Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputies Aykan Erdemir and Faik Tunay have said that the US government feels uneasy at being used as a pawn in Turkey's internal politics.
After meeting several US officials and think tanks in Washington, the CHP deputies told the Turkish press that the US is disturbed that the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan misrepresented a phone conversation he had on Feb. 19 with US President Barack Obama in regard to the Turkish prime minister's wish to have Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen extradited. The scholar lives in the US state of Pennsylvania.
Erdoğan said in a televised interview that he asked that the US have Gülen extradited because he poses a threat to Turkey's internal security. The prime minister indicated that Obama was looking at the issue "positively" and that the US president told him he “got the message.”
“No American president would interfere with another country's internal affairs directly or make a comment on them. We don't like it when people put words in the mouth of the American president," some people close to the US administration said to the CHP deputies.
“The response attributed to President Obama with regard to Mr. Gülen is not accurate,” the White House said on Friday in an e-mailed statement to press.
Erdemir said US policymakers seem to be uncomfortable with their country being used in Turkey's domestic politics.
The CHP deputies said that according to those close to the US administration, the Turkish government is trying to create the impression that “President Obama called Erdoğan," which means the "US is supporting [the Turkish] prime minister.”
The different American groups that the CHP talked to expressed their worries about the coming election, Erdemir said.
“I think Washington is concerned that the prime minister, embattled by a corruption scandal, has no exit strategy [out of the scandal] and needs [the protection of] his legislative immunity. [They are worried the] prime minister may be inclined to rig the ballot box, as he cannot afford to lose the upcoming elections," he said.
According to the CHP delegation, Americans also think that Erdoğan's remarks on the possibility of blocking Facebook and YouTube in Turkey are “unbelievable.”
Tunay said they were surprised to see how closely the experts in Washington are following the developments in Turkey. The CHP deputies were asked detailed questions on wiretaps that were leaked online, especially one allegedly between Erdoğan and his son Bilal. Tunay said he observed a big change in America's perception of Turkey after that wiretap went public and that Turkey's reputation has seriously been damaged due to the corruption scandal.
The CHP delegation said they brought a message to Washington saying that Turkey is not without an alternative. The deputies met with officials at the White House and the US Department of State as well as with members of Congress, and they attended meetings at think tanks such as the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the US German Marshall Fund (GMF).
Published on Sunday's Zaman, 09 March 2014, Sunday
Related Articles
Latest news, academic excerpts, commentary, book reviews and interviews on Fethullah Gulen and the Hizmet Movement (aka The Gulen Movement).
Search This Blog
Overview
Content from 164 countries/states
Categories
New Audio Podcast
Some Highlights
- Top Three Reasons Why Turkey’s President Erdogan is Obsessed with Gulen
- Turkish witch-hunt against the Gulen movement lacks one thing: Evidence
- Bill Clinton on Fethullah Gulen's contribution to the world
- Erdoğan’s war against Hizmet: Step by step
- Is Gulen Movement a religious order?
- Is the Gülen Movement a civil society initiative?
- Popular Islam – Hizmet-Gülen Movement and Fethullah Gülen
- Why do they lie about Fethullah Gülen?
- The Responsibility of the Hizmet movement
- Gülen movement is a chance for humanity, American professor says
- Gulen Movement: An attempt to represent Islam and Muslims positively
- Muslims Must Combat the Extremist Cancer
- The Place of the Gulen Movement in the intellectual history of Islam
- A Universal Islamic Phenomenon in Turkish Religious Practice: the Gülen Case
Suggested Readings
Disclaimer: Copyrights and ideas in the articles belong to their respective owners. Hizmet Movement (Gulen Movement) Blog may not be held liable from the content of articles nor their potential misuse by third parties. Articles shared are not necessarily endorsed. Links and images used in the blog posts may differ from those at their original source. Translated articles are solely intended for the convenience of the readers, and may include minor errors.