Turkey rejects US criticism of Erdogan's anti-Israel position
Iran Press TV
Thu Aug 22, 2013 2:48PM GMT
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has expressed anger over the United States’ criticism of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan who blamed Israel for the ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.
Davutoglu said late Wednesday that Erdogan’s comments were about Israel and not the US, adding that such public condemnation of the Turkish premier by “a friend and ally” was not acceptable.
The Turkish foreign minister made the remarks in an interview with Kanal 24 television.
On Tuesday, Erdogan said in a nationally televised speech that Israel was behind the ouster of Morsi whose administration took a number of measures against the Tel Aviv regime.
“What is said about Egypt? That democracy is not the ballot box. Who is behind this? Israel is. We have the evidence in our hands. That’s exactly what happened,” Erdogan said.
His remarks angered Israel, the United States, and the new government in Cairo. The White House condemned the comments as offensive, unsubstantiated and wrong.
Davutoglu also said that Erdogan has been misunderstood and that the prime minister was referring to a mentality that led to Morsi’s ouster and not an Israeli plot.
Egypt has been experiencing unrelenting violence since the army toppled Morsi on July 3, suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament.
More than 900 people, including nearly 100 soldiers and police, have died in clashes across Egypt since August 14, when the interim Egyptian government launched a brutal crackdown on thousands of peaceful protesters demanding the reinstatement of deposed president.
The violence has sparked an outrage across the globe and triggered demonstrations in several countries. Meanwhile, international bodies have called for an end to the use of lethal force against Egyptian protesters and called for independent investigations into the killings.
SAB/KA/HMV
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