"U.S. Urges Turkey to Stem Anti-American Feelings, CNN Turk Says
Feb. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Turkey's government needs to fight rising anti-American sentiment among its population if U.S.- Turkish relations are to remain strong, CNN Turk said, citing Douglas Feith, the U.S. undersecretary of defense.
Turkey is one of many countries where anti-U.S. feelings have been increasing, Feith said yesterday at a panel discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, CNN Turk said. The maintenance of the strong ties the U.S. has with its allies need to go beyond governments, and be felt among people, Feith said. Otherwise relations cannot be sustained, he said.
Feith's comments follow an editorial earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal Europe that highlighted growing anti- American sentiment among Turks. About 70 percent of Turks opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and are skeptical about U.S. intentions in the region, according to opinion polls.
U.S.-Turkish ties were strained last year after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other government officials openly criticized U.S.-Iraq policy. "
Bloomberg.com: Asia