Hürriyet, Turkey
May 29 2008

Slovak FM backs Turkey over genocide bill

Slovakia’s foreign minister said Wednesday he would lobby the
government over a proposed law making denial of any genocide an
imprisonable offence, after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart.

Jan Kubis said the Slovakian parliament’s decision in 2004 does not
represent the line of the government. Speaking at a joint news
conference in the Slovak capital with his counterpart, Turkish Foreign
Minister Ali Babacan, Kubis said he would take up the matter with
Justice Minister Stefan Harabin, adding history should be treated by
historians, not politicians.

"I will discuss this matter with the Slovakian justice minister and
members of the government. I believe history must be left to
historians. We know the sensitivity of the Turkish public opinion on
this matter and will not permit this topic to place a shadow on good
relations between Turkey and Slovakia," he was quoted as saying by
news agencies.

Some 300,000 Armenians and at least an equal number of Turks were
killed in civil strife when Armenians, backed by Russia, rose up
against the Ottomans in 1915. However Armenians claim in a systematic
campaign of defamation some 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in
orchestrated killings during the 1915 incidents.

Babacan reiterated Turkey had proposed to Armenia the establishment a
joint historical committee to study the incidents of 1915 and open all
archives; however, Yerevan has yet to give a positive response to the
offer.

"Without any evidence, Turkey cannot accept any allegations," he
added.