Turk PM Urges Probe of Armenia Genocide Claims
Wed Mar 9, 2005 1:07 AM ET
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called Tuesday for an impartial study by historians of Armenian claims that their people suffered genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turkish troops during and after World War One.
"We have opened our archives to those people who claim there was genocide. If they are sincere they should also open their archives," Erdogan told a news conference
Turkey denies any genocide, saying the Armenians were victims of a partisan war which also claimed many Muslim Turkish lives. Turkey accuses Armenians of carrying out massacres while siding with invading Russian troops.
In an unusual gesture that underlined the sensitivity of the issue in Turkey, opposition leader Deniz Baykal joined Erdogan at the news conference to stress his party's full backing for an independent inquiry into the claims.
"We are facing a political campaign (against Turkey)," said Baykal, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP).
Several foreign parliaments, including those of Canada, France and Switzerland, have approved resolutions recognizing an Armenian genocide as fact, much to Turkey's irritation.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called Tuesday for an impartial study by historians of Armenian claims that their people suffered genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turkish troops during and after World War One.
"We have opened our archives to those people who claim there was genocide. If they are sincere they should also open their archives," Erdogan told a news conference
Turkey denies any genocide, saying the Armenians were victims of a partisan war which also claimed many Muslim Turkish lives. Turkey accuses Armenians of carrying out massacres while siding with invading Russian troops.
In an unusual gesture that underlined the sensitivity of the issue in Turkey, opposition leader Deniz Baykal joined Erdogan at the news conference to stress his party's full backing for an independent inquiry into the claims.
"We are facing a political campaign (against Turkey)," said Baykal, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP).
Several foreign parliaments, including those of Canada, France and Switzerland, have approved resolutions recognizing an Armenian genocide as fact, much to Turkey's irritation.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 1:07 AM
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