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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 24 2011
Turkey must respect our views: Sarkozy
ISTANBUL
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Turkey to respect the
French National Assembly's decision to pass a bill penalizing the
denial of Armenian genocide allegations.
`I respect the views of our Turkish friends ` it is a great country, a
great civilization ` and they must respect ours,' Sarkozy said in
Prague. `France does not lecture anyone and France does not want to be
lectured. France decides its policy as a sovereign nation. We do not
ask for permission. France has its beliefs [on] human rights [and] a
respect for memory,' Agence France-Presse reported.
In a response to Sarkozy, Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu said Turkey
was respecting the convictions of other nations but `it was outdated
to turn historical interpretations and intellectual debates into a
conviction and a dogma' through his tweeter account. Back in France,
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe admitted that France's vote on the
genocide law had `without doubt been badly timed.' He urged calm and
said `certain declarations have been excessive.' `What I hope now is
that our Turkish friends do not overreact,' he added. A French bill
criminalizing denial of the 1915 events as genocide is a `disgusting
decision' and mere electioneering, according to a French politician
and member of the European Parliament. `I am very angry with the
[Nicolas] Sarkozy government. They are using people's sorrow for the
elections,' deputy Helene Flautre told daily Hürriyet. Criticizing
Sarkozy's `hostile attitude' toward Turkey, she said: `No country is
in a position to give history lessons to another country. Besides,
this cannot be a politician's job.' When a law recognizing the 1915
events as genocide was first debated in France 10 years ago,
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink told her that he would come to
France to yell `There was no genocide' in the interests of defending
free speech. `I understand Dink better now,' she added.
December/24/2011
Dec 24 2011
Turkey must respect our views: Sarkozy
ISTANBUL
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Turkey to respect the
French National Assembly's decision to pass a bill penalizing the
denial of Armenian genocide allegations.
`I respect the views of our Turkish friends ` it is a great country, a
great civilization ` and they must respect ours,' Sarkozy said in
Prague. `France does not lecture anyone and France does not want to be
lectured. France decides its policy as a sovereign nation. We do not
ask for permission. France has its beliefs [on] human rights [and] a
respect for memory,' Agence France-Presse reported.
In a response to Sarkozy, Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu said Turkey
was respecting the convictions of other nations but `it was outdated
to turn historical interpretations and intellectual debates into a
conviction and a dogma' through his tweeter account. Back in France,
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe admitted that France's vote on the
genocide law had `without doubt been badly timed.' He urged calm and
said `certain declarations have been excessive.' `What I hope now is
that our Turkish friends do not overreact,' he added. A French bill
criminalizing denial of the 1915 events as genocide is a `disgusting
decision' and mere electioneering, according to a French politician
and member of the European Parliament. `I am very angry with the
[Nicolas] Sarkozy government. They are using people's sorrow for the
elections,' deputy Helene Flautre told daily Hürriyet. Criticizing
Sarkozy's `hostile attitude' toward Turkey, she said: `No country is
in a position to give history lessons to another country. Besides,
this cannot be a politician's job.' When a law recognizing the 1915
events as genocide was first debated in France 10 years ago,
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink told her that he would come to
France to yell `There was no genocide' in the interests of defending
free speech. `I understand Dink better now,' she added.
December/24/2011