Turkish PM Threatens to Sue US Over WikiLeaks

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Dec. 1) -- Turkey's prime minister said today he would sue U.S. diplomats who accused him of corruption and of possessing eight Swiss bank accounts in documents released by WikiLeaks, saying apologies were not enough.

"My friends are working [to take action] against these diplomats in terms of national and international law," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to Turkey's English-language Hurriyet Daily News. "We will continue this process there."

On Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu acknowledged that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had apologized to Turkey for the release of the documents. Davutoglu was in Washington for a meeting with U.S. officials when WikiLeaks released the documents to top international publications and on its website.

"Clinton said that the analyses of diplomats are not always absolute in determining the political will and approach of administrations," Davutoglu said, according to the Anatolian News Agency. He said Clinton had expressed regret over the issue raised by the documents' release and apologized to Turkey for them, expressing her appreciation for the relationship between Turkey and the U.S.

The apology is not enough, according to Erdogan. "They have to take all necessary measures against these diplomats," he said today, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

A top official from Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said today that the WikiLeaks release could have been engineered by Israel to damage the party ahead of next year's critical parliamentary elections, according to the newspaper. "One has to look at which countries are pleased with these. Israel is very pleased. Israel has been making statements for days, even before the release of these documents," said Huseyin Celik, deputy leader of the AKP.

In the documents, U.S. diplomats reported allegations from sources that Erdogan had eight secret Swiss bank accounts. He was also alleged to have received kickbacks and other personal gain from privatization deals.

Erdogan claimed he would resign if it were proved that he had money in Swiss banks. "This is the United States' problem, not ours. ... Those who have slandered us will be crushed under these claims, will be finished and will disappear," he said.

The documents released by WikiLeaks concerning Turkey indicated a growing suspicion on the part of the U.S. toward a longtime ally that had begun plotting its own course, one that was not always in line with U.S. wishes and led by leaders described as being from an Islamic fraternity.

U.S. diplomats knew Turkey wanted to be a regional powerhouse but believed the country was overconfident. "With Rolls-Royce ambitions but Rover resources, to cut themselves in on the action the Turks have to 'cheat' by finding an underdog," former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey wrote in cable from early January 2010.

Erdogan's strong response to the documents was likely a reaction to the opposition People's Republican Party (CHP) taking up the claims made in the documents and using them against the AKP.

"The best defense is offense," Henri J. Barkey of the Carnegie Endowment for Peace told AOL News. "They are worried this may become a domestic issue, especially with the CHP taking the offensive on this. This is crisis management. Initially no one thought much about this, but when the CHP decided to use it, they had to respond."

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, reacting today to Erdogan's statements, was quoted by Hurriyet Daily News as saying, "What did I say? I said the allegations regarding the prime minister are grave, and he has to make a satisfactory explanation for them."

Some critics say Erdogan frequently files lawsuits as a means of retribution or intimidation against people who he feels have offended him. While he has sued Turkish journalists and cartoonists, seeking legal action against U.S. diplomats is likely to be more difficult.

"In the U.S., this would not make the threshold in any court, and it is privileged information and not supposed to have been disseminated," Barkey said. "Besides, reporting is supposed to cover everything, including personal opinions, and because it was not meant to be disseminated, diplomats are free to write what they want. You can only sue when the person intentionally made the information public to slander or accuse you. No court would accept it."

Erdogan also lashed out at the Turkish media for their handling of the WikiLeaks release.

"An honorable media [outlet] or media member should first ask the person these slanders are made against [about the claims]," Erdogan said, according to Hurriyet Daily News. "If the subject is the prime minister, you should ask, 'Esteemed prime minister, is this true?' If the prime minister tells you, 'No, I have nothing to do with it,' then you should not write about it."