New US ambassador arrives in Ankara

Francis Ricciardone, the recently appointed United States ambassador to Turkey, arrived yesterday in Ankara, six months after his predecessor left Turkey. Ricciardone, who served previously in Turkey twice, is expected to present his letter of credentials to President Gul and lay the groundwork for a visit next month by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "We look forward to seeing our old friends and making new ones," Ricciardone told reporters, speaking in Turkish, at Ankara's Esenboga Airport, in his first press appearance. Ricciardone has already served in Turkey twice and is known as an expert on the Middle East. "Turkey is a very important country," he said. "With each passing day, Turkey becomes more influential. As President Obama has said: my new job is to renew the alliance between our nations and the friendship between our people." A group of some 40 demonstrators also demonstrated at the airport yesterday against the United States. "We will call those who put Turkish soldiers' heads in hoods to pay," they chanted, referring a 2003 incident when US forces detained several Turkish Special Forces soldiers in northern Iraq. The group also said they oppose Turkey joining a US-backed missile shield project.