 Erdogan foe seeks international probe into Turkey coup Paris (AFP) Aug 12, 2016 - US-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen has called for an international inquiry into last month's abortive coup, vowing his "full cooperation" with any such probe of the putsch over which Ankara is seeking his extradition. Writing in Saturday's edition of French daily Le Monde, Gulen strenuously rejected accusations by Turkey that he ordered the July 15 attempt to remove President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power. "I'm asking that an independent international commission investigate this attempted coup," the Pennsylvania-based preacher wrote, promising his "full cooperation." "If a tenth of the accusations levelled at me are proven I will return to Turkey to face the stiffest punishment," Gulen, 75, added. A one-time ally of Erdogan turned arch-foe, Gulen has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999. He has dismissed the accusations against him and his Hizmet movement, which runs a network of private schools, businesses and media outlets, as a "witch hunt". "Claiming I could, from 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) away, push the army to conduct a putsch against the government is slander," he wrote. "However, if soldiers claiming to be supporters of Hizmet were involved in this plot, I say without hesitation they are felons who have shaken the unity and integrity of the country." But Gulen said the actions of some such supporters, who may have been "influenced by the army's penchant for intervention... cannot be blamed on all followers of the movement". Gulen stressed the warm ties he enjoyed with a host of former Turkish leaders, from liberal ex-president Turgut Ozal in the 1980s to his conservative successor Suleyman Demirel and Bulent Ecevit, the social-democratic premier from 1999 to 2002. "I lent my support to all their policies," he wrote, adding that they in turn had shown him respect because of his movement's work in promoting education and social work. With Erdogan, who served 11 years as premier before becoming president in 2014, things were different, Gulen said. "Although I have always had reservations about political Islam I also supported Mr Erdogan and the AKP (the ruling Justice and Development Party) at the start, when big democratic reforms were launched." But over the past three years, since a corruption scandal embroiling several of Erdogan's ministers erupted, he has been repeatedly accused of running a "parallel state". Since July 15, Turkey's crackdown on his supporters has intensified. Tens of thousands of people from the military, judiciary, civil service and education suspected of links with Gulen's movement have been dismissed from their jobs or detained.
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Turkey issued an arrest warrant for its former star footballer Hakan Sukur over last month's failed coup as Ankara said Friday it had detected the first progress in persuading the United States to extradite the alleged mastermind of the putsch.
With the shockwaves from the July 15 coup aimed at unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shaking Turkey four weeks later, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said 32 diplomats recalled to Ankara were still missing.
Turkey has blamed the coup on the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen. Cavusoglu said Friday he had seen the first positive signs Washington could extradite him.
Prosecutors in Sakarya province east of Istanbul have charged Sukur with "membership of an armed terror group", the state-run Anadolu agency said, referring to what Ankara calls the Fethullah Terror Organisation (FETO).
Gulen denies such a group exists and has rubbished accusations that he masterminded the coup.
A warrant on identical charges was also issued for Hasan Sukur's father, Selmet Sukur, and he was later detained after emerging from Friday prayers at a mosque in Adapazari, the main town in Sakarya province.
In another measure against the Sukur family, a court ordered the seizure of assets of the father and the son, including several properties and villas in Istanbul and the Aegean, the Dogan news agency said.
- 'Fastest World Cup goal' -
The former striker is believed to be in the United States and Turkish media said an Interpol Red Notice would be requested for extradition.
Sukur was one of the stars of Turkey's third-place performance in the 2002 World Cup and a household name in the football-mad country.
With a career stretching from 1987 to 2007, Sukur is by far the most prolific goalscorer in the history of the Turkish national side, finding the net 51 times in 112 appearances.
He was a stalwart for Istanbul side Galatasaray but also had stints abroad for Inter Milan, Parma and Blackburn Rovers.
His goal after just 11 seconds of play against South Korea in 2002 remains the fastest goal in World Cup history.
After football, Sukur went into politics and was elected an MP with Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2011.
But he resigned in 2013 after a vast corruption probe that targeted Erdogan and his inner circle, siding with the movement of Erdogan's arch-foe Gulen.
Sukur had voiced objections to the government move to shut down schools run by Gulen's movement. He had gone on trial in absentia in June on charges of insulting Erdogan on social media.
- 'Some positive signals' -
He is not the only Turkish sports star caught up in the controversy after the coup bid.
The family of Enes Kanter, one of the most prominent Turkish basketball players in the NBA, disowned him after he openly supported Gulen after the coup.
Turkey has repeatedly pressed Washington to extradite Gulen and has expressed exasperation at what it has seen as the slow US response to the requests.
But Cavusoglu for the first time said Friday Ankara had started to receive "some positive signals" from Washington over his extradition.
Further documents relating to the case for his deportation were being drawn up to send to Washington, he said.
Writing in Saturday's edition of French daily Le Monde, Gulen called for an international inquiry into the failed coup, vowing his "full cooperation" with any such probe.
He did not exclude that some supporters could have been involved in the coup but said this "cannot be blamed on all followers of the movement."
Erdogan has vowed to eradicate what he calls the "virus" of Gulen from life in Turkey and the authorities have embarked on a relentless crackdown that has caused concern abroad.
According to Turkish officials over 35,000 people have been detained since the coup attempt that left 240 dead excluding the plotters.
Almost 11,600 of these suspects have since been released but the rest are in jail facing trial or custody hearings.
Cavusoglu added 32 Turkish diplomats were still at large despite being recalled by Ankara following the coup and also confirmed a Turkish rear admiral had gone missing in the United States in July.
sjw/ri
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