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US REJECT CLAIMS THAT TURKEY PROTESTS PLANNED BY AMERICAN THINK TANK
Today's Zaman, Turkey
June 18 2013
The US State Department has rejected reports in Turkish media which
claimed that the ongoing protests in Turkey were planned by the
American Enterprise Institute (AEI) with the help of the Jewish lobby
and the Armenians.
"We absolutely reject the accusations that US groups or individuals
are responsible for or have elevated -- or escalated, I should
actually say -- the protests in Turkey," Jen Psaki, the US State
Department spokeswoman, at a daily briefing late Monday.
After consecutive statements were issued by the international
community expressing concern over nationwide protests, the Turkish
government reacted harshly to the Western powers and accused "foreign
fingers" of manipulating the demonstrations.
When Psaki was asked about the limits of a US ambassador, who is
working abroad, in terms of this interference within the domestic
policy of another country, the US spokeswoman said the ambassador,
referring to the US ambassador to Turkey, was calling for the same
things publicly and privately other US officials have been calling
for.
"Being on the ground is something entirely different. Working closely
with counterparts he's known for a number of years is certainly
different. But one individual can't change what's happening on the
ground. He can just continue to add to the chorus of people who are
calling for restraint and calling for calm in handling this moving
forward," Psaki added.
Psaki was also asked if the US thinks both sides, demonstrators and
the police, are using equal amounts of violence during the protests,
and she replied that the reported violence did not come from those she
termed the "peaceful protesters."
"We have seen some incidents or some reports of violence or escalation
from all sides. So certainly we would encourage that from all sides,
but I'm not equating them," she said, adding: "We believe and still
believe -- and we said this, I think, on the first day -- that the
vast majority of people here are peacefully protesting, expressing
their rights to freedom of speech. We are not on the ground. There
will be investigations into what happened on the ground. So we don't
know all of the entities of it, but that's how it started, and we
still feel the vast majority of people are doing just that."
Psaki also maintained that the US was confident that Turkish
authorities will be able to do a "thorough and complete investigation"
regarding reports of police violence.
http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action;jsessionid=1ACE1A49B F7CEA0B1BD90C1373F52B5C?newsId=318642&columnistId= 0
Today's Zaman, Turkey
June 18 2013
The US State Department has rejected reports in Turkish media which
claimed that the ongoing protests in Turkey were planned by the
American Enterprise Institute (AEI) with the help of the Jewish lobby
and the Armenians.
"We absolutely reject the accusations that US groups or individuals
are responsible for or have elevated -- or escalated, I should
actually say -- the protests in Turkey," Jen Psaki, the US State
Department spokeswoman, at a daily briefing late Monday.
After consecutive statements were issued by the international
community expressing concern over nationwide protests, the Turkish
government reacted harshly to the Western powers and accused "foreign
fingers" of manipulating the demonstrations.
When Psaki was asked about the limits of a US ambassador, who is
working abroad, in terms of this interference within the domestic
policy of another country, the US spokeswoman said the ambassador,
referring to the US ambassador to Turkey, was calling for the same
things publicly and privately other US officials have been calling
for.
"Being on the ground is something entirely different. Working closely
with counterparts he's known for a number of years is certainly
different. But one individual can't change what's happening on the
ground. He can just continue to add to the chorus of people who are
calling for restraint and calling for calm in handling this moving
forward," Psaki added.
Psaki was also asked if the US thinks both sides, demonstrators and
the police, are using equal amounts of violence during the protests,
and she replied that the reported violence did not come from those she
termed the "peaceful protesters."
"We have seen some incidents or some reports of violence or escalation
from all sides. So certainly we would encourage that from all sides,
but I'm not equating them," she said, adding: "We believe and still
believe -- and we said this, I think, on the first day -- that the
vast majority of people here are peacefully protesting, expressing
their rights to freedom of speech. We are not on the ground. There
will be investigations into what happened on the ground. So we don't
know all of the entities of it, but that's how it started, and we
still feel the vast majority of people are doing just that."
Psaki also maintained that the US was confident that Turkish
authorities will be able to do a "thorough and complete investigation"
regarding reports of police violence.
http://www.todayszaman.com/newsDetail_getNewsById.action;jsessionid=1ACE1A49B F7CEA0B1BD90C1373F52B5C?newsId=318642&columnistId= 0