| Army opposes apology petition |
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ANKARA - The military became involved Friday in a deepening controversy over an apology campaign launched by Turkish intellectuals for the World War I-era killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
"We definitely think what has been done is not right. Apologizing is wrong and can yield harmful consequences," Brig. Gen. Metin Gürak, spokesperson for the General Staff, told a weekly news conference.
The Internet initiative coincides with a diplomatic rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia to end hostility. In Brussels, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, speaking to reporters, said the intellectuals’ initiative could harm the recent process aimed at normalizing ties with Armenia.
The apology, which was also countered by a declaration from a group of retired ambassadors, avoids using the word "genocide" and instead uses the term "great catastrophe." |
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