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  • Turkey warns French draft bill on Armenian killings could severely h

    International Herald Tribune, France
    Oct 6 2006


    Turkey warns French draft bill on Armenian killings could severely
    hurt ties

    The Associated Press
    Published: October 6, 2006


    ANKARA, Turkey Turkey on Friday warned that a French bill that would
    make it a crime to deny that World War I-era killings of Armenians
    amounted to genocide could severely hurt ties between the two
    countries.

    French lawmakers, who had caved to pressure from Turkey and put off
    sensitive debate on the issue in the lower house in May, are
    scheduled to debate the bill on Thursday.

    "The Armenian issue has poisoned our relations in the past more than
    enough. But this time, it is obvious that the mentioned draft bill
    will inflict an irreparable heavy blow to our improving relations,"
    Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan told a news conference.

    Tan said that the approval of the bill would be considered by the
    Turkish public as "a hostile act."

    It is obvious that it would not be possible to control the reaction
    of our public opinion," he said.

    Under the bill, people who contest that there was an Armenian
    genocide would risk up to a year in prison and fines of up to ~@45,000
    (US$57,000).

    On Tuesday, Turkey said it was out of the question to accept a call
    by French President Jacques Chirac who urged Turkey to acknowledge
    the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century as genocide.

    Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
    killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out of
    eastern Turkey, and have pushed for recognition of the killings
    around the world as genocide.

    Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
    the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
    civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But Ankara is
    facing increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the killings,
    particularly as it seeks membership in the European Union.

    ANKARA, Turkey Turkey on Friday warned that a French bill that would
    make it a crime to deny that World War I-era killings of Armenians
    amounted to genocide could severely hurt ties between the two
    countries.

    French lawmakers, who had caved to pressure from Turkey and put off
    sensitive debate on the issue in the lower house in May, are
    scheduled to debate the bill on Thursday.

    "The Armenian issue has poisoned our relations in the past more than
    enough. But this time, it is obvious that the mentioned draft bill
    will inflict an irreparable heavy blow to our improving relations,"
    Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan told a news conference.

    Tan said that the approval of the bill would be considered by the
    Turkish public as "a hostile act."

    It is obvious that it would not be possible to control the reaction
    of our public opinion," he said.

    Under the bill, people who contest that there was an Armenian
    genocide would risk up to a year in prison and fines of up to ~@45,000
    (US$57,000).

    On Tuesday, Turkey said it was out of the question to accept a call
    by French President Jacques Chirac who urged Turkey to acknowledge
    the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century as genocide.

    Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
    killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out of
    eastern Turkey, and have pushed for recognition of the killings
    around the world as genocide.

    Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
    the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
    civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But Ankara is
    facing increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the killings,
    particularly as it seeks membership in the European Union.
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