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NIS News Bulletin, Netherlands
Feb 1 2007
Bot: Turkey Not Involved In Election Of D66 MP
THE HAGUE, 02/02/07 - Foreign Minister Ben Bot is convinced that the
Turkish government was not involved in the distribution of an email
calling on Turks in the Netherlands to vote for centre-left D66 MP
Fatma Koser Kaya in the 22 November general elections.
TV programme NOVA reported in December that the Turkish government
called on Turks in the Netherlands via e-mail to vote for Koser Kaya,
who is of Turkish origin. According to NOVA, an e-mail bombardment
was sent one day before the elections to Turkish organisations in the
Netherlands from the Turkish general affairs ministry, by an advisor
of the Turkish Religious Affairs Minister.
The e-mail called on the electorate to vote for Koser Kaya because
D66 "is the only party that does not recognise the Armenian question
as genocide," NOVA reported. Apparently, the email was successful, as
Koser Kaya was the only one of the 150 MPs elected thanks to
preference votes.
Following the allegations, Bot requested clarification from Turkey.
Yesterday he wrote in reply to questions from conservative (VVD) MP
Hans van Baalen that the author of the email must have been a Turk
living in the Netherlands, who used an American internet forum. The
Turkish government has guaranteed that it was not responsible for the
email campaign, although it will investigate the matter further,
stated Bot.
http://www.nisnews.nl/public/020207_2.htm
Feb 1 2007
Bot: Turkey Not Involved In Election Of D66 MP
THE HAGUE, 02/02/07 - Foreign Minister Ben Bot is convinced that the
Turkish government was not involved in the distribution of an email
calling on Turks in the Netherlands to vote for centre-left D66 MP
Fatma Koser Kaya in the 22 November general elections.
TV programme NOVA reported in December that the Turkish government
called on Turks in the Netherlands via e-mail to vote for Koser Kaya,
who is of Turkish origin. According to NOVA, an e-mail bombardment
was sent one day before the elections to Turkish organisations in the
Netherlands from the Turkish general affairs ministry, by an advisor
of the Turkish Religious Affairs Minister.
The e-mail called on the electorate to vote for Koser Kaya because
D66 "is the only party that does not recognise the Armenian question
as genocide," NOVA reported. Apparently, the email was successful, as
Koser Kaya was the only one of the 150 MPs elected thanks to
preference votes.
Following the allegations, Bot requested clarification from Turkey.
Yesterday he wrote in reply to questions from conservative (VVD) MP
Hans van Baalen that the author of the email must have been a Turk
living in the Netherlands, who used an American internet forum. The
Turkish government has guaranteed that it was not responsible for the
email campaign, although it will investigate the matter further,
stated Bot.
http://www.nisnews.nl/public/020207_2.htm