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TURKEY CUTS SUPPORT FOR SAILING RACE
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 20 2012
Turkey
Turkey has dropped its support for a prestigious sailing race in the
wake of France's decision to approve a bill criminalizing denials of
the "Armenian genocide."
Olay Nautic, the organizer of the Europa Race, has announced that
Turkey will not financially support the event, which is scheduled to
start in Istanbul on May 5 and end in La Rochelle in France on June 3.
The Europa Race, in the IMOCA class, lasts for 3,400 nautical miles
and four weeks The route of this year's race also had stopovers in
Barcelona and Portsmouth.
Gaetan Gouerou, an executive board member of the International Monohull
Open Class Association (IMOCA), told daily Hurriyet that they were
"in shock."
"This is a political issue and we cannot do anything about it," said
Gouerou, adding that the boats were ready for the race but the event
had lost its major financial resource.
"We are considering an alternative race, Barcelona, La Rochelle and
Portsmouth are still interested," he said.
Last month, the French Senate approved a bill that was later
challenged by a sufficient number of senators, who took the bill
to the Constitutional Council on the grounds that the draft is
unconstitutional.
The bill criminalizes denials of the 1915 events as genocide. The
Turkish government has promised to impose sanctions on France once
the judgment is delivered.
From: A. Papazian
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 20 2012
Turkey
Turkey has dropped its support for a prestigious sailing race in the
wake of France's decision to approve a bill criminalizing denials of
the "Armenian genocide."
Olay Nautic, the organizer of the Europa Race, has announced that
Turkey will not financially support the event, which is scheduled to
start in Istanbul on May 5 and end in La Rochelle in France on June 3.
The Europa Race, in the IMOCA class, lasts for 3,400 nautical miles
and four weeks The route of this year's race also had stopovers in
Barcelona and Portsmouth.
Gaetan Gouerou, an executive board member of the International Monohull
Open Class Association (IMOCA), told daily Hurriyet that they were
"in shock."
"This is a political issue and we cannot do anything about it," said
Gouerou, adding that the boats were ready for the race but the event
had lost its major financial resource.
"We are considering an alternative race, Barcelona, La Rochelle and
Portsmouth are still interested," he said.
Last month, the French Senate approved a bill that was later
challenged by a sufficient number of senators, who took the bill
to the Constitutional Council on the grounds that the draft is
unconstitutional.
The bill criminalizes denials of the 1915 events as genocide. The
Turkish government has promised to impose sanctions on France once
the judgment is delivered.
From: A. Papazian