- Title: Germany rejects Turkey's claim that Berlin supports militant groups
- Date: 8th November 2016
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 8, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF VILLA BORSIG, FOREIGN MINISTRY GUESTHOUSE GERMAN FLAG CAR WITH FINNISH FOREIGN MINISTER TIMO SOINI ARRIVING GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER WAITING IN FRONT OF VILLA BORSIG VARIOUS OF SOINI GETTING OUT OF CAR AND BEING WELCOMED BY STEINMEIER EU FLAG SOINI AND STEINMEIER WALKING INTO BUILDING DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER KRISTIAN JENSEN ARRIVING AND BEING GREETED BY STEINMEIER SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER, MARGOT WALLSTROEM, ARRIVING AND BEING GREETED BY STEINMEIER SWEDISH, FINNISH, DANISH, GERMAN AND EU FLAGS WALLSTROEM AND STEINMEIER WALKING INTO BUILDING VARIOUS OF NORDIC FORMAT FMS POSING FOR MEDIA CAMERA VIEWFINDER OF CAMERA SOINI, JENSEN, WALLSTROEM AND STEINMEIER ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, SAYING: "I have read this morning that my Turkish colleague claimed that Germany in some form supported the PKK. I think it also known in Ankara is that the opposite is the case. The PKK and other extremist parties are banned as terrorist groups here. They are criminally prosecuted. This is the truth and I don't see any justification and that is why I cannot understand the comments made about Germany today in Turkey. Repeating the claims does not make them true." VARIOUS OF REPORTER TYPING ON SMARTPHONE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, SAYING: "My opinion is that we, but also many Americans, are glad that this special election campaign is coming to an end. But I think it also leaves a difficult legacy for the one who is going to have the responsibility as a president in the future, then this election has left a more or less split country and to overcome the rifts, which became deeper during the election campaign between the political sides, is going to be difficult for any American President." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANK-WALTER STEINMEIER, SAYING: "Regarding the (U.S.) foreign-policy agenda for Europe, for Germany, we are going to see more once we know about foreign programmes. At the moment, I am reading this as well, everywhere it is written that external relationships are going to be more complicated even if Clinton wins. I know Hillary Clinton as a colleague, as foreign minister, and I currently don't share this fear, but I also say that one has to wait and see how the foreign policy key aspects of a new American government will be defined." REPORTER TAKING NOTES END OF NEWS CONFERENCE/REPORTERS LEAVING
- Embargoed: 23rd November 2016 15:36
- Keywords: Steinmeier Turkey militant groups U.S. election Clinton
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00157L3LFR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday (November 8) rejected a claim by his Turkish counterpart that Germany supported the Kurdish militant group PKK, saying such extremist parties were banned in Germany.
"The PKK and other extremist parties are banned as terrorist groups here. They are criminally prosecuted," Steinmeier said. "That is why I cannot understand the comments made about Germany today in Turkey. Repeating the claims does not make them true."
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Berlin on Tuesday of allowing the PKK and far-leftist DHKP-C, both of which have carried out armed attacks in Turkey, to operate on German soil with impunity.
Steinmeier also commented on the U.S. elections, saying that it would be difficult to overcome the divisions aggressive campaigning created in the country.
"To overcome the rifts, which became deeper during the election campaign between the political sides, is going to be difficult for any American President," he said.
Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump face voters on Tuesday (November 8) as millions of Americans turn out on Election Day to pick the next U.S. president and end a bruising campaign that polls said favored Clinton.
In a battle centred largely on the character of the candidates, Clinton, 69, a former secretary of state and first lady, and Trump, 70, a New York businessman, made their final, fervent appeals to supporters late on Monday to turn out the vote.
Clinton went into Election Day as the favourite to become the first U.S. woman president after spending eight years in the White House as first lady from 1993 to 2001. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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