US is deeply concerned by the reports 130 media organizations are shut down

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

DPB # 133

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

Briefer: John Kirby, Spokesperson

Turkey Qs & As

QUESTION: Yes. A couple questions. Ambassador Bass is quoted by the Turkish media in a speech as saying that Gulen was responsible for the coup. So is that accurate? Also, Turkish Government officials are quoted, saying that if Gulen is not extradited it will have a serious impact on U.S.-Turkish relations. What is the response to that?
MR KIRBY: Well, first, the answer to your first question is no, he didn’t give a speech and he never said that. On the answer – in the answer to the second question, look, we’ve been very consistent here in everything we’ve said about Mr. Gulen and any potential for extradition, that that kind of a decision would have to be evidence-based; it would have to be properly processed the way it is supposed to in coordination between the State Department and the Justice Department. As I have indicated earlier, we are in receipt of some material, and that material is being analyzed right now. I don’t have an update for you, and I wouldn’t get ahead of what is and can be a fairly lengthy legal process.

QUESTION: Since your comment yesterday characterizing Turkey, we now have official confirmation that more than 130 Turkish media organizations have been shut down. Is – that question was asked yesterday, I think, by Arshad or somebody. Do you still consider Turkey a democracy, considering the thousands of people in detention, tens of thousands of suspects, and the arrests of journalists and 130 to 150 media organizations being shut down?
MR KIRBY: Well, let me just address the media piece of that. We’re obviously deeply concerned by the reports and we’re seeking additional information from Turkish authorities. As you well know and as I’ve said many, many times from the podium, the United States supports freedom of expression around the world. And we have concerns when any country makes a move to close down media outlets and restrict this universal value. We expect Turkish authorities to uphold their assurances that the Turkish Government will protect the rule of law and fundamental freedoms.

QUESTION: The Turkish officials also suggesting that Erdogan, the Turkish president, wants to put the military under his direct control, not have it as a separate entity. Would the U.S. be supportive of such a move, which would require a change in the constitution, or does this raise more concerns about his ability to wield power and to control more facets of the Turkish Government?
MR KIRBY: We’ve talked at length, Ros, about what’s going on in Turkey. We’ve condemned the failed coup. We’ve made clear that we understand the Turkish Government has a right and a responsibility, quite frankly, to their citizens to get to the bottom of this, to investigate it, and to hold those responsible for the coup to account.
The President and Secretary Kerry have also, of course, stressed the importance to their Turkish counterparts of upholding democratic principles and the rule of law throughout this process. I’ve

said that I’m not going to make it a habit from this podium of responding and reacting to every single decision. We’ve seen this in press reporting same as you, and I would leave it to Turkish authorities to describe the motives behind it.
But obviously, Turkey matters to us as a friend and an ally. Their democracy matters to us. Their success as a democracy matters to us. And so as a friend and an ally, we’re going to continue to stay in close touch with Turkish authorities as they work through this.

QUESTION: Quick two questions on Turkey.
MR KIRBY: I’m guessing your question’s also on this.
QUESTION: Yes. Earlier, Turkish administration announced that they will send justice minister and interior minister here for the extradition process. Do you know if that visit is still happening, or --
MR KIRBY: I don’t have any updates on their – to give you, and I would point you to Turkish leaders to talk about their travel.

QUESTION: And the last one. There are still a lot of conspiracy theories or theories regarding U.S. involvement, despite the fact that --
MR KIRBY: About U.S. what?
QUESTION: U.S. involvement in the coup attempt. There are still a lot of stories every day, headlines in Turkey. Do you think that the government – Turkish Government – is doing to counter these messages, or do you think the – why do you think these blames and accusations are still continuing?
MR KIRBY: Well, I couldn’t possibly begin to know the answer to that question. The people propagating the false rumors are the ones to ask. Obviously, we had no involvement in this, and any suggestion otherwise is ludicrous. But why such a rumor would still be propagated or still be able to find purchase over there, I couldn’t begin to guess. We are not only an ally to Turkey, we’re a friend, we’re a partner, and Turkey remains a member of the coalition to counter Daesh. And we value that partnership, and as we’ve said all along, we’re going to continue to look for ways to deepen and strengthen it going forward.

QUESTION: President Erdogan is going to Moscow next week, and there are a lot of opinion pieces and speculations that Turkey’s getting closer to Russia and there may be some tensions increasing between the U.S. and Turkey, as earlier question mentioned. Do you have any comment on Turkey’s getting closer to Russia, whether --
MR KIRBY: Look, I mean, as a sovereign nation, Turkey has every right to pursue bilateral relations that it believes are important and to improve and strengthen those bilateral relations that it chooses to improve and strengthen. So I’m not – we’re not in – wouldn’t be in a position to comment or qualify one way or another President Erdogan’s travel or his discussion with foreign leaders. That’s his right and responsibility; that’s the right and responsibility of a sovereign nation.

