TURKISH GOVERNMENT MAY TAKING ADDITIONAL MEASURES AGAINST TERRORISM
Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
April 9 2007
Ankara, 9 April: "Turkey revises measures to be taken regarding fight
against terrorism. Turkey will take additional measures if necessary.
We are decided to take additional steps. Our government is resolute
to do whatever necessary," said Government Spokesman and Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek said on Monday [9 April].
After the meeting of Council of Ministers, Cicek said foreign policy
and security issues were discussed at the meeting.
Noting that Iraq was high on their agenda, Cicek said, "Turkey is
interested in this issue because this threat – that violates peace,
country’s integrity, law and order in Turkey’s national borders – has
its roots in Iraq. And we will be interested in it to the bitter end."
Cicek said tomorrow’s National Security Council meeting will discuss
this issue too.
"In Turkey, everybody knows that terrorist activities would not occur
if these activities were not supported by external powers," Cicek said.
Another subject of the cabinet meeting was the bills criminalizing
denial of so-called Armenian genocide, Cicek noted.
Stating that an EU draft framework decision will come up on 18
and 19 April during Germany’s presidency, Cicek said a draft will
be discussed which would inflict imprisonment up to three years for
denial (of so-called Armenian genocide) remarks. Cicek stressed that
this draft would remove freedom of expression, noting that it would
even remove the research opportunity of historical facts.
Cicek stated that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will bring up
this matter during his visit to Germany this weekend.
"This draft is a quite big mistake," he added.