Parliament speaker Sahin speaks out against Swiss ban

Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin yesterday said that he opposed the minaret ban passed in Switzerland on Sunday, adding that basic freedoms cannot be put to a vote. His remarks came during a meeting with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto in Parliament. "In fact, it should have been expressed more loudly before the referendum that such a basic right cannot be the focus of a referendum," he said. "What were we going to say if the referendum had reached the opposite conclusion? Would we have said, 'Such a basic right cannot be the focus of a referendum'? I believe it is necessary to pursue a consistent policy on this issue." For his part, Niinisto said this was not a usual issue for Finland, which believes that human rights and freedom of expression should be respected. Such an issue could not be submitted to a vote in Finland, he said.