NATO chief apologizes to Turkey over drill incident

ANKARA, Nov 18 (KUNA) -- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg apologized to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday after a Norwegian official depicted Turkish leaders as "hostile targets" during a NATO exercise in Norway.
Stoltenberg made the apology over the phone, Turkey's AA agency reported, citing a presidential the source who spoke under anonymity.
In the conversation, Stoltenberg informed the Turkish president that an inquiry had been initiated by the commanding officer and the contracted Norwegian technician involved in the incident was terminated immediately. The NATO chief affirmed that Turkey is an important ally for NATO and that he would take all necessary precautions to avoid a repeat of such an incident.
He hoped the scandal would not adversely affect relations between NATO and Turkey, the source said.
Portraits of Erdogan and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, were shown in the "hostile leader list" during the Trident Javelin exercise, which prompted Turkey to pull out from the drills yesterday. (end) rs.gb