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PARLIAMENT TO COUNTER PRO-GULEN CONGRESSMEN'S LETTER TO KERRY
Daily Sabah, Turkey
Feb 9 2015
ERDAL Å~^AFAK
President Erdogan said Turkish parliamentarians would be sending a
letter to U.S. Secretary of State Kerry countering arguments made by
Gulen-funded U.S. congressmen about Turkey and the government
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on his way to Colombia -
the first leg of his Latin America tour that will also include visits
to Mexico and Cuba - said Turkish parliamentarians are mobilizing
to counter the propaganda campaign waged by the Gulen Movement
in the U.S. Responding to a question about the letter sent by 88
congressmen to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, claiming that
the Turkish media was under government pressure, Erdogan said that
the members of the Turkish-American Friendship Group in Parliament
were penning a letter to Kerry. An investigative report by Daily
Sabah's Ragıp Soylu, published on Feb. 9 showed that 43 of the
88 congressmen who signed the letter, which was originally sent to
them by Gulen Movement-affiliated groups in the U.S., had received
campaign donations from the movement as well as free trips to Turkey,
also organized by the group. The rest of the signatories are said to
have been influenced by Armenian and pro-Israel lobbies. Erdogan noted
that in addition to an article by Fethullah Gulen published in The New
York Times, there was information on efforts by the group to recruit
American politicians to damage ties between the U.S. and Turkey.
The Gulen Movement, led by U.S.-based Fethullah Gulen, and its
operatives within the state are accused of waging an indiscriminate
campaign of intimidation against opponents and trying to topple
the government.
Erdogan said he would not be surprised if information about the
criminal practices of the group is released in books and documentaries
in the future.
He also cited yesterday's arrest of 21 police officers for illegally
wiretapping him when he was the prime minister and all his ministers,
apart from former Interior Minister Ä°dris Naim Å~^ahin, who is known
to have links to the shadowy movement. Erdogan said such illegal
activities were ordered by Fethullah Gulen.
He said that as criminal investigations uncovered new information,
the true extent of the illegal activities of the group would come
to light. "The provincial heads of the movement were identified
and suddenly all of them fled. In the future, we may come to know
the country leaders of the movement. I talked to the president of
Mali about this matter. He, without any hesitation, said that anyone
acting against Turkey would be acting against them and that he would
take the necessary measures."
Erdogan said he was faced with threats to his own safety and that of
his family. "You trust those who guard you, but suddenly it comes
to light that some belong to them," he said, adding that they only
found out about the security risk posed by these infiltrators when
the fight against the Gulen Movement started.
Erdogan said Latin America may be far from Turkey, but his trip was
aimed at bridging the physical, economic and political distance.
"Investors are accompanying me. We know there is a lot we can cooperate
on, including infrastructure, mining and energy."
He said that he would soon undertake another tour of Latin America,
which will include visits to Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia.
One key reason behind the visit to Colombia was counterterrorism,
said Erdogan. "We will discuss the progress they have made on ending
terrorism."
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2015/02/09/parliament-to-counter-progulen-congressmens-letter-to-kerry
Daily Sabah, Turkey
Feb 9 2015
ERDAL Å~^AFAK
President Erdogan said Turkish parliamentarians would be sending a
letter to U.S. Secretary of State Kerry countering arguments made by
Gulen-funded U.S. congressmen about Turkey and the government
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on his way to Colombia -
the first leg of his Latin America tour that will also include visits
to Mexico and Cuba - said Turkish parliamentarians are mobilizing
to counter the propaganda campaign waged by the Gulen Movement
in the U.S. Responding to a question about the letter sent by 88
congressmen to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, claiming that
the Turkish media was under government pressure, Erdogan said that
the members of the Turkish-American Friendship Group in Parliament
were penning a letter to Kerry. An investigative report by Daily
Sabah's Ragıp Soylu, published on Feb. 9 showed that 43 of the
88 congressmen who signed the letter, which was originally sent to
them by Gulen Movement-affiliated groups in the U.S., had received
campaign donations from the movement as well as free trips to Turkey,
also organized by the group. The rest of the signatories are said to
have been influenced by Armenian and pro-Israel lobbies. Erdogan noted
that in addition to an article by Fethullah Gulen published in The New
York Times, there was information on efforts by the group to recruit
American politicians to damage ties between the U.S. and Turkey.
The Gulen Movement, led by U.S.-based Fethullah Gulen, and its
operatives within the state are accused of waging an indiscriminate
campaign of intimidation against opponents and trying to topple
the government.
Erdogan said he would not be surprised if information about the
criminal practices of the group is released in books and documentaries
in the future.
He also cited yesterday's arrest of 21 police officers for illegally
wiretapping him when he was the prime minister and all his ministers,
apart from former Interior Minister Ä°dris Naim Å~^ahin, who is known
to have links to the shadowy movement. Erdogan said such illegal
activities were ordered by Fethullah Gulen.
He said that as criminal investigations uncovered new information,
the true extent of the illegal activities of the group would come
to light. "The provincial heads of the movement were identified
and suddenly all of them fled. In the future, we may come to know
the country leaders of the movement. I talked to the president of
Mali about this matter. He, without any hesitation, said that anyone
acting against Turkey would be acting against them and that he would
take the necessary measures."
Erdogan said he was faced with threats to his own safety and that of
his family. "You trust those who guard you, but suddenly it comes
to light that some belong to them," he said, adding that they only
found out about the security risk posed by these infiltrators when
the fight against the Gulen Movement started.
Erdogan said Latin America may be far from Turkey, but his trip was
aimed at bridging the physical, economic and political distance.
"Investors are accompanying me. We know there is a lot we can cooperate
on, including infrastructure, mining and energy."
He said that he would soon undertake another tour of Latin America,
which will include visits to Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia.
One key reason behind the visit to Colombia was counterterrorism,
said Erdogan. "We will discuss the progress they have made on ending
terrorism."
http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2015/02/09/parliament-to-counter-progulen-congressmens-letter-to-kerry