Turkish FM pokes fun at description of him as dangerous

Wikileaks WASHINGTON: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu poked fun Tuesday at a leaked US memo's description of him as "exceptionally dangerous," saying he sees only a smiling face in the mirror.

Speaking to reporters, Davutoglu also denied suggestions in other cables leaked by the Internet whistle-blower WikiLeaks that his government is anti-Israeli with fantasies of reviving the Ottoman empire.

"Yes, I'm extremely dangerous for those who want to have instability in our region. I'm extremely dangerous for those who want to create new tensions," Davutoglu told a press roundtable in a Washington hotel.

"If somebody says to me 'extremely dangerous,' I look to mirror, I don't see any dangerous face. (I see) a smiling face," he said.

A high-ranking government adviser, quoted by US diplomats in a cable published by the German magazine Der Spiegel, describes Davutoglu as "exceptionally dangerous" and warns that he would use his influence on Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.

A cable signed by the US ambassador in January 2010 says the foreign minister wants to reassert on the Balkans the influence the Ottoman empire used to exert on the region.

But Davutoglu said: "We don't want to have anything back to history."

"All the countries, regardless of their size, or population or influence, are equal in our foreign policy. There is no hegemonic or imperial type of ambition." 

He said neither he, nor the prime minister or other leaders used the concept of a revived Ottoman empire in their policy discussions.

The Turkish foreign minister also sought to shoot down any perception from the leaked cables that his government was somehow anti-Israeli or anti-Semitic, citing "excellent relations" with Jews throughout Turkish history.

He said tensions in the relationship with Israel were due to Israeli policies, which he called "irresponsible" when they resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians.

He cited the Israeli offensive into the Gaza Strip in December 2008 and January 2009, where the majority killed were civilians. 

He also cited a May 31 Israeli commando raid on a Gaza-bound aid ship which killed nine Turks aboard, including one with dual US-Turkish citizenship.

He insisted it is "usual" practice among friends under such circumstances for Israel to apologize and offer compensation to the families of the victims.

"If we are enemies, of course, we have to know. If we are friends and we continue to be friends, this is the way to resolve it," he added.

A leaked US diplomatic cable dated October 2009 reports the view of the Israeli ambassador to Turkey, Gabby Levy, that Erdogan "simply hates Israel" on religious grounds. Other conversations backed up the view, it added.