SWITZERLAND DENIES TURKEY WRITTEN GUARANTEE ON ARMENIAN COURT RULING

Tert.am
11:54 ~U 28.01.10

Turkey has appealed to the United States and Switzerland, the official
mediator between Ankara and Yerevan, to give written clarification
on the Armenian Constitutional Court’s recent decision on the
Armenian-Turkish Protocols.

"We will try to find a solution on the legal ground," said a Turkish
official, reports Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkey hoped to begin talks with Switzerland and the United States
to get legal clarification that the recent decision of the Armenian
court will not prevent a debate between Ankara and Yerevan on the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

"We can set up a commission of historians that can talk about
everything on the 1915 events, yet cannot discuss whether it was
genocide or not because the Armenian court ruled this is not an issue
open to discussion," said a Turkish official.

"We immediately asked for clarification from Armenia, the United
States and Switzerland," said the same official. Switzerland was the
mediator during last year’s talks between Turks and Armenians.

"We have asked Switzerland to give us a written guarantee," said the
Turkish official. Although the Swiss were unwilling to give the written
guarantee, the concerned sides decided to continue the dialogue.

"We will talk to Switzerland and the U.S. and try to find a solution
on legal grounds," the official added.