‘Honor killings’ rule out US-Turkish ties, presidential hopeful says

CNN

Republican presidential hopeful Texas Governor Rick Perry addresses the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce January 17, 2012, in Columbia, South Carolina, in advance of this weekend's January 21, 2012 Republican presidential primary. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards

The United States does not want to associate itself with Turkey because it allows honor killings to occur, Texas governor and U.S. presidential hopeful Rick Perry stated during a TV interview aired on CNN.

Perry was asked whether or not he was ready to “revise his comments” about calling for Turkey to be kicked out of NATO by host Wolf Blitzer, who read him a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement that said Ankara joined the Western alliance when the governor was just “2 years old.”

“Not at all,” Perry said. “[Turkey is] a country that allowed 140-160 honor killings in 2011; I would tell you, that is not a country American wants to be associated with. [It is] a country that refers to the Israeli flotilla attack as an act of war. This is a country that is becoming more and more aggressive to a true American ally, and that is Israel." 

The suggestion that Turkey had “earned [the U.S.’] respect' was also not “correct,” Perry said.

The governor repeatedly highlighted the treatment of women in the country during the show and said Turkey had lost its pro-Western stance. 

“I don't think Americans want their foreign aid [going to] a country that allows the honor killing of women,” Perry said. 

When reminded that the U.S. provided “very little military or economic assistance to Turkey,” Perry said, “We do send foreign aid to that country” to the tune of about 4 billion dollars.

“Wolf, let me ask you, are you sitting here and defending honor killings?” Perry asked the host of the show. 

Blitzer replied, saying the Turkish government “does not support that, and nobody defends that.”

“This is a country that has some explaining to do,” Perry said.