Switzerland Confirms Opening Of A Legal Procedure Against Halacoglu

Turkish Press
April 3 2005

ANKARA – Switzerland has confirmed opening of a legal procedure against
Turkish Institute of History (TTK) Chairman Prof. Dr. Yusuf Halacoglu
about his statement on allegations of so-called Armenian genocide.

Releasing a statement on Monday, the Swiss Embassy in Ankara said,
“it is true that a complaint against Prof. Halacoglu was deposited
by a third party, but not by an official state prosecutor with the
competent local legal authorities of Winterthur after Prof. Halacoglu
has delivered there in spring of the last year a speech on the
Armenian issue.”

“According to Swiss legal procedures, an investigation has to be
opened after the deposition of any complaint to clarify the facts.
This investigation against Prof. Halacoglu is still pending. In
the context of this investigation, the local legal authorities of
Winterthur have forwarded in a normal and ordinary procedure an
information request regarding the personal data of Prof. Halacoglu
via Interpol to the competent Turkish authorities,” it said.

The Swiss Embassy denied allegations that Prof. Halacoglu was
condemned, formally accused or searched by the Swiss authorities.

Noting that local legal authorities in Winterthur had not yet decided
whether the complaint was acceptable or not, the Embassy said,
“but they need further necessary information before they can take
any decision in this case.”

“The Swiss government shares the opinion of the Turkish government that
the alleged Armenian genocide should be investigated by historians. The
Swiss government welcomes the proposal of the Turkish government that
a joint commission by Turkish and Armenian historians is looking into
this issue,” the Embassy added.

SO-CALLED GENOCIDE OVERSHADOWS TURKEY-SWITZERLAND RELATIONS

Allegations of so-called Armenian genocide have overshadowed
Turkey-Switzerland relations from time to time.

The most important development affecting the relations negatively was
approval of several resolutions by the Swiss authorities to recognize
the so-called genocide.

Tension escalated in bilateral relations after Vaud canton of
Switzerland approved a resolution recognizing the so-called Armenian
genocide on September 23rd, 2003 and after Swiss Foreign Minister
Calmy-Rey delayed her scheduled visit to Ankara in October 2003.

Ankara told Swiss authorities that postponement of Calmy-Rey’s
visit to Ankara would be appropriate. However, Calmy-Rey described
Turkey’s uneasiness as “exaggerated” and said that they conveyed
their uneasiness to Turkish officials and the event would do nothing
to ease the bilateral relations.

Later, the Swiss parliament approved a resolution about the so-called
genocide, and Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs harshly condemned it.

In the meantime, the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper in Zurich claimed that
a Turkish intelligence officer saw Calmy-Rey speaking to a supporter
of the terrorist organization of PKK more than a minute during a
reception, and Calmy-Rey’s scheduled visit to Ankara was delayed
after this development.

Noting that the Turkish intelligence informed Swiss police on this
brief conversation, the newspaper also advocated that the Turkey’s note
to Swiss police was later conveyed to Swiss President Pascal Couchepin.

Swiss Chief Prosecutor’s Office described those allegations of the
newspaper as “amazing”.

Calmy-Rey paid a visit to Turkey in March.

Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that tragic events in 1915
could not be classified as genocide, and that the issue should be
investigated by historians.

Stressing that the resolutions, which were approved earlier, were
not state policy of Switzerland, Swiss sources pointed out that the
government could not have influence over parliament and cantonal
administrations under federal system.