IP's Perinçek: Swiss trip a huge success

[Hovik]

IP's Perinçek: Swiss trip a huge success

Tuesday, August 9, 2005

DOMESTIC

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

Labor Party (IP) leader Dogu Perinçek said on Monday that they
were conducting an international campaign against Armenian genocide
claims, noting that the Swiss Senate withdrawing a resolutionÂ
supporting the allegations was a huge success.

Perinçek said at a press conference that incidents whichÂ
occurred in 1915 Turkey had no place in the Swiss Parliament and that
the Swiss decision to withdraw the bill confirmed this fact.

He said soon after his brief detention by Swiss authorities
forpublicly denying Armenian genocide claims, the Swiss Parliament
made their decision, adding that this was a huge success for the IP.

He said the resolution's withdrawal provided a great opportunity
to expand the fight against the allegations to other European
capitals. `Let's make sure these imperialist laws are difficult to
implement,' said the party leader.

He said this was an example that Turkish foreign policy could
achieve its objectives. `We will continue our fight to rescind a lawÂ
on genocide passed by the Swiss Parliament. I will go to each Swiss
canton and challenge this law.'

[Gavur]

Briner sets record straight over Turkey debate

Briner sets record straight over Turkey debate

swissinfo August 11, 2005 9:33 PM




Peter Briner (right) explains his views on the controversial issue (Keystone)
The president of the Senate foreign-affairs committee has denied he ever said that Turkey's massacre of Armenians would not be debated in the chamber.

Peter Briner was reported at the beginning of August as saying that countries had no business pointing the finger at Turkey 90 years after the disputed events.


Briner, a member of the centre-right Radical Party, maintains the Senate's position is that a committee of historians from the two countries involved should investigate the events of 1915.

The Swiss House of Representatives recognised the death of up to 1.8 million Armenians as genocide in 2003. But unlike many western governments, the Swiss government does not officially speak of "genocide" but of "mass deportation" and "massacre".

The Turkish government rejects that it was genocide, claiming that the Armenian deaths as a result of mass evacuation and starvation were not a result of a state-sponsored plan of extermination.

swissinfo: You say reports are false which claim you said the Senate will never recognise the Turkish massacre of Armenians 90 years ago as genocide. What is the Senate's position regarding those events?

Peter Briner: Those reports are based on either a misquote or a misunderstanding – and this is of course most regrettable. What I did say was that when the Swiss House of Representatives had [voted to] recognise the genocide, this was not an issue in the Senate.

The policy of our government – and the Senate foreign-affairs committee – is that the two countries involved, Turkey and Armenia, should investigate the terrible events of 1915 with a committee of historians from both sides.

swissinfo: Two years ago the House of Representatives recognised the massacre as genocide. Why did the debate not pass to the Senate?

P.B.: The House of Representatives vote was only [in response to] a motion and not on the parliament's agenda. We discussed this and we felt that the policy of our government was the wiser course.

swissinfo: So the Armenian question is still a topic of discussion for the Senate?

P.B.: I can never be sure what will be on the Senate's agenda, of course, but right now the postponement of Economics Minister Joseph Deiss' invitation to Turkey will certainly be discussed during our next committee meeting on August 23.

swissinfo: Why won't the Senate recognise the Armenian deaths as genocide like other western countries?

P.B.: I think that the position of our government is the better one. I don't feel comfortable being the judge of the whole world and of something that happened a long time ago.

These are evidently terrible events and I think that they should be investigated, but they should be primarily investigated by the parties involved.

swissinfo: How would you describe Swiss-Turkish relations at the moment?

P.B.: They are normally good – we felt this when a delegation of the Senate foreign-affairs committee visited the Turkish parliament last September. Then a Turkish delegation visited us this summer and we talked about these things in a friendly way.

Relations have of course been strained by recent events but I think in the long run good relations will prevail. I think relations between the two countries will remain good and prosper as they have done in the past.

swissinfo-interview: Thomas Stephens

[Hovik]

Thank you Mr. Stephens, for asking such 'hard hitting' questions...

Why didn't you bring up the point that when the world followed Mr. Briners suggestion and a conference of historians was to be set up in Istanbul this May, it was cancelled by who? THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT! why didn't you ask that Thomas Stephens? How are historians to decide when they are banned in a 'democratic' country from even congregating? How can Mr. Briners suggestion be followed through with under such oppression?

These are the MOST important questions. Who is asking them? NOBODY!