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Dagens Nyheter , Sweden
March 12 2010
An Unfortunate Resolution
By a majority of only one vote, the Swedish Riksdag decreed yesterday
evening that there had been genocide against Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915.
Four nonsocialist members voted with the socialist/environmentalist
opposition, which had presented the bill.
This is an unfortunate decision. Neither the Swedish Riksdag nor any
other parliamentary assembly has any business voting on what is true
or what is not true in historical accounts.
There is actually no doubt that genocide was committed. Among experts,
there is relatively widespread agreement on the conclusion that more
than one million Armenians, Syrians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans were
murdered.
It is important that there can be open discussion of this - in Turkey
as well. Sweden and the EU should put strong pressure on Ankara to
implement the promised reform of the Turkish constitution, so that
full freedom of speech is respected in Turkey.
But parliamentary votes turn into a kind of absurd mirror image of the
Turkish denial.
Now Turkey is recalling its ambassador from Sweden, the country that
has most actively advocated that the ongoing EU negotiations gradually
lead to full Turkish EU membership.
At worst, there will be consequences for those negotiations as well.
The Riksdag has passed a very unfortunate resolution.
[translated from Swedish]
March 12 2010
An Unfortunate Resolution
By a majority of only one vote, the Swedish Riksdag decreed yesterday
evening that there had been genocide against Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire in 1915.
Four nonsocialist members voted with the socialist/environmentalist
opposition, which had presented the bill.
This is an unfortunate decision. Neither the Swedish Riksdag nor any
other parliamentary assembly has any business voting on what is true
or what is not true in historical accounts.
There is actually no doubt that genocide was committed. Among experts,
there is relatively widespread agreement on the conclusion that more
than one million Armenians, Syrians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans were
murdered.
It is important that there can be open discussion of this - in Turkey
as well. Sweden and the EU should put strong pressure on Ankara to
implement the promised reform of the Turkish constitution, so that
full freedom of speech is respected in Turkey.
But parliamentary votes turn into a kind of absurd mirror image of the
Turkish denial.
Now Turkey is recalling its ambassador from Sweden, the country that
has most actively advocated that the ongoing EU negotiations gradually
lead to full Turkish EU membership.
At worst, there will be consequences for those negotiations as well.
The Riksdag has passed a very unfortunate resolution.
[translated from Swedish]