Zaman, Turkey
April 13 2005

Armenian Orthodox Chruch Representative: Kemal was a Butcher, too
By Anadolu News Agency (aa)

Armenian Orthodox Church representative Vertanes Kalayjian insulted
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Republic of Turkey, at a
conference held in the US Congress, saying: “Kemal was a butcher,
too.”

The Helsinki Commission, an independent organization of the US
government conducting studies on issues like human rights and
democracy, has organized a conference about “religious freedoms in
Turkey” in the US House of Representatives in Rayburn.

During his speech at the conference Kalayjian said that despite a
reconciliatory initiative by Turkey, he has no reason to share this
optimism today.

Kalayjian referred to the founder of the Turkish Republic Ataturk as
“Kemal” and said: “In my personal opinion, Kemal was a butcher, too.”

Upon this, Fatih Yildiz, a diplomat from Turkey’s Washington Embassy,
who was not invited to the conference as a participant, but attended
in the audience, started to talk and protested Kalayjian’s remarks.

“They should have checked the background of all participants before
organizing such a conference. At the US Congress, it is impossible to
accept any insults against the founder of Turkey, Ataturk as it is
equally impossible to accept insults against the founder of the US,
George Washington ” reacted Yildiz.

Moderators of the session indicated that they had noted these remarks
and that Yildiz’s criticism would be taken into consideration.