Turkey relieved; Armenian conference ends without incident

Turkey is breathing a deep sigh of relief this week with the calm, uneventful ending of the controversial Armenian conference at Bilgi University. Despite cancellations, court orders, and protests featuring tomatoes and eggs, the conference went on, and following its closure, participants were universal in their pronouncement that an enormous responsibility had been lifted from Turkey's shoulders. The rectors of Bosphorus, Sabanci, and Bilgi universities were also universal in their agreement that the very fact that a such a conference had gone ahead was an important mark for the freedom of Turkish universities in general. The rector of Istanbul's Bilgi University, Professor Aydin Ugur, said "In terms of academic freedom, we have taken an important step. Turkey needs to be able to discuss all of its matters. I think that on that level, we have gained some important ground. As a university, we are tired, but the truth is, it was worth it."          Â