US Ambassador Crocker: Iranians will pay price if they push Turkey

On the eve of the NATO foreign and defense ministers meeting in Brussels and weeks before the NATO Chicago summit, US Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker warned Iran about its policy vis-à-vis Turkey and said they would pay "a price they won't like if they push Turkey." Speaking to Today's Zaman from Kabul by phone, Crocker said Iranians would make a terrible mistake by pushing Turkey too hard when commenting on the escalation of tension between the two countries with regard to differences concerning Syrian policy. Called America's "Lawrence of Arabia" by former US President George W. Bush, Crocker attended high school in Izmir and served as ambassador in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Pakistan and currently Afghanistan. Weeks before the Chicago summit, where Afghanistan will be discussed extensively, Crocker praised Turkey's role in the country, hoping Ankara would maintain its presence on the ground. On the domestic political debate on whether Turkey should keep its forces in Afghanistan, which was started by the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), the American ambassador said it was part of the democratic discussion and was no different from that in his own country. While supporting Turkey's position on Syria, the American ambassador ruled out any military intervention in the country, arguing that no one was in favor of such action.