EU CONFERENCE CALLS ON TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ITS CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST

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Thursday, 05 April 2007

Brussels – A conference related to what has been often called as
the Christian Holocaust, that is the destruction and genocide of
Christian Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians, was held early last week
in the European Parliament in Brussels.

The event was hosted by the European parliamentary groups of the
European United Left-Nordic Green Left, and the Seyfo Center, an
Assyrian institution working on increasing wider public awareness of
the genocide of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks by Turkey.

The genocide took place in the years between the end of the Ottoman
empire and the creation of the Turkish state by Mustafa Kemal Pasha
(Ataturk). It has been estimated that at least 3.5 million Christians
were slaughtered and another 2 million were forced to exile.

The panel speakers included MEP Eva-Britt Svensson of the GUE/NGL,
Sabri Atman, Director of the Seyfo Center, Prof. Dr. David Gaunt,
Sodertorns University College, Sweden, MEP Markus Ferber of the EVP-ED,
and Dr. Willy Fautre, Director Human Rights Without Frontiers, a
major human rights NGO. The panel was chaired by Ms. Nicme Seven of
the Assyrian Youth Federation.

MEP Svensson called for Turkey’s membership in the EU, but not without
first complying with the Copenhagen criteria regarding the genocide as
well as the "unrestricted opening of Ottoman archives for the world
to see." Svensson further stated that "in a democratic environment,
such issues should be discussed openly and not suppressed. Turkey
should not be an exception."

Sabri Atman agreed that the current Turkish position regarding
the genocide and the silence by the EU countries is ethically
unacceptable. "33% of the [Turkish] population was Christian. Today
in Turkey, the total number of Christian people only amounts to 0.1%
of the population. What happened to these people? What happened to
the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks? Where are they? Where did they
disappear to?" he asked.

Atman also addressed some of the counter arguments offered by some
Turkish politicians that "Armenian organizations were fighting against
the Turkish authority for independence and for that reason hundreds
of thousands of Armenians lost their lives. This is just complete
fabrication. How about the Assyrians, which Assyrian organization
was fighting for independence? "

Prof. Gaunt provided an answer to Mr. Atman’s questions by stating
that "evidence shows that Assyrians did not have any armed offensive
measures". Gaunt also provided a historical overview of the genocide
and how it expanded past the Ottoman areas and well into Persia. He
also completed a book on the Assyrian genocide.

Dr. Willy Fautre, focused on the specific Assyrian experience during
the genocide and the current activities of Turkish groups in Brussels,
the capital of Belgium and the European Union. On the Assyrian
experience, Fautre stressed that "based on the formal definition of
Genocide, the widespread persecution of the Assyrian civilians indeed
constituted a form of Genocide. Up to now the international community
has been hesitant in recognizing the Assyrian experience as a form
of genocide. However, the Assyrian Genocide is indistinguishable,
in form, from its Armenian counterpart."

Fautre also provided numerous accounts of blatant interference and
activities by Turkish groups in Belgium to suppress any talks and
actions that shed light on the genocide perpetrated by Turkey. He
called on the Belgian government to take action by recognizing the
genocide unambiguously as well as have their government members do
so and by screening their candidates regarding the genocide and to
swear the allegiance to the Belgian state.

MEP Markus Ferber stressed that the evidence, he has seen, shows that
over 3 million people (Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians) were victims
of genocide by Turkey and that his party will only support membership
if Turkey faces its past and addresses it. Ferber went even further
and opposed a full membership of Turkey, offering insted the status of
"privileged partner."

Finally, Ms. Nicme Seven explained that the conference was held at
this specific week when Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan is
to travel to Brussels to attend the intergovernmental conference for
the restart of membership talks with Turkey.

EU accession negotiations with Turkey have been at a standstill for
almost a year for reasons related to the Cyprus problem, Turkish
obligations towards EU and Cyprus and the European public’s profound
opposition to the EU membership of Turkey, a Muslim country.

The European Parliament conference hall was filled over capacity by
mostly Assyrian family members of genocide victims and survivors who
traveled from various European countries and even the USA.

The conference was concluded by the signing of a joint press statement
by the panel speakers, in which it was stressed among others that
Turkey must come to terms with the genocide of its Christian minorities
before obtaining EU membership.

�he governments of various EU member-states, among which France and
Greece, have also stressed the necessity for Turkey to acknowledge
the genocides of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians before eventually
acceding to the European Union.

>From AINA and other sources

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