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Turkey's government sparred with the military on Thursday amid tension over the trials of retired and active military officers and other alleged coup plotters, some of whom have been in jail for years.
This week, top prosecutors investigating the alleged plots by hardline secularists against the Islam-based government were replaced in what analysts saw as an effort to restore confidence in the judiciary's handling of the cases.
Hundreds of people, including military figures, academics and journalists, are accused of involvement in conspiracies to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which seeks a third term in elections in June.
Around 400 people, including some of Erdogan's fiercest critics, have been on trial since 2008, charged with terrorism offenses as part of an alleged anti-government network called Ergenekon. Oz accused them of trying to pave the way for a military takeover in 2003 through attacks designed to create chaos and trigger a military takeover.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Turkey's government sparred with the military on Thursday amid tension over the trials of retired and active military officers and other alleged coup plotters, some of whom have been in jail for years.
This week, top prosecutors investigating the alleged plots by hardline secularists against the Islam-based government were replaced in what analysts saw as an effort to restore confidence in the judiciary's handling of the cases.
Hundreds of people, including military figures, academics and journalists, are accused of involvement in conspiracies to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which seeks a third term in elections in June.
Around 400 people, including some of Erdogan's fiercest critics, have been on trial since 2008, charged with terrorism offenses as part of an alleged anti-government network called Ergenekon. Oz accused them of trying to pave the way for a military takeover in 2003 through attacks designed to create chaos and trigger a military takeover.
This week, top prosecutors investigating the alleged plots by hardline secularists against the Islam-based government were replaced in what analysts saw as an effort to restore confidence in the judiciary's handling of the cases.
Hundreds of people, including military figures, academics and journalists, are accused of involvement in conspiracies to topple the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which seeks a third term in elections in June.
Around 400 people, including some of Erdogan's fiercest critics, have been on trial since 2008, charged with terrorism offenses as part of an alleged anti-government network called Ergenekon. Oz accused them of trying to pave the way for a military takeover in 2003 through attacks designed to create chaos and trigger a military takeover.
The head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee says the U.S. should withhold money from the United Nations to force changes at the world body.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (ih-lay-AH'-nah rahs LAY'-tih-nehn) of Florida described her plan at the start of a hearing with the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice.
Ros-Lehtinen plans to introduce a bill next week to make U.S. payments to the U.N. voluntary.
The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Howard Berman of California, says withholding U.S. dues doesn't work and he says it would weaken the U.S. diplomatically.
The U.S. is the largest single contributor to the U.N., responsible for 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 27 percent of the money for peacekeeping operations.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (ih-lay-AH'-nah rahs LAY'-tih-nehn) of Florida described her plan at the start of a hearing with the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Susan Rice.
Ros-Lehtinen plans to introduce a bill next week to make U.S. payments to the U.N. voluntary.
The committee's top Democrat, Rep. Howard Berman of California, says withholding U.S. dues doesn't work and he says it would weaken the U.S. diplomatically.
The U.S. is the largest single contributor to the U.N., responsible for 22 percent of the U.N.'s regular budget and 27 percent of the money for peacekeeping operations.
The United States on Thursday expelled the Ecuadorian ambassador in retaliation for the expulsion of the U.S. envoy to Ecuador, who was kicked out after her confidential allegations of official corruption were exposed by the website Wikileaks.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Ecuadorian ambassador Luis Gallegos was summoned to the State Department and informed of the decision. The official said Gallegos was declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave the country as soon as possible. The official also said that high-level U.S.-Ecuador talks set for June had been suspended.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement of the unusually severe U.S. diplomatic action.
The move follows Ecuador's expulsion this week of Heather Hodges, the U.S. ambassador in Quito, over corruption allegations she made about senior Ecuadorian authorities in documents released by WikiLeaks.
The State Department has said Hodges' expulsion was unjustified and unwarranted.
The official said the Obama administration wants a positive relationship with Ecuador but that the decision to expel Hodges had damaged ties and would be taken into account going forward.
U.S. expulsion of foreign diplomats is a harsh step generally only taken in retaliation for action against U.S. diplomats, or when a foreign diplomat is accused of abusing his or her diplomatic status in the United States.
A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Ecuadorian ambassador Luis Gallegos was summoned to the State Department and informed of the decision. The official said Gallegos was declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave the country as soon as possible. The official also said that high-level U.S.-Ecuador talks set for June had been suspended.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement of the unusually severe U.S. diplomatic action.
The move follows Ecuador's expulsion this week of Heather Hodges, the U.S. ambassador in Quito, over corruption allegations she made about senior Ecuadorian authorities in documents released by WikiLeaks.
The State Department has said Hodges' expulsion was unjustified and unwarranted.
The official said the Obama administration wants a positive relationship with Ecuador but that the decision to expel Hodges had damaged ties and would be taken into account going forward.
U.S. expulsion of foreign diplomats is a harsh step generally only taken in retaliation for action against U.S. diplomats, or when a foreign diplomat is accused of abusing his or her diplomatic status in the United States.
A former U.S. congressman says he told a senior Libyan official that it was time for Moammar Gadhafi to step down and hand power to an interim government.
Thursday's meeting between Curt Weldon and Libya's prime minister is part of a private mission by the former Pennsylvania lawmaker, who has visited Libya several times including as part of a 2004 U.S. government delegation to rebuild ties with Gadhafi.
Weldon told reporters that he urged the prime minister, Al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, that Gadhafi should step down to avoid dragging the country deeper into crisis.
Weldon says he came to Libya on the invitation of Gadhafi, but the trip has no ties with the U.S. government.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
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