Cem: Like A Fascist Mussolini Time

ANKARA, March 14 (A.A) - Foreign Minister Ismail Cem defined on Thursday the behaviours of Italian police during the AS-Roma-Galatasaray European Champions League match as ''the behaviours of the police of fascist Mussolini period.''
Cem told reporters that the attacks on Galatasaray team were very ugly and said, ''the incidents are like the joint initiative of AS Roma players, administrators and Italian police. We watched the incidents from the television channel yesterday and followed them from the newspapers today. It is as if the period of fascist Mussolini not like Europe of 2002.''
Cem noted, ''police, which attacked and hit on Turkish footballers this cruelly, and police, which re-attacked on our footballers heading towards the changing rooms and pulled down our people, can only be the police of Mussolini. The incidents are grave.''
Pointing out that Galatasaray administrators prevented the incidents from getting more severe by staying calm, Cem said, ''as the Ministry, we did our best after the incidents had occured.''
Cem stated that Turkey's Embassy in Rome had given a note to Italian authorities one or two days before the match and stressed that Italian authorities should be careful about such incidents. He said, ''unfortunately, what was feared of happened.''
Reminding the reporters that besides these incidents, a passport crisis occured, Cem said that Italian police ''wanted to take passports of Turkish footballers and said that Turkish footballers could not get out of the stadium as long as they did not give their passports.''
Turkey's Ambassador Necati Utkan in Rome and Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) launched some initiatives, Cem stated.
Cem pointed out that he talked with Italian Ambassador in Ankara on the phone and told the ambassador that ''such a thing could not definitely be made and Turkish footballers could not be kept there.''
Italian Ambassador called him back at 2.30 a.m. on Thursday, Cem said. He noted that the ambassador assured that Turkish people would leave the stadium and Rome without any problems and noted the passports of footballers would be returned.
Cem said that UEFA started to investigate the incidents and stated that they would follow the developments.
They would do what is necessary, Cem stressed.
Cem added, ''a very big shame was exhibited yesterday. We harshly condemn those who are responsible and we are determined to do everything that is possible.''
FOREIGN MINISTER CEM CALLS ITALIAN AMBASSADOR IN ANKARA
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem called early on Thursday Claudio Surdo, the Italian Ambassador to Turkey, and asked him ''to stop the disgraceful behaviour.''
Cem, who talked with Surdo on the phone, protested the incidents that occured after the match between Galatasaray and As Roma soccer clubs.
Foreign Minister Cem told the Italian ambassador that the incidents that occured in Rome were not pleasant and asked the ambassador to give up initiatives like taking the passports of Turkish footballers.
Cem asked Surdo to contact officials and authorities as soon as possible and said that they did not definitely accept the things that had occured.
Surdo told Cem that he would contact with the officials in his country.
Foreign Minister Cem also held a phone talk with Galatasaray Club Chairman Mehmet Cansun.
Cem told A.A that Cansun said that Galatasaray group was attacked by kicks and slaps.
''Cansun said that even the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) observer was stranded in the changing room. The Italians wanted the observer to leave the stadium after writing his report while the observer said that he would write his report after he had left the stadium,'' Cem said.
Cem noted that he also talked with Necati Utkan, Turkey's Ambassador to Italy, and added that all the personnel of the embassy was doing everything that was possible.
Meanwhile, Utkan stayed in the stadium together with Turkish press following the incidents.
Utkan said, ''we saw evertything that occured in the field. We will wait and do what is necessary.''
Almost half an hour after the incidents, Galatasaray coach Mircea Lucescu told reporters that three Galatasaray footballers, namely Capone, Berkant and Ergun, were injured in the incidents.
Lucescu said that Galatasaray footballers were elbowed during the incidents that occured in the field and noted, ''we only wanted to play football. Italian security forces roughed up Galatasaray footballers with the excuse to end the incidents.''
PRIME MINISTER ECEVIT SAYS HE IS UPSET ABOUT ATTACK ON TURKISH FOOTBALLERS
Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said on Thursday that he was upset about the attack on Turkish footballers and administrators in Rome following the match between Galatasaray and AS Roma teams.
