ARMENIAN “GENOCIDE” IN THE WASHINGTON
POST
BY YILMAZ OZTUNA (TURKIYE)
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan yesterday issued messages to mark today,
March 8, International Women’s Day. Pointing to women’s key
role in society, they both stated that ensuring political,
social and economic rights for women would help the
development of societies. /Turkiye/
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due on Thursday to
travel to Madrid, Spain to attend an international security
summit on “Democracy for a More Secure World.” During his
stay in Spain, Erdogan is also expected to meet with United
Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and with other leaders
to discuss the Cyprus issue. /Cumhuriyet/
The Turkey-European Union Troika meeting yesterday
reviewed developments in Turkey in the wake of Ankara
getting a date for accession talks in December. At the
meeting between Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, EU Term
President Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn,
European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn and British
European Affairs Minister Dennis McShane, Turkey’s EU
membership path until Oct 3, the date when entry talks for
Turkey will start, was discussed. During the meeting, Gul
briefed the participants about the reforms which have been
adopted so far. Gul stressed the determination of the
Turkish government in pursuing reforms and said that several
implementations of concern to the EU will be effective and
comprehensive. Gul added that it would be beneficial not to
make haste on certain issues because it is necessary to
consider the longer term in these areas. Gul reiterated
Turkey’s commitment to sign a supplementary protocol and
said that they were expecting steps from other parties
regarding the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Problems regarding NATO-EU strategic cooperation were also
discussed in the meeting. The Turkish party conveyed
uneasiness that the Greek Cypriot side was exploiting this
issue for political purposes. Rehn said during the meeting
that the delay in documents which the European Commission
will prepare regarding Turkey was caused by a referendum
which will be held in France. Following the meeting, Gul
told reporters, “We exchanged views on many dimensions of
our relations. We discussed NATO-EU relations, Iran, Iraq,
the Middle East, and Cyprus issues as well as the security
of Europe during the meeting. Reforms [in Turkey] will
continue.” He added, “Many laws related to reforms have been
adopted by our Parliament since Dec. 17.” Regarding Sunday’s
incidents in Istanbul, Gul said, “We are sorry for the
incidents that happened during an illegal demonstration in
Istanbul yesterday. Everybody should obey the law, but the
police should be sensitive in taking action against such
incidents, and a necessary investigation has begun.” Gul
added that negotiations on signing the adjustment protocol
had continued positively and that the protocol will be
signed when the time has come. Gul also said that the
meeting has been very fruitful. Aselborn, for his part, said
that Turkey had fulfilled very important reforms towards its
membership. “It is very important to maintain the pace of
reforms.” Asselborn said. Asselborn also said that reforms
were on the top of the agenda of the meeting. “We also took
up the non-Muslim minorities issue during the meeting and we
support the ‘zero tolerance’ policy of the Turkish
government against torture,” he explained. Noting that the
EU attaches great importance to bridging regional
differences, Asselborn said, “We welcome steps which were
taken in broadcasts in various languages.” On the police
actions against demonstrations on Sunday, Aseelborn said,
“We welcome the Turkish government’s pledge to investigate
this issue,” Asked whether the EU will keep its promises
regarding Cyprus, Asselborn said, “The adjustment protocol
may be signed within a few weeks and if it is signed, our
hand will be stronger to adopt two regulations regarding
Cyprus.” Rehn, for his part, said that there are many things
which Turkey should complete for its EU bid. “The EU will
prepare a framework document in June or July and will
release the accession partnership accord within the scope of
the regular progress report probably in November,” he added.
