Senator Menendez right to ask tough questions of a Turkey that is drenched in minority blood.

By Nikolaos Taneris February 10, 2009
While I do not necessarily agree with Senator Menendez’s support of the “bizonal/bi-communal Federation” for Cyprus, I do take offense at Ms. Guler Koknar ,( from the well financed Washington DC-based Turkish lobby TCA–Turkish Coalition of America) launching missives of misinformation about “ethnic politics” and “business as usual” in regards to an ongoing humanitarian crisis, especially as it regards Turkey, with its rising Anti-American and anti-Western ,Islamic extremist slide into yet another Middle Eastern nightmare for Americans.
Turkey, as it is portrayed by its slick and deep pocketed lobbyists, would like Americans to believe that it is a secular Muslim democracy and a US ally.
First, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Islamist AK Party has said “Allah will sooner or later punish those who transgress the rights of innocents.” He added for good measure that “Media outlets supported by Jews are disseminating false reports….” In reference to recent events in the Middle East,
None of which is surprising when considering the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and Turkish nationalism in Turkish popular culture. A few years ago, we saw the huge popularity of the rabidly anti-American and anti-Semitic film Valley of the Wolves, which shows a Jewish-American army doctor harvesting organs from wounded Iraqi prisoners to sell to rich Americans, Israelis and Britons. The film was shown to cheering audiences who applauded the deaths of American men and women on film in battle scenes.
Second, in recent weeks, Turkish actor, Attila Olgac, a star in the popular Valley of the Wolves TV series, which spawned the notorious anti-American and anti-Israeli film of the same name, admits while being interviewed on Turkish Star television, that during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 he cold-bloodedly murdered 10 Greek prisoners. This confession is in regards to Turkey’s crimes in 1974,when Turkish forces forced over 200,000 Cypriots out of their homes in Cyprus, massacred thousands of civilians by means of napalm and bombs dropped on schools, houses of worship and hospitals , and illegally seized some thirty-seven percent of Cypriot territory, which Turkey still occupies. Cyprus is the only European country that still endures ongoing military-occupation.
Third, the confession of Attila Olgac is not the only one about Turkey’s war crimes in Cyprus. Many “Stories of Shame” such as this one have been recorded by Kurdish journalist Roni Alasor, who lives in Norway for the past 30 years. In his book “Order: Execute the Prisoners” (published 1999, printed in Greek 2001), he records 10 confessions of Turkish army veterans who participated in the 1974 invasion involving slaughters of unarmed citizens, prisoner executions and all types of violent acts. Sergeant H. Kofen refers to a mass grave which his unit found in a ditch near Lapithos. “I believe these corpses (around 100) belonged to Greek-Cypriots… even though some looked like soldiers, most of them were citizens, dressed in civil”. According to a Turkish commando, “the murders, rapes and looting started after 22nd July 1974”, after the first supposed “ceasefire” on the island.
The government of Cyprus plans to bring up the issue of Attila Olgac and his revelations to the Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Council of Europe. The initiative is important as Turkey has already been condemned from the Council
Ms. Guler Koknar, who claims to speak for “30,000 Turkish Americans” in New Jersey, should look into her own backyard and come to terms with Turkey’s crimes for the sake of her country and country men; it’s never too late to make right the wrongs which have been committed. Demilitarization of the Greek Island of Cyprus, the largest of the islands of Greece, would be a first step towards making such amends. Then should follow a full hearted apology to Greeks and Armenians, for Turkey’s long legacy of military aggression, discrimination, massacres and genocide.
Senator Menendez, a Hispanic minority congressman, is very much in his right to ask tough questions of what foreign policy makers plan to do with a Turkey that is drenched in minority blood.
Nikolaos Taneris, Press Officer, Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org
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URL http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2009/01/turkish_coalition_of_america_t.html
Turkish Coalition of America takes on Sen. Robert Menendez over “ethnic politics”
Posted by Guler Koknar/ NJ Voices Guest Blogger January 28, 2009 3:08PM
Categories: Politics
While America is currently engaged in two wars, faces the continued threat of international terrorism and the possible advent of nuclear-armed rogue nations, and struggles with an economic crisis of historical proportions, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) chose to use his valuable time at the confirmation hearing of newly confirmed Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to pander to the Armenian and Greek lobbies.
While the world was watching, Sen. Menendez asked Sen. Clinton to make it a priority to recognize as “genocide” nearly a century-old events that took place in a foreign state which no longer exists. He theorized that the United States must pay heed to “history that is universally recognized so that we can move forward in that respect.”
A history lesson to address the deeds of a defunct empire, apparently in the Senator’s eyes, should be a priority for the new U.S. Secretary of State to address in confirmation hearings. Never mind that what Senator Menendez calls “universally recognized” history, is still strongly debated among scores of scholars and that many historians of international renown contest the genocide label.
If this issue was indeed universally settled, Great Britain, a country which was a party to the conflict at hand, would not have repeatedly refused to use the term genocide to describe the tragic events. If defining whether a crime constituted genocide was to be entrusted to politicians, the international community would not have bestowed the authority to investigate, prosecute and punish such crimes to the International Court of Justice.
The senator also stated that the tiny island of Cyprus should be high on the priority list of the Secretary of State. Voicing support for the “bi-zonal, bi-communal federation” solution on the island, Sen. Menendez seemed to be ignorant of the fact that this was precisely what 65 percent of Turkish Cypriots supported in a referendum in 2004, and which 75 percent of Greek Cypriots rejected. Based on his obvious concern for the well being of ALL Cypriots, we hope that Sen. Menendez will now take the lead in a congressional effort to lift the inhumane international blockade on the Turkish Cypriots and provide an incentive for the solution he so desires.
The fact of the matter is that at the dawn of a new U.S. administration, awaited with great anticipation to be the government of change around the world and at home, it was politics as usual for Sen. Menendez. As the world was watching, he faithfully continued to cater to ethnic politics at home. Rather than questioning the Secretary of State on the countless foreign policy challenges America faces around the world, he sought her commitment to take sides in a historical dispute, while making a half-hearted attempt to appease the Greek American community.
The people of New Jersey, including over 30,000 Turkish Americans, deserve better leadership.
Guler Koknar is vice president of the Turkish Coalition of America in Washington, D.C.
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Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)
2578 Broadway #132
New York, NY 10025
New York: Tel. 917-699-9935
Email: [email protected]
www.cyprusactionnetwork.org
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