The White House has on Tuesday, said the United States President Donald Trump told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that Washington “would take a look at” possibilities of extradition of a US-based Muslim cleric, who was suspected of getting behind 2016 coup attempt but though did not made any commitment.
According to news reports, the White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said, “The only thing he said is that we would take a look at it. Sanders further said, “Nothing further at this point beyond that … nothing committal at all in that process.”
Turkish foreign minister on Sunday, said, Trump has told Erdogan that the Washington was all over on extraditing Fethullah Gulen, the cleric, a former ally of Erdogan, who has lived in the self-imposed US exile for about two decades.
According to news reports, when asked for comment on the issue on Monday, a White House official said that Trump fully did not committed to extradite Gulen when Trump held a meeting with Erdogan at the G20 summit in Buenos Aries, in Argentina, last month. Further, no details were being released by the official over Trump’s and Erdogan’s conversation.
The Turkish officials blamed Gulen for the failed coup in the nation, in which a dishonest soldier attacked the parliament and also shot unarmed civilians too. But, however, Gulen denied all the accusations put up against him.
Thus, the extradition of Gulen by the US is a part of several tensions which has strained the US and Turkey relationship.
Trump has, last month, said that he was not at all considering the extradition of Gulen as a part of efforts in order to ease Turkish pressure over Saudi Arabia over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2.