CHP DEPUTY STICKS TO STANCE DESPITE CRITICISM
Hurriyet
Dec 22 2008
Turkey
ANKARA – President Gul hails the apology initiative as proof of
Turkey’s democratic health, while Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
the military and the CHP oppose the campaign, saying the consequences
will be harmful
Despite a written warning from her party, the Republican People’s
Party, or CHP, deputy Canan Arıtman has decided to move ahead with
controversial claims over the weekend concerning alleged Armenian
roots of the president.
"If I had seen the president, I would have hurled a shoe at him,"
Arıtman was quoted as saying, referring to the recent protest of
the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoe at outgoing U.S. President
George W. Bush.
In protest of President Abdullah Gul’s approach to an apology campaign
launched by Turkish intellectuals about World War I-era killings of
Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, Arıtman argued Gul was
a secret Armenian. "Look at his ethnic origins from his mother side,"
she said in controversial remarks last week, which also drew reaction
from her party.
In her latest statements, Arıtman said she would open a counter-suit
if Gul opened a case against her. "I was not engaged in racism. If a
price is to be paid, I’ll pay it," she said while commenting on the
CHP warning.
In response to Arıtman’s allegations, Gul said yesterday his family
comes from Satoglu on his mother’s side and from Gul (Gulukimam)
on his father’s side and noted that the registered history of his
family tracing back to centuries ago was "Muslim" and "Turk."
Gul said he felt the need to inform the public about the recent
claims, according to a written statement released by the presidency
press office.
Respecting all citizens "I respect ethnic origins, different faiths
and family bonds of all my citizens and consider all these diversities
as a reality and also richness of our country which has a history of
empire," said the president. "I also want to stress that all citizens
are equal with no discrimination. Nobody has superiority over the
others. Everyone’s rights are safeguarded in the Constitution."
At the CHP party congress, Arıtman, in an attempt to clarify her
statements about Gul’s ethnic origins, said persons occupying state
posts has no right to care for an ethnic identity. "I did not ask
the president to reveal his ethnic identity. I want the president to
fulfill his duty of protecting the Turkish Republic and the nation
on the basis of the oath he took," she said.
The apology campaign, which was countered by a declaration from a group
of retired ambassadors, avoids the word "genocide" and uses instead the
term "great catastrophe." Gul has distanced himself from the criticism,
hailing the initiative as proof of Turkey’s democratic health. On
the contrary, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the military
opposed the campaign, saying that it would yield harmful consequences.
Toptan said making biased judgments about Turkey was "unfair," in
remarks before a visit to Macedonia.
"I have difficulty in understanding what those friends who issued
the declaration want to do. Will this initiative make relations
with Armenia gain impetus? Will it put an end to Armenian diaspora
activities against Turkey? Will it help clear the events of [1915]
and offer evidence? I cannot understand," he said.
Toptan slammed Arıtman’s controversial remarks as "unbecoming"
as per the oath she took to serve as a parliamentarian.
"We cannot display such a behavior of researching the ethnic origins
of one another and reach conclusions," he said, adding that he did
not approve of the statement made by the CHP deputy.
International plot At his party’s congress, CHP leader Deniz Baykal
also criticized the apology campaign and considered it as part
of systematic international efforts aimed at making Turkey feel
guilty. He referred to the government’s proposal, in cooperation
with the CHP, to set up a joint committee of independent historians
to study genocide allegations.
He said while Turkey was defending that history should be left to
historians, not politicians, a group of intellectuals’ campaign was
no different from a series of genocide resolutions passed in several
countries’ parliaments.
"Some might be launching this campaign deliberately. Turkey should
not take it seriously," Baykal said.
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