What matters to us is both a bilateral and multilateral relationship that we have with Turkey: multilateral through NATO, multilateral through the coalition to counter Daesh; and, of course, the bilateral relationship that we have. And look, we’ve been nothing but honest and open and forthright with you right here in this briefing room about issues and things that happen in Turkey that concern us. We’ve also been open, candid, and forthright with Turkish leaders about those same issues, as well as – and this often doesn’t get attention by you guys – but the – all the many ways in which we see eye to eye with Turkey on many things and the things that we try to work together on and try to advance, and there’s a lot of those too. I understand that doesn’t make headlines, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening, and it doesn’t mean that it isn’t happening even today as Turkey works through the aftermath of this coup, because operations against Daesh continue. Operations against Daesh out of Incirlik continue.
So there’s – as there always is in a consequential bilateral relationship like the one we have with Turkey, there is a wide menu, an agenda of issues, to talk with them about. That’s certainly no less true – in fact, more true, I suppose, if you want to look at it that way, in the wake of this coup attempt. And that’s why Ambassador Bass is working so hard to continue the communication and the dialogue and to improve the mutual understanding that he has with his counterparts there in Ankara.

QUESTION: John, following up on that, there was a message put out by the U.S. consulate saying that there are protesters marching towards the – Incirlik demanding that it be closed. Is there any concern about what appears to be a growing march of protesters?
MR KIRBY: I haven’t seen that report, Abbie, so I’m going to have to kind of go back and take a look at that. So without addressing a specific query about a protest march on Incirlik, let me just say that, again, we appreciate Turkish support for the coalition in terms of the use of the Incirlik Air Base for operations against Daesh in Syria. As I said, those operations continue, Turkish support continues, and Turkish leaders – from President Erdogan right on down to the foreign minister in his conversations with Secretary Kerry – made it very clear that there were not going to be negative developments in terms of those efforts as a result of this coup attempt. And with the exception of some temporary loss of power, which we talked about last week, they’ve been good to their word – that there hasn’t been a degradation in coalition use of Incirlik or Turkish support for that use of Incirlik against Daesh in Syria. So again, I just don’t know anything about this – the protests and I’d have to go find a little bit more out for you before I could answer specifically a question about that. 

Kirby: Turkey is a democratically elected government, not sure if democracy

Daily Press Briefing Index Wednesday, July 27, 2016 1:09 p.m. EDT
Briefer: John Kirby, Spokesperson

Qs & As w John Kirby

Gulen Extradition
QUESTION: Today Turkish prime minister said to Wall Street Journal that evidence is crystal- clear that Fethullah Gulen, exiled cleric here, is behind the coup. And he ask why the U.S. just can’t hand over this individual to us. Do you have a comment on this particular --
MR KIRBY: I haven’t seen those comments. But as we’ve said, we have received some materials from the Turkish Government, and those materials are being reviewed. I don't have an update for you on that process. 

Kirby: We have urged President Erdogan to show restraint
QUESTION: On Turkey, over the weekend there was a arrest warrant issued for 42 journalists, and just today there is another warrant for detainment of 47 journalists. And there are more lists are coming up, obviously. It looks like there will be hundreds more. There are about 15,000 people detained. These are official numbers. Over 60,000 people are sacked, suspended across Turkey. I was wondering, first of all, your comment. And second, you mentioned last week or Monday that Turkey should not take excessive actions after the coup. Do you think these actions are – can be classified as excessive?

MR KIRBY: Well, we also said that we’re not going to get into the business of characterizing every decision every moment that it’s made. I think I would point you back to what the Secretary has said repeatedly, that we have been nothing but strong in expressing our grave concern about the failed coup. We have been nothing but strong and candid in condemning that failed coup and –condemning the coup attempt, not the fact that it failed, obviously – and expressing our unequivocal support for the democratically elected civilian government of Turkey. The President himself strongly condemned the failed coup attempt and expressed U.S. support for Turkish democratic institutions. He thanked Turkish authorities for their continued support in ensuring the safety and well-being of our diplomatic missions and personnel, American servicemen and women who are there, and civilians – our civilians throughout Turkey. And, of course, we have urged President Erdogan to show restraint, to act within the rule of law, to avoid actions that would lead to further violence and instability. We obviously support bringing the perpetrators of the coup to justice and we also continue to stress the importance of upholding democratic principles and the rule of law through the process.

