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Turkey's Erdogan Suggests Swap: Jailed U.S. Pastor For Turkish Cleric

Rogue Valley

Rogue Valley

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Turkey's Erdogan Suggests Swap: Jailed U.S. Pastor For Turkish Cleric

By Bill Chappell
September 29, 2017

It's been nearly a year since Turkey detained American pastor Andrew Brunson — and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says if the U.S. wants Brunson freed, it should extradite an elderly Turkish cleric living in the U.S., whom Erdogan accuses of organizing last year's failed coup attempt. "Erdogan has voiced frustration with American demands for more evidence pointing to Gulen's involvement in the coup effort," NPR's Peter Kenyon reports from Istanbul. Peter relays Erdogan's words in a speech at a police academy Thursday: "You have a pastor too," Erdogan said, adding, "You give us that one and we'll work with our judiciary and give back yours." Brunson, 48, is an evangelical Presbyterian from North Carolina who has lived in Turkey for more than two decades. He was arrested last October during the crackdown that followed a military faction's attempt to overthrow Erdogan in July. Since then, he's been accused of being part of an armed terrorist group; one month ago, he was charged with espionage and attempting to overthrow the government.

The cleric Turkey wants to get its hands on is Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic scholar in his late 70s who lives in a compound in Saylorsburg, Pa., in the Pocono Mountains. "Gulen, who is said to have millions of supporters in Turkey, has steadfastly denied any responsibility for the coup," NPR reported in July of 2017, "but Turkey is demanding his extradition from the U.S., where he has lived since the late 1990s." When asked about Turkey's attempt to extradite him, Gulen said, "I think the United States is mindful of its reputation for its democracy and rule of law, and if they are willing to risk that reputation by extraditing me based on the request and claims made by Turkey, I would never say no. I would go willingly."
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Erdogan is pulling a Tehran/North Korea here. Charge an American with a crime, any serious crime will do, and then suggest swapping that imprisoned American for a Turk living in the US that Ankara wants to imprison/hang. The Erdogan regime has wanted to do away with Gulen for a long time.

Why is Erdogan's Turkey still in NATO and why is Trump friendly with this sleazy dictator? The last time here his security people beat-up and injured American protesters right in broad daylight in Washington.
 
With fantasies having their own life, this kinda makes me think of doing a swap of Erdogan for Trump.:lamo
 
Rogue Valley said:
Turkey's Erdogan Suggests Swap: Jailed U.S. Pastor For Turkish Cleric



Erdogan is pulling a Tehran/North Korea here. Charge an American with a crime, any serious crime will do, and then suggest swapping that imprisoned American for a Turk living in the US that Ankara wants to imprison/hang. The Erdogan regime has wanted to do away with Gulen for a long time.

Why is Erdogan's Turkey still in NATO and why is Trump friendly with this sleazy dictator? The last time here his security people beat-up and injured American protesters right in broad daylight in Washington.
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His thugs have beat people here, twice! He should not be allowed back here.
 
Rogue Valley said:
Why is Erdogan's Turkey still in NATO and why is Trump friendly with this sleazy dictator? .
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That's hilarious. The US installs sleazy, vicious right wing dictators all the time, it has a long long history of doing so.

Do you guys really not have any idea of the meaning of hypocrisy?
 
Rogue Valley said:
Turkey's Erdogan Suggests Swap: Jailed U.S. Pastor For Turkish Cleric



Erdogan is pulling a Tehran/North Korea here. Charge an American with a crime, any serious crime will do, and then suggest swapping that imprisoned American for a Turk living in the US that Ankara wants to imprison/hang. The Erdogan regime has wanted to do away with Gulen for a long time.

Why is Erdogan's Turkey still in NATO and why is Trump friendly with this sleazy dictator? The last time here his security people beat-up and injured American protesters right in broad daylight in Washington.
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Sure that is what this creep did and the reason he does not get more pushback is because if Turkey goes Europe is really screwed then....and Goes means both decays like so much around it or they join team China/Russia/Iran.
 
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Slingshot Bob said:
His thugs have beat people here, twice! He should not be allowed back here.
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Not just that, the US should think about sanctions against Turkey.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
Sure that is what this creep did and the reason he does not get more pushback is because if Turkey goes Europe is really screwed then....
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You think Trump's thinking about the repercussions on Europe? Lol!

