Turkish PM holds unexpected talks with intelligence chief

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is meeting Sunday, March 18, with the head of the National Intelligence Agency (MİT) at his residence in Ankara amid debates over an attempt by the judiciary to question senior MİT officials in a terrorism case and a humanitarian crisis in Syria prompted by the Syrian regime's crackdown on anti-regime protests, Today’s Zaman reported.

The surprise Sunday talks came after the Istanbul Public Prosecutors' Office formally sought special permission from the Prime Ministry earlier this month to allow for MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan and four other MİT officials to be summoned as part of an investigation into the Kurdish Communities Union (KCK).

There are also speculations in the media that Erdoğan and Fidan might discuss developments in Syria. Erdoğan said last week that Turkey may consider creating a buffer zone after recent Syrian assaults in towns near the Turkish border sent more Syrians to Turkey to escape the violence. There are also reports that Turkish intelligence officers as well as two journalists are being held by Syrian intelligence, although these reports have been denied by Turkish officials.