NEWS BRIEF The U.S. State Department said Tuesday the government of Turkey formally sought the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based cleric whom Ankara has accused of masterminding last month’s coup attempt.
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“We can confirm now that Turkey has requested the extradition of Gulen”, said Toner, although he did not elaborate on why the request did not link Gulen to the coup attempt. Although Turkey has submitted extradition requests for Gulen, those requests have been based on previous alleged crimes by Gulen and not evidence of involvement in the coup attempt, senior Obama administration officials said. He declined to provide details. The Turkish government hasn’t hidden its displeasure at the US for not handing Gulen over.
Relations between Turkey and the United States have hit a rough patch, with Ankara entertaining closer relations with Russian Federation and reportedly weighing up a new approach to the war in Syria.
The assessment came before Vice President Biden’s visit to the country on Wednesday.
United States leaders were outraged when Mr Erdogan accused Washington of either supporting or backing the coup. The Turkish government has since described the Gulen movement as a terrorist organisation.
“People have an expectation that Gulen should be returned to Turkey immediately”, said Gulnur Aybet, who teaches global relations at Turkey’s Bahcesehir University.
The U.S. once considered Erdogan a leader interested in promoting democracy and working with America.
The US has been keen to show support for Turkey but is concerned about the widespread crackdown which has followed the coup. It was the deadliest in a string of attacks this year in Turkey committed by IS or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
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In another worrying sign for the U.S., Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim appeared to warm to the possibility of Syrian President Bashar Assad maintaining a role in a transitional government. Turkey and the USA have both called for Assad’s ouster for years, insisting he can’t be part of Syria’s future government. AP material published by LongIsland.com, is done so with explicit permission. Doing so may result in civil and/or criminal penalties.
