MEPS REACT TO GUL ETHNIC ORIGIN DISPUTE

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.12.2008 15:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European Parliament members have reacted strongly
against Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Canan Aritman’s remarks
on President Abdullah Gul’s ancestry.

The most powerful reactions have come from the Socialists, the
sister party of CHP in Socialist International. Hannes Swoboda,
a vice chairman of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament,
labeled Aritman’s remarks as "racist, nationalist and unacceptable."

Another Socialist heavyweight, Jan Marinus Wiersma, another vice
chairman of the Socialist Group, said the CHP deputy’s statements
have a racist undertone.

Co-chairman of EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee Joost Lagendijk
said every political party should be ashamed of such statements. Hannes
Swoboda, the Vice Chairman for Socialist Group said Artiman’s assertion
was uttered in a "racist fashion."

"First of all, the question is whether it is true or not; I mean,
does President Gul have Armenian blood? But even if it is true
that President Gul has Armenian blood in his veins, this is not an
argument at all. These kinds of remarks are racist, nationalist
and unacceptable. Even if it is true, the remarks have been used
in a racist fashion. It is totally unacceptable. She either has to
apologize or resign. These two alternatives would be the choices of
politicians in a democratic country. Also in a democratic country, if
she would resist resigning, the party leader could ask her to resign
or she could be evicted by the party caucus. It shows that the CHP and
its present leadership are far from European standards," Swoboda said.

He also added that even if Gul had Armenian blood that would mean
nothing, highlighting the fact that Turkey has many citizens of
Armenian origin. "They are full citizens and have the right to become
everything," he said.

"Hikmet Cetin has Kurdish roots; you have politicians from Arab
descent. The French president is from Hungary, and he has many
ministers from Africa in his cabinet. The meaning loaded on "Armenian"
is a huge disgrace for Turkey. In Europe, a politician who would make
such racist remarks would at least have to apologize," Swoboda said,
Today’s Zaman reports.

The dispute between a main opposition deputy and President Abdullah
Gul over the latter’s ethnic origin took on another dimension Wednesday
with the request of a DNA test from Gul to prove his ethnic background.

Canan Aritman, the Izmir deputy of the Republican People’s Party,
or CHP, said Gul had Armenian roots, which is why he has not
openly rejected the apology campaign carried out by a group of
intellectuals. In a counter-statement Gul said his family was 100
percent Muslim and Turk and filed a lawsuit against Aritman.