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Swiss Senate: 'Genocide' Allegations is Not Parliament's Job
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Aug 7 2005
* The 1915 events and Armenian 'genocide' allegations will never be an
issue for the Swiss Senate, according to the president of the Senate
foreign affairs committee.
* Peter Briner said other countries had no business pointing the
finger at Turkey 90 years after the disputed events.
Kemal YENICE (ANKARA) Peter Briner, president of the Senate foreign
affairs committee, said the committee had decided that the death
or deportation of Armenians between 1915 and 1919 would not be the
subject of a plenary session. During the First World War many Turks
and Armenians were killed as a result of war circumstances and ethnic
conflicts. Turks claim that at least 520,000 Turkish villagers were
massacred by armed Armenian ultra-nationalist groups, Tashnaks and
others, while the Armenian side similarly argue that more than 500,000
Armenians were killed during the years.
Peter Briner said the Swiss committee agreed with the Swiss government
that it was not parliament's job to decide on the whether the
killings constituted genocide. They have been recognised as such by
the parliaments of several countries, including the United States,
France, Russia and Italy.
The Swiss House of Representatives recognized the Armenian allegations
as if they are truth in 2003. The Swiss government however does not
officially speak of "genocide" but of "mass deportation". Turkey
condemned the Swiss Parliament for the decision.
Briner said the committee believed that it was more for the parties
involved, namely Turkey and Armenia, to reach an agreement. Turkish
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the Armenian President Kocherian
to establish a joint committee to discuss the historical disputes.
However Armenia strongly rejected the offer.
Disagree to Disagree
Briner said a mixed commission of historians had to "work through the
terrible events" - just as Switzerland had reappraised its history
during the Second World War.
Attempts by international scholars to determine once and for all what
really happened between 1915 and 1919 have never got much further
than agreeing which two countries were involved.
In June Alev Kilic, the Turkish ambassador in Bern, told swissinfo
that during Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey's visit to Turkey
in March, the Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul talked about
establishing a commission of historians from both sides and opening
all files and archives.
"But of course the proposal has also been made to the Armenian
government and we can't establish anything without their agreement.
We have still not received a positive reply," Kilic said.
Dr. Davut Sahiner from ISRO says the Swiss step is historical and
should be a good example to all the national parliaments including
the Swiss House of Representatives:
"Strangely the parliaments has started to discuss the 1915 events for
2-3 years. They have just remembered the Armenians. I cannot see any
good will in these decisions. 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories
have been under Armenian occupation. More than 1 million Azerbaijanis
have been refugees as a result of Armenian attacks. Armenia does
not recognize Turkey's and Azerbaijan's national borders. Armenian
genocide attempt in Khojally in 1992 cannot be ignored by anyone.
However while all these facts are there, all the Western parliaments
discuss almost a century, the events of 1915. The aim is to stop
Turkey's EU membership process. Nobody cares Armenians but their
national interests. They have nothing to use in Turkey's membership
process but Armenian allegations".
JTW and news agencies 7 August 2005
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Aug 7 2005
* The 1915 events and Armenian 'genocide' allegations will never be an
issue for the Swiss Senate, according to the president of the Senate
foreign affairs committee.
* Peter Briner said other countries had no business pointing the
finger at Turkey 90 years after the disputed events.
Kemal YENICE (ANKARA) Peter Briner, president of the Senate foreign
affairs committee, said the committee had decided that the death
or deportation of Armenians between 1915 and 1919 would not be the
subject of a plenary session. During the First World War many Turks
and Armenians were killed as a result of war circumstances and ethnic
conflicts. Turks claim that at least 520,000 Turkish villagers were
massacred by armed Armenian ultra-nationalist groups, Tashnaks and
others, while the Armenian side similarly argue that more than 500,000
Armenians were killed during the years.
Peter Briner said the Swiss committee agreed with the Swiss government
that it was not parliament's job to decide on the whether the
killings constituted genocide. They have been recognised as such by
the parliaments of several countries, including the United States,
France, Russia and Italy.
The Swiss House of Representatives recognized the Armenian allegations
as if they are truth in 2003. The Swiss government however does not
officially speak of "genocide" but of "mass deportation". Turkey
condemned the Swiss Parliament for the decision.
Briner said the committee believed that it was more for the parties
involved, namely Turkey and Armenia, to reach an agreement. Turkish
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the Armenian President Kocherian
to establish a joint committee to discuss the historical disputes.
However Armenia strongly rejected the offer.
Disagree to Disagree
Briner said a mixed commission of historians had to "work through the
terrible events" - just as Switzerland had reappraised its history
during the Second World War.
Attempts by international scholars to determine once and for all what
really happened between 1915 and 1919 have never got much further
than agreeing which two countries were involved.
In June Alev Kilic, the Turkish ambassador in Bern, told swissinfo
that during Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey's visit to Turkey
in March, the Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul talked about
establishing a commission of historians from both sides and opening
all files and archives.
"But of course the proposal has also been made to the Armenian
government and we can't establish anything without their agreement.
We have still not received a positive reply," Kilic said.
Dr. Davut Sahiner from ISRO says the Swiss step is historical and
should be a good example to all the national parliaments including
the Swiss House of Representatives:
"Strangely the parliaments has started to discuss the 1915 events for
2-3 years. They have just remembered the Armenians. I cannot see any
good will in these decisions. 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories
have been under Armenian occupation. More than 1 million Azerbaijanis
have been refugees as a result of Armenian attacks. Armenia does
not recognize Turkey's and Azerbaijan's national borders. Armenian
genocide attempt in Khojally in 1992 cannot be ignored by anyone.
However while all these facts are there, all the Western parliaments
discuss almost a century, the events of 1915. The aim is to stop
Turkey's EU membership process. Nobody cares Armenians but their
national interests. They have nothing to use in Turkey's membership
process but Armenian allegations".
JTW and news agencies 7 August 2005