Tweet
TURKEY OUTRAGED BY GENOCIDE BILL IN FRENCH PARLIAMENT
Today's Zaman
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-266413-turkey-outraged-by-genocide-bill-in-french-parliament.html
Dec 22 2011
Turkey
The approval of a bill by French Parliament that penalized denial of
"Armenian genocide" in France has drawn strong condemnation from both
the Turkish government and the opposition.
In an immediate comment on the approval of the bill, Labor Minister
Faruk Celik said he sees the measure as "pitiful." "They assume that
they can change historical facts with a law. This is a measure that
is against all EU standards, norms and laws. I see this as "pitiful,"
he told reporters in Parliament.
Despite strong protests by Turkey, French lawmakers in the National
Assembly -- the lower house of Parliament -- voted overwhelmingly in
favor of the bill, which will now be debated next year in the Senate.
The bill makes denial of the alleged Armenian genocide a crime
punishable by a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Wednesday on
President Nicolas Sarkozy's rival, the Socialist Party, to re-evaluate
the step the ruling party took and "correct the mistake" in the Senate,
so that "relations can go back to their usual rhythm soon enough."
However, Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande made it clear earlier
that his party was in favor of the denial bill when it was around in
2006 and would still display the same attitude this time around.
In response to questions regarding Sarkozy's refusal to return Turkish
President Abdullah Gul's calls, Erdogan called the development a
"diplomatic mishap" on Wednesday. "In international diplomacy, such
mistakes and gaffes have no place. This is the type of act Sarkozy
defines himself through," Erdogan said, hinting that Sarkozy was
prone to "diplomatic failures."
Prior to the French vote, thousands of Turks gathered in downtown
Paris to protest the French Parliament over the denial bill,
a movement organized by hundreds of Turkish-French civil society
organizations. Protestors interviewed by the Reuters news agency before
the voting started told the agency that they regarded the vote as an
attempt at censoring their freedom of expression, as they expressed
their belief that such rhetoric emerged whenever elections were held
in France.
Leaders of Turkish CSOs operating in France addressed the crowd,
carrying Turkish flags and banners in front of Parliament, calling them
to "not only scream about it" but "return the betrayal of the lawmakers
at the ballot box," the Cihan news agency reported on Tuesday. The
Turkish protestors started gathering in front of Parliament early in
the morning, with thousands coming from different cities. In protest
of the bill's passage by Parliament, a large crowd also gathered in
front of the French Embassy in Ankara, blocking road access to passing
cars and waving placards that urged reaction against the bill. As
Parliament moved to vote on the bill around lunchtime Thursday,
outside Parliament were Turks and Armenians, who were under strong
police surveillance to interfere in case of any disturbances.
Turkish officials earlier this week had called on all parties, the
French, Turkish and Armenian communities to react to the denial bill,
saying that it defied basic human rights and violated freedom of
expression, a value France championed on the international stage
centuries ago. Turkish Armenians reacted en masse to the bill,
saying that France was abusing their pain for political reasons and
expressing belief that the French Parliament was not concerned with
the "genocide," but was after the political benefits they could reap.
Turks' reaction to the French Parliament was also in relation to
the date of the voting, Dec. 22, which marks the 32nd anniversary of
the death of Turkish diplomat Y覺lmaz Colpan, murdered by Armenian
terrorist organization Asala in Paris. Asala claimed responsibility
for the diplomat's death, saying that they would continue to kill
Turkish diplomats one by one to avenge for the death of their ancestors
in Turkey.
Turkish EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bag覺癬_ claimed on Thursday that it
was "a matter of honor" for a country to protect its foreign citizens
and that France owed Turkey a historical apology for not being able
to protect Colpan, as well as many other diplomats who were killed
in France by terrorism at other times. "How sad it is that we have
to waste our time dealing with the effects of a bill discussed in
French Parliament, right on the day we are commemorating Y覺lmaz
Colpan and feeling the pain of his loss," a written statement issued
by Bag覺癬_'s office said. Bag覺癬_ further stressed that France
never issued an apology for not being able to protect Colpan and a
number of other Turkish diplomats and was engaged in an agenda of
"a different type of political abuse," referring to the genocide
denial bill Parliament forwarded to the French Senate for a final vote.
Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made a similar
reference to the timing of the French vote, saying the move came
at a significant time. "On the same day Colpan was murdered, French
Parliament is attempting to pass a bill, as if delivering a message
to the terrorists who martyred him, almost proving them right,"
Davutoglu spoke last Sunday at a Konya meeting and raised doubts
about the motives of the French move.
In response to Turkish warning that trade ties would sink with France
following the denial bill vote, "Turkey is a democracy and has joined
the World Trade Organization (WTO) so it can't just discriminate for
political reasons against countries," Europe Minister Jean Leonetti
was quoted by Reuters as telling France Inter radio. "I think these
threats are just hot wind, and we [have] to begin a much more reasoned
dialogue," Leonetti said.
In 2001, France recognized the so-called genocide, creating a crisis
between Turkey and France, as French export levels dropped by 40
percent in the aftermath, as international media speculated that it was
Ankara's unofficial messages that discouraged Turkish companies from
getting involved in business deals with their French counterparts. When
a similar denial bill was brought to Parliament in 2006, Turkey froze
military relations with the country and suspended over flight rights,
but the 2006 bill was dropped earlier this year by the French Senate.
The disputed genocide of 1915 has been a matter of a fuming discussion
between Turks and Armenians, as Armenians claim that Ottoman Turks
carried out a systematic and mass murder of Armenians with the aim
of eradicating them in the country. Turks say the Armenians were
deported when they took up arms against the state at a time of chaos
as the Ottoman Empire crumbled and modern day Turkey's founders were
fighting a political and armed war against foreign forces that tried to
take over the country. Most of the casualties occurred when deported
Armenians were not able to survive on the road to their destinations
under extreme circumstances, as Armenians raise allegations that the
deaths were intentional.
Turkey also recalled its ambassador in Paris as "the initial reaction"
against French Parliament approval of the bill, a previously announced
response to the possible approval of the bill.
Turkish Ambassador Tahsin Burcuoglu has been recalled to Ankara "for
consultations for an indefinite period of time" as Engin Solakoglu,
undersecretary of the Turkish Embassy in Paris, also said would happen
last week.
Today's Zaman
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-266413-turkey-outraged-by-genocide-bill-in-french-parliament.html
Dec 22 2011
Turkey
The approval of a bill by French Parliament that penalized denial of
"Armenian genocide" in France has drawn strong condemnation from both
the Turkish government and the opposition.
In an immediate comment on the approval of the bill, Labor Minister
Faruk Celik said he sees the measure as "pitiful." "They assume that
they can change historical facts with a law. This is a measure that
is against all EU standards, norms and laws. I see this as "pitiful,"
he told reporters in Parliament.
Despite strong protests by Turkey, French lawmakers in the National
Assembly -- the lower house of Parliament -- voted overwhelmingly in
favor of the bill, which will now be debated next year in the Senate.
The bill makes denial of the alleged Armenian genocide a crime
punishable by a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Wednesday on
President Nicolas Sarkozy's rival, the Socialist Party, to re-evaluate
the step the ruling party took and "correct the mistake" in the Senate,
so that "relations can go back to their usual rhythm soon enough."
However, Socialist Party leader Francois Hollande made it clear earlier
that his party was in favor of the denial bill when it was around in
2006 and would still display the same attitude this time around.
In response to questions regarding Sarkozy's refusal to return Turkish
President Abdullah Gul's calls, Erdogan called the development a
"diplomatic mishap" on Wednesday. "In international diplomacy, such
mistakes and gaffes have no place. This is the type of act Sarkozy
defines himself through," Erdogan said, hinting that Sarkozy was
prone to "diplomatic failures."
Prior to the French vote, thousands of Turks gathered in downtown
Paris to protest the French Parliament over the denial bill,
a movement organized by hundreds of Turkish-French civil society
organizations. Protestors interviewed by the Reuters news agency before
the voting started told the agency that they regarded the vote as an
attempt at censoring their freedom of expression, as they expressed
their belief that such rhetoric emerged whenever elections were held
in France.
