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=> And If You were the Turkish Prime Minister?

And If You were the Turkish Prime Minister?

Posted by Jeff (Guest) - Sunday, July 16 2006, 1:18:32 (CEST) from 69.14.30.71 - d14-69-71-30.try.wideopenwest.com Commercial - Windows XP - Mozilla Website: Website title:

And If You were the Turkish Prime Minister? The Meeting of the AACF with Mr. Turhan ÇÖmez in Paris Antoni Yalap France "Are you prepared to return to Turkey if the rights and the freedom of the Assyro-Chaldean community are guaranteed by the law? Yes or No!" "And if you were the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Adlun, what decisions would you make in favour of your people?" Turkish representative in France, Mr. Turhan ÇÖmez, seen here wearing the Assyrian winged-bull pin, met with the delegation from Assyro-Chaldean community in France on 19 May 2006. This is how the Turkish representative of Balikesir, Mr. Turhan Çömez, addressed Mr. Naman Adlun, president of the Assyro-Chaldeans Association of France who was accompanied by a delegation of four in Paris to discuss the demands of the Assyro-Chaldean community of France. Not long ago, the Assistant to the Turkish Representative in Paris contacted the Assyro-Chaldeans Association of France to schedule a meeting with the head of our community and to speak to us and learn about what we expected from Turkey. A meeting was organized on Friday, May 19th at 11:30 am, in the Hotel K + K in the 7th Parisian district where the Turkish Representative received our delegation led by Mr. Naman Adlun. The correspondent of the Turkish newspaper, Sabah, and the television channel NTV, Belkis Kiliçkaya, who questioned the Representative prior to the arrival of the delegation, was anxious to assist the meeting and to take some pictures and prepare a report on the Assyro-Chaldeans of France. The meeting began with the presentation of the book "Göçten Önce" (Before the Exile) by Father Aziz Yalap and the musical CD "Süryaniler" (Syriacs) to the Representative, by the president of the AACF in the name of the delegation. After the presentations, the Turkish representative talked about the object of the meeting. He asked the usual questions about our community in France: Who are you? How many are you? How long have you lived in France? Why did you come to France? The answers were not necessarily too appealing to him, because a typical Turkish explanation is that the Assyro-Chaldeans left Turkey for economic reasons. This was not the case. The real answer seems to have raised a problem: the reality of the pressures from the Kurds, the indifference of the Turkish authorities, the political chaos of the 1980s, etc. And then, suddenly, a surprising question left the delegation speechless: "And if you were the Turkish Prime Minister, Mr Adlun, what decisions would you make in favour of your people?" The question was not left unanswered for too long . Naman Adlun, by reminding the Turkish Representative that Assyro-Chaldeans are not the enemies of the Turks, explained that he would take the necessary capacities for the recognition of the Assyro-Chaldean identity and the respect for the rights of the community which is not a danger to Turkey, rather a wealth. He explained that these are a people who have for thousands of years only tried to protect their identity, without making any territorial claims. He said: "Our homeland misses us; why could we not spend our holidays on our ancestral land instead of Spain, Italy or Morocco?" "You are right," answered at once Turhan Çömez, "these lands do not belong to one people in particular. You were there long before any of us. And it is your natural right to live there. What would you say if I provided you with the lands, in the region of your choice, and if I built you very beautiful homes there? You could return to your country, as you wish!". "Why not?" replied Mr Adlun. "But the Assyro-Chaldeans' cultural, religious, linguistic and historic liberties must be respected and guaranteed. Churches must be built. Opportunities must be organized to guarantee their peace of mind". These remarks did not seem to shock the Turkish representative, who recognized the importance of respecting and proposed to the whole delegation if his region, very touristy, could be the ideal place for the construction of the flats for the Assyro-Chaldeans. Very seriously, he promised to speak about this issue to the Prime Minister upon his return to Turkey and asked the president of the AACF about the number of families who would be interested in returning to Turkey and under what conditions. Additionally the issues of holding double citizenship and the return of the youth to Turkey during holidays or for business, without concern for military service were raised. The representative promised to discuss these issues so that the Assyro-Chaldean youth could settle their cases regarding the military service with the general consulate in Paris. Regrettably, the very complex question of the recognition of the Genocide was not approached. Nevertheless, it is an essential question which will be necessary to discuss with the Turkish authorities, sooner or later, and cannot be evaded. The Turkish representative, Turhan Çömez left us after a photo opportunity session. By leaving the delegation, he had affixed to the collar of his jacket, a pin representing the winged bull, the symbol of power, intelligence and dominion. ************************************** Editorial Note: I met several Assyro-Chaldeenes from France (they are of a higher class than Assyrians and Chaldeans here... about 75 years ago they just decided to call themselves Assyro-Chaldeans and never made a fuss about any name issue... any case, I met them at a convention 2 years ago and was incredibly impressed by them. Very excellent group! Interesting article... I could have done without the reference to churches, but all else seemed well. Turkey is a beautiful country... just like Mexico. And the US isn't invading Turkey any time soon... ************************************** --------------------- - BACK TO INDEX - REPLY - QUOTE - EDIT - DELETE -

The full topic: And If You were the Turkish Prime Minister? Jeff - Sunday, July 16 2006, 1:18:32 (CEST) Re: And If You were the Turkish Prime Minister? pancho - 07/16 03:20 Re: And If You were the Turkish Prime Minister? Dalale - 07/16 21:53

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