Deutsche Presse-Agentur
June 16, 2005, Thursday
15:21:15 Central European Time

German resolution on Armenian massacre sparks Turkish anger

Berlin/Ankara

Straining relations with Turkey, the German Bundestag parliament
adopted a resolution Thursday condemning the massacre of up to 1.5
million ethnic Armenians in the Ottoman Empire 90 years ago.

The resolution criticised the current government of Turkey for
“neglecting to address the issue” in a forthright manner.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul denounced the resolution as
“irresponsible, appalling and injurious” to relations between the
two countries.

“We note this decision with regret and we strongly condemn it,” said
a statement released by the Foreign Ministry. The statement accused
the resolution of being rooted in “domestic politics” and called it
“irresponsible and narrow-minded”.

Turkey acknowledges the tragedy of hundreds of thousands of deaths in
“civil strife” during 1915-17 but denies there was a state- sponsored
extermination plan – a stance that has complicated its efforts to join
the European Union. Accession talks are due to start later this year.

On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turkish government arrested hundreds
of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, most of whom were
quickly executed.

This was followed by the mass relocation of Christian Armenians from
Anatolia through desert to Mesopotamia and what is today Syria.

Starvation, disease, attacks by bandits and the brutality of the
escorting troops resulted in mass fatalities. Most Western sources
maintain that more than a million deaths took place.

The incident has been widely referred to as the first genocide of
the 20th Century.

Turkey said Thursday’s resolution is not historically correct, saying
claims that “almost all Armenians living in Anatolia were exterminated”
have “no basis”. dpa eg cw sc ch