Turkish President Urges World To Act Against U.S.-Based Cleric

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on world leaders to take measures against a U.S.-based cleric's "terrorist network" that he said threatens their security.

Erdogan said during his address to the UN General Assembly on September 20 that he was calling for "all our friends to swiftly take the necessary measures against the Gulenist terrorist organization for their own safety and the future of their nations."

Turkish officials have accused Fethullah Gulen of being the mastermind of a failed coup in Turkey in July, something the moderate cleric rejects.

U.S. officials have thus far decided not to extradite Gulen -- who was a longtime ally of Erdogan until a few years ago -- to Turkey to face charges.

Gulen has organizations that run regular schools and other nonreligious businesses in dozens of countries around the world. Erdogan did not say how Gulen threatens the safety of other countries.

Erdogan also said that Turkey's incursion into northern Syria earlier this month "had led to establishing peace, balance, and stability in a region taken over by hopelessness."

The president also accused the European Union of not keeping its promises over Turkey's EU membership in exchange for help in stemming the tide of refugees coming to Europe.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP