Wikileaks cable reminds about the reasons for closure of Mastercard office in Istanbul

PanARMENIAN.Net - A diplomatic cable released recently by Wikileaks, reminds about the reasons for closure of Mastercard office in Istanbul.

Mastercard, corporate sponsor of UEFA Champion's League Final in Istanbul between Milan and Liverpool in 2005, has found itself dealing with a public relations nightmare following public criticism of inclusion in its match city guide of critical commentary about both Turkey and its revered founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The ‘offending’ passages, first publicized in the liberal Islamist daily Zaman, addressed the issue of Turkish-Kurdish relations and the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Mastercard briefly closed its office following death threats against its General Manager, and has since officially apologized, noting that the offending material had not been reviewed by any company officials, but instead emanated from the "Lonely Planet," which produced the bulk of the publication.

In the "Lonely Planet" produced publication, which was written by an Istanbul-based British journalist, brief reference was made to the issue of minorities in Turkey, with sections covering both the Kurds and the Armenians. The breezy narrative noted that "Ataturk banned any expression of Kurdishness in an attempt at assimilation," adding that major battles and atrocities followed in the 1920s and 1930s, with the deaths of more than 30,000 coming since 1984. The guide also noted that “while most Armenians had remained loyal to the Ottoman Empire, some had rebelled, engaging in terrorism that set off a powerful anti-Armenian backlash and the widespread massacre of innocent Armenians in Istanbul and elsewhere."

The public reaction, which has also included calls for a boycott of the company by Turkish NGOs and the threat of public prosecution from the Istanbul Governor, highlights once again how close to the surface core nationalist reflexes and taboos are in the post-December 17th environment, the cable said. [The European Council of December 17, 2004 granted it the status of candidate country.]