Washington Calls For Denmark To Shut Down Kurdish TV station

"We strongly urge the Danish government to shut down and freeez the assets of Roj TV, Mesopotamia TV and MBMG," the United States said in a confidential request to the ministry of foreign affairs, according to Danish daily Berlingske Tidende.

Turkey has repeatedly asked Danish authorities to revoke the broadcasting license of Roj TV, which cooperates with Mesopotamia TV and MBMG, on the grounds that the station is linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group deemed by Turkey, the European Union and the United States to be a terrorist organization.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week went so far as to boycott a news conference in Denmark attended by a Roj TV reporter.

"How can we come together in a press conference with a member of a medium which is under the patronage of a terrorist organization? That was not possible for me," Erdogan said.

Denmark's broadcasting watchdog ruled at the beginning of the year that Roj TV's programming did not contain incitement to hatred of Turkey, and Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller on Monday said he had seen no proof that the station had links to the PKK.

Washington however did not appear to agree.

"Given their inflammatory programming (and) their links to the PKK front group, we believe these entities should not enjoy a safe haven in Denmark," the letter reportedly stated.

It went on to imply that Denmark, by allowing the broadcasts to continue, was helping the PKK, which "depends heavily upon European sources for financing, organizational support, recruiting and propaganda operations".