From: sera@zuma.UUCP (Serdar Argic)
Subject: According to 'Greek Government', there are no Turks in Western Thrace.
Reply-To: sera@zuma.UUCP (Serdar Argic)
Distribution: world
Lines: 207

In article <1993May14.025626.14855@news.uiowa.edu> mau@herky.cs.uiowa.edu (Mau Napoleon) writes:

>There are treaties signed between Greece and Turkey which speak about a 
>Moslem minority in Thraki and not of a Turkish minority in Thraki.
>The reason they talk about Moslems and not about Turks is that the majority
>of these people are not ethnik Turks. They are Pomaks and Gypsies.

Oboy, this is exciting. First you discuss your non-existent literature
tastes, then your fantasies, and now your choices of historical revisionism.
Are you related to 'Arromdians' of the ASALA/SDPA/ARF Terrorism and
Revisionism Triangle?

The Agreement on the Exchange of Minorities uses the term 'Turks,' 
which demonstrates what is actually meant by the previous reference 
to 'Muslims.' The fact that the Greek governments also mention the 
existence of a few thousand non-Turkish Muslims does not change the 
essential reality that there lives in Western Thrace a much bigger 
Turkish minority. The 'Pomaks' are also a Muslim people, whom all the 
three nations (Bulgarians, Turks, and Greeks) consider as part of 
themselves. Do you know how the Muslim Turkish minority was organized 
according to the agreements? 

It also proves that the Turkish people are trapped in Greece 
and the Greek people are free to settle anywhere in the world.
The Greek authorities deny even the existence of a Turkish
minority. They pursue the same denial in connection with 
the Macedonians of Greece. Talk about oppression. In addition,
in 1980 the 'democratic' Greek Parliament passed Law No. 1091,
virtually taking over the administration of the vakiflar and
other charitable trusts. They have ceased to be self-supporting
religious and cultural entities. Talk about fascism. The Greek 
governments are attempting to appoint the muftus, irrespective
of the will of the Turkish minority, as state official. Although
the Orthodox Church has full authority in similar matters in
Greece, the Muslim Turkish minority will have no say in electing
its religious leaders. Talk about democracy.

The government of Greece has recently destroyed an Islamic 
convention in Komotini. Such destruction, which reflects an 
attitude against the Muslim Turkish cultural heritage, is a 
violation of the Lausanne Convention as well as the 'so-called' 
Greek Constitution, which is supposed to guarantee the protection 
of historical monuments. 

The government of Greece, on the other hand, is building new 
churches in remote villages as a complementary step toward 
Hellenizing the region.

The longstanding use of the adjective 'Turkish' in titles
and on signboards is prohibited. The Greek courts have
ordered the closure of the Turkish Teachers' Association, 
the Komotini Turkish Youth Association and the Ksanti 
Turkish Association on grounds that there are no Turks
in Western Thrace. Such community associations had been 
active until 1984. But they were first told to remove
the word 'Turkish' on their buildings and on their official
papers and then eventually close down. This is also the 
final verdict (November 4, 1987) of the Greek High Court.

Helsinki Watch, a well-known Human Rights group, had been investigating 
the plight of the Turkish Minority in Greece. In August 1990, their 
findings were published in a report titled 

 'Destroying Ethnic Identity: Turks of Greece.'

The report confirmed gross violations of the Human Rights of the 
Turkish minority by the Greek authorities. It says for instance, 
the Greek government recently destroyed an Islamic convent in 
Komotini. Such destruction, which reflects an attitude against 
the Muslim Turkish cultural heritage, is a violation of the 
Lausanne Convention. 

|1|

HELSINKI WATCH: "PROBLEMS OF TURKS IN WESTERN THRACE CONTINUE"

Ankara (A.A)  In a 15-page report  of the "Helsinki Watch"  it is
stated that the Turkish minority in Western Thrace is still faced
with problems and stipulated that the discriminatory policy being
implemented by the Greek Government be brought to an end.

The report on Western Thrace emphasized that the Greek government
should grant  social and political  rights to all the  members of
minorities that are equal to  those enjoyed by Greek citizens and
in addition  they must  recognize the  existence of  the "Turkish
Minority" in Western Thrace and  grant them the right to identify
themselves as 'Turks'.

NEWSPOT, May 1992

|2|

GREECE ISOLATES WEST THRACE TURKS

The  Xanthi independent  MP Ahmet  Faikoglu said  that the  Greek
state is trying to cut all  contacts and relations of the Turkish
minority with Turkey.

