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Voice of America
Dec 17 2011
Turkish PM Lashes Out at France Over Genocide Bill
Posted Saturday, December 17th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
A French bill that would make it a crime to deny that the mass killing
of Armenians in 1915 was genocide is drawing criticism from Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at France
Saturday, during a news conference in Ankara with the chairman of
Libya's National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil.
Mr. Erdogan denied the Ottoman Empire committed genocide and said
France needed to look at what he called its own `dirty and bloody
history'' in Algeria and Rwanda.
French lawmakers are set to consider the bill next Thursday . It
proposes a one-year prison sentence and a $58,500 fine for denying the
killings constitute genocide.
Armenia says as many as 1.5 million Armenians were murdered by Ottoman
Turks before and during World War One and the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire. Ankara denies this. It calls the death toll exaggerated and
says the dead were victims of civil war and unrest.
The Turkish prime minister also warned France that political and
economic relations would suffer if the bill passes. Turkey has said
any country recognizing an Armenian genocide faces a downgrade in
relations.
Bilateral relations between France and Turkey have already been under
strain. French President Nicolas Sarkozy opposes Turkey's bid to join
the European Union.
http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/12/17/turkish-pm-lashes-out-at-france-over-genocide-bill/
Dec 17 2011
Turkish PM Lashes Out at France Over Genocide Bill
Posted Saturday, December 17th, 2011 at 6:00 pm
A French bill that would make it a crime to deny that the mass killing
of Armenians in 1915 was genocide is drawing criticism from Turkey.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at France
Saturday, during a news conference in Ankara with the chairman of
Libya's National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil.
Mr. Erdogan denied the Ottoman Empire committed genocide and said
France needed to look at what he called its own `dirty and bloody
history'' in Algeria and Rwanda.
French lawmakers are set to consider the bill next Thursday . It
proposes a one-year prison sentence and a $58,500 fine for denying the
killings constitute genocide.
Armenia says as many as 1.5 million Armenians were murdered by Ottoman
Turks before and during World War One and the collapse of the Ottoman
Empire. Ankara denies this. It calls the death toll exaggerated and
says the dead were victims of civil war and unrest.
The Turkish prime minister also warned France that political and
economic relations would suffer if the bill passes. Turkey has said
any country recognizing an Armenian genocide faces a downgrade in
relations.
Bilateral relations between France and Turkey have already been under
strain. French President Nicolas Sarkozy opposes Turkey's bid to join
the European Union.
http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/12/17/turkish-pm-lashes-out-at-france-over-genocide-bill/