Turkey asks Germany to extradite top coup suspect

Ankara, 16 August 2017 (MIA) - Turkey has formally asked the German government to arrest and extradite a top suspect in last year's failed coup attempt following reports suggesting that he has been spotted in Germany, AP reports.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey submitted a formal note Wednesday demanding fugitive Adil Oksuz's extradition.
Oksuz, accused of being a follower of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, is believed to have played a key part in the failed coup. Gulen denies accusations of involvement in the attempt.
The request comes amid souring relations between the two countries. Turkey accuses Germany of providing a safe haven to Kurdish militants and suspects wanted for alleged links to the coup.
Cavusoglu said: "If this person is there, we asked that he be located, taken into custody and returned to Turkey." lk/15:59
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Kosovo deadlock has hurt country's economy: UN official
New York, 16 August 2017 (MIA) - Kosovo's failure to form a government two months after snap elections has hurt the country economically and socially, the head of the UN mission there said Wednesday.
Kosovo's newly-elected parliament failed on August 13 to vote for a new speaker for a fourth time following inconclusive June 11 elections.
"The election process itself consumed the energy of institutions during these past three months," AFP cites UN envoy Zahir Tanin as saying at a Security Council meeting on Kosovo.
"Important economic and social opportunities were missed during such a period," he said, mentioning cancelations or deferrals of financial aid and investment.
"The climate of political uncertainty during the last quarter is tied inextricably with these facts," he said.
Kosovo, a former Serbian province whose 1.8 million-strong population are mainly ethnic Albanians, is one of the poorest countries in Europe.
It declared independence from Serbia in 2008, almost a decade after the 1998-1999 independence war that ended after a 11-week long NATO bombing campaign against Serbia.
More than 110 countries have recognized Kosovo's independence including the United States and most European Union members -- but not Serbia.
Britain, France, Germany, Italy and United States issued a joint statement Sunday saying they were "concerned by the ongoing situation," and that it was "the responsibility of Kosovo's leaders" to form a parliament and government.
President Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) won most seats in the snap election, but failed to win an absolute majority that would allow it to form a government alone.
Only after the speaker is elected and parliament is constituted can Thaci propose a candidate for prime minister, who then has 15 days to form a government.
"Political reconciliation, by itself, cannot overcome all divisions," Thaci said. "It must be accompanied by societal reconciliation, by rebuilding trust and cooperation at all levels." lk/21:02
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Kosovo will make another try to constitute its Parliament on August 24th
Pristina, 17 August 2017 (MIA) - Kosovan political parties decided to try again to constitute the Parliament and elect a Speaker on August 24th, after the latest failure to gather enough members in the hall.
Eldest Parliament member, Adem Mikulovci from the nationalist protest party Self Determination, said that he will not give up electing a Speaker and his deputies. The so-called "war coalition", made up of parties led by former guerrilla commanders, boycotts the Parliament sessions after it won the elections but by a disappointingly low margin and seems unable to form a Government.
European and US diplomats in Pristina called on the parties to work together and form a coalition, and also condemned the "war coalition" for its boycott of Parliament. The coalition insists on having Kadri Veseli as Speaker, and further wants to have Ramush Haradinaj as Prime Minister, which would round up its control of the three key positions in the country, given that former guerrilla commander Hashim Thaci is President. But, the coalition has only 39 seats in the 120 seat Parliament and is having difficulties reaching 61 seats. Both blocks seem evenly split, with the "war coalition" and minority groups on one side and Self Determination and the League of Democrats of Kosovo on the other.cc/10:56
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Turkey criticizes Merkel, says Germany can't dictate EU policy
Ankara, 17 August 2017 (MIA) - Turkey's EU minister said on Thursday that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's comments about halting the expansion of a customs union between Ankara and the European Union harmed the credibility of the bloc, Reuters reported.
Merkel said on Wednesday there would be no expansion of the customs union and "no kind of deepening at all" in ties between Turkey and the European Union after a series of disputes linked to Turkey's crackdown following last year's failed coup attempt.
"This is an unfortunate statement. We should emphasize that no EU member should give orders to EU institutions or EU processes," Omer Celik told a news conference in Ankara.
"These situations are very dangerous, they represent statements that harm the EU's credibility."
Celik said both Turkey and the European Union would gain from changes to the customs union. "But they are acting as if doing so is a favor to Turkey. Let me be very clear, we are in no rush," he said.
The minister also called on Berlin to cooperate with Turkey's request for the extradition of a theology lecturer suspected of playing a major role in the failed coup last year.
Turkish media have reported that Adil Oksuz has been spotted in Frankfurt and Ulm and given a temporary residency permit by Germany's Baden-Wurttemberg state.
"No ally of ours can harbor a killer," Celik said. "Even the possibility of someone with a clear tie to the coup attempt being harbored by our ally is saddening.



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