Turkish nationalist leader denies responsibility for Izmir stoning

Wed 25 November 2009 15:07 GMT | 20:07 Local Time

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Devlet Bahceli

The leader of the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahceli, has dismissed allegations that he was behind the stoning of a convoy of the Democratic Society Party, the political wing of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party, in Izmir on Sunday.

Bahceli said that the unrest in Izmir was a well-staged action, according to Samanyolu TV web site.

Commenting on the frequent lawsuits initiated by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan against him, Bahceli said it would be better for the prime minister “to take away my MP's pay cheque”.

A motorcade of the Democratic Society Party was showered with stones in Izmir on Sunday. Protestors carried banners saying “The Fallen do not die” and “The motherland is indivisible". The Kurds blamed Bahceli for the incident.

Bahceli has repeatedly stated that the Turkish authorities will split the country by settling the Kurdish issue.

The prime minister thought these accusations went beyond the bounds of decency and sued him.

Bahceli is known for his anti-Armenian rhetoric. He is interested in what the Armenian-Turkish commission, envisaged in the 10 October protocols, will decide on the historical identity of Mount Ararat and whether it will rule that Eastern Turkey is Western Armenia.

News.am