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TURKEY WARNS FRANCE OVER GENOCIDE BILL
By Daniel Dombey in Istanbul
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e64c790a-2802-11e1-91c7-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1gkCP2Ryg
December 16, 2011 11:12 pm
"These steps will lead to grave consequences for the cultural, economic
and political relations between France and Turkey," he said, adding
that the bill would be seen as directly "targeting the Turkish state,
the Turkish nation and the Turkish community living in France".
Ankara has always denied that the mass murders of hundreds of thousands
of Armenians almost a century ago constituted genocide.
Turkish officials have already said that the country's ambassador to
France will be recalled for consultations if the bill is passed by
the French National Assembly, which is due to vote on it next week.
"If the law is adopted, it will torpedo the relationship," said Sinan
Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat at the Carnegie Europe think-tank,
who added that Turkey could respond by taking action against French
companies' involvement in Turkish tenders. Turkish diplomats have
passed similar warnings to French executives.
Relations between Mr Erdogan and Mr Sarkozy are already extremely
tense, largely because of the French president's strong opposition
to Turkey's membership application to the EU. In an interview with
Le Monde newspaper this week, Mr Sarkozy argued that while the bloc
was for Europeans, Turkey was "mostly located in Asia Minor".
The French national assembly has passed similar bills in the past,
which have later failed to win approval in the senate. This time,
however, Mr Sarkozy has closely involved himself in the issue,
arguing on a trip to Armenia in October that unless Turkey dropped its
"unacceptable" denial of a genocide, a law could be necessary.
Turkish politicians link his position to a bid for French Armenian
votes in advance of next year's presidential elections.
"We know this is coming from the Elysee - that is the main point,"
said a spokesman for the Turkish embassy in Paris, who added that if
the legislation was passed all joint projects and all official visits
would be stopped.
The French government says the bill, which would set one year's jail
as a penalty, is a parliamentary initiative. Paris emphasises Turkey's
status as a "very important partner and ally".
But the confrontation threatens to upset co-operation between Paris
and Ankara on Syria. Both countries have taken leading roles in the
international campaign to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to leave
power in Damascus.
It also comes as Turkey's EU membership bid encounters ever greater
problems. Negotiations are practically frozen, and Turkey has vowed
to avoid all contact with Cyprus, which holds the EU's revolving
presidency in the second half of next year). Meanwhile, Ankara was
angered by criticism of Turkey's stance on the island in the communique
from last week's EU summit.
By Daniel Dombey in Istanbul
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e64c790a-2802-11e1-91c7-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1gkCP2Ryg
December 16, 2011 11:12 pm
"These steps will lead to grave consequences for the cultural, economic
and political relations between France and Turkey," he said, adding
that the bill would be seen as directly "targeting the Turkish state,
the Turkish nation and the Turkish community living in France".
Ankara has always denied that the mass murders of hundreds of thousands
of Armenians almost a century ago constituted genocide.
Turkish officials have already said that the country's ambassador to
France will be recalled for consultations if the bill is passed by
the French National Assembly, which is due to vote on it next week.
"If the law is adopted, it will torpedo the relationship," said Sinan
Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat at the Carnegie Europe think-tank,
who added that Turkey could respond by taking action against French
companies' involvement in Turkish tenders. Turkish diplomats have
passed similar warnings to French executives.
Relations between Mr Erdogan and Mr Sarkozy are already extremely
tense, largely because of the French president's strong opposition
to Turkey's membership application to the EU. In an interview with
Le Monde newspaper this week, Mr Sarkozy argued that while the bloc
was for Europeans, Turkey was "mostly located in Asia Minor".
The French national assembly has passed similar bills in the past,
which have later failed to win approval in the senate. This time,
however, Mr Sarkozy has closely involved himself in the issue,
arguing on a trip to Armenia in October that unless Turkey dropped its
"unacceptable" denial of a genocide, a law could be necessary.
Turkish politicians link his position to a bid for French Armenian
votes in advance of next year's presidential elections.
"We know this is coming from the Elysee - that is the main point,"
said a spokesman for the Turkish embassy in Paris, who added that if
the legislation was passed all joint projects and all official visits
would be stopped.
The French government says the bill, which would set one year's jail
as a penalty, is a parliamentary initiative. Paris emphasises Turkey's
status as a "very important partner and ally".
But the confrontation threatens to upset co-operation between Paris
and Ankara on Syria. Both countries have taken leading roles in the
international campaign to persuade President Bashar al-Assad to leave
power in Damascus.
It also comes as Turkey's EU membership bid encounters ever greater
problems. Negotiations are practically frozen, and Turkey has vowed
to avoid all contact with Cyprus, which holds the EU's revolving
presidency in the second half of next year). Meanwhile, Ankara was
angered by criticism of Turkey's stance on the island in the communique
from last week's EU summit.