Tweet
Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Germany
October 12, 2006 Thursday
Turkish anger at French support for Armenian genocide bill
DPA POLITICS France Diplomacy Turkey LEADALL: Turkish anger at French
support for Armenian genocide bill Pulls together Turkish reax,
French action, Nobel award to Pamuk Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa
Turkey expressed outrage Thursday at a vote in the French National
Assembly in favour of a bill that would make it a crime to deny that
Turkey committed genocide against the Armenian people more than 90
years ago.
The French parliament's action coincided with the announcement in
Stockholm that this year's Nobel Prize for Literature was being
awarded to Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, who has been critical of his
country's official line on the genocide.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara characterized the
assembly's move as an "irresponsible action" that rested on the "weak
assertions by a few French politicians," which would deal "a massive
blow" to Franco-Turkish relations.
The ministry added that Turkey would "deeply regret" approving the
bill. Deputies in the lower house of the French parliament, the
National Assembly, voted by 106 to 19 in favour of the bill.
The bill - drawn up by the opposition Socialist Party - received
support across the political spectrum. It must now go before the
Senate before becoming law. It would punish those who deny the
genocide with one year in prison and a fine of up to 45,000 euros.
Turkish Parliamentary President Bulent Arinc said the proposed law
was "humiliating" and a "inimical stance" towards the Turkish people,
adding that it would be "a blow against freedom of opinion and
thought" and "unacceptable" to Turkey.
Turkey, which vehemently maintains that the mass deaths of
Armenians during the First World War should not be considered
genocide, has threatened France with economic sanctions should the
Western European country pass the legislation.
The French parliament's action coincided with the announcement in
Stockholm that this year's Nobel Prize for Literature was being
awarded to Pamuk.
However, Pamuk - interviewed by the US broadcaster CNN - insisted
that Turkey was a secular state with a place within the European
Union, membership of which the Ankara government is striving for.
"Turkey will definitely join the European Union. That will be a
crucial point in history," Pamuk said.
The Swedish Academy paid tribute to the renowned author's
exploration of identity, both individual and national, and referred
to areas of his political commitment.
It noted Pamuk became well known for condemning the fatwa issued
against Salman Rushdie, his defence of Kurdish author Yasar Kemal in
the mid-1990s, and most recently for mentioning the charged subject
of the massacre of a million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds by Ottoman
forces during the First World War.
Pamuk's interview on the massacre with a Swiss newspaper led to a
highly mediatized prosecution on charges of "insulting Turkishness"
but the case was later dropped after international protests.
Swedish Academy Permanent Secretary Horace Engdahl mentioned works
including Pamuk's most recent novel, Snow, which describes political
and religious conflicts in contemporary Turkey. "It is one of finest
political thrillers in modern literature," Engdahl said.
In Yerevan, the Chairman of the Armenian Writers' Federation David
Muradyan welcomed the Swedish Academy's decision to honour Pamuk.
Author and filmmaker Muradyan said the award "linked the literature
prize with morality."
Armenian historians claim that as many as 1.5 million Christian
Armenians were killed during and after the First World War and that
the massacres were a clear genocide.
Oct 1206 1707 GMT
October 12, 2006 Thursday
Turkish anger at French support for Armenian genocide bill
DPA POLITICS France Diplomacy Turkey LEADALL: Turkish anger at French
support for Armenian genocide bill Pulls together Turkish reax,
French action, Nobel award to Pamuk Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa
Turkey expressed outrage Thursday at a vote in the French National
Assembly in favour of a bill that would make it a crime to deny that
Turkey committed genocide against the Armenian people more than 90
years ago.
The French parliament's action coincided with the announcement in
Stockholm that this year's Nobel Prize for Literature was being
awarded to Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, who has been critical of his
country's official line on the genocide.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara characterized the
assembly's move as an "irresponsible action" that rested on the "weak
assertions by a few French politicians," which would deal "a massive
blow" to Franco-Turkish relations.
The ministry added that Turkey would "deeply regret" approving the
bill. Deputies in the lower house of the French parliament, the
National Assembly, voted by 106 to 19 in favour of the bill.
The bill - drawn up by the opposition Socialist Party - received
support across the political spectrum. It must now go before the
Senate before becoming law. It would punish those who deny the
genocide with one year in prison and a fine of up to 45,000 euros.
Turkish Parliamentary President Bulent Arinc said the proposed law
was "humiliating" and a "inimical stance" towards the Turkish people,
adding that it would be "a blow against freedom of opinion and
thought" and "unacceptable" to Turkey.
Turkey, which vehemently maintains that the mass deaths of
Armenians during the First World War should not be considered
genocide, has threatened France with economic sanctions should the
Western European country pass the legislation.
The French parliament's action coincided with the announcement in
Stockholm that this year's Nobel Prize for Literature was being
awarded to Pamuk.
However, Pamuk - interviewed by the US broadcaster CNN - insisted
that Turkey was a secular state with a place within the European
Union, membership of which the Ankara government is striving for.
"Turkey will definitely join the European Union. That will be a
crucial point in history," Pamuk said.
The Swedish Academy paid tribute to the renowned author's
exploration of identity, both individual and national, and referred
to areas of his political commitment.
It noted Pamuk became well known for condemning the fatwa issued
against Salman Rushdie, his defence of Kurdish author Yasar Kemal in
the mid-1990s, and most recently for mentioning the charged subject
of the massacre of a million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds by Ottoman
forces during the First World War.
Pamuk's interview on the massacre with a Swiss newspaper led to a
highly mediatized prosecution on charges of "insulting Turkishness"
but the case was later dropped after international protests.
Swedish Academy Permanent Secretary Horace Engdahl mentioned works
including Pamuk's most recent novel, Snow, which describes political
and religious conflicts in contemporary Turkey. "It is one of finest
political thrillers in modern literature," Engdahl said.
In Yerevan, the Chairman of the Armenian Writers' Federation David
Muradyan welcomed the Swedish Academy's decision to honour Pamuk.
Author and filmmaker Muradyan said the award "linked the literature
prize with morality."
Armenian historians claim that as many as 1.5 million Christian
Armenians were killed during and after the First World War and that
the massacres were a clear genocide.
Oct 1206 1707 GMT