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TURKISH MPS LOBBY AGAINST 'GENOCIDE' BILL
Hurriyet Daily News
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
Turkish Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee meets with senior
French politicians to drum up opposition against a French bill
crimalizing 'genocide' denial. AA photo A Turkish parliamentary
delegation started a three-day campaign in Paris yesterday to halt a
French motion criminalizing the denial of Armenian genocide claims,
warning that the bill's passage would seriously damage bilateral ties.
Volkan Bozkır, head of Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee,
met yesterday with his French counterpart, Axel Poniatowski; the
delegation also met with Pierre Moscovici from the Socialist Party
to drum up opposition to the motion.
A vote on the bill is expected to take place Dec. 22.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey would "not remain silent"
if the French parliament adopted the bill and renewed calls on France's
intellectual community to resist the legislation.
"The ramifications of the bill will outstrip its proportions if such
a prohibitive approach takes the upper hand in the middle of Europe,"
Davutoglu told reporters yesterday in the Central Anatolian province
of Konya, where he is attending meetings.
"As always, Turkey has contingency plans, calculations and preparations
on every issue. There will be measures that Turkey will take. If our
warnings remain unanswered and prohibitive attitudes prevail in France,
they should not expect us to stay silent," he said.
Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek, who last week sent a letter to his
French counterpart, warned that France would pay "a heavy price"
if its Parliament passed the bill. "The approval of the bill will
lead to problems at a scale that will cause irreparable consequences
for our relations. If things develop in that direction, I'm afraid
France will pay a very heavy price in the future," he said.
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
Turkish Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee meets with senior
French politicians to drum up opposition against a French bill
crimalizing 'genocide' denial. AA photo A Turkish parliamentary
delegation started a three-day campaign in Paris yesterday to halt a
French motion criminalizing the denial of Armenian genocide claims,
warning that the bill's passage would seriously damage bilateral ties.
Volkan Bozkır, head of Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee,
met yesterday with his French counterpart, Axel Poniatowski; the
delegation also met with Pierre Moscovici from the Socialist Party
to drum up opposition to the motion.
A vote on the bill is expected to take place Dec. 22.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey would "not remain silent"
if the French parliament adopted the bill and renewed calls on France's
intellectual community to resist the legislation.
"The ramifications of the bill will outstrip its proportions if such
a prohibitive approach takes the upper hand in the middle of Europe,"
Davutoglu told reporters yesterday in the Central Anatolian province
of Konya, where he is attending meetings.
"As always, Turkey has contingency plans, calculations and preparations
on every issue. There will be measures that Turkey will take. If our
warnings remain unanswered and prohibitive attitudes prevail in France,
they should not expect us to stay silent," he said.
Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek, who last week sent a letter to his
French counterpart, warned that France would pay "a heavy price"
if its Parliament passed the bill. "The approval of the bill will
lead to problems at a scale that will cause irreparable consequences
for our relations. If things develop in that direction, I'm afraid
France will pay a very heavy price in the future," he said.
From: A. Papazian