Obama calls Turkish PM over leaked cables

ISTANBUL: Turkey says President Barack Obama has called its prime minister to mend ties following the release on the WikiLeaks website of US diplomatic cables containing criticism of the Turkish leadership.

A statement on Sunday on the website of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office says Obama called him on Saturday and said some of the comment in the cables does not reflect the view of the current US government, and that the US-Turkish alliance is vital.

Earlier this month, Erdogan reacted furiously to claims relayed in a 2004 diplomatic memo that he has money in Swiss bank accounts. He said US diplomats should be punished for what he described as slander.

According to Sunday's statement, Erdogan told Obama that the incident will not harm US-Turkish relations