Turkey's intelligence chief irks Israel
Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:52:53 GMT
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Hakan Fidan, the new head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has expressed concern over Turkey's appointment of its new secret service chief whom he called a "supporter" of Iran.
According to AFP, the Turkish official, Hakan Fidan, 42, has been appointed to head the National Intelligence Organization, known by its Turkish acronym MIT, on May 27 after serving as undersecretary for foreign affairs to the prime minister and representing Turkey at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The latter position placed him at the forefront of Turkey's efforts to resolve the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program, according to the Turkish press.
"Turkey is a friendly country, a strategic ally, but the nomination in recent weeks of a new chief of the Turkish secret services who is a supporter of Iran worries us," he told in a private meeting of his center-left Labor party.
Barak, in a recording of his remarks broadcast by Army Radio on Sunday, claimed that the appointment could result in "the Iranians having access to secret information."
Israel is annoyed by its erstwhile strategic partner's efforts to solve Iran's nuclear issue through diplomatic efforts, especially a declaration it signed with Iran and Brazil in May that would have seen Iran ship 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for fuel for the medical research reactor in Tehran.
Turkish-Israeli relations plunged to an all-time low and their ties are effectively frozen following the deadly May 31 Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in which naval commandos shot dead nine Turkish activists, one of whom was also a US citizen.
AS/MGH