Kirby: Journalist detainments continuation of what I’ve talked about as a troubling trend in Turkey
QUESTION: Okay. So about these journalists – over hundred journalists. From here, do you think this many journalists can be involved with the coup? Do you think this can be realistically happened?
MR KIRBY: Well, look, I – these kinds of actions – and we’ve talked about this in the past, our concerns over press freedoms. I think we would see this as a continuation of what I’ve talked about as a troubling trend in Turkey, where official bodies – law enforcement and judicial – are being used to discourage legitimate political recourse – I’m sorry, discourse, legitimate political discourse. I mean, we’ve been I think very consistent about that.

Other reports blue:
Kirby: US urged Turkish authorities for a dedication to rule of law
QUESTION: Can I follow up on that? Do you believe that the current Turkish Government is systematically dismantling the institutions of society, including the judiciary and the press, that can serve on – as a check on the powers of the executive?
MR KIRBY: I think I’m going to have to point you back to what I’ve said here just a few minutes ago. The – we’re not going to characterize each and every move as they occur. What we’ve been – I -
QUESTION: I’m talking about the whole thing.
MR KIRBY: What we’ve – what we’ve been very consistent on is condemning the coup attempt, the attempt by military force to overthrow a democratically elected government. I think our position was crystal clear on that since that night. And we’ve also, in conversations with Turkish authorities at various levels, urged restraint, a dedication to rule of law, and the democratic principles that have upheld the elected government in Turkey already.
But again, I’m not – and we’re obviously watching and – developments there and we’re staying in touch with Turkish authorities. Our ambassador has been in near constant communication with his counterparts in the Turkish Government. And I just don’t know that we’re going to be able to characterize it any deeper than that.

Kirby: Turkey is a democratically elected government, not sure if democracy
QUESTION: John, knowing your vast knowledge about the world affairs and all, most of the dictators in history have been democratically elected. Do you feel you are still saying Turkey is still a democracy when all this purging is going on?
MR KIRBY: Again, Tejinder, it is a democratically elected government, and it was a government that at least some elements of the Turkish military attempted to overthrow. There’s obviously an investigation going on by Turkish authorities to figure out exactly what happened here, and how it could happen. We, as I said at the outset, understand the need for them to be able to get their arms around this failed coup and to hold the perpetrators to account. We’ve said that again from within the first hour or two of it happening. We’ve also said, and continue to believe, that a measured, deliberate approach to that that is – that observes the rule of law and due process is important. And we continue to make those concerns known. 

Qamishli Massacre
QUESTION: Thank you. One Syria-related question before transitioning to Turkey. Today, there was a suicide bombing in Qamishli, a Syrian Kurdish city, which killed about 50 and injured over 100. Want to see – I think ISIS already claimed that, if you have any comment.
MR KIRBY: Yes. Thank you. We certainly condemn in the strongest terms today’s reprehensible terrorist attack that killed scores of civilians in Qamishli, Syria and we extend, of course, our deepest condolences to all the families of those that were killed, and, of course, our thoughts and prayers for those who have been injured. This attack, once again, displays the type of horrific atrocities that Daesh has perpetrated against tens of thousands of innocent people across Syria and Iraq and only affirms – reaffirms, I should say – international resolve to strengthen our efforts to degrade and defeat Daesh and to support those who are also working to degrade and defeat Daesh. And that resolve remains unchanged, wherever they might be in the world.
Now, on the details of it, I just don’t have – I’ve, again, seen the same reports. We have no reason to doubt the veracity of the claims of responsibility by Daesh, and I – as for further details on it, I’d have to point you to authorities there.

US says "committed to defend freedom of the press" shies away making specific comments re jailed journalists in Turkey

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Spokesperson

---

For Immediate Release

For your reference, please find attached an indexed DPB, which will be available here.  

DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

DPB #131

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)

Briefer: Elizabeth Trudeau, Director, Office of Press Relations 

My Qs & As w/State Dept Spox Trudeau

QUESTION:  Turkey?

MS TRUDEAU:  Yes.

QUESTION:  Thank you.  My first question is last week U.S. Government stated that it received documents from Turkey regarding extradition process for Fethullah Gulen, and you were going to take a look whether this can be qualified as an extradition request.  Are you – have you made that decision yet?

MS TRUDEAU:  I have no update on that.  As we mentioned last week and I believe we touched on this week too, we have received documents.  We continue to review them.  So I have no update on that.

QUESTION:  The Turkish foreign minister Cavusoglu today stated that they have – even though they already submitted necessary documents to U.S. Government, they have not responded that yet.  Do you have any particular response to that comment?

MS TRUDEAU:  I wouldn’t.  I’d let the foreign minister’s comments stand.  But I would say that as we’ve said, the extradition process is a formal process, it’s a legal process, it’s a technical process, it’s governed by the extradition treaty that both our governments signed.  So we’re going to let that process play out.

