REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BRUSSELS -- The United States supports Turkish efforts to bring those involved in the weekend's attempted coup to justice but urges the government to uphold the rule of law, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday.

"We stand squarely on the side of the elected leadership in Turkey," he told a news conference after meeting EU counterparts in Brussels. "But we also firmly urge the government of Turkey to maintain calm and stability throughout the country.

"We also urge the government of Turkey to uphold the highest standards of respect for the nation's democratic institutions and the rule of law. We will certainly support bringing the perpetrators of the coup to justice but we also caution against a reach that goes well beyond that."

John Kerry said he had made clear to Turkey that it must provide genuine evidence that withstands scrutiny when requesting the extradition of US- based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

"The US has a formal process for dealing with extradition requests, Turkey must send evidence not allegations," Kerry said.

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