Turkey deserves our thanks

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/editorial/story.html?id=dc31551a-b36b-45d1-a742-342f0a6c3ed3
Turkey deserves our thanks
The GazettePublished: Thursday, July 27, 2006
Relations between Canada and Turkey have been a little tense since April, when our government declared that what happened to Armenians in Turkey 90 years ago was genocide. It's a view Turks strongly reject. Further, Turkey is a Muslim country, and Ottawa has given firm moral support to Israel in the current Lebanese fighting.
On both counts it would have been an easy matter for Turkish authorities to find themselves too busy to return calls last week when Canada requested the use of a Turkish port and airport to funnel Canadians out of Lebanon.
All Canadians should take note and bear in mind that Turkey avoided this temptation. The port of Mersin and the nearby airport at Adana were instead opened wide to Canadians coming off chartered cruise ships.
With the principal staging post at Larnaca, Cyprus, overflowing with people of many nations, the cooperation of Turkey's government simplified the evacuation process for many Canadians.
And beyond the government's reaction, news reports say individual Turks and local authorities exerted themselves to help.
The numbers still have not been tallied but it appears that several thousand Canadians have moved through Mersin and Adana. They, and all of us, offer sincere thanks to the government and people of