Turkish justice minister, US ambassador discuss Gülen’s extradition
ANKARA
REUTERS photo
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass discussed the extradition of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, the self-exiled Islamic preacher accused by Ankara of masterminding the failed military coup attempt, private broadcaster CNN Türk reported on Sept. 9.The meeting, which went on for 1.5 hours, reportedly took place upon the request of Bass.
Turkey has repeatedly demanded the extradition of Gülen following the failed coup attempt of July 15. U.S. officials insist that they can only extradite Gülen if Turkey presents proof that he was directly involved in the coup attempt.
A technical delegation from the U.S. Department of Justice and the State Department arrived in Ankara late on Aug. 22 to work on the extradition case, in a bid to show Washington’s willingness to cooperate with the Turkish government on the issue. The meeting came one day before U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s one-day visit to Turkey.
Ankara had already sent dossiers to the U.S. Department of Justice which it said proved evidence of Gülen’s involvement in the coup attempt.
A delegation from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) headed to Washington on Sept. 6 to discuss Gülen’s extradition.
In talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Obama reportedly vowed that Washington would ensure that anyone in the U.S. proven to be involved in the coup attempt is brought to justice.