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Erdogan Voices Doubts on al-Qaida Link to Istanbul Bombs Roger Wilkison VOA, London 23 Nov 2003, 14:26 UTC Turkey's prime minister says he is not totally sure that al-Qaida was involved in four suicide bombings that left nearly 60 people dead during the space of one week in Istanbul. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told British television that he is not "100 percent certain" that the al-Qaida terrorist network was behind Thursday's bombings at the British consulate general and the offices of a London-based bank, as well as the earlier attacks on two Istanbul synagogues. Mr. Erdogan said Saturday that the four suicide bombers were Turkish nationals, but that he suspects they had help from foreign groups. The Turkish leader also told British television his country needs international help in tracking down the masterminds of the attacks. And he says the bombings should not derail Turkey's hopes of eventually joining the European Union. Meanwhile, Turkish newspapers report that the authorities are trying to fix intelligence lapses that have been blamed for allowing the militants to carry out the bombings. The newspapers cite a lack of coordination between intelligence services and police in monitoring Islamic radicals. |