Senate washes its hands of "genocide" question

[Tongue]

http://www.armeniangenocide.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2625&postcount=1

It worked... Turkey won!

[Tongue]

"A week is a long time in Swiss-Turkish politics, but diplomatic relations need some serious resuscitation after a miserable ten days for the two countries."


There you go... can you see why now? They can't allow the relations with Turkey to turn sour. They need Turkey more than they need Armenia. He's like the little cousin of president Bush. Indeed shame on them! I guess, nowadays people are only concern with personal gains and benefits and don't care much about integrity and humanity. And to use 90 years as an excuse.... is just straight up painful.


It's okay, we aren't giving up.

[Hovik]

Wrong Briner, other countries have EVERY BUSINESS pointing the finger at Turkey 90 years later. In fact, democratic governments like that of the Swiss should have pointed the finger LONG AGO, so making the timing an issue is only a shame on yourself for not taking responsible action sooner.

Furthermore the US "parliment" did not recognize the genocide, and is not amongst "several" other countries! There are MANY countries that have stepped up and taken moral, historical, and humane responsibility through recognition of this terrible act.

Is the "massacre" of 6 million Jews to be determined between Germany and Israel? Or is it known as the Holocaust and recognized by every civil country in the world?

Its for historians to discuss, well as the writer correctly points out the TURKISH GOVERNMENT cancells events where historians are trying to discuss the event. Now what do you suggest Briner, in your infinite wisdom? How shall it be solved when even scholars are restricted in "democratic Turkey" from speaking of the event? Furthermore Briner, why do you think Turkish Government officials might say that these historians were "stabbing Turkey in the back"? It sounds like the statement someone who is guilty of a covered up crime would make to me. So Mr. Briner, why don't you tell us why historical discussion of the issue equates to Turkey being "stabbed in the back"?

Shame on you Mr. Briner, shame on you for your blatant ignorance. You owe it to your people to answer the above questions. Stop making excuses for Turkey.

Hovik
ArmenianGenocide.com

[Hovik]

Senate washes its hands of "genocide" question

Swissinfo, Switzerland
Aug 6 2005

swissinfo August 6, 2005 6:54 PM

Turkey's massacre of Armenians in 1915 will never be an issue for
the Swiss Senate, according to the president of the Senate foreign
affairs committee.

Peter Briner said other countries had no business pointing the finger
at Turkey 90 years after the disputed events.

Briner said the committee had decided that the death or deportation
of 800,000-1.8 million Armenians between 1915 and 1919 would not be
the subject of a plenary session.

He said the committee agreed with the government that it was not
parliament's job to decide on the whether the killings constituted
genocide. They have been recognised as such by the parliaments
of several countries, including the United States, France, Russia
and Italy.

The Swiss House of Representatives recognised the genocide in 2003.

The Swiss government however does not officially speak of "genocide"
but of "mass deportation" and "massacre".

Briner said the committee believed that it was more for the parties
involved, namely Turkey and Armenia, to reach an agreement.

Disagree to disagree

Briner said a mixed commission of historians had to "work through the
terrible events" - just as Switzerland had reappraised its history
during the Second World War.

Attempts by international scholars to determine once and for all what
really happened between 1915 and 1919 have never got much further
than agreeing which two countries were involved.

In May a group of Turkish historians had to cancel a conference
debating the genocide after the Turkish justice minister accused them
of "stabbing Turkey in the back".

In June Alev Kilic, the Turkish ambassador in Bern, told swissinfo
that during Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey's visit to Turkey
in March, the Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul talked about
establishing a commission of historians from both sides and opening
all files and archives.

"But of course the proposal has also been made to the Armenian
government and we can't establish anything without their agreement.

We have still not received a positive reply," Kilic said.

Sabre-rattling

A week is a long time in Swiss-Turkish politics, but diplomatic
relations need some serious resuscitation after a miserable ten days
for the two countries.

At the end of July the Swiss ambassador in Ankara had to deflect
a barrage of diplomatic flak concerning the Swiss investigation of
a Turkish politician who had proffered revisionist views about the
Armenian genocide in 1915.

Then on August 5 the Turkish authorities postponed indefinitely a
visit to Turkey in September by Swiss Economics Minister Joseph Deiss,
citing agenda problems of his Turkish counterpart.

Few in Switzerland believe an inability to use a diary was the reason
for the cancellation.

"That's a typical diplomatic excuse if you can't think of a better
one," said Briner diplomatically.

"The important thing is that we now show some guts," he said. "I get
the impression that the Turkish government wants to placate its people
with this sabre-rattling."