Leaders of Turkish CSOs operating in France addressed the crowd,
carrying Turkish flags and banners in front of Parliament, calling them
to "not only scream about it" but "return the betrayal of the lawmakers
at the ballot box," the Cihan news agency reported on Tuesday. The
Turkish protestors started gathering in front of Parliament early in
the morning, with thousands coming from different cities. In protest
of the bill's passage by Parliament, a large crowd also gathered in
front of the French Embassy in Ankara, blocking road access to passing
cars and waving placards that urged reaction against the bill. As
Parliament moved to vote on the bill around lunchtime Thursday,
outside Parliament were Turks and Armenians, who were under strong
police surveillance to interfere in case of any disturbances.
Turkish officials earlier this week had called on all parties, the
French, Turkish and Armenian communities to react to the denial bill,
saying that it defied basic human rights and violated freedom of
expression, a value France championed on the international stage
centuries ago. Turkish Armenians reacted en masse to the bill,
saying that France was abusing their pain for political reasons and
expressing belief that the French Parliament was not concerned with
the "genocide," but was after the political benefits they could reap.
Turks' reaction to the French Parliament was also in relation to
the date of the voting, Dec. 22, which marks the 32nd anniversary of
the death of Turkish diplomat Y覺lmaz Colpan, murdered by Armenian
terrorist organization Asala in Paris. Asala claimed responsibility
for the diplomat's death, saying that they would continue to kill
Turkish diplomats one by one to avenge for the death of their ancestors
in Turkey.
Turkish EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bag覺癬_ claimed on Thursday that it
was "a matter of honor" for a country to protect its foreign citizens
and that France owed Turkey a historical apology for not being able
to protect Colpan, as well as many other diplomats who were killed
in France by terrorism at other times. "How sad it is that we have
to waste our time dealing with the effects of a bill discussed in
French Parliament, right on the day we are commemorating Y覺lmaz
Colpan and feeling the pain of his loss," a written statement issued
by Bag覺癬_'s office said. Bag覺癬_ further stressed that France
never issued an apology for not being able to protect Colpan and a
number of other Turkish diplomats and was engaged in an agenda of
"a different type of political abuse," referring to the genocide
denial bill Parliament forwarded to the French Senate for a final vote.
Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made a similar
reference to the timing of the French vote, saying the move came
at a significant time. "On the same day Colpan was murdered, French
Parliament is attempting to pass a bill, as if delivering a message
to the terrorists who martyred him, almost proving them right,"
Davutoglu spoke last Sunday at a Konya meeting and raised doubts
about the motives of the French move.
In response to Turkish warning that trade ties would sink with France
following the denial bill vote, "Turkey is a democracy and has joined
the World Trade Organization (WTO) so it can't just discriminate for
political reasons against countries," Europe Minister Jean Leonetti
was quoted by Reuters as telling France Inter radio. "I think these
threats are just hot wind, and we [have] to begin a much more reasoned
dialogue," Leonetti said.
In 2001, France recognized the so-called genocide, creating a crisis
between Turkey and France, as French export levels dropped by 40
percent in the aftermath, as international media speculated that it was
Ankara's unofficial messages that discouraged Turkish companies from
getting involved in business deals with their French counterparts. When
a similar denial bill was brought to Parliament in 2006, Turkey froze
military relations with the country and suspended over flight rights,
but the 2006 bill was dropped earlier this year by the French Senate.
The disputed genocide of 1915 has been a matter of a fuming discussion
between Turks and Armenians, as Armenians claim that Ottoman Turks
carried out a systematic and mass murder of Armenians with the aim
of eradicating them in the country. Turks say the Armenians were
deported when they took up arms against the state at a time of chaos
as the Ottoman Empire crumbled and modern day Turkey's founders were
fighting a political and armed war against foreign forces that tried to
take over the country. Most of the casualties occurred when deported
Armenians were not able to survive on the road to their destinations
under extreme circumstances, as Armenians raise allegations that the
deaths were intentional.
Turkey also recalled its ambassador in Paris as "the initial reaction"
against French Parliament approval of the bill, a previously announced
response to the possible approval of the bill.
Turkish Ambassador Tahsin Burcuoglu has been recalled to Ankara "for
consultations for an indefinite period of time" as Engin Solakoglu,
undersecretary of the Turkish Embassy in Paris, also said would happen
last week.