The US will not, and technically cannot, unilaterally expel Turkey from NATO. Losing the US's principal air base in the ME; pushing Erdoğan towards the Russians; and further complicating the US-Saudi relationship are all things that Trump's military minders will not permit him to do. If the only, or even the principal, consequences of a fracture of US-Turkish relations were the negative implications for the EU and Europe in general I'm sure a rupture would have happened already. I really wouldn't put it past him to accede to this extortion. If I were Gülen I'd be pretty nervous right now.
 
I think Erdogan has already unofficially flipped alliances. His regime is now buying Russian weapon systems...

Russia confirms Turkey has made advance payment for S-400s

Turkish state media boasts about its Russian-made missile system's ability to shoot down US planes

Erdogan is waging clandestine warfare against the Kurdish minority within Turkey. For the past two months, Turkey has been positioning armor to seal-off the Kurdish northern section of Syria called Rojava. I believe his eventual aim with be to ethnically cleanse this area of Kurds and replace them with Sunni Syrians. Ankara is also issuing threats to the Kurds of northern Iraq who voted for independence on 25 September 2017.
 
Andalublue said:
You think Trump's thinking about the repercussions on Europe? Lol!

The US will not, and technically cannot, unilaterally expel Turkey from NATO. Losing the US's principal air base in the ME; pushing Erdoğan towards the Russians; and further complicating the US-Saudi relationship are all things that Trump's military minders will not permit him to do. If the only, or even the principal, consequences of a fracture of US-Turkish relations were the negative implications for the EU and Europe in general I'm sure a rupture would have happened already. I really wouldn't put it past him to accede to this extortion. If I were Gülen I'd be pretty nervous right now.
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I was reading that it would take years to get our NUKES out of the country, and that Turkey would have to allow it, which if they are going to join Team China/Russia/Iran why would they?

Placing our massive stockpile in Turkey no longer looks like it was a wise move.
 
PoS said:
Not just that, the US should think about sanctions against Turkey.
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And they can write out those sanctions on nuclear warheads heading to Erdogon.
 
The US needs to get its nukes out of Turkey YESTERDAY.
 
SMTA said:
And they can write out those sanctions on nuclear warheads heading to Erdogon.[/QUOTE

And a few million other Turks, may of whom may detest Erdogan. I really am quite glad that your finger is a long, long way away from a nuclear button.
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Thoreau72 said:
Sibel Edmonds has been talking about Gulen for some time.

https://www.dailysabah.com/war-on-t...-guest-in-gulens-us-residence-document-shows

Gulen was brought to the US by Clinton and Company. Edmonds gets into the details somewhere on her website.
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The Daily Sabah is an Erdoğan puppet publication, fully in the pocket of the AKP government i.e. I wouldn't trust a word it tells you about the 'coup' attempt, or indeed anything much else. Think of it as the Turkish equivalent of RT.
 
Andalublue said:
The Daily Sabah is an Erdoğan puppet publication, fully in the pocket of the AKP government i.e. I wouldn't trust a word it tells you about the 'coup' attempt, or indeed anything much else. Think of it as the Turkish equivalent of RT.
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To be completely honest, I did not read the Daily Sabah article. I merely linked to it from Edmonds' website, so that I could comply with the spirit of the rules and provide a link.

Edmonds covered the story about Gulen and Clinton many long months ago, and I'm sorry I didn't have the time to find the appropriate article yesterday. Spend some time at her website and you will find it there somewhere.

Sorry for misleading.
 
kaerin said:
Hey don't nuke us, we never voted for him (a Turk speaking)
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Don't worry, nobody's gonna let the Orange Orangutan nuke you. He's surrounded by generals in apex physical condition ready to tackle the piss out of him if he tries to do something TOO stupid and crazy.
 
Abbazorkzog said:
Looks like Turkey was simply in Syria to stir the ****pot. Wonderful...
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Turkey is in Syria to deconstruct the Kurdish cantons (Afrin/Jazira/Kobane) in the Turkey/Syria border region.
 
Rogue Valley said:
Turkey's Erdogan Suggests Swap: Jailed U.S. Pastor For Turkish Cleric



Erdogan is pulling a Tehran/North Korea here. Charge an American with a crime, any serious crime will do, and then suggest swapping that imprisoned American for a Turk living in the US that Ankara wants to imprison/hang. The Erdogan regime has wanted to do away with Gulen for a long time.

Why is Erdogan's Turkey still in NATO and why is Trump friendly with this sleazy dictator? The last time here his security people beat-up and injured American protesters right in broad daylight in Washington.
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Black sea and the Dardanelles. Both strategic areas for NATO.
Eventually they will tire of him.
 
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