QUESTION:  Okay, and another question.  After the coup – I haven’t been able to ask this question.  Yesterday, there is a new arrest warrant for 42 journalists, and there are more.  These 42 journalists only just yesterday numbers.  And for example, there are 19 journalists, arrest warrants for 19 journalists in Antalya, south city, and there are other cities similar warrants.  Are you concerned that after the coup attempt government is moving to basically go after the critical voices and news journalists along with the coup plotters or allegedly coup plotters?

MS TRUDEAU:  Well, I’d say what we’ve said repeatedly:  In a democratic society, critical voices need to be encouraged; they don’t need to be silenced.  We have said many times, not just in relation to Turkey but countries around the world, that democracies become stronger when they let voices from diverse points of view speak. 

I’d note, and the President has spoken to this himself, we’ve conveyed both publicly and in private conversations with our Turkish friends and allies the importance of protecting freedom of the press.  We are committed to defend freedom of the press, media freedom, due process, freedom of assembly everywhere in the world.

QUESTION:  So in terms of in this context, are you concerned with this ongoing campaign of arrests for Turkish journalists?

MS TRUDEAU:  So what I would say is that we have actually spoken to this.  The President spoke to this and we’ll let his comments stand.

QUESTION:  The Travel Warning notes that the voluntary departure of relatives of those working for U.S. embassy and consulate personnel has been authorized.

MS TRUDEAU:  Mm-hmm.

QUESTION:  What has changed in the last several days, since it does seem that, for better or worse, President Erdogan has a firm grip on power?  Why is it not safe for the relatives to stay?

MS TRUDEAU:  Okay, so it’s important to differentiate on this.  This is an authorized departure, so this is an authorized departure.  I think many of you saw the Travel Warning that went out.  It’s an authorized departure for our embassy in Ankara as well as our consulate in Istanbul for the family members of U.S. personnel stationed there.  This is a precautionary measure.  It does follow the July 15th attempted coup.  We continue to monitor the security developments there, and as we have information, of course, as we are obligated to do, we will share that with the American public.  But again, this is an abundance of caution, and again, this is optional.  So this is authorized; this is not ordered.

White House: Ostensibly, Turkish government is protecting the Turkish democracy.. so they need to protect foundation of it

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release                                July 25, 2016

PRESS BRIEFING

BY PRESS SECRETARY JOSH EARNEST

James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

My Qs & As with White House Press Sec Earnest

Yes, sir, I’ll give you the last one.

Q    Thanks so much.  On Turkey, Josh, a couple of questions, if I may.  Just today, there are about 42 journalists -- issued arrest warrant for 42 journalists -- there’s another warrant for arrest for another 19 journalists (in Antalya)... and there are many other across Turkey.  A crackdown goes on.  It has been 10 days since the coup attempt failed.  Are you watching what’s going on in Turkey in terms of a government’s, some call purge, some other call crackdown after the coup?

MR. EARNEST:  President Obama was asked about this on Friday, and I think the President spoke quite directly about the situation in Turkey.  I think it should be evident from his response that it’s not just that the United States government is closely following the situation in Turkey.  President Obama is personally following the situation in Turkey quite closely.

Turkey is an important ally of the United States.  And there’s a reason that the United States was one of the first countries around the world to issue our own swift condemnation of the coup attempt in Turkey.  The United States values our alliance and certainly deeply respects the democratic traditions inside of Turkey.  And when President Obama had an opportunity to speak with President Erdogan on the telephone last week, President Obama conveyed his view that Turkish democratic institutions are worth protecting.  It’s those very institutions and traditions that were critical to repelling the coup in the first place.

And there’s strong support among the Turkish people and within the Turkish government for those democratic institutions. In fact, in the midst of the coup, you saw the parties in the Turkish parliament come forward issuing their own sweeping condemnation of the coup attempt, even though some of those parties have vigorous political disagreements with President Erdogan. 

So these kinds of democratic institutions and traditions, the democratic values that are enshrined in Turkey’s constitution are all worth protecting.  And even as the Turkish government conducts the kind of investigation that’s necessary to get to the bottom of what happened in the context of the failed coup, it’s also important for them to keep in mind that those democratic institutions were instrumental from preventing the coup from succeeding.

Q    Do you think that these many journalists being detained or arrested, is it justified?

MR. EARNEST:  Well, freedom of the press is one of the rights that’s enshrined in the Turkish constitution.  And President Obama on more than one occasion has had a conversation with President Erdogan about the United States’ own view and the U.S. government’s own view that protecting those rights is important.  And the President certainly has conveyed that to President Erdogan in the past, even before the coup took place.

