PM Yıldırım: Gülen's extradition non-negotiable for Turkey

Speaking on Saturday in Ankara, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said that Turkey will not negotiate with the U.S. over anything other than the extradition of Gülenist Terror Group(FETÖ) leader Fethullah Gülen.

Speaking with media figures at Çankaya Palace, Yıldırım said that the U.S. cannot stall the process. "There can be no compromising on bringing the terrorist leader [Gülen] to justice in Turkey."

"After the price Turkey paid – we have more than 240 martyrs, more than 2,195 injured, not to mention the social, psychological and financial damage. While everything is so obvious, there cannot be a compromise."

Yıldırım said that if the U.S. remained impassive to Ankara's demands, then "it failed to understand the common feelings of 79 million [Turks]."

Yıldırım expressed disappointment in the coverage of the coup by Western media. "Instead of saying ‘Turkey defeated the coup plotters and democracy won,' they have said, ‘They [the coup plotters] would be successful if they hadn't done this and that,' discussing the faults of the coup attempters. They suggested they be more careful. One would think this was a joke, but no."

The prime minister said the government would distinguish between those who were willingly involved behind the coup and those who were caught up in the movement "by chance."

"76,597 government employees were suspended, and 4,897 dismissed. Of those sacked, more than 3,000 were military staff, judges and civil servants. We have difficulties in detection. What will we do? We have set certain criteria."

Yıldırım hosted scores of media figures at his official residence to acknowledge the role he played in helping defeat the attempted coup. Private TV stations were instrumental in revealing the attempted coup, and in particular CNN Türk broadcast a call by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, using the iPhone app Facetime, in which he called for the Turkish nation to take to the streets to resist the attempted coup.

Yıldırım mentioned "communication networks" established by FETÖ, involving more than 50,000 people. "There are more than 50,000 names appearing on this communication infrastructure. These will be investigated."

US VP BIDEN TO VISIT TURKEY

Yıldırım added that the U.S will send a technical committee, including Justice Department lawyers, on Aug. 22, before U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's arrival in Turkey on Aug. 24.