Pointing out that while the  Greek minority living in Istanbul is
called "Greek"  by ethnic  definition, only  the religion  of the
minority in  Western Thrace is  considered. In an  interview with
the Greek  newspaper "Ethnos" he said:  "I am a Greek  citizen of
Turkish origin. The individuals of the minority living in Western
Trace are also Turkish."

Emphasizing  the education  problem for  the Turkish  minority in
Western  Thrace  Faikoglu said  that  according  to an  agreement
signed in 1951 Greece must distribute textbooks printed in Turkey
in Turkish minority schools in Western Thrace.

Recalling his activities and those of Komotini independent MP Dr.
SadIk  Ahmet  to  defend  the rights  of  the  Turkish  minority,
Faikoglu said.  "In fact we  helped Greece. Because  we prevented
Greece, the cradle of democracy, from losing face before European
countries by forcing the Greek  government to recognize our legal
rights."

On Turco-Greek relations, he pointed  out that both countries are
predestined  to live  in  peace for  geographical and  historical
reasons and said  that Turkey and Greece must  resist the foreign
powers  who  are  trying  to   create  a  rift  between  them  by
cooperating, adding  that in  Turkey he  observed that  there was
will to improve relations with Greece.

NEWSPOT, January 1993

|3|

MACEDONIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TO FACE TRIAL IN GREECE.

Two ethnic Macedonian  human rights activists will  face trial in
Athens for alleged crimes against the Greek state, according to a
Court Summons (No. 5445) obtained by MILS.

  Hristos  Sideropoulos and  Tashko Bulev  (or Anastasios  Bulis)
have been charged under Greek criminal law for making comments in
an Athenian magazine.

  Sideropoulos and  Bulev gave an  interview to the  Greek weekly
magazine  "ENA"  on  March  11,  1992,  and  said  that  they  as
Macedonians were  denied basic human  rights in Greece  and would
field  an ethnic  Macedonian  candidate for  the up-coming  Greek
general election.

  Bulev said in the interview: "I am not Greek, I am Macedonian."
Sideropoulos said  in the  article that "Greece  should recognise
Macedonia.  The  allegations  regarding  territorial  aspirations
against  Greece are  tales... We  are in  a panic  to secure  the
border, at  a time when the  borders and barriers within  the EEC
are falling."

  The  main  charge  against  the two,  according  to  the  court
summons,  was   that  "they  have   spread...intentionally  false
information  which  might  create   unrest  and  fear  among  the
citizens,  and  might affect  the  public  security or  harm  the
international interests of the country (Greece)."

  The  Greek  state  does  not   recognise  the  existence  of  a
Macedonian ethnicity. There are believed to be between 350,000 to
1,000,000  ethnic  Macedonians   living  within  Greece,  largely
concentrated in the north. It is  a crime against the Greek state
if anyone declares themselves Macedonian.

  In  1913  Greece,   Serbia-Yugoslavia  and  Bulgaria  partioned
Macedonia into three  pieces. In 1919 Albania  took 50 Macedonian
villages. The part under  Serbo-Yugoslav occupation broke away in
1991  as the  independent Republic  of Macedonia.  There are  1.5
million Macedonians in the Republic; 500,000 in Bulgaria; 150,000
in Albania; and 300,000 in Serbia proper.

  Sideropoulos  has been  a long  time campaigner  for Macedonian
human rights in  Greece, and lost his job as  a forestry worker a
few years ago.  He was even exiled to an  obscure Greek island in
the mediteranean. Only pressure from Amnesty International forced
the Greek government  to allow him to return to  his home town of
Florina (Lerin) in Northern  Greece (Aegean Macedonia), where the
majority of ethnic Macedonians live.

  Balkan watchers see the Sideropoulos  affair as a show trial in
which  Greece is  desperate to  clamp down  on internal  dissent,
especially  when it  comes to  the issue  of recognition  for its
northern neighbour, the Republic of Macedonia.

  Last year the  State Department of the  United States condemned
Greece for its bad treatment of ethnic Macedonians and Turks (who
largely live in Western Thrace). But it remains to be seen if the
US government  will do anything until  the Presidential elections
are over.

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Serdar Argic

                           'We closed the roads and mountain passes that 
                            might serve as ways of escape for the Turks 
                            and then proceeded in the work of extermination.'
                                                  (Ohanus Appressian - 1919)
                           'In Soviet Armenia today there no longer exists 
                            a single Turkish soul.' (Sahak Melkonian - 1920)


