Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE~PRESS REVIEW~BERHEVOKAÇAPÊ~RNISTA STAMPA~DENTRO DE LA PRENSA~BASIN ÖZETÎ
Turkish Probe June 16,1995
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added: "Even if he, due to his straightforward
Anatolian nature has made some blunder - which
we really do not think he did - then this should
have been overlooked."
Önkibar then condemned the blindly pro-
European tendencies of the Foreign Ministry, making
Turkish outrage sound as if it were an attempt to
"appease" the European Parliament.
A journalist from a private TV channel reported
that scores of faxes in support of Gökdemir's
remarks were transmitted to their offices in Ankara
and Istanbul.
The strangest statement came from Kenan
Evren, the seventh president of Turkey. "If it was
my time I would have dismissed him," said Evren,
now happily retired in Marmaris. "What an undiplomatic
remark - he should have found another
word. In fact, you cannot call a prostitute a 'prostitute'
because it is a felony."
The state ministry responsible for the rights of
women kept a low profile, but female members of
the Republican People's Party (CHP), the junior
coalition partner of the Gökdemir's True Path, also
launched their own protest.
"His remarks have not only offended us, the
women of CHP, but all Turkish women," a statement
said. "Gökdemir should apologize to the three
female deputies and respectfully salute those intelligent
and modern deputies who are the pride of
Europe."
A bitter statement came from I~IIÖzgentürk, a
movie director. "I've known Ayvaz Gökdemir for a
long time. His words show that he does not understand
democracy. I am sure that many of those who
occupy the same seats in Parliament are also capable
of using such words. n •
Who said What:
"I do not know whether they are prostitutes or
not. I am not keeping track of who is... playing
around with whom in European circles."
Ayvaz Gökdemir, State Minister
"If he (Gökdemir) has said this ... his
remarks do not reflect the view of myself nor
my government. I detach myself from them.
Tansu Çiller, Prime Minister
"Even if Gökdemir, due to his straightforward
Anatolian nature has made some blunder -
which we really do not think he did - then this
should have been overlooked."
Sabahattin Önkibar, Türkiye columnist
"What an undiplomatic remark - he
should have found another word. In fact, you
cannot call a prostitute a 'prostitute' because
it is a felony." Kenan Evren, ex-president
"This demonstrates ...the distance that Turkey
has to travel to the same democratic conditions
and values as in the European Union ...That's
why we in the European Parliament are cautious
until they demonstrate the same democratic
conditions and values as we do."
Pauline Green, head of the European
Parliament socialists group
"I am sure that many of those who occupy the
same seats in Parliament are also capable of
using such words." l$tI Özgentürk, film director
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