TURKEY SEEKS U. S. ANSWERS OVER ‘ SPYING’

Istanbul: Turkey on Monday said it had summoned the US charge d’affaires in Ankara to demand an explanation over a report that Washington has spied intensively on Turkish

leaders since 2006. Der Spiegel reported that as well as sharing intelligence with Nato partner Turkey, the United States and its ally Britain have been conducting extensive electronic surveillance on the Turkish leader

ship. The German weekly said that the information was

based on documents released by the fugitive for

mer National Security Agency operative Edward Snowden who has taken asy

lum in Russia. “The US charge d’affaires has been summoned to the foreign ministry to demand an explanation,” deputy prime minis

ter Bulent Arinc told reporters in Ankara in televised comments. The new US ambassador to Turkey, John

Bass, is yet to arrive in Ankara. Der Spiegel said starting in 2006, the NSA began a major surveillance operation aimed at Turkey’s

leadership.