“The decision on the start of entry talks with Turkey has
brought a momentum, and this can be used for development of
new initiatives in Cyprus.” /All papers/
The signing of the additional protocol on the Ankara
Agreement will not mean recognition of the Greek Cypriot
side, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday
after his meeting with European Commissioner for Enlargement
Olli Rehn. Rehn for his part said that he shared the views
of Erdogan, and noted that technical studies regarding
Turkey’s EU membership process were progressing well. Rehn
also said he had had very fruitful meetings with Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul. Erdogan briefed Rehn about the
referendum held in Cyprus last April and developments after
the referendum. /Hurriyet/
The Turkish government and public recently realized that
the European Union’s decision last December to begin talks
was not a decision guaranteeing full membership, said
opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz
Baykal yesterday. Baykal received European Commissioner for
Enlargement Olli Rehn and an accompanying delegation. At a
press conference afterwards, Baykal stated that the
negotiating process with the EU, reforms, and the
democratization process had been discussed. Baykal said that
France’s decision to hold a referendum on Turkey’s
membership had imposed an additional hurdle. “We also felt
uneasy over the decision to propose a ‘privileged
partnership’,” said Baykal. “Turkey’s relationship with the
EU should be towards full membership.” Stating that Rehn had
told him about the talks and the timetable, Baykal said,
“We’ve learned that a decision regarding the negotiation
framework will be made in June, and the revised Accession
Partnership Accord will be announced this fall.” /Sabah/
Syria’s recent decision to withdraw its troops and
intelligence services from Lebanon was welcomed yesterday by
the international community. The Turkish Foreign Ministry
also issued a statement saying that Ankara hoped the
withdrawal would soon be completed. Stressing that Turkey
had good relations with both Syria and Lebanon, the
statement underlined that Turkey attached great importance
to Lebanon’s territorial integrity. The pullback would be
the single biggest such move since Syrian forces intervened
in Lebanon’s civil war in 1976. It has 14,000 troops there.
The Syrian and Lebanese presidents agreed on a two-phase
withdrawal plan, but no timetable was set for a full
withdrawal. /Turkiye/
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said yesterday that Turkey’s
European Union membership bid was a priority for the
government. Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting in
Ankara, said that the ministers’ talks had focused on the
topic. Pointing to the current EU Troika meeting, Cicek said
the government was continuing its determined efforts towards
EU membership. “There is no slowdown in our work, we’ll do
what should be done,” said the justice minister. Asked about
police intervention in a demonstration in Istanbul
yesterday, Cicek said citizens could exercise their rights
in line with the law. Stressing that Turkish security forces
have always taken a tolerant attitude, Cicek said, “However,
no police in any country in the world allow people to commit
illegal activities.” Adding that, for example, security
forces in European countries don’t even welcome
anti-globalization protests, Cicek asked, “Do they greet
them with flowers?” /Turkiye/
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek reiterated yesterday that
SEKA’s Izmit paper factory would be closed. Calling on
workers for the state concern who are protesting the
government’s closure decision to end their action, Cicek
said, “This is our last call to them. If they apply before
March 17, we’ll get them new jobs at in different
facilities.” Stressing that the government would no longer
tolerate illegal activities, the minister also criticized
the support of some politicians for the workers. “They are
exploiting the issue for political purposes,” he charged.
/Turkiye/
Speaking at an e-State Application Conference yesterday
in Ankara, State Minister Abdullatif Sener said that the
application of the short-term action plan under Turkey’s
e-Transformation Project had been completed early this year.
He added that the new action plan’s “Information Society
Strategy” would be completed by year’s-end. Stressing that
the Mernis project enabling enhanced linkage of citizenship
ID numbers with tax numbers had been completed, Sener said,
“Similarly, the issuance of a single identification number
for companies will also be realized soon.” Turkiye/
Opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz
Baykal is due today to meet with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan to discuss a number of issues, including the
so-called Armenian genocide. During their meeting, Baykal is
expected to present an expert report on the issue to
Erdogan. Baykal is also expected to tell Erdogan that the
government and opposition should work together on the issue.
/Aksam/
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister
and Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Mehmet Ali Talat
was nominated yesterday by his party for the TRNC
presidential elections scheduled for April 17. “Our aim is
for Talat to win with 60% of the vote,” CTP
Secretary-General Ferdi Sabit Soyer told a press conference,
adding that Talat could then sit at the negotiating table
for a Cyprus resolution. For his part, Talat said that if he
is elected president, his mission would be to represent
Turkish Cypriots’ stance on Cyprus on the international
stage. /Cumhuriyet/
Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (IPUK) leader Jalal
Tabani claimed yesterday that Ankara’s Iraqi policy had
changed, adding that now it supported a federal structure in
the country. Touching on his recent meeting with Ambassador
Osman Koruturk, Turkey’s special envoy to Iraq, Talabani
said, “Our Turkish friends said that Ankara supported
federalism.” Talabani further claimed that Turkey’s point of
view on the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk had also changed.
