ADL ‘S Foxman sends letter to Erdogan
The New Anatolian / Ankara
24 August 2007
I feel deeply sorry over discussions that erupted after the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) changed its stance on the incidents of
1915, said Abraham Foxman, President of the ADL, in a letter sent to
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday.
"We have utmost respect for you and the Turkish people. We had no
intention to put the Turkish people or its leaders in a difficult
position. I am writing this letter to you to express our sorrow over
what we have caused for the leadership and people of Turkey in the
past few days," told Foxman in his letter.
Foxman added in his letter that "the ADL will work to strengthen
relations with Turkey. It makes our pain worse to see that the recent
discussions have caused tension in our friendly ties".
ADL President Abraham Foxman indicated in a statement posted on the
group’s web-site on Wednesday that his organization had come to share
the view that the incidents of 1915 "were indeed tantamount to
genocide," but added that the organization maintained its opposition
against bringing the issue to Congressional floor.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that the
American-Jewish lobby had corrected its "mistake" by sending the new
letter, saying that the ADL shared Turkey’s sensitivities over the
issue.
"They expressed willingness to extent support in their full capacity
just as they had done before," he told reporters after casting his
ballot for the second round of presidential election on Friday.