So the United States’ commitment to those values and those principles, including the freedom of the press, is rock solid.  And we certainly have -- well, I’ll just say, President Obama has certainly conveyed our rock-solid commitment to those issues to President Erdogan in the hopes that he’ll demonstrate a similar commitment to them.

Q    So you think it’s not justified?  Can you --

MR. EARNEST:  Well, again, I can’t from here render a judgment on that.  But President Obama made clear that he’s personally watching the situation closely.  U.S. officials continue to be in close touch with their Turkish counterparts, and we certainly believe that it’s important, even as the Turkish government goes to great lengths to determine what exactly happened in the context of the failed coup -- and to bring some accountability to those who may have been complicit in that effort -- that it’s critically important that the Turkish government not also undermine the very democratic institutions that, ostensibly, they’re trying to protect.

Q    In the same press conference, President Obama last week stated that some of the rumors “that the U.S. involved” about coup would threaten critical alliance between Turkey and U.S.  Yet over the weekend, Turkish Justice Minister said that however knows his name is Obama and U.S. also knows that it is behind the coup.  This came from justice minister.  And today, very staunch pro-government newspaper headline accusing the former General Campbell is behind the coup -- who operated and coordinated the coup from Turkey -- visiting Turkey several times in recent months -- with a picture and the name.  Do you think your message has been listened to in Turkey?

     MR. EARNEST:  Well, listen, the allegation against General Campbell is baseless and barely worth a response.  President Obama was, to use his word, unequivocal in the East Room about the United States and our strong commitment to our alliance with Turkey.

     The President was unequivocal in his condemnation of the attempt by some members of the military to overthrow the democratically elected civilian government of Turkey.  There's some pretty good evidence to indicate that we mean what we saw.  The United States was among the first countries to issue a statement critical of the failed coup attempt.

     So President Obama can obviously speak to this more authoritatively than I can, and he did, as recently as last Friday in saying that the United States was, of course, not just not involved in the coup attempt but rather was and has been critical of the failed coup attempt and strongly supportive of the democratically elected government of Turkey.

     Q    Final question.  There is an Amnesty International report saying that there is credible evidence of torture, including rape, applied to detainees -- over 10,000 people so far have been detained.  Have you seen the report?  Do you have a comment on that?

     MR. EARNEST:  I've been briefed on the report.  What I can tell you is that there are important democratic institutions and traditions inside of Turkey that are worth protecting.  There are rights enshrined in Turkey's constitution that are worth protecting.  These basic human rights are an important part of the alliance between the United States and Turkey -- both the United States and Turkey are strongly committed to those universal human rights and strongly committed to protecting those universal human rights.  

And it's important, even as Turkey conducts an investigation to determine who may have been responsible for the failed coup attempt, that they protect those basic human rights moving forward.  And that is something that President Obama has conveyed directly in private to President Erdogan.  It's something that President Obama discussed publicly yesterday -- or on Friday in his news conferences.  And it's something I anticipate that the administration will continue to watch closely moving forward.

     Q    Turkey suspended the human rights convention, so it is not bound to it.  And also there is a state of emergency in Turkey right now.  So you have been mentioning the (inaudible) (those rights,IT) suspended in Turkey.

     MR. EARNEST:  Well, what also happened in Turkey, as you pointed out, was just 10 days ago there was an attempt by some members of the military to overthrow the democratically elected civilian government of Turkey.  So it's understandable that the Turkish government and the Turkish people would be interested in a full investigation and in some accountability.

     So the situation in Turkey is tense.  People are understandably on edge.  But what is clear is that it's important for Turkey's government to protect the kinds of democratic institutions and traditions that Turkey has long stood for you.  Ostensibly, that is what the government is protecting -- is the Turkish democracy.  And as they protect the Turkish democracy, it's important that they are protective of the principles that form the foundation of that democracy.

Obama to Erdogan: rumors swirling around threaten what is a critical alliance

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release                                                                       July 22, 2016

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA

AND PRESIDENT ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO OF MEXICO

IN JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE

The East Room

Juliet Eilperin.

Q    President Obama, given the fact that the government of Turkey is asking for the extradition of Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, how are you weighing that decision?  How do you view allegations that he helped foment the recent coup, and that Turkish intelligence officials have said that they believe U.S. intelligence services had direct knowledge of the coup’s planning? 

Also, with the detention of more than 10,000 Turks, the firing of thousands more, and a ban on overseas travel by academics there, at what point do you need to speak out more forcefully about these tactics?

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  So, Juliet, first of all, I had a chance to talk to President Erdogan this week and reiterated what we said from the earliest reports that a coup was being attempted in Turkey, and that is that we strongly reject any attempt to overthrow democracy in Turkey, that we support the democratically elected government there. 

