Belgium insists on protecting a cold-blooded Terrorist and Murderer !!! ...

[ProudTurk]

Erdal controversy causing headaches for Belgian politicians, jurists, businessmen
On the eve of local elections in October, Belgian parties are under pressure from the Turkish electorate and politicians to make their stance on the Erdal case clear

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Ankara - Turkish Daily News

The Fehriye Erdal controversy is likely to give Belgian political and judicial circles some rough days. Belgian political parties are under pressure from some 40,000 Turkish voters on the eve of local elections to be held on Oct. 8, and Belgian jurists think that the dispute between different ministries of the government regarding the Erdal case will pull everyone into a difficult situation.

Erdal, one of the accomplices in the murder of businessman Ozdemir Sabanci, is still under house arrest in Belgium. Turkey wants her extradited, but Belgium has overturned that request on the grounds that she would face capital punishment in Turkey. Belgian authorities also claim that she committed a political crime in Turkey.

Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt held a press conference last week at which he said that Erdal could be tried in Belgium for the crimes she had committed in Turkey.

The number of Turkish candidates in Belgian politics has been on the rise over the past few years. Both the Turkish candidates and the Turkish electorate, which has gradually been getting stronger as well, are reportedly putting increasing pressure on the parties to make their stance clear in the Erdal case. Such pressure is getting even more intense with the local elections approaching.

Reports say that the Belgian coalition partners -- the Liberals, Socialists and Greens -- are under pressure from business circles as well. Belgian business circles are unhappy that some of their business contracts with Turkey have been suspended due to the crisis.

In addition to the crisis in the political scene, Belgian judicial circles are finding themselves in rough currents as well. While the prime minister says that Erdal will be tried in Belgium for the crimes she committed in Turkey, Justice Ministry sources say that this is impossible under the European Anti-terrorist Convention. The sources say that Erdal did not engage in a terrorist crime in Turkey, since she did not use an automatic weapon in the Sabanci murder. The European Anti-terrorist Convention defines attacks committed with bombs, grenades, missiles and automatic weapons as terrorist attacks.

This justification, for sources close to the Turkish Interior Ministry, is nonsensical. "What if a terrorist stabs someone to death? Is he or she going to be protected by Belgium?" asked one source.

Some jurists, on the other hand, believe that the current disagreement between different branches of the government is nothing but demagoguery on a vague convention. Such debates would make Belgium lose prestige, they say.

TUSIAD denounces Belgium
The Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TUSIAD) issued a statement on Monday saying that the Sabanci murder was not solely a concern for the Sabanci family but for all of Turkish society -- and Turkish business society in particular.

The statement claims that Belgium's attitude has been, from the outset, quite puzzling. "The procedure followed by the Belgian authorities is not the one generally followed in a case concerning a person wanted in another country for murder," the statement argued.

The statement ended by expressing support for the Turkish government's stance in the Erdal case.

TUSIAD's attitude is important, given the fact that Belgian business circles are already disturbed by some business contracts with Turkey that have been suspended following the Erdal crisis.