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REACTIONS GO SOUR AS FRANCE PUTS BILL ON AGENDA
Today's Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
A full-fledged Turkish campaign to convince French officials to prevent
a bill that makes denial of the so-called Armenian genocide a crime
punishable under French law has turned sour as the French legislature
has put the bill on the agenda, allowing a vote on Thursday to decide
on the fate of both the denial bill and Turkish-French relations.
"To say the least, it is insensitive to distort history for political
motives, to make judgments about the history of a country through
parliament, a political institution," Turkish President Abdullah
Gul said in a written statement on Tuesday. Gul urged France to
"retract the initiative as soon as possible." Gul criticized the bill
as "unfair and groundless," as he repeated Ankara's claims that the
French move was a political tool for votes ahead of elections. "I
hope that France will not sacrifice the centuries-old Turkish-French
friendship, mutual benefits and ties of alliance for petty political
calculations," Gul added.
"The bill is as big a catastrophe as the Mavi Marmara raid that
crumbled Turkish-Israeli relations," diplomatic sources told Today's
Zaman, as they raised doubts regarding the future of diplomatic
ties between Turkey and France. The analogy hinted that Turkey is
now poising to withdraw Tahsin Burcuoglu, ambassador to France,
as it withdrew its ambassador in Tel Aviv following an Israeli raid
targeting the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship, aboard which nine peace
activists were killed.
While Burcuoglu readies to leave for Turkey for "consultations with
Ankara on an indefinite period," sources note that the bill, once
passed on to the senate for ratification after Thursday's vote, could
seriously damage diplomacy between Ankara and Paris, and lead to a
reduction in diplomatic contact at the level of deputy ambassadors,
if it receives senate approval in the wake of French presidential
elections.
Ankara officially regards the genocide denial bill a political tool
utilized by France for its election benefits, therefore alarming
various political, business and civil society delegations from the
country to set out for Paris with hopes to avert a likely political
crisis from erupting between the countries after the bill's passage.
Leading the government's delegation to Paris, Volkan Bozkır, head of
Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, expressed Turkey's frustration
with the bill, allegedly triggered by strictly political motives. "We
are hoping that the Senate will stop the bill with a vote on Feb. 22,"
Bozkır told reporters from Paris, before he met with French foreign
minister, Alain Juppe, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's political
advisor, Jean Levitte, on Tuesday. In response to French lawmakers'
claims that Turkey would not act on its pledges and strike economic
and diplomatic ties with the country, much like in 2001 when France
recognized the "Armenian genocide," Bozkır stated that the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) was not in power back in 2001, signaling
that the current government was serious in its pledge for retaliation
and a "heavy toll" on France. Following the French proposal to make it
punishable in France to deny the alleged genocide, both the Turkish
foreign ministry and prominent business circles that are engaged in
contact with French businesses operating in or with Turkey warned them
of the unpleasant consequences of the bill's passage. Increasing the
tone of warning to French companies, Turkish Tradesmen's and Artisans'
Confederation (TESK) Chairman Bendevi Palandöken warned on Tuesday
that the bill, if it passes in the Senate, would "backfire on France,"
as he pledged that French products would be "removed from the shelves"
in Turkey, Anka news agency reported.
Estimating the trade volume between Turkey and France at 13.5 billion
euros, Bozkır warned that the bill jeopardizes French investments
in Turkey, amounting to 6.5 billion euros, and risking the profits
of nearly 2,000 French companies conducting business with Turkey,
the Anatolia news agency reported Tuesday. In a reaction to the bill,
roughly around 100 Turkish civil society organizations (CSO) operating
in Paris gathered on Sunday at the Turkish mission in the city and
started a committee to organize a walk of protest on Thursday. The CSOs
are planning to gather in front of the French Parliament on Thursday
morning to protest the denial bill and thousands of Turks from various
cities in France are expected to join in the demonstration. Addressing
representatives of participating CSOs, Ambassador Burcuoglu describes
the bill "a stain" on Turkish society, targeting the Turkish community
living in France. "We are worried that Turks in France might suffer
from serious legal problems," Burcuoglu said, with foresight that
the bill's passage would allow for the punishment of Turks if they
refuse to call the Ottoman era killings of Armenians a genocide.
Turks and Armenians have remained at odds regarding the tragic
deaths of 1915, with Armenians claiming that more than 1 millions
of their ancestors were killed systematically at the hands of Turks
as the Ottoman Empire fell. Turkey says the deaths were civil unrest
casualties and occurred on both sides at the onset of World War I.
