TURKISH PM UNDER FIRE FOR CHINA ‘GENOCIDE’ COMMENT

Arutz Sheva
July 15 2009
Israel

(IsraelNN.com) Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is being strongly
criticised, after describing the rioting which killed 184 people in
China’s northwestern Muslim region of Xinjiang as genocide, according
to Reuters. The comment met with approval among Turks and Aras, but
many commentators fear damaging impact on growing economic relations
with China who rejected the label.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi relayed a message to Turkey
that the Urumqi riots were a grave crime orchestrated by the "three
evil forces" of extremism, separatism and terrorism, Xinhua news
reported. The genocide label is particularly sensitive in Turkey,
which strongly refutes Armenian claims that the killing of Armenians
by Ottoman Turks during World War One constituted genocide. Known for
strong comments, Erdogan lashed out at Israeli President Shimon Peres
over Israel’s Gaza offensive in January at the Davos forum, saying,
"When it comes to killing you know very well how to kill".