It’s been 13 years since a non-binding memorial in the Idaho Legislature caused an international incident, but lawmakers have quickly reworked a memorial about human rights and religious freedom in Turkey after hearing concerns from the Turkish consulate. “We just changed some language,” said Rep. Mat Erpelding, D-Boise.

A line in the original memorial, which already has passed the House, said, “The continuing presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey has been a living testament to the religious coexistence of Christians and Muslims,” but added, “This religious coexistence is in doubt because the Ecumenical Patriarchate is considered a minority religion by the Turkish government.”

In the new version, that was changed to say, “This religious coexistence is important because the Orthodox Christian Church is a recognized religion by the Turkish Government.” Erpelding said, “The Turkish consulate asked us to make a few changes. … I think the way the language was, it implied a little bit of negativity toward the Turkish government, which was not intended.”

Back in 2002, a non-binding memorial passed by the Idaho House about Basque self-determination caused an international incident involving the White House, the State Department and the Spanish ambassador to the United States; it was replaced by a rewritten version. You can read my full story here at spokesman.com.