Today's Zaman
Dec 20 2011
Turkey
A full-fledged Turkish campaign to convince French officials to prevent
a bill that makes denial of the so-called Armenian genocide a crime
punishable under French law has turned sour as the French legislature
has put the bill on the agenda, allowing a vote on Thursday to decide
on the fate of both the denial bill and Turkish-French relations.
"To say the least, it is insensitive to distort history for political
motives, to make judgments about the history of a country through
parliament, a political institution," Turkish President Abdullah
Gul said in a written statement on Tuesday. Gul urged France to
"retract the initiative as soon as possible." Gul criticized the bill
as "unfair and groundless," as he repeated Ankara's claims that the
French move was a political tool for votes ahead of elections. "I
hope that France will not sacrifice the centuries-old Turkish-French
friendship, mutual benefits and ties of alliance for petty political
calculations," Gul added.
"The bill is as big a catastrophe as the Mavi Marmara raid that
crumbled Turkish-Israeli relations," diplomatic sources told Today's
Zaman, as they raised doubts regarding the future of diplomatic
ties between Turkey and France. The analogy hinted that Turkey is
now poising to withdraw Tahsin Burcuoglu, ambassador to France,
as it withdrew its ambassador in Tel Aviv following an Israeli raid
targeting the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship, aboard which nine peace
activists were killed.
While Burcuoglu readies to leave for Turkey for "consultations with
Ankara on an indefinite period," sources note that the bill, once
passed on to the senate for ratification after Thursday's vote, could
seriously damage diplomacy between Ankara and Paris, and lead to a
reduction in diplomatic contact at the level of deputy ambassadors,
if it receives senate approval in the wake of French presidential
elections.
Ankara officially regards the genocide denial bill a political tool
utilized by France for its election benefits, therefore alarming
various political, business and civil society delegations from the
country to set out for Paris with hopes to avert a likely political
crisis from erupting between the countries after the bill's passage.
Leading the government's delegation to Paris, Volkan Bozkır, head of
Parliament's Foreign Affairs Commission, expressed Turkey's frustration
with the bill, allegedly triggered by strictly political motives. "We
are hoping that the Senate will stop the bill with a vote on Feb. 22,"
Bozkır told reporters from Paris, before he met with French foreign
minister, Alain Juppe, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's political
advisor, Jean Levitte, on Tuesday. In response to French lawmakers'
claims that Turkey would not act on its pledges and strike economic
and diplomatic ties with the country, much like in 2001 when France
recognized the "Armenian genocide," Bozkır stated that the Justice and
Development Party (AK Party) was not in power back in 2001, signaling
that the current government was serious in its pledge for retaliation
and a "heavy toll" on France. Following the French proposal to make it
punishable in France to deny the alleged genocide, both the Turkish
foreign ministry and prominent business circles that are engaged in
contact with French businesses operating in or with Turkey warned them
of the unpleasant consequences of the bill's passage. Increasing the
tone of warning to French companies, Turkish Tradesmen's and Artisans'
Confederation (TESK) Chairman Bendevi Palandöken warned on Tuesday
that the bill, if it passes in the Senate, would "backfire on France,"
as he pledged that French products would be "removed from the shelves"
in Turkey, Anka news agency reported.
Estimating the trade volume between Turkey and France at 13.5 billion
euros, Bozkır warned that the bill jeopardizes French investments
in Turkey, amounting to 6.5 billion euros, and risking the profits
of nearly 2,000 French companies conducting business with Turkey,
the Anatolia news agency reported Tuesday. In a reaction to the bill,
roughly around 100 Turkish civil society organizations (CSO) operating
in Paris gathered on Sunday at the Turkish mission in the city and
started a committee to organize a walk of protest on Thursday. The CSOs
are planning to gather in front of the French Parliament on Thursday
morning to protest the denial bill and thousands of Turks from various
cities in France are expected to join in the demonstration. Addressing
representatives of participating CSOs, Ambassador Burcuoglu describes
the bill "a stain" on Turkish society, targeting the Turkish community
living in France. "We are worried that Turks in France might suffer
from serious legal problems," Burcuoglu said, with foresight that
the bill's passage would allow for the punishment of Turks if they
refuse to call the Ottoman era killings of Armenians a genocide.
Turks and Armenians have remained at odds regarding the tragic
deaths of 1915, with Armenians claiming that more than 1 millions
of their ancestors were killed systematically at the hands of Turks
as the Ottoman Empire fell. Turkey says the deaths were civil unrest
casualties and occurred on both sides at the onset of World War I.