Turkish Press
April 26 2005

Press Review

STAR Newspaper

CICEK: `AFTER YEARS OF LEAVING THE `GENOCIDE’ ISSUE TO HISTORIANS,
IT’S TIME FOR TURKEY TO DISPROVE THESE ALLEGATIONS’

Speaking after yesterday’s six-hour Cabinet meeting, during which
recent political and economic developments were discussed under the
chairmanship of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Justice Minister
and government spokesman Cemil Cicek said that after many years of
leaving the issue of the so-called Armenian genocide to historians,
it is now time for Turkey to start disproving all the allegations on
the international stage. `For centuries Armenians lived happily and
in a rich environment in the Ottoman Empire,’ said Cicek. `Then,
against the background of World War I, Armenians began rising up
against the Ottoman government with the incitement, encouragement and
promises of certain countries, and they massacred Muslim Turks,
leading to mutual incidents of violence.’ He added, `Many Turkish
organizations, individuals, and nongovernmental organizations [NGOs]
are working to disprove the Armenian allegations. We may establish a
coordination center so as to put up the best possible fight against
the baseless Armenian allegations.’ Touching on Constitutional Court
Chief Justice Mustafa Bumin’s statements yesterday that any attempt
to lift the headscarf ban would be a violation of the Turkish
Constitution and the European Convention of Human Rights, Cicek said
that these were Bumin’s personal views. /Star/