Perry makes no u-turn on "terror" row

U.S. presidential candidate Rick Perry refused Jan. 17 to disavow his earlier remark that Turkey was run by "terrorists" and instead stepped up his criticism of Ankara, shaking off a rare intervention by the State Department. Asked on CNN if he had misspoken in Jan. 16's Republican campaign debate, the Texas governor said, "Not at all," before accusing Turkish leaders of condoning honor killings and saying Turkey was "not a country that America wants to be associating with." A Turkish government report last year showed a drastic increase in the number of honor killings, the slaying of a relative who is perceived to have brought shame on one's family. The Turkish government changed the law in 2005 to increase sentences for those convicted of the crime, but activists have said more effort is needed to stop such killings. In an unusual intervention after Perry's remarks, the U.S. State Department waded in Jan. 17, rejecting Perry's description of Turkey as country run by "terrorists" and hailing the NATO member as a close ally. We absolutely and fundamentally disagree with that assertion," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters. "Turkey is one of the oldest members of NATO, and it's been a stalwart member of NATO and a strong ally to the United States. We stand by our relationship." Namik Tan, Turkey's ambassador to Washington, said Perry's description of Turkey simply does not exist in reality. "I am disappointed and concerned that Turkey and its time-tested ties of alliance, partnership and friendship with the United States became the object of misplaced and ill-advised criticism," Tan said in a statement. Tan said Turkey receives no US aid and has created thousands of jobs in Texas.