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Voilà ce que J'ai trouvé sur Google News :
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=politics&alt=&hn=21847
Historians Back Ecevit: Vahdettin was not a Traitor
By Bahtiyar Kucuk
Published: Sunday July 24, 2005
zaman.com
Historians have backed former Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit's statement, "Sultan Vahdettin was not a traitor but clearly supported the Turkish Independence War." Vahdettin was the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. He left the country after the Turkey gained independence.
Ottoman Research Foundation President Professor Dr. Ahmet Akgunduz is of the opinion that it would be unfair to evaluate the leaders of the Ottoman period and the Turkish Republic period as "good" or "evil". Akgunduz says: "I do not term any accusation against Vahdettin after 1922 as an historical source. Political statements cannot count as testimonies. Vahdettin was a well trained diplomat. He sacrificed his life, his dynasty for his county. Akgunduz stated Mustafa Kemal and Sultan Vahdettin had supported each other until Kuva-yı Milliye ("National Forces", the movement that waged the Independence War) attained success, but the newspaper Hakimiyet-i Milliye began to refer to him as a "traitor." Akgunduz added, "The Ottoman General Staff assembled for days in Erenkoy to launch an independence movement in Anatolia. They deliberated upon the person that should be assigned as the commander of the movement. The name "Mustafa Kemal" was also among the names considered. Eventually they elected him. This took place three months before May 19. A delegation communicated the decision to Vahdettin. However they also added that Mustafa Kemal was a republican and could overthrow the Ottoman rule. Vahdettin replied, 'My homeland is at peril. Let it be saved. I do not care who is capable of doing what. Invite Mustafa Kemal immediately I want to talk to him.' "
Professor Dr. Murat Belge the head of the Comparative Literature Department at Bilgi University believed it was wrong to declare Vahdettin a traitor. Observing, "Would not a Sultan desire the well being of his state and country?" Belge said, "Vahdettin, Damat Ferit and Ali Kemal had a common hatred for the Ittihad ve Terakki (Union and Progress) party. The hatred people felt against Ittihad ve Terakki was a well deserved one given what they did. Consequently these three regarded the movement in Ankara as a new insurgence by Ittihad ve Terakki, which was wrong. Mustafa Kemal too was repelled by the Ittihad ve Terakki. However 80 percent of the men that surrounded him were Ittihadists. Some of our history textbooks contain incorrect information about Vahdettin and others. We determine the good and the evil in conformity with our ideology. When a student reads such a textbook he will decide who is good or evil, just as we desire him to do. Abdulhamit too suffered similar accusations. He regarded the Islamic Union as the only way to rescue the disintegrating empire. He wanted to reach out to the Muslims in the colonial territories of France and Britain which were at that time the enemies of the Ottoman State. These were not unrealistic considerations. Abdulhamit was both intelligent and realistic."
Marmara University Lecturer Dr. Hanefi Bostan too reacted to Vahdettin's being termed a traitor in history textbooks. He held that a serious questioning of the content was required. According to Bostan Vahdettin played an important part in the dispatch of Mustafa Kemal to Anatolia. He felt the betrayal accusation should be removed from the textbooks and added, "It would also be wrong to say Vahdettin was faultless. He made certain mistakes while Istanbul was under British occupation. It would be wrong to say he committed them willingly. While evaluating the events the conditions of that time should be take into consideration. However there is nothing that would entitle us to declare this man a traitor."
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