Ambassador's remarks and public events

Remarks by Ambassador Ross Wilson Following a Meeting with TOBB President Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu

Ankara, February 7, 2006

AMBASSADOR WILSON: Thank you very much for receiving me here. I am deeply honored to be able to pay a visit to TOBB, and grateful to Mr. Hisarciklioglu for the opportunity to meet. We have talked before, but this was a very full discussion about a wide range of issues affecting US and Turkish trade and investment. I think we both share a strong interest in trying to see trade and investment ties between our two countries developed, in working both on some of the practical issues that are of concern to businessmen as well as on policy issues, and trying to bring together our businessmen in interesting and constructive ways so that they can get about the business of helping to make our two countries more prosperous and our trade and economic relations more fruitful. So thank you very much. Shall we take a question or two?

QUESTION: In the statement that your embassy released yesterday, you indicated that the cartoons were unwelcome, but said it should be considered in terms of freedom of expression. But it is prohibited throughout Europe even to say that the Holocaust never really took place. Isn’t that a contradiction? I mean, what kind of freedom of expression are we talking about?

QUESTION: Do you think that these cartoons will lead to an escalation in terrorism in the region?

AMBASSADOR WILSON: Let me try to respond to both these questions. We put out a statement yesterday that I think you have seen, that speaks to two issues that are at stake here. One is the principle of freedom of speech to which my country is devoted, and on which my country’s history has been based. And the other is the principle that freedom of speech comes with certain responsibilities. That means, among other things, to act sensibly and respectfully toward other people who may differ. I thought it was important for us to state very clearly that the United States Government and the United States people found the cartoons that were published in various newspapers repugnant, ugly, and something that should not have happened. I thought it was also important to state that where there are differences that exist, where people exercise their right to freedom of expression, there is not a countervailing right to carry out violent activities against those who exercise that right. We condemn the violence that has taken place, and we do that while we stand with our many friends in the Islamic world who find these cartoons repugnant and ugly.

QUESTION: A statement by the US Undersecretary at the State Department was reported here regarding Iran’s nuclear weapons program. What was exactly meant by this statement? What is lacking in Turkey’s attitude to cause such a statement?

AMBASSADOR WILSON: I am somewhat familiar with the remarks that Undersecretary Joseph made a couple of days ago. I don’t really know exactly what the question was, or all the words that he used in responding to the question, but let me say the following: President Bush, Secretary Rice and other American officials have for a number of weeks been making very clear that we are committed to working through diplomatic channels with our friends and allies around the world to resolve the issues that Iran has presented before the international community, and the challenges that its nuclear aspirations represent to those who are interested in peace and security. Turkey has added its voice to those who are calling upon Iran to act responsibility in terms of its nonproliferation treaty obligations, to meet those obligations together with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and to carry out its activities in an open and transparent manner. And what I think Mr. Joseph was trying to indicate is that for that diplomatic track to succeed, we need all the countries in the world, certainly all of our friends and allies, to be acting together, to be speaking with one voice, to call upon Iran to abandon the programs that it appears to be determined to proceed with.

QUESTION: In today’s world, where dialogue among religions and alliances among countries have developed, do you think that these cartoons harm the positive relations among civilizations? What exactly is the perspective of the US? Do you think these cartoons are having a negative effect?

AMBASSADOR WILSON: I think as our statement yesterday indicated, the kinds of things that have appeared in the newspapers over the course of last couple of weeks are not helpful. They do not help to increase understanding. They do not advance tolerance. They don’t really help to support development of the kind of world that I think we want to see. By the same token, the violent attacks that have taken place on the embassies of Denmark, and the embassies and consulates of other European countries, similarly do not help to advance tolerance, they do not help to advance mutual respect, and they don’t help to advance peace. We condemn both those things. We would like to see all parties act with more restraint and responsibility. The Turkish Government, I think, has made some statements along these lines, and I appreciate those.

QUESTION: Do you think that the attitude of the Danish Government has caused the reactions to get worse?

AMBASSADOR WILSON: Clearly, the publication of the cartoons was a problematic event. I don’t think that the Danish Government intended to offend people. Indeed, the Prime Minister of Denmark has publicly apologized and expressed regret for the publication of these things that Muslims all over the world find offensive.