Turkey asks US envoy to oppose arrest warrants
Turkey's foreign ministry has "invited" the US ambassador in Ankara to condemn arrest warrants issued for a dozen Turkish security agents accused of attacking protesters during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Washington last month.
A ministry statement calls the decision "wrong, biased and lacking legal basis." The Turkish undersecretary has told US ambassador John Bass that police in Washington did not take security precautions against the protesters, who Turkey says were associated with outlawed Kurdish militants.
The ministry says, "Our citizens cannot be held responsible," and argues the conflict would not have occurred if customary precautions for high-level meetings had been taken.
The ministry statement adds, "It has been emphasized to the US ambassador that this decision, which is clearly the result of an investigation that was not objective and independent, is unacceptable."