And I think one of the signs of great strength in the Turkish people was the fact that even strong opponents of President Erdogan -- when reports of the coup were taking place and when it was still uncertain who exactly was behind it -- even opponents of President Erdogan pushed back hard against the idea that the military should overthrow a democratically elected government.

Any reports that we had any previous knowledge of a coup attempt, that there was any U.S. involvement in it, that we were anything other than entirely supportive of Turkish democracy are completely false.  Unequivocally false.  And I said that to President Erdogan.  And I also said to him that he needs to make sure that not just he but everybody in his government understand that those reports are completely false.  Because when rumors like that start swirling around, that puts our people at risk on the ground in Turkey, and it threatens what is a critical alliance and partnership between the United States and Turkey.

So I want to be as clear and unequivocal as I can be:  We deplore the attempted coup.  We said so earlier than just about anybody and have been consistent throughout that the Turkish people deserve a government that was democratically elected.

Now, what is true is, is that President Erdogan and Turkey have a strong belief that Mr. Gülen, here in -- who is in Pennsylvania, a legal resident of the United States, is somehow behind some of these efforts.  And what I said to President Erdogan is the same thing that I would say to you and anybody else who asks, which is we have a process here in the United States for dealing with extradition requests made by foreign governments.  And it’s governed by treaties and it’s governed by laws.  And it is not a decision that I make, but rather a decision that our Justice Department and investigators and courts make, alongside my administration, in a very well-structured and well-established process. 

So I told President Erdogan that they should present us with evidence that they think indicates the involvement of Mr. Gülen, or anybody else who is here in the United States, and it would be processed the way that it is always processed, and that we would certainly take any allegations like this seriously.  But America is governed by rules of law, and those are not ones that the President of the United States or anybody else can just set aside for the sake of expediency.  Even when we are deeply supportive of Turkish democracy, and even when we care deeply about any attempts to overthrow their government or any other illegal actions, we've got to go through a legal process.

     Finally, with respect to what's happening in the aftermath of the coup attempt, in my conversations with President Erdogan, I think in statements by John Kerry and others, what we have indicated is our strong belief and hope that as the dust settles there is not a overreaction that could in some fashion lead to a curtailment of civil liberties, or a weakening of the ability of legitimate opposition or journalists, through legal processes, to voice their concerns and to petition their government, and that the United States, as a friend and partner of Turkey, and me personally, as somebody who has worked with President Erdogan for a long time now, would encourage that the manner in which this coup is investigated and people are held accountable and justice is done is consistent with rule of law and the basic freedoms that I think the Turkish people have fought for and defended. 

     And obviously, we can't discount how scary and shaken not just the Turkish government is but Turkish society is.  Imagine if you had some runt group of military officials here in the United States who started flying off with F-16s or other artillery and were taking shots at government buildings, and people were killed and injured -- people would be scared, and rightfully so.  But one of the challenges of a democratic government is making sure that even in the midst of emergencies and passions, we make sure that rule of law and the basic precepts of justice and liberty prevail.  And my hope is, is that is what will emerge.

     In the meantime, we will continue to work with Turkey, even as they try to stabilize the situation.  Our base at Incirlik, from which we are going after ISIL hard, is up and running again, and we continue to work with them to make sure that we don't lose momentum that we've built in terms of weakening ISIL's position in Syria and to try to strengthen the prospects for some resolution of that terrible conflict.

ABD: ABD’nin yardım ve iade talebi çalışma tekliflerini Türkiye cevap vermedi

ABD: Türkiye'de aşırı önlemlerin uygulanmasini istemeyiz

ABD Dışişleri bakanlığı ve Beyaz Saray’da hafta boyu olduğu gibi perşembe günkü basın toplantılarında da Türkiye ağırlıkla tartışıldı. 

ABD yönetimi darbenin yapılma girişiminden sonra ilk kez Türkiye'deki hükümetin yaptıklarından dolayı endişe duyduklarını ifade etti.

ABD Dışişleri Bakanlığında genelde Amerikalı gazetecilerin Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan’ın darbe girişiminden beri yaptıkları hakkındaki ısrarlı soruların sonu gelmedi.

CNN’nin Dışişleri bakanlığı muhabiri Elise Talbott, Türk hükümetinin yaptıklarını aşırı görüp, endişeli olup, olmadığını sorduğunda ABD Dışişleri bakanlığı sözcüsü John Kirby, ‘’darbe girişimi olduğundan beri biz durumdan endişeliyiz ve bundan dolayı da Türk muhataplarımız ile irtibat halindeyiz’’ dedi. Kirby, ABD’nin Türkiye’deki tutuklama ve Erdoğan hükümetinin diğer bazı davranışlarından dolayı da ‘’Türkiye’de olanlardan tabi ki endişeli’’ olduğunu bir kez daha tekrarladı, ayrıca ‘’aşırı önlemlerin uygulanmasini tabi ki istemeyiz, burası açık.’’ diye ekledi.

