Governor Rick Perry, the presidential candidate, recently made comments which portrayed Turkey as being run by 'islamic terrorists' and questioned Turkeys membership in the NATO organization. We all know that Rick Perry was telling the truth considering that Turkey was involved with the Flotilla episode a few years ago and Turkeys belligerent tone it has taken against Israel. I would not hesitate calling Turkey another 'islamic' state which has much influence in the region.
Here is an excerpt from the FOX news article:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/17/perry-draws-turkey-rebuke-over-debate-comments/Rick Perry drew a fiery rebuke from the Turkish government Tuesday after suggesting at a presidential debate that the country is run by Islamic terrorists and questioning its NATO membership.
As the Texas governor stood by his remarks, the U.S. State Department distanced the Obama administration from the comments. Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs decried the comments as "unfounded and inappropriate."
"Those individuals who are candidates for positions requiring responsibility such as the U.S. presidency are expected to be more knowledgeable on global affairs and more careful in their statements," the ministry said in a statement. "Turkey became a member of NATO when the governor was just 2 years old. ... The U.S. has no time to lose with such candidates who do not even know America's allies."
U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner described Turkey as a "stalwart ally" and said "we absolutely and fundamentally disagree" with Perry's comment on the country being run by Islamic terrorists.
At the debate, Perry was asked whether Turkey still belongs in NATO.
"Obviously, when you have a country that is being ruled by what many would perceive to be Islamic terrorists, when you start seeing that type of activity against their own citizens, then yes -- not only is it time for us to have a conversation about whether or not they belong to be in NATO, but it's time for the United States, when we look at their foreign aid, to go to zero with it," he said.
The exchange at Monday night's Fox News debate in South Carolina, while drawing condemnation from several corners, nevertheless brought to the fore some disturbing trends inside Turkey. Though there are indications Turkey has started to return to the Western orbit after flirting with Iran, the Islamist-leaning government has presided over a troubling record.
In the realm of press freedom, the country now ranks close to Russia, according to Reporters Without Borders. Dozens of journalists have been arrested this year, and thousands of websites have been blocked.
Turkey last fall expelled Israel's ambassador, following tensions over the deadly Gaza flotilla incident in 2010 in which Turkish nationals were killed in a confrontation with Israeli soldiers.
Meanwhile, Turkish officials recently met with a Hamas leader as part of talks reportedly aimed at reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah in the Palestinian territories.
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Topic: Candidate Perry Speaks Truth about Turkey, gets rebuked (Read 1598 times)