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TURKISH, SWISS JUSTICE MINISTERS VIEW TERRORISM, ARMENIAN BILL
Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
4 Oct 06
Ankara, 4 October: "The asylum demands of the terrorists are not
genuine, they don't rely on real reasons. You have to act accordingly,"
said Turkish justice minister on Wednesday [4 October].
Cicek received Switzerland's Chief of Justice and Police Federal
Department Christoph Blocher today, in Ankara. Holding a joint press
conference at the Justice Ministry, Cicek underlined the importance
of the international cooperation against terrorism and said every
country should do its best to fight against terrorism.
"The terrorists go to European countries after they commit a crime.
Because of the legal loopholes in those countries, they benefit from
the democratic rights," Cicek said.
Cemil Cicek added that they expect the European countries to act
accordingly to the terrorists who seek asylum.
"Switzerland behave timidly to terrorist organizations"
"Switzerland as an impartial country behave timidly to the terrorist
organizations," Switzerland's Chief of Justice and Police Federal
Department Christoph Blocher stated. Blocher added that, Switzerland
only accepts Nazis and Al-Qa'idah as terrorist organizations.
Blocher mentioned that they cannot respond Turkey's demand to accept
some of the organizations as terrorist organizations but there must
be a cooperation against terrorism. "Some governments apply us and
want us to help for a contact between them. Since we are an impartial
country we may be beneficial to help them," he added.
So-called 'Armenian genocide'
Cicek said that the Turkish government is finding hard to understand
why statements rejecting so-called Armenian genocide would constitute
a crime.
"When you take into consideration freedom of expression of ideas,
any penalty for rejecting so-called Armenian genocide can not be
accepted. I conveyed our approach to the subject. This is a matter
involving history. Historians, scientists and joint commissions
can conduct research on the matter. As the Turkish government and
administration, we have opened all archives. Trying to resolve
historical matters with political decisions only makes the matter
more complex to deal with and is not a realistic approach. I tried
to explain our uneasiness on the matter," stressed Cicek.
Blocher reminded that Chairman of the Turkish Historical Society Dr
Yusuf Halacoglu and Turkish Labour Party leader Dogu Perincek faced
legal investigation for making comments that the so-called "Armenian
genocide never took place". "We support the idea to establish a
commission of historians so that they can conduct research on the
matter," noted Blocher.
"There is a law in Switzerland that originally was designed to punish
those denying the Jewish Holocaust of World War II. We could not
have imagined that this law could be applied to so-called Armenian
genocide. This law is a headache for us. My ministry will research
ways to handle the matter without interfering in Halacoglu and Perincek
cases," stressed Blocher.
Blocher added that he invited the Justice Minister Cicek to Switzerland
and if Cicek says "Turks did not commit genocide to Armenians" in his
country, nothing will happen. If Cicek goes to jail, he will also go
to jail with him, he said.
Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
4 Oct 06
Ankara, 4 October: "The asylum demands of the terrorists are not
genuine, they don't rely on real reasons. You have to act accordingly,"
said Turkish justice minister on Wednesday [4 October].
Cicek received Switzerland's Chief of Justice and Police Federal
Department Christoph Blocher today, in Ankara. Holding a joint press
conference at the Justice Ministry, Cicek underlined the importance
of the international cooperation against terrorism and said every
country should do its best to fight against terrorism.
"The terrorists go to European countries after they commit a crime.
Because of the legal loopholes in those countries, they benefit from
the democratic rights," Cicek said.
Cemil Cicek added that they expect the European countries to act
accordingly to the terrorists who seek asylum.
"Switzerland behave timidly to terrorist organizations"
"Switzerland as an impartial country behave timidly to the terrorist
organizations," Switzerland's Chief of Justice and Police Federal
Department Christoph Blocher stated. Blocher added that, Switzerland
only accepts Nazis and Al-Qa'idah as terrorist organizations.
Blocher mentioned that they cannot respond Turkey's demand to accept
some of the organizations as terrorist organizations but there must
be a cooperation against terrorism. "Some governments apply us and
want us to help for a contact between them. Since we are an impartial
country we may be beneficial to help them," he added.
So-called 'Armenian genocide'
Cicek said that the Turkish government is finding hard to understand
why statements rejecting so-called Armenian genocide would constitute
a crime.
"When you take into consideration freedom of expression of ideas,
any penalty for rejecting so-called Armenian genocide can not be
accepted. I conveyed our approach to the subject. This is a matter
involving history. Historians, scientists and joint commissions
can conduct research on the matter. As the Turkish government and
administration, we have opened all archives. Trying to resolve
historical matters with political decisions only makes the matter
more complex to deal with and is not a realistic approach. I tried
to explain our uneasiness on the matter," stressed Cicek.
Blocher reminded that Chairman of the Turkish Historical Society Dr
Yusuf Halacoglu and Turkish Labour Party leader Dogu Perincek faced
legal investigation for making comments that the so-called "Armenian
genocide never took place". "We support the idea to establish a
commission of historians so that they can conduct research on the
matter," noted Blocher.
"There is a law in Switzerland that originally was designed to punish
those denying the Jewish Holocaust of World War II. We could not
have imagined that this law could be applied to so-called Armenian
genocide. This law is a headache for us. My ministry will research
ways to handle the matter without interfering in Halacoglu and Perincek
cases," stressed Blocher.
Blocher added that he invited the Justice Minister Cicek to Switzerland
and if Cicek says "Turks did not commit genocide to Armenians" in his
country, nothing will happen. If Cicek goes to jail, he will also go
to jail with him, he said.