ERDOGAN ADDRESSES EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND THOUGHT

Turkish Press
June 29 2006

Speaking at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
on freedom of expression and respect for religious beliefs yesterday,
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on the recent cartoon
crisis, saying that insulting a religion shouldn’t be considered
freedom of expression. "Criticism and insult are different from
each other," said Erdogan. Stressing that it should be seriously
considered whether freedom of expression was being abused as freedom
to insult, Erdogan stated that freedom of expression and thought
were indispensable factors of common values. "Our system of values
shapes our identity," he said. "Islamophobia should be considered
a crime against humanity." He stressed that the main problem was a
dangerous polarization in the international community on the basis of
cultural and religious values. "Democracy is a regime of compromise
and patience as well as freedom," said Erdogan. Touching on the
so-called Armenian genocide, Erdogan said that Ankara had proposed
that historians should research the issue. Speaking afterwards,
Erdogan said that the government wouldn’t take any more steps on
Cyprus for its European Union membership. "We’ve taken 11 steps,
and we won’t take any more until those who need to take steps do so,"
added the premier.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress