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  • ANKARA: ADL softens anti-Turkish stance

    NTV MSNBC, Turkey
    Aug 24 2007


    ADL softens anti-Turkish stance


    Turkey has always denied that any act of genocide took place in the
    Ottoman Empire, though acknowledges that many thousands of Turkish
    and Armenian civilians lost their lives in the turmoil of war.


    Güncelleme: 10:55 TSÝ 24 Aðustos 2007 Cuma


    WASHINGTON - The US lobby group the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has
    called on Armenia to respond to Turkish invitations to set up a
    released a joint commission to investigate claims that the Ottoman
    Empire committed an act of genocide against Armenians during the
    First World War.
    Haberin devamý

    The statement comes just two days after the ADL had declared it now
    supported the view that genocide had been committed by the Ottoman
    Empire against its Armenian citizens in 1915.

    In its new statement, signed by both Glen S. Lewy, the national
    chairman of the ADL, and the group's national director Abraham H.
    Foxman, the ADL said steps should be taken to encourage the creation
    of an atmosphere in which Armenia will respond favourably to the
    several recent overtures of Turkey to convene a joint commission to
    assist the parties in achieving a resolution of their profound
    differences.

    `We believe there are many renowned historians, human rights
    activists and distinguished world leaders who are willing to lend
    their knowledge, experience and judgment to this cause,' the
    statement said. `We know that earlier this year, Professor Dr Elie
    Wiesel and more than 50 of his fellow Nobel Laureates called for
    concrete steps to be taken by Turkey and Armenia to find a way
    forward to reach the goal of reconciliation, and that, last week,
    Professor Wiesel reaffirmed his support for efforts to create a body
    in which both Turkish and Armenian experts can come together to work
    cooperatively in re-examining the shared past of both peoples.'

    Though the statement did not retract the ADL's claims over the
    so-called genocide, saying that `independent scholars may have
    reached a consensus about the genocide,' it also said that in order
    to facilitate reconciliation there was room for further dispassionate
    scholarly examination of the details of those dark and terrible days.

    `The ADL and the American Jewish community should focus their
    attention on supporting efforts to urge Turkey and Armenia to make
    this happen,' the statement said.
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