BEIJING CRITICAL OVER ERDOGAN’S ‘GENOCIDE’ DESCRIPTION

Today’s Zaman
July 24 2009
Turkey

Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Zhai Jun has called remarks made by
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan likening the ethnic violence
in China’s northwestern Muslim region of Xinjiang to genocide an
"irresponsible statement," NTV news reported on Thursday.

Earlier this month, Erdogan said something "tantamount to genocide"
was being committed in Xinjiang and called on Chinese authorities
to intervene. Afterwards, a Chinese official told Erdogan to retract
his remarks that described the violence as genocide.

"Due to recent statements from Turkey, relations between Ankara and
Beijing have been harmed," Zhai told NTV, emphasizing the need to
repair their relations.

"Relations between countries are like relations between people. It
is normal to have misunderstandings; what matters is removing these
[misunderstandings]," Zhai was quoted as saying by the Anatolia
news agency.

Representatives of Turkish media were in Beijing, invited by the
Chinese government.

Uighurs attacked Han Chinese in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, on
July 5 after police tried to break up a protest, which was in response
to the fatal attacks on Uighur workers that occurred at a factory in
south China. Han Chinese in Urumqi launched revenge attacks later in
the week.

One hundred ninety-seven people were killed and more than 1,600
wounded, mostly Han Chinese. About 1,000 people, mostly Uighurs,
have been detained in an ensuing government crackdown.

Uighurs are Muslim people native to Xinjiang, located in China’s far
west, and culturally tied to Central Asia and Turkey.

Zhai also stated that China does not want Ankara to grant a visa to
Rebiya Kadeer, the exiled Uighur businesswoman accused by China of
masterminding the recent deadly riots in Xinjiang Province and who
he called "a separatist."

Kadeer, who had been reportedly denied a Turkish visa twice before
in 2006 and 2007, was given personal clearance to enter the country
by Erdogan earlier this month.

The Chinese government "knows that Rebiya Kadeer has been trying
to travel to Turkey in the last two or three years; however, the
Turkish government has not granted a visa. China hopes that she will
not be given a visa from now on, either," Zhai was quoted as saying
by Anatolia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress