Swiss minister says Turkey’s EU bid to help stability of Europe

.c The Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – The Swiss foreign minister said Tuesday her
country welcomed a European Union decision to start membership talks
with Turkey, saying the negotiations would help bring stability to the
European continent.

Micheline Calmy-Rey also urged Ankara to implement human rights
reforms, enacted as part of efforts to join the regional bloc.

The membership talks, due to start Oct. 3, “will contribute to the
stabilization of the region and of the European continent,” said
Calmy-Rey, who is on a three-day visit to Turkey.

“It is essential that the political will is translated into an
effective implementation of reforms on the ground. Switzerland
attaches particular importance to (the elimination) of torture and to
the question of women’s rights,” she said during a joint news
conference with Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul.

Her visit initially had been scheduled for October 2003, but Turkey
withdrew its invitation after the parliament of a western Swiss canton
(state) recognized the 1915-1918 killings of Armenians in Turkey as
genocide.

Armenians say some 1.5 million of their people were killed as the
Ottoman Empire forced them from eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923 –
and that this was a deliberate campaign of genocide by Turkey’s rulers
at that time.

Turks say the death count is inflated, and insist that Armenians were
killed or displaced as the Ottoman Empire tried to secure its border
with Russia and stop attacks by Armenian militants.

Gul said Tuesday that countries such as Switzerland should not allow
“the Armenian accusations” to strain relations with Turkey.

“These accusations are unacceptable, they sometimes strain
relationships and poison the air … The countries should not allow
this,” he said.

Calmy-Rey said the issue was “a difficult topic in Turkish history.
Switzerland believes that it is up to each country to delve into its
history and to reconcile itself with its history.”

The killings were recognized as genocide by a U.N. human rights panel
and several national governments – including France, Argentina and
Russia – as well as a number of U.S. state governments.

Calmy-Rey is scheduled Wednesday to visit Diyarbakir, the main city in
Turkey’s prominently Kurdish southeast, and Istanbul on Thursday.

03/29/05 13:49 EST

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress