HACIBEKTAS - Deniz Baykal, the leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) said on Friday that if Turkey brought Haci Bektas Veli's peaceful philosophy and understanding together, he believed that it would solve all problems.
Baykal, State Ministers Tayyibe Gulek, Ramazan Mirzaoglu, Melda Bayer, Zeki Sezer, Labor and Social Security Minister Nejat Arseven, Culture Minister Suat Caglayan, Parliament Deputy Speaker Kamer Genc, New Turkey Party (YTP) Secretary General Istemihan Talay, People's Democracy Party (HADEP) leader Murat Bozlak, representatives of non-governmental organizations and citizens attended the 39th National and 13th International Haci Bektas Veli commemoration in Hacibektas.
Baykal also visited Mayor Mustafa Ozcivan.
Upon the questions on the statement of Kemal Dervis, he said that there was no statement till Monday. Baykal who spoke at the ceremony said that Haci Bektas Veli fought not with gun, but his idea and love.
He said that Turkey had a history depending on love and tolerance and added that many countries working to enter the European Union (EU) had no such a history.
Baykal said that tolerance and love should dominate the society, adding that ''we must take lessons from the incidents which took place in Madýmak Hotel in central Sivas province in 1993. These lessons have to be taken by those who stayed indifferent while that violence took place. Those people who committed the violence could not have done that if they commemorated Hacý Bektas Veli, Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi and Yunus Emre.''
The philosophy of Haci Bektas Veli is based on brotherhood and peaceful coexistence, Baykal said and stressed that the solution of problems in the country also necessitated broad tolerance, understanding and peaceful attitude of Hacý Bektas Veli and Pir Sultan Abdal.