The President of Turkey, Celal Bayar, delivered a violent attack on the anti-minority riots in this country several months ago, in an address opening the winter session of the Turkish Parliament. Millions of dollars worth of property owned by Jews was sacked and destroyed as mobs, originally protesting the Greek demands for union with the island of Cyprus, turned their wrath on shops owned by all minority groups and some Turks.
In his address, President Bayar stressed that the Turkish constitution guaranteed equal rights and full security to all citizens, regardless of race, religion or language. He pledged that those who incited and participated in the riots would be punished, and revealed that inquiries into the cause and effects of the riots are still going on. He asserted that the country was still “suffering from wounds” inflicted by the mobs.
In a review of foreign policy, he asserted that the Bagdad pact–whose current signatories are Turkey, Iraq and Britain and which may be joined by other Middle and Far Eastern states and the United States–was not aimed at any country in the Middle East area. While he spoke warmly of the Arab states in general, he avoided all mention of the Palestine problem and recent developments in the Middle East.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