/Aksam/
Michel Tubiana, president of the Paris-based League for
Human Rights, yesterday hailed Turkey’s progress in human
rights over the last decade. Speaking at a French conference
on human rights, Tubiana stated that Turkey’s human rights
and democracy situation was not perfect, but that the
country had achieved considerable progress over the last
decade. He added that Turkey’s European Union membership bid
was being used for domestic political fodder. /Cumhuriyet/
Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman Salih
Kapusuz said yesterday that a recently vetoed bill enabling
students to return to university was not an amnesty, so the
Parliament didn’t need to pass it with a supermajority of
330 deputies’ votes, as President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said in
his veto. Speaking to journalists, Kapusuz said that the
measure could be redebated by the full Parliament as early
as Thursday. /Turkiye/
Columnist Erdal Safak comments on Turkish-EU relations
and Turkey’s EU membership bid. A summary of his column is
as follows:
“I wonder what went through the minds of the people who
criticized European Commission Representative to Turkey
Hansjoerg Kretschmer when they saw the incidents in Istanbul
over the weekend. Kretschmer faced rebukes last week when he
argued that Turkey had failed to make progress since Dec.
17, when it got a date for its accession talks.
European Union officials expressed concern over what they
said was a ‘disproportionate’ use of force by police to
break up a demonstration marking International Women's Day.
‘We were shocked by images of the police beating women and
young people demonstrating in Istanbul,’ said a joint
statement from Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn,
Britain's Europe Minister Denis MacShane and Olli Rehn, the
EU commissioner for enlargement. What would happen if the EU
leaders had asked our leaders yesterday ‘Is this your idea
of harmonization to the EU acquis?’ How could possibly we
answer this question? Not only their joint statement
denounced us, but also the European media leapt at the
opportunity to bolster anti-Turkish views. ‘Will we really
allow this country to join our ranks?’ asked the European
media. Our Secretary-General for EU Affairs Murat Sungar had
previously said that the police were in the process of being
educated and trained on human rights issues. If this was the
attitude of educated policemen, I really don’t want to see
how the uneducated ones act! I guess this was the
retaliation of our security forces for the new Turkish Penal
Code (TCK), which will considerably reduce their rights.
Please don’t forget that the EU is very serious on the
implementation issue. EU leaders have stipulated that Turkey
must immediately eliminate all of the shortcomings in the
implementation of the reforms. The EU is now threatening to
suspend Croatia’s negotiations, which are supposed to begin
on March 14, because the country has refused to surrender a
war criminal. If we fail to do what it demands of us, the EU
won’t blink an eye before changing its mind on Turkey’s
accession talks…”
Columnist Yilmaz Oztuna comments on the historical
background of the Armenian issue and the Armenian claims of
“genocide.” A summary of his column is as follows:
“The Washington Post is one of the world’s best-known
newspapers. It became particularly famous back in 1974, when
it forced President Richard Nixon to resign. Nixon’s crime
was that he had secretly taped conversations and denied
knowledge of a matter which he actually knew full well
about. Actually such things are considered common functions
of the government in most countries.
Sunday’s Washington Post published a list of ‘mass murder
of civilians in acts of genocide.’ Near the top of this list
was the Holocaust. However, the article’s assertion that 1.5
million Armenians were killed during the Ottoman reign is a
political lie. It’s an example of hostility against Turks,
and it’s purposeful.
In 1915, the total number of Armenians living under
Ottoman rule was 1 million. During that time, Armenians
living in Istanbul and western Anatolia were barely touched.
Those living in the east, southeast and central parts of
Anatolia were exiled to other regions of the empire such as
Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. During their departure, Kurdish
tribes, who had suffered great losses because of them,
constantly attacked the Armenians. The number of Turkish
soldiers assigned to guard the Armenians on their way was
inadequate. Therefore, they could not prevent Kurdish
assaults on the Armenians. Some 10,000-15,000 Armenians died
during those attacks. No more than that. However, the death
toll reached 200,000 with losses due to epidemics and poor
conditions. The rest of the Armenians settled in Arab lands.
After World War I, they emigrated to France, America and the
rest of the world. If all of them had been killed, there
wouldn’t be any Armenians in these countries now.
Turkey has never had a governmental policy of ridding
itself of any religion, sect, race or group. But our country
treats people who challenge the state, assault its security
forces and kill innocent citizens the same as any civilized
country. True, 200,000 Armenians died during the exile. But
the number of Turks, Circassians and especially Kurds that
lost their lives was even greater. You don’t come across
events in our history similar to what the US did to its
Japanese citizens during World War II, how Eisenhower
treated the surrendering German Army, or what France did in
Algeria.
Looking over the last 90 years, the West has a great deal
more slaughter, brutality and destruction to be ashamed of.
If only we could prevent such tragedies from happening
again…”
