US, Turkey to maintain cooperation despite cable leaks

The United States and Turkey intend to remain in close cooperation despite the leaking of secret cables from the US embassy in Ankara, a White House spokesman said Saturday.



US President Barack Obama and Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan both agreed the disclosures on the WikiLeaks website would not influence or disrupt relations, the White House said. Obama called Erdogan on Saturday and expressed his regret at the disclosures and expressed his concern at the activities of the whistleblowing website. The publication of classified material about how US diplomats view the situation in Turkey has cast a shadow over relations between Washington and Ankara. In the documents, the diplomats took a critical view of Erdogan and of NATO ally Turkey, a country with which Obama hopes to maintain a model relationship. Washington - DPA