‘’Bu aşırı önlemlerin uygulandığını görmüyor musunuz peki?’’ sorusuna ise Kirby şunları söyledi: ‘’Söylediğim bu olanları yakından izliyoruz ve Türk muhataplarımız ile de irtibat halindeyiz. Eğer endişelerimiz olursa bunu kaydedeceğiz. Bunu diplomatik yollardan diğer ülkelerle yaptığımız gibi yapacağız. Bunu çok yakından izliyoruz. Sorudan kaçıyor falan değilim.’’

CNN: Biraz öyle gibisiniz. Belki sorudan kaçmayı denemiyorsun ama bunu yapıyorsun.

Kirby: Haklısın. Yeniden söylemeliyim, Türkiye bize bir dost ve müttefik olarak önemli. Onların demokrasisileri de bizim için önemli. Bizim için çok önemli olduğu için de onlarla sürekli yakın irtibatta bulunacağız. Ama yine de çok acil bir durumdan geçtiklerini ve demokrasilerinin tehdit edildiğini bilmeliyiz.

Türkiye halen bir demokrasi mi?

Bir başka soru ise ‘’Türkiye’yi demokrasi olarak halen görüyor musunuz?’’ oldu. Kirby buna, ‘’Evet, biz Türkiye’yi halen demokrasi olarak görmeye devam ediyoruz.’’ cevabını verdi. ‘’Çalışan bir demokrasi olarak mı görüyorsunuz?’’ diye sorulduğunda ise Kirby sadece ‘’bir demokrasi olarak.’’ demeyi uygun gördü.

Kirby: Hangi tehlike büyük karakterize edemeyeceğim

‘’Ya olur ya olmaz. Darbe yenilgiye uğratıldıktan sonra Türkiye’nin demokasisine daha büyük bir tehdit hükümetin fazla ileriye gitmesinden gelmiyor mu? Bu iki tehditten hangisi daha büyük?’’ sorusuna ise sözcü ‘’Bunu karakterize edemeyeceğim’’ dedi.

Böylece Kirby, 15 Temmuz’da yaşanan darbenin mi yoksa darbeden sonra hükümetin yaptıklarının mı demokrasiye daha büyük tehdit olduğu sorusunun karşılığı olarak bilmiyorum demiş oldu.

Kirby yapılan soruşturma ile ilgili işlerinden kovulan ve tutuklananların sayılarının büyük olması ile ilgili bir soruya da ‘’Onların yaptığı her kararı meşrulaştırmıyorum ve savunmuyorum ama söylediğim herkesin onların soruşturma yapma sorumluluğunu anlaması gerekir ve spesifik bilgi için ve kimin sorumlu olduğunu bilmek ve planlamada nasıl olur da bu kadar ileriye gittiğini öğrenmek için olanlara genişçe bakacaklardır'' dedi.

Kirby ABD’nin darbe girişimini kınadığını ama ‘’aynı zamanda Bakan Kerry ileriye doğru hukukun üstünlüğü ve adil yargı süreci hakkındaki endişelerimizi açıkladı’’ dedi.

Kirby: Darbe tehdidinin halen olduğuna inanıyor olabilir

‘’Biz açıkça neler olduğundan endişeliyiz.‘’ diyen Kirby, darbenin halen tehdit olarak Türkiye'de bulunup, bulunmadığı sorusuna karşılık ise ‘’belki de halen tehdidin orada olduğuna inanıyor olabilirler’’ dedi.

Türkiye’nin aldığı her kararın değerlendirmesini yapmayacağını söyleyen Kirby, podyumundan Türkiye’deki ifade özgürlüğü ve basın özgürlüğü hakkında pekçok konuştuğunu hatırlattı. Bu endişelerimiz sürüyor dedi.

ABD’nin yardım ve iade talebi çalışma tekliflerini Türkiye cevap vermedi

Kirby, ABD Dışişleri Bakanlığının Türkiye’den bir ekibi Fethullah Gülen’in iadesi talebinin hazırlanması için ağırlayabileceklerini Türkiye’ye ilettiklerini ama Türkiye’den bu ekip teklifine cevap gelmediğini kaydederken, iade talebinin kanıta dayalı olması gerektiğini hatırlattı. Gülen’in darbe girişimine gerçekten bağlanabilmesinin mümkün olması gerektiğini söyledi.

