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FRENCH BILL RE-OPENS OLD WOUNDS WITH TURKEY
BBC News
By Jonathan Marcus
A man waves a Turkish flag as he takes part in a rally in front of
the French Consulate in Istanbul The revived French proposal has
angered Turks
Continue reading the main story
RELATED STORIES
* Press review
* Q&A: Armenian genocide dispute
In 1915, the French Navy evacuated Armenian refugees from the Turkish
coast to save them from almost certain death.
Nearly 100 years later, France and Turkey are again on opposite sides
with the Armenians' fate, once again, the bone of contention.
The French National Assembly has decided that denying the Armenian
genocide should henceforth be a crime.
The draft law must now be debated by the upper house - the Senate.
This is, of course, one of the most contentious issues in modern
Turkish history. There is little doubt that huge numbers of Armenians
were displaced and killed both during and after World War I.
Where Turkey and its critics disagree, is on the extent to which this
was organised persecution and there are also disagreements about the
overall scale of the tragedy.
Upset
It was an episode that evoked great passions in the Christian West,
with journalists, clergymen and travel writers all eager to champion
the Armenian cause.
Members of the French National Assembly vote on the genocide bill Some
commentators suggested that the bill is timed ahead of Mr Sarkozy's
election campaign
Clearly, it still evokes strong feelings. The French political debate
has been variously characterised as an attempt to protect the memory
of a terrible period at the start of the 20th century; a travesty
of history; an electoral manoeuvre; or perhaps even a thinly-veiled
attempt to distance Turkey from the European Union's doors.
There's no doubting that the Turkish government is upset. It has
recalled its ambassador from Paris.
The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the
French parliament has opened up wounds that will be difficult to heal.
For now, Turkey is cancelling all economic, political and military
meetings between the two countries.
French warplanes will not be allowed to land in Turkey and French
warships will not be welcome at Turkish ports.
This is an extraordinary step for one Nato ally to take against
another. While the cancelling of military visits may not present much
of a problem, the disruption of wider diplomatic contacts between
Paris and Ankara is much more serious.
Election manoeuvre?
Turkey has become a key player in the region and, with crises
developing in Syria and Iraq, the French - along with other key UN
Security Council members - need to co-ordinate closely with the Turks.
No wonder then that there have been so far unconfirmed press reports
in France suggesting a certain degree of annoyance in the French
foreign ministry that this draft law came to parliament now.
Continue reading the main story
TURKEY AND THE ARMENIANS
An Armenian woman mourns a dead boy during the deportations in 1915 *
Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians died during mass deportations
by Ottoman Turks in 1915-6 * More than 20 countries say it was genocide
* Turkey and some historians say it was part of widespread turmoil
in World War I in which Muslims also died * Estimated 500,000 ethnic
Armenians now in France * Turkey closed Armenia border in 1993 because
of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh * Turkey signed 2009 deal with Armenia
to examine 1915 killings and open borders: ratified by neither side
Some French commentators suggest that there is indeed an electoral
dimension here.
With French President Nicolas Sarkozy up for re-election in 2012 he
is eager to court every constituency, including some 500,000 French
citizens of Armenian descent.
The French parliament has a track record of pronouncing on historical
events, ranging from the Holocaust, to slavery.
In 2005 there was even an attempt to force French schools to teach
pupils about "the positive role of the French presence overseas"
during the colonial era.
When proposals to sanction anyone denying the Armenian genocide
first came before the French parliament in 2006, several of France's
most-respected historians insisted that "in a free country, it was
not the place of parliament or the courts to define historical truth".
That first time around the Turks were also very upset. A senior French
diplomat was despatched to Ankara to reassure them.
And, in the end, the French Senate rejected the draft law in May
2011. Nonetheless, this time it may take more than just a bit of
reassurance to patch up fraying Franco-Turkish ties.
BBC News
By Jonathan Marcus
A man waves a Turkish flag as he takes part in a rally in front of
the French Consulate in Istanbul The revived French proposal has
angered Turks
Continue reading the main story
RELATED STORIES
* Press review
* Q&A: Armenian genocide dispute
In 1915, the French Navy evacuated Armenian refugees from the Turkish
coast to save them from almost certain death.
Nearly 100 years later, France and Turkey are again on opposite sides
with the Armenians' fate, once again, the bone of contention.
The French National Assembly has decided that denying the Armenian
genocide should henceforth be a crime.
The draft law must now be debated by the upper house - the Senate.
This is, of course, one of the most contentious issues in modern
Turkish history. There is little doubt that huge numbers of Armenians
were displaced and killed both during and after World War I.
Where Turkey and its critics disagree, is on the extent to which this
was organised persecution and there are also disagreements about the
overall scale of the tragedy.
Upset
It was an episode that evoked great passions in the Christian West,
with journalists, clergymen and travel writers all eager to champion
the Armenian cause.
Members of the French National Assembly vote on the genocide bill Some
commentators suggested that the bill is timed ahead of Mr Sarkozy's
election campaign
Clearly, it still evokes strong feelings. The French political debate
has been variously characterised as an attempt to protect the memory
of a terrible period at the start of the 20th century; a travesty
of history; an electoral manoeuvre; or perhaps even a thinly-veiled
attempt to distance Turkey from the European Union's doors.
There's no doubting that the Turkish government is upset. It has
recalled its ambassador from Paris.
The Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the
French parliament has opened up wounds that will be difficult to heal.
For now, Turkey is cancelling all economic, political and military
meetings between the two countries.
French warplanes will not be allowed to land in Turkey and French
warships will not be welcome at Turkish ports.
This is an extraordinary step for one Nato ally to take against
another. While the cancelling of military visits may not present much
of a problem, the disruption of wider diplomatic contacts between
Paris and Ankara is much more serious.
Election manoeuvre?
Turkey has become a key player in the region and, with crises
developing in Syria and Iraq, the French - along with other key UN
Security Council members - need to co-ordinate closely with the Turks.
No wonder then that there have been so far unconfirmed press reports
in France suggesting a certain degree of annoyance in the French
foreign ministry that this draft law came to parliament now.
Continue reading the main story
TURKEY AND THE ARMENIANS
An Armenian woman mourns a dead boy during the deportations in 1915 *
Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians died during mass deportations
by Ottoman Turks in 1915-6 * More than 20 countries say it was genocide
* Turkey and some historians say it was part of widespread turmoil
in World War I in which Muslims also died * Estimated 500,000 ethnic
Armenians now in France * Turkey closed Armenia border in 1993 because
of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh * Turkey signed 2009 deal with Armenia
to examine 1915 killings and open borders: ratified by neither side
Some French commentators suggest that there is indeed an electoral
dimension here.
With French President Nicolas Sarkozy up for re-election in 2012 he
is eager to court every constituency, including some 500,000 French
citizens of Armenian descent.
The French parliament has a track record of pronouncing on historical
events, ranging from the Holocaust, to slavery.
In 2005 there was even an attempt to force French schools to teach
pupils about "the positive role of the French presence overseas"
during the colonial era.
When proposals to sanction anyone denying the Armenian genocide
first came before the French parliament in 2006, several of France's
most-respected historians insisted that "in a free country, it was
not the place of parliament or the courts to define historical truth".
That first time around the Turks were also very upset. A senior French
diplomat was despatched to Ankara to reassure them.
And, in the end, the French Senate rejected the draft law in May
2011. Nonetheless, this time it may take more than just a bit of
reassurance to patch up fraying Franco-Turkish ties.