Erdogan 'not talking' to Obama

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Erdogan 'not talking' to Obama

09:43 * 23.07.14


Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he has stopped
talking to US President Barack Obama on the phone, amid growing
strains between Ankara and Washington over Syria and Gaza,
israelnationalnews.com reports, citing AFP.

Turkey, a fierce opponent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and an
open supporter of armed rebel fighters, felt betrayed when the United
States backed away from military action against Damascus in September.

"In the past, I was calling him (Obama) directly. Because I can't get
the expected results on Syria, our foreign ministers are now talking
to each other," Erdogan said in a live interview on pro-government ATV
channel late Monday. "And I have talked to (US Vice President Joe)
Biden. He calls me and I call him."

"I expect justice in this process. I couldn't imagine something like
this from those who are championing justice," Erdogan added without
elaborating, in an apparent jibe at Washington.

The last phone conversation between the two leaders took place on
February 20 after which the White House released a statement accusing
Erdogan of misrepresenting the content of the conversation.

A staunch advocate of "the Palestinian cause," Erdogan has recently
been at loggerheads with Washington over Israel's self-defense
operation in Gaza, which is now in its fifteenth day.

Erdogan accused the Jewish state of carrying out "state terrorism" and
a "genocide" of Palestinians and criticized the United States for
defending Israel's "disproportionate" tactics.

The US State Department branded his comments on Israel "offensive and
wrong" but the prime minister hit back by saying the United States
needed to engage in "self-criticism."

The US reiterated its stance on Erdogan's comments on Monday, noting
they undermine Turkey's political clout.

"Well, we certainly believe that comments like these undercut Turkey's
ability to effectively influence the situation," said deputy
spokeswoman Marie Harf, who called Erdogan's "offensive and awful".

"We will continue working with Turkey on a number of issues, but
comments like these really have no place in this discussion," she
added.

Erdogan is standing in August 10 presidential elections that he is
expected to win.


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