US: Gulen tension will not be resolved ‘overnight’

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

American-Turkish tension regarding the extradition of Fetullah Gulen “is not something that's going to be resolved overnight,” the White House said Thursday, stressing the importance of the legal process.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that the executive branch of government, that includes the president, cannot make those types of decisions unilaterally.

“There is a much longer process that has to be followed, and the administration is committed to following it, even as we are aware of the concerns that have been raised by our allies in Turkey,” he said.

The U.S. said it has received four different extradition requests for Gulen, but none are directly tied to his alleged role in the July 15 coup attempt. Turkey accuses Gulen of masterminding the deadly failed putsch.

While on a visit to Ankara on Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden said, “God willing” there would be enough evidence to extradite Gulen, and wished the Fetullah Terrorist Organization leader was in another country.

Biden was stressing “that there is a well-established process that is outlined in the extradition treaty between the United States and Turkey and in the U.S. law that governs how these kinds of requests are resolved,” Earnest said.

“What I think he's alluding to is the fact that this issue has created some tension in the relationship between United States and Turkey, and it's not tension that is going to be quickly resolved,” he said.