Hasip Kaplan made the remarks at a news conference in the Turkish parliament on Friday.
When US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone was recently asked by Turkish journalists if US Predator drones had any role in the airstrike, he reportedly said that the issue is a âsecret.â
Despite the ambassador's ambiguous response, there are reports that US Predator drones had provided Turkey the intelligence that led to the botched airstrike which killed 34 Turkish nationals.
Turkey's Aydinlik newspaper had even quoted "credible sources" as saying that a US Predator drone had launched the airstrike.
The people killed were mistakenly identified as members of the armed separatist group the PKK at first, but later Turkish officials acknowledged that they were a group of smugglers.
âThe US ambassador, Mr. Francis Ricciardone, has made interesting comments. He says, 'The US has no role in decisions on setting the targets.' What does this mean? He says the target is determined by Turkey... When he was asked about the four-hour footage (about the airstrike) by journalists and if Predator (drones) were also engaged, he says it is a secret... In crimes against humanity, there is no secret and no deadline [for prosecution], Mr. Ricciardone, you will learn this. You will learn that when there is a crime committed against humanity we know neither a secret nor a deadline,â Kaplan said.
After the airstrike, Turkish officials had said that there were four hours of footage about the airstrike that would be closely reviewed as part of an investigation into the airstrike.
Results of the investigation have not been released.
Kaplan also said that his party has launched a lawsuit against Turkey at the International Criminal Court over the airstrike.
The BDP had earlier asked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to launch a investigation into the airstrike.
MHB/HGL¬
Source: Press TV
