débats sur le négationnisme du génocide arménien
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Zaman 04.29.2005 Friday - ISTANBUL 20:41
Where Should we Begin on the Armenian Question?
SELCUK GULTASLI
Just as the Greek Cypriots rejected the Annan Plan without suffering harm after guaranteeing their membership in the European Union (EU), the Armenians also have taken important positions on the so-called "genocide" issue and are cool to the offer of discussing the issue with Turkey, expecting many gestures from Turkey nowadays to solve the problem, having received implicit support from the EU on the issue. Turkey, which was late over Cyprus, is now facing a similar situation over the Armenian issue.
Let's take a look at the vote in the Belgian Parliament last week, envisaging prison sentences and a fine for those who deny the Armenian "genocide." A total of 129 people participated in the vote. 108 said, "yes," while 21 abstained. Nobody voted "no." No one in the parliament in Belgium, where 150,000 Turks live and many people of Turkish origin, ranging from ministers to senators work, had said: "Let's not hurt the Turks. The Turks have called for a joint and independent commission to investigate the allegations." Coming to those who abstained, they were deputies of the fascist-racist party, Vlaams Belang, who strongly oppose Turkey's EU membership. The reason for their opposing the draft was not because of their love for Turkey, but because of their opposition perception of "genocide" sentences, according to their mentality. We will see whether or not the draft will be approved by the senate.
Watching official TV channels in Turkey, one might think there is a draft in the Turkish Parliament aimed at accepting the Armenian "genocide" claim. A retired military official said," If a genocide occurred, it was the Armenians who did it to Turks." An Azerbaijani woman and Prof. Mumtaz Soysal, support a French lawyer who defends Turkey over the Orly massacre, however, there is no historian among them.
You may also look at the websites claiming that the Armenian "genocide" was a reality. All of them are prepared more professionally than each other and one another. Some of them include dirges. Websites that deny the "genocide" are erroneous with many punctuation and spelling mistakes. Their English versions are even worse. The brains who had been very efficient in "making Turkish propaganda for Turks," seem "as if Turks do not even believe what they say," while explaining the issue to the world.
It is nice while expressing displeasure over European news programs that only pay attention to the Armenian thesis and rightfully blaming the West for being selective; however, why couldn't we, through official and unofficial means, direct our anger to the right places, when we sought and could not find someone advocating the Turkish thesis? Those who had been glued to their screens for "Turkish propaganda for Turks" are absent when it is time to explain the issue to Europe.
It is true that France did not apologize to Algeria. It is obvious that Belgium looks indifferently at those who accuse it of "genocide" in the Congo in the 19th century, that resulted in the deaths of millions of people. We certainly can give more examples. It would be naive to think that the demands of the furious Armenian Diaspora will end after the Turks' recognition of the "genocide" allegations. It is also clear that the Anatolian Armenians are not "innocent Berlin Jews," as Prof. Ilber Ortayli put it.
Furthermore, look at what the architect of the expel and transfer bill, Talat Pasha, at the last convention of the Progress and Union Party on November 1, 1918, said: "Enemies, who came and gathered around in many places for a long time, committed abuses with impunity, that forced us against our wish, to implement policies that led to forced emigration. Many civil servants resorted to excessive violence and tyranny. Some innocent became wrong victims in many places. Let us make this confession."
We should begin the job by accepting that Armenians who lived on these lands experienced severe pains during a period of time. It is only then we will have the opportunity of convincing the world that the incidents were not genocide and had no similarity whatsoever with what the Jews experienced.
April 25, 2005
Brussels
04.26.2005
e-mail:s.gultasli@zaman.com.tr