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ALEVI LEADERS HIT BACK AT ERGENEKON'S ASSASSINATION PLOTS
Today's Zaman
Jan 15 2009
Turkey
Representatives from various Alevi associations have raised their
voices against plans devised by a clandestine terrorist network known
as Ergenekon to assassinate Alevi community leaders with the ulterior
motive of dragging the country into chaos.
Alevi leaders yesterday emphasized that they have a strong will to
protect the unity of Turkish society, lashing out at all circles
making preparations to bring about an atmosphere of chaos in society
through planned assassinations of Alevi figures. "Alevis and Sunnis
are brothers. We live together in this country. We are people of the
same territory. No one can undermine our friendship," they said.
Last week's new wave of detentions in the Ergenekon investigation
revealed that the group was planning to assassinate Alevi and
Armenian community leaders, the prime minister and members of the
Supreme Court of Appeals -- acts that would have dragged Turkey into
chaos had they been carried out. The prosecutors, who made public
the detention warrant, indicated that the police, who had been
monitoring the suspects' phone conversations for months, had found
evidence that Ergenekon was engaged in preparations for a number
of assassinations. The group was plotting to kill prominent Alevi
community leaders such as Ali Balkız and Kazım Genc, as well as
Sivas Armenian Community President Minas Durmaz Guler and a number
of journalists. "If the planned assassinations had been carried out,
I am sure all Alevis and Sunnis in Turkey would jointly denounce the
killings. There is no place for violence in our philosophy. We call
on everyone to refrain from violence," stated Genc, secretary-general
of the Pir Sultan Abdal Association.
Alevi-BektaÅ~_i Federation President Balkız said it would not
be possible for anyone to create a conflict between Alevis and
Sunnis. "Turkey is very experienced in this field. We all know what
all such plots mean. Alevis and Sunnis are brothers. We live in the
same country. We respect each other's beliefs. No one can damage our
brotherhood," he noted.
--Boundary_(ID_qvPCErDe0Z3KFS6Bbq521Q)--
Today's Zaman
Jan 15 2009
Turkey
Representatives from various Alevi associations have raised their
voices against plans devised by a clandestine terrorist network known
as Ergenekon to assassinate Alevi community leaders with the ulterior
motive of dragging the country into chaos.
Alevi leaders yesterday emphasized that they have a strong will to
protect the unity of Turkish society, lashing out at all circles
making preparations to bring about an atmosphere of chaos in society
through planned assassinations of Alevi figures. "Alevis and Sunnis
are brothers. We live together in this country. We are people of the
same territory. No one can undermine our friendship," they said.
Last week's new wave of detentions in the Ergenekon investigation
revealed that the group was planning to assassinate Alevi and
Armenian community leaders, the prime minister and members of the
Supreme Court of Appeals -- acts that would have dragged Turkey into
chaos had they been carried out. The prosecutors, who made public
the detention warrant, indicated that the police, who had been
monitoring the suspects' phone conversations for months, had found
evidence that Ergenekon was engaged in preparations for a number
of assassinations. The group was plotting to kill prominent Alevi
community leaders such as Ali Balkız and Kazım Genc, as well as
Sivas Armenian Community President Minas Durmaz Guler and a number
of journalists. "If the planned assassinations had been carried out,
I am sure all Alevis and Sunnis in Turkey would jointly denounce the
killings. There is no place for violence in our philosophy. We call
on everyone to refrain from violence," stated Genc, secretary-general
of the Pir Sultan Abdal Association.
Alevi-BektaÅ~_i Federation President Balkız said it would not
be possible for anyone to create a conflict between Alevis and
Sunnis. "Turkey is very experienced in this field. We all know what
all such plots mean. Alevis and Sunnis are brothers. We live in the
same country. We respect each other's beliefs. No one can damage our
brotherhood," he noted.
--Boundary_(ID_qvPCErDe0Z3KFS6Bbq521Q)--