Turkish PM furious over leaked US cable
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Last Updated: Thursday, December 02, 2010, 21:58
Ankara: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Thursday reacted furiously to claims in a leaked US State Department memo that he has money in Swiss bank accounts and said US diplomats should be punished for allegations he branded as lies and gossip.

The angry outburst broke from Turkey's initial position of downplaying the significance of the leaks and saying that the documents would not affect Turkish and US ties.

The classified cable, released this week by WikiLeaks, is dated Dec 30, 2004 from then-US Ambassador Eric Edelman, who was assessing Erdogan's second year in power.


Erdogan said on live television he was prepared to resign if opposition parties can prove that he has any money in a Swiss account.

"The US is responsible for those diplomats' false claims and their smears. The US should ensure that the diplomats are held to account," Erdogan said on live television.


Turkey's main opposition party this week called on Erdogan to explain the Swiss bank accounts claim and said it had formed a committee to investigate the allegation."

Another US diplomatic cable, dated February 27, 2009, claimed that Erdogan's friends were benefiting from Turkey's business deals with Iran. One friend from his days at a religious school was head of a Turkish company that had entered a joint venture with Iran to develop gas and build pipelines, the memo said.

Edelman served in Turkey at a time of when ties between the US and its close NATO ally grew tense following the Turkish parliament's refusal to allow US troops to use Turkey's territory for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Erdogan suggested Turkey might seek legal action against the diplomats, saying Turkey was determined to "pursue" the allegations at home and abroad.

"We have talked about these with the US government. They have already made an apology, but we do not find this sufficient. They have to take every step necessary with those diplomats."


First Published: Thursday, December 02, 2010, 21:58

Tag: TurkeyPMUS cable
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