Prior to his departure for Barcelona for the European Union (EU) summit, Ecevit said, ''I sincerely congratulate Galatasaray soccer club which drew with AS Roma team of Italy in the European Champions League. I am very upset about the attack on Galatasaray footballers and administrators at the end of the match. The Foreign Ministry has launched necessary initiatives for security of Galatasaray team and Turkish supporters.''
ITALIAN AMBASSADOR SURDO COMES TO FOREIGN MINISTRY
Italian Ambassador in ANkara Vittorio Claudio Surdo had a 15-minute meeting with Undersecretary Ugur Ziyal at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
Surdo later told reporters that he and Ziyal had a friendly meeting and he wasn't given a protest note by him.
Surdo said that they told each other about their problems and they agreed to wait for the objective decision of judicial authorities.
Surdo said that the violent incidents that took place following Wednesday night's soccer match between Galatasaray and Roma would be investigated and the Turkish side would be informed about the result.
When asked to comment on Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's earlier statement, Surdo said there was no reason to exaggerate the issue and said he would be pleased if similar statements are not repeated by Turkish officials.
ITALIAN AMBASSADOR SURDO SAYS DEFINING THE ENTIRE ITALIAN POLICE ORGANIZATION AS FASCIST IS UNACCEPTABLE'
Italian Amabassador in Ankara Vittorio Claudio Surdo has said that Foreign Minister Ismail Cem's words ''like a fascist Mussolini time'' were ''unacceptable'' but said he would not start a polemics on this issue.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Italian Embassy on Thursday about Thursday's violent incidents after Galatasaray-Roma soccer match, Surdo said ''Judicial organs in Italy will examine the incident objectively and see if the policemen who were involved have any responsibility in the incident. What upset us most is that the whole Italian police organization was targetted in the statements.''
Stating that great amounts of money is involved in sports, especially in soccer, creating pressure on the athlets. ''Unfortunately, this is causing some undesired incidents,'' he commented.
Surdo said that there are allegations that some policemen treated Galatasaray soccer players badly and provoked them and two investigations were started about them both by UEFA and by Italian courts.
The Italian ambassador said he was very disappointed that the entire Italian organization was defined as ''fascist'' by Turkey. ''I know this will not be repeated,'' he added.
He also said that he was a strong Roma supporter and he supported Galatasaray in Turkey because of its colours. ''I hope both teams would play against each other in the finals,'' he said.
Responding to a question, Surdo said he called Rome Security Director immediately after the incidents and he was assured that no passports were taken and no one was taken into custody.
He also said that 13 Italian policemen were injured in the incidents. When a reporter asked him how a few soccer players could injure 13 policemen who wear halmets and sticks, Surdo said ''Soccer players are physically strong people.''
He also indicated that Roma technic director Fabio Capello displayed common sense and tried to calm down those who were involved in the incidents.
GALATASARAY SUPPORTERS LAY BLACK WREATH IN FRONT OF ITALIAN CONSULATE IN ISTANBUL
A group of Galatasaray supporters laid a black wreath at Italian Consulate in Istanbul on Thursday to protest the incidents that took place in Italy following the match played between Turkish and Italian soccer teams last night.
''We condemn the Italian officials and police who stayed indifferent to the beating of our footballers,'' said Galasaray Association Chairman Biral Sakarya speaking on behalf of the group.
FOOTBALL FEDERATION CHAIRMAN ULUSOY SAYS FEDERATION TO APPLY TO UEFA DUE TO INCIDENTS IN ITALY
Turkish Football Federation Chairman Haluk Ulusoy said on Thursday that they would apply to UEFA regarding the violent incidents that took place after the match played between Turkish and Italian soccer teams Galatasaray and AS Roma in Italy last night.
''We have always protected the rights of Galatasaray and we will continue to do so from now on,'' he said.
Speaking at Ataturk Airport, Ulusoy who returned to Turkey together with the Galatasaray soccer team from Italy, Ulusoy said that the incidents which took place after the match were very shameful. The attitude of the Italian police were particularly shameful, he added.
Meanwhile Galatasaray Club Chairman Mehmet Cansun said in a news conference that the coach of the Italian team AS Roma and the Italian security director general didn't act properly, adding that they were treated in a very inhumanitarian way in Italy.
''If UEFA observers and the Chairman of the Turkish Football Federation didn't help us, we could be in custody in Italy now,'' he noted asking the Turkish media members to give their the images and photographs in order to file a lawsuit in Italy.