Cyprus have brought it up to a certain point, now they need their big brothers to iron out differences," noted columnist Idiz, "and any tensions between Turkey and Greece would automatically have a negative effect on any progress being made on Cyprus, so there is that risk."

Last month, United Nations-sponsored reunification talks in Geneva ended in deadlock.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Istanbul on Friday for two days of discussions, including with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. However, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan campaigning on a platform of nationalism ahead of an April referendum to extend his powers, analysts warn a tough line toward Athens and over Cyprus is likely, at least until the vote.

"We began to hear once more, the same damn arguments, the ones we used to hear before 2004, how strategically important is Cyprus, that Turkey would be surrounded," said international relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbul's Kadir Has University. "This is not only coming from government circles, or their supporters, but the old nationalists are back, so I think the real problem is going to be Cyprus, which only two months ago everybody thought was going to be resolved."

Cyprus has been divided since Turkish forces invaded in 1974 in response to a short-lived coup by Greek Cypriot militants seeking union with Greece.

Source: Voice of America

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson told the Armed Services Committee he believes the U.S.-backed Afghan forces are in a stalemate in the 15 year-old war. He said to break that stalemate he needs a few thousand more soldiers t...

WASHINGTON � Afghanistan was missing from the list of U.S. election campaign issues, but while condemning Tuesday's deadly attack in Kabul, White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has reaffirmed to his Afghan counterpart "our continued support for Afghanistan and for our strategic partnership."

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis also called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to "discuss the enduring U.S. Afghan strategic relationship." The Pentagon readout said both leaders "look forward to engaging again in the near future."

For Afghan Ambassador to the United States Hamdullah Mohib, these calls signal that the new U.S. administration values the Afghan partnership in the fight against terrorism.

"Our relationship with the new administration is off to a very strong start," he said.

The Afghan envoy in Washington is confident the "Trump administration recognizes the enormous value of its partnership with Afghanistan and the critical importance of having a strong ally in the fight against terrorism and in our volatile region of the world."

However, some critics of the Trump administration's foreign policy do not see a "very strong" relationship.

"Trump does not believe in the mission, but will keep the troops there begrudgingly for a while to keep the government from collapsing," said Barnett Rubin, author of several books on Afghanistan and head of the Center on International Cooperation at New York University.

"Trump policies in the U.S. and around the world will make the U.S. less and less welcome in Afghanistan," Rubin told VOA.

The Afghan government sees Pakistan as a major player in restoring peace in Afghanistan, but according to Rubin, "Afghans who think he [Trump] will be tough on Pakistan to support the Afghan government are deceiving themselves."

Sherjan Ahmadzai, the director of the Afghanistan Study Center at the University of Nebraska, said, "Afghanistan is the only country in the region that is friendly toward the United States and is willing to host U.S. forces."

On why Afghanistan matters for the Trump administration, Ahmadzai added, "By having a military presence in Afghanistan, the U.S. can address any potential threat emanating from that region to which it cannot respond from offshore bases or ships in the Indian Ocean or in Turkey."

While Afghans and analysts are waiting to see tangible U.S. policy actions in Afghanistan, the Afghan ambassador said, "My staff and I are always meeting with members of Congress and the administration to discuss matters involving Afghanistan."

Source: Voice of America

BEIJING, Feb. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — SANY has recently launched the 20 ton and 22 ton hydraulic single drum rollers that give operators access to new technology and make work more efficient.

Photo – http://mma.prnewswire.com/…

NEW YORK � Welcome, welcome welcome! reads the digital arrivals display above Terminal 4 at New York's John F. Kennedy airport.

In more than a dozen languages, the word is translated on a bright blue wall for all to see and read as soon as they exit customs and enter the United States for the first time.

While the signage itself remains unchanged from less than two weeks ago, when President Donald Trump's ban on foreign nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries led to mass protests and confusion nationwide, JFK's international terminal has an entirely different demeanor Monday morning.

After Trump's executive order was put to a halt by a federal judge on Friday, the week's first arriving international passengers slowly make their way through a quiet hallway. Among them are some (whose visas had not been revoked) from the seven affected nations � Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Protesters are gone

This time, there are no protests staged outside the terminal, no visible grouping of pro bono lawyers scuttling to assist in T4's Central Diner.

The pale sky is visible through the terminal's dual-story glass panels, and birds can be heard chirping between intercom announcements.

After a routine hour-and-a-half process through U.S. Customs and Border Protection, vetted families traveling from Dubai continue their journey toward the city.

In a span of two minutes, a reunited family from India and a young couple from Jordan � unaffected by the ban but instead by sheer distance � embrace and burst into tears at the hallway's end.

Sayeda, from Pakistan, is relieved to finally make it back to her second home � not because she thought the initial ban might somehow be reinstated and expand beyond the initial list, but because the name listed on her ticket does not fully match that of her green card.

Still, she says she understands Trump's intentions.

Whatever he is doing, he's doing for his country, for the people who voted for him, she said.

'Not about my religion'

Safwan Edris, a Syrian based in Dubai, has never been to New York. But his wife, Hajar, a stewardess from Morocco has, and it is her turn to play tour guide.

We booked the flight two weeks ago on the 17th [of January], recalls Edris. "We saw the news. I couldn't come here, so we cancelled it. We kept waiting.

But both Edris and Hajar, traveling with their baby daughter in a stroller, hardly consider themselves victims.

The ban affects the refugees in Jordan, Edris says. They apply, wait two, three, four months, just waiting � interview after interview after interview. They give them a date, then you can't go.

They sold their houses, their cars, adds Hajar. These are the people being affected.

Edris, whose father remains in Aleppo, admits he will probably never return to Syria, calling the crisis there an act of God. But New Yorkers, he believes, will be welcoming during their stay.

I know the culture; I know the people, Edris says. It's not about my religion. It's politics.

Liberty and justice

Lindley Hanlon, a City University of New York film professor impersonating the Statue of Liberty, appears shortly before noon, and is immediately questioned by police.

An officer tells Hanlon she can only welcome visitors, not protest in the arrivals hall. He concludes that a sign she unveils, with the words liberty and justice for all, falls into the latter category.

This is the pledge of allegiance to the flag, Hanlon responds, not impressing the officer. But she complies, hiding her sign.

I'm trying to welcome people to our shores, as I've always done for 131 years, she says, referring to Lady Liberty's arrival in New York harbor in June of 1885.

Perhaps even behind closed doors [foreigners] are being interrogated more fiercely, she remarks. "My feeling is, this was not a way to welcome people to America."

Like thousands of New Yorkers over the past two weeks, Hanlon made the long commute to JFK to show continued support for the world's most vulnerable refugees.

You plan on being here all day? I ask her.

No, I'm going to beat the rush hour, Hanlon says.

Source: Voice of America