US slams Turkey's hint of US involvement in coup
Washington has censured Turkey’s claim of US involvement in the failed coup attempt in the country as utterly false and harmful to bilateral ties.
US Secretary of State John Kerry addressed his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavosoglu, in a statement on Saturday, warning Ankara that public statements hinting American role in the failed coup attempt would harm bilateral ties.
The remarks by Kerry was cited in a statement released by State Department spokesman John Kirby, noting that the top American diplomat also pressed Ankara to use restraint and respect the rule of law in the course of probing the coup plot.
"He made clear that the United States would be willing to provide assistance to Turkish authorities conducting this investigation, but that public insinuations or claims about any role by the United States in the failed coup attempt are utterly false and harmful to our bilateral relations," read the statement
The development came as senior Turkish officials indirectly criticized Washington for providing a safe haven for opposition figure Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of masterminding the failed coup scheme.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim went as far as indicating that the US is “no friend of Turkey.”
“I do not see any country that would stand behind this man, this leader of the terrorist gang, especially after last night. The country that would stand behind this man is no friend to Turkey. It would even be a hostile act against Turkey,” Yıldırım told reporters on Saturday.
Kerry declared earlier in the day that Washington was willingness to consider extraditing Gulen if demanded by Turkey but noting that no such request had been made.
Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan insisted in a televised address later that Washington should turn Gulen over to Ankara, arguing that Turkey had never turned back any extradition request for “terrorists’’ by the US.
"I say if we are strategic partners then you should bring about our request," he said.
Gulen has harshly condemned the attempted coup by military officers leading to a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left dozens of people and security forces dead, fiercely denying any role in the plot.
The coup has so far left 161 people dead and 1,440 wounded in the overnight violence, according to the Turkish premier, who added that 2,839 plotters had also been detained.
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