İade anlaşmasına bağlılıklarında ciddi olduklarını göstermek için ABD’nin hazır olduğunu ekledi.

Kirby’nin verdiği bilgilere göre Türkiye ne darbenin soruşturması için ABD’nin yardım tekllifini ne de iade talebini hazırlamak için ekip ağırlama teklifini şimdiye kadar kabul etti.

Kerry: If Erdogan uses coup to erode democracy that'd be a great challenge to his relations to all of us

Secretary of State John Kerry joined Chuck Todd’s #MTP today to discuss the failed coup in Turkey. Here is transcript, made by me:

Kerry: If Erdogan uses coup to erode democracy that'd be a great challenge to his relations to all of us

Chuck Todd: Are you confident that Erdogan wont use this coup to gain more power and further erode democracy?

Sec Kerry: Well It’s very important that he doesnt do it obviously. That would be a great challenge to his relations to Europe, to NATO and to all of us. 

Kerry: We urged Turkey not to reach out too far

We have urged them not to reach out too far that they are creating doubts in their commitment to democratic process. I hope this wont result in that.

Kerry: I have no evidence or knowledge Gulen is involved w/coup attempt

Chuck Todd: Do you believe Fethullah Gülen is involved with coup attempt?

Kerry: I have no knowledge and I have no evidence at this time whatsoever. I talk to my Turkish counterparts three times within last day. I urged him compile evidence asap and provide us via channels. I pledge to him acc to extradition, our treaty legal process, standards we will immediately evaluate whether evidence is sufficient. They also need to go thru judicial process. They haven't done judicial process yet. There has to be accomponied by evidence, by demonstrated facts which would lead to court to accept extradition. We are not blocking it. We never received a request.

ABD'den Türkiye'ye: Darbe Girişiminde ABD'nin Rolü Var İması İlişkilere Zarar Verir

ABD Dışişleri Bakanlığından bir açıklama yapılarak, ABD'nin başarısız kalan darbe girişiminde bir rolü olduğuna dair Türkiye'de, kamuoyu önünde ima yoluyla getirilen iddiaların yanlışlığı dile getirildi. 

ABD Dışişleri Bakanı Kerry'nin, Çavuşoğlu'na bu yöndeki imaların ikili ilişkilere zarar verdiğini söylediği açıklandı.

Bakan John Kerry ile Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu arasındaki görüşme hakkındaki açıklamada ayrıca İncirlik hava üssünün en kısa zamanda açılması gerektiği buradaki operasyonların durmadan devam etmesi konusunda iki bakanın 'vurgu' yaptığı açıklandı.

Ayrıca Kerry'nin ''girişilen darbeye cevap verirken hukukun üstünlüğü ve yetkili kurumların sivil hayatları ve malvarlıklarını korumak için gereken bütün önlemlerin alınması gerekliliğini tekrarladığı'' vurgulandı, bunun için Türkiye'nin uluslararası yükümlülüklerine saygı göstermesi gerektiğinin hatırlatıldığı görüldü.

Açıklamanın tümü şu şekilde oldu:

‘’Dışişleri Bakanı (Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu) Türkiye’deki olaylar hakkında en son bilgileri verdi, ve Türk hükümetinin devlet kurumlarını kontrol altında tutmaya devam ettiğini söyledi. Çavuşoğlu ABD’ye desteği için teşekkür etti.

Kerry, ABD’nin Türkiye’nin demokratik şekilde seçilmiş hükümetine olan desteğini yineledi. Girişilen darbeye cevap verirken hukukun üstünlüğü ve yetkili kurumların sivil hayatları ve malvarlıklarını korumak için gereken bütün önlemlerin alınması gerekliliğini tekrarladı.

Dışişleri Bakanı Kerry ayrıca Türk hükümetinden  soruşturma yaparken ve olaylarla ilgisi bulunanlarle ilgili ek bilgi ortaya çıkarırken itidalli olmasını ve yargı sürecine, uluslararası yükümlülüklerine saygı göstermesini istedi. Kerry, ABD’nin Türk yetkili kurumlarına bu soruşturmayı yaparken yardıma hazır olduğunu ifade etti ama ABD’nin başarısız darbe girişimiyle ilgili kamuoyu önünde ima yoluyla veya herhangi bir rolü olduğunu dair iddiaların tamamen yanlış ve ikili ilişkilere zararlı olduğunu açık bir şekilde belirtti.

Sonunda iki bakan da Türkiye’nin NATO müttefiki ve Daiş’i yenmek için kurulan koalisyonun kilit bir üyesi olduğunu görüştürler ve bu operasyonların durmadan devam etmesine odak olmak gerekliliğini vurguladılar.