‘I did not say proved genocide took place’
Monday, October 9, 2006
Turkish Daily news
Dutch politician of Turkish origin says she defends the same views as her Labor Party, which does not avoid using the term 'genocide' and urges Turkey to debate the issue open heartedly and confidently
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
Nebahat Albayrak, a member of the Dutch parliament of Turkish origin and the number two candidate of the Labor Party for next month's elections, claimed over the weekend that she never said she acknowledged a deliberate and proved genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, contrary to earlier news reports that said she admitted the existence of “genocide.”
“I'm not a politician that will trample my identity. I've always defended the same views everywhere with regard to the ‘genocide',” she was quoted as telling Turkish reporters in Rotterdam.
The two largest Dutch political parties have recently removed the names of ethnic Turkish parliamentary candidates from an electoral list after they refused to acknowledge the alleged genocide. News reports said last week Albayrak “accepted that a genocide took place” amid pressure by the two largest political parties in the Netherlands on the candidates of Turkish origin as to genocide allegations.
Albayrak complained about the press insistently asking her about the existence of “genocide” and claimed news reports in both the Turkish and the Dutch press about her based, to a large extent, on comments.
“I was extremely disturbed by the newspaper headlines in Turkey. I don't speak differently to the Turkish or the Dutch press but tell the same things. But some want to interpret that differently,” she said.
Albayrak said she was not a cowardly politician and stressed the statements she made about the genocide allegations were in parallel to her party's views.
“The Labor Party has never said or admitted that Armenians were subjected to a deliberate and proved genocide. None of the party members made such remarks. The party does not avoid using the term ‘genocide' but says: ‘Do not focus on that term' because not everyone pronouncing that word should be in a suspicious position. We say and defend that Turkey should debate the issue open heartedly and confidently,” she added.
Albayrak also made clear that her party did not support a law proposal put forth by the rightist Christian Union Party, represented with three deputies in the Dutch parliament, which penalizes any denial of the alleged Armenian genocide and stressed her party would oppose the proposal if it appeared on the agenda of parliament.
“That law proposal will not be supported by us because they, on the one side, accuse Turkey of punishing those who acknowledge the genocide. How can they do the same here? If we do this [pass the proposal] it would be a great shame for the Netherlands,” she said.
Dutch foreign minister calls for patience:
Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot called on the Turkish community living in the Netherlands to be patient with regard to genocide allegations that appeared on the agenda of the Dutch politics after three candidates were bumped off the electoral lists for refusing to acknowledge the alleged genocide.
Speaking to reporters at a traditional fast-breaking dinner in a Dutch town near Rotterdam, Bot said dialogue and research that would seriously be carried out by Turkish and Armenian academics could reveal historical truths and added the two sides, Turkey and Armenia, should accept the outcome of that research.
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.
Turkish Daily news
Dutch politician of Turkish origin says she defends the same views as her Labor Party, which does not avoid using the term 'genocide' and urges Turkey to debate the issue open heartedly and confidently
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
Nebahat Albayrak, a member of the Dutch parliament of Turkish origin and the number two candidate of the Labor Party for next month's elections, claimed over the weekend that she never said she acknowledged a deliberate and proved genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, contrary to earlier news reports that said she admitted the existence of “genocide.”
“I'm not a politician that will trample my identity. I've always defended the same views everywhere with regard to the ‘genocide',” she was quoted as telling Turkish reporters in Rotterdam.
The two largest Dutch political parties have recently removed the names of ethnic Turkish parliamentary candidates from an electoral list after they refused to acknowledge the alleged genocide. News reports said last week Albayrak “accepted that a genocide took place” amid pressure by the two largest political parties in the Netherlands on the candidates of Turkish origin as to genocide allegations.
Albayrak complained about the press insistently asking her about the existence of “genocide” and claimed news reports in both the Turkish and the Dutch press about her based, to a large extent, on comments.
“I was extremely disturbed by the newspaper headlines in Turkey. I don't speak differently to the Turkish or the Dutch press but tell the same things. But some want to interpret that differently,” she said.
Albayrak said she was not a cowardly politician and stressed the statements she made about the genocide allegations were in parallel to her party's views.
“The Labor Party has never said or admitted that Armenians were subjected to a deliberate and proved genocide. None of the party members made such remarks. The party does not avoid using the term ‘genocide' but says: ‘Do not focus on that term' because not everyone pronouncing that word should be in a suspicious position. We say and defend that Turkey should debate the issue open heartedly and confidently,” she added.
Albayrak also made clear that her party did not support a law proposal put forth by the rightist Christian Union Party, represented with three deputies in the Dutch parliament, which penalizes any denial of the alleged Armenian genocide and stressed her party would oppose the proposal if it appeared on the agenda of parliament.
“That law proposal will not be supported by us because they, on the one side, accuse Turkey of punishing those who acknowledge the genocide. How can they do the same here? If we do this [pass the proposal] it would be a great shame for the Netherlands,” she said.
Dutch foreign minister calls for patience:
Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot called on the Turkish community living in the Netherlands to be patient with regard to genocide allegations that appeared on the agenda of the Dutch politics after three candidates were bumped off the electoral lists for refusing to acknowledge the alleged genocide.
Speaking to reporters at a traditional fast-breaking dinner in a Dutch town near Rotterdam, Bot said dialogue and research that would seriously be carried out by Turkish and Armenian academics could reveal historical truths and added the two sides, Turkey and Armenia, should accept the outcome of that research.
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 7:14 AM
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