Ricciardone optimistic about freedom of expression in Turkey

US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone on Wednesday has said he is not pessimistic about the freedom of expression in Turkey, which he said aspires to become a first-class democracy, although he voiced his concerns over the arrests of some journalists in ongoing investigations. Ricciardone met with Ankara representatives of various newspapers in the Turkish capital on Wednesday night, where he commented on issues such as jailed journalists and a botched military airstrike that claimed the lives of 34 civilians in southeast Turkey in December. "I see that Turkey's democracy has made significant progress, but I cannot understand that a country that has covered so much distance [in its democracy] keeps intellectuals in jail. People should not be thrown in jail for their statements. However, I am not pessimistic [about freedom of expression] as the glass is always half full," said Ricciardone. The US ambassador described Turkey as a country that aspires to become a first-class democracy as Turkey says it aims to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria, rules determining whether or not Turkey is eligible to join the EU. Ricciardone also said the United States had no plans to intervene militarily in Syria, whose government has been pursuing violent policies against opponents of the regime. "We don't plan to stage a military intervention in Syria at this point. Let us listen to the Syrian opposition. We are not preparing for an intervention now. We will see what the Arab League and the UN say. The Syrian government is using weapons to kill their own people. This is unacceptable. [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad has lost all credibility in our eyes," Ricciardone said. The US ambassador also said the United States will not turn a blind eye to Iranian threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, used for a third of the world's seaborne oil trade. "We think Iran needs to make a choice. It can join the international powers. It can own nuclear power too but it should not be after nuclear weapons. What I mean by nuclear power is nuclear energy. But what Iran wants is nuclear weapons. We don't want to resort to military sanctions against Iran. Everything is on the table and we want to use diplomacy. This is done through sanctions," he said.