Germany rejects Turkey's request to freeze the assets of Colin

Germany rejects Turkey's request to freeze the assets of Colin


SPIEGEL (Reuters) - Germany has rejected a formal request from Turkey to freeze the assets of members of the network of US-based cleric Fathullah Kohlen, whom Ankara accuses of masterminding the failed coup attempt last year, Spiegel magazine reported on Saturday.

The move is likely to further worsen already strained relations between NATO allies after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that Germany would act decisively against Turkey's arrest of other German citizens on political charges.

The Turkish government asked the Foreign Ministry in Berlin in late April to freeze the assets of Cologne and its members in Germany, the magazine said without giving its sources. A list containing 80 names was attached to the request.

The report said the German government formally rejected the request by the end of June and informed Ankara that there was no legal basis for the Federal Financial Supervision Office to restrict the movement of Cologne and its supporters.

The foreign ministry in Berlin declined to comment.

The report also said that the number of requests for deportation sent to Germany jumped to 53 applications since the beginning of the year to increase the total applications in 2016.

Turkish authorities have arrested two Germans on Thursday on suspicion of links to the failed coup attempt last year, Turkish news agency Dujan reported.

The two Germans, of Turkish origin, were arrested at Antalya airport for alleged links to the Cologne organization, the agency said.

She said the suspects were taken to the regional police headquarters.

Turkish officials could not be reached for comment on Eid al-Adha holiday, making it difficult to communicate with officials.

Twelve Germans are now being held in Turkey on political charges, including four with dual nationality, including the German-Turkish journalist Deniz Yogel, who spent nearly 200 days in prison.

The arrests have strained ties between Germany and Turkey after relations reached their lowest levels when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan branded members of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party as enemies of Turkey and called on Turks in Germany to vote against major parties in elections scheduled for this month.

Martin Schultz, of the Social Democrats and Merkel's main challenger in the September 24 election, and other German politicians called on the German government to issue a formal travel warning to Turkey to pressure it.

Such a move would be a major setback for Turkey, which has seen a drop in foreign visitors to last year's lowest level in nine years. Reservations from Germany accounted for about 10 percent of tourists to Turkey this year.

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