Baykal Defends Muslims at World’s Left Council

Attacking the view that democracy cannot exist in the Middle East because of Islam, Baykal said: "We cannot accept that you blame one billion Muslims for their beliefs. The vast majority of these people are not responsible for the spread of terror. They are not responsible for authoritarian regimes but are the victims of those [regimes]."

Baykal predicted the situation in the Middle East to worsen, emphasizing that the reason for the military conflict in the region should be eliminated. He complained that there were no sincere efforts to adopt and spread democracy in the Middle East, while democracy spread around the world in the last 20 years.

Baykal pointed out that what was in the ground, namely oil and natural gas, had become more important than those living on the ground. He added: "Turkey is the proof that that claim is invalid. We have already proved a Muslim society can live in democracy."

Baykal has been elected as the Vice President of the council. The elected vice presidents are: Germany Federal Chancellor and Social Democrat Party Leader Gerhard Schröder, British Prime Minister and Labor Party Leader Tony Blair, Greek Prime Minister and Pan Hellenic Socialist Movement Party Leader Kostas Simitis and Israel Labor Party Leader Shimon Peres.