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Agencies
Ankara
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey in order to hunt down all those deemed to be behind an attempted coup.
The state of emergency was needed"in order to remove swiftly all the elements of the terrorist organisation involved in the coup attempt," he said at the presidential palace in Ankara.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera on Wednesday, Erdogan said other countries could be involved in the coup attempt to overthrow him, adding the organisation of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen who he blames for the coup was itself led by a"superior mind".
"The Gulen organisation has another superior mind, if you will, and the time will come when those connections will be deciphered," he said.
Erdogan said he did not want to link the issue of US use of Turkey's Incirlik airbase and Ankara's request for the extradition Gulen.
Striking a conciliatory note on strained bilateral relations, Erdogan said,"We need to be more sensitive. Relations between our countries are based on interests, not feelings. We are strategic partners."
The president said only a minority of the armed forces were involved in the failed military coup but he said it was not clear exactly how many people had taken part.
"It is clear it was a minority (of the armed forces). The terrorist organisation was trying to make the minority dominate the majority," Erdogan said.
Hitting out at French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault for his comments on Turkey's crackdown, Erdogan said,"He (Ayrault) should mind his own business. Does he have the authority to make these declarations about my person? No he does not. If he wants a lesson in democracy he can very easily get a lesson in democracy from us."
Ayrault had called for maintaining the rule of law in Turkey in the wake of the coup saying"this is not a blank cheque for Mr Erdogan" to silence critics. page 12
