Money, intimidation cannot buy will, Erdogan tells US

By Burcu Calik

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish president on Saturday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's threats ahead of the recent UN General Assembly vote on Jerusalem, saying money or intimidation were not enough to influence the outcome.

The UN's 193-member General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution on Jerusalem by an overwhelming majority, calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel's capital.

A total of 128 members voted in favor of the Jerusalem resolution, nine countries voted against and 35 others abstained. Twenty-one countries did not cast a vote.

Trump had warned that aid would be cut to those countries voting against Washington’s move at the General Assembly. "They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us. Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

Erdogan said the UN vote demonstrated that money could not buy will.

"As you know, everyone stood united at the UN....128 against 9.... This means, will cannot be bought with dollars, intimidation," he said in a public address ahead of an ordinary provincial congress of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the southeastern province of Hakkari.