TURKISH MFA SPOKESMAN ON IRANIAN LEADER'S DECEMBER

UNCLAS ANKARA 007247 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL TU IR SUBJECT: TURKISH MFA SPOKESMAN ON IRANIAN LEADER'S DECEMBER 8 HOLOCAUST STATEMENT ¶1. (U) On 9 December 2005, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan delivered a statement in reply to a question about Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad's 8 December 2005 statement casting doubt on the holocaust. The text of the Turkish statement is below. ¶2. (U) Begin Text: It is very important today to promote and develop dialog, understanding, and friendship between countries and nations. This is all the more vital in a world which has been riddled with problems for such a long time. It is not possible to approve of such confrontational statements at a time when what is needed is dialog, compromise, and cooperation. Such statements will not promote the interests of either those who issue them or anyone else. They can only fuel instability and the crisis of confidence. That the Jews were subjected to genocide during World War I (Holocaust) is an historical fact which hurt the conscience of humanity. This crime against humanity has been recognized by international law, too. Our country extended help to those Jews who fled Nazi tyranny by admitting them as refugees. Our country is also a signatory to a recent related resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly. It should be everybody's priority to try to solve the existing problems and prevent new problems and disasters. End text. WILSON