ANKARA URGES PARIS NOT TO TAKE DANGEROUS STEP
Hurriyet Daily News
Jan 11 2012
Turkey
Turkey called on France yesterday to refrain from taking a dangerous
step in a fresh warning ahead of a vote at the French Senate on the
bill outlawing the denial of Armenian "genocide."
"I hope France will not take a dangerous step," said Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu to a group of reporters at Parliament. The French
Senate is set to discuss Jan. 23 the bill which was earlier approved by
French Parliament. The Senate will either drop the bill from the agenda
or will pave the way for a vote before its recess in late February.
The Turkish government has launched fresh efforts to kill the bill
at the Senate as in 2006. Turkish Ambassador Tahsin Burcuoglu was
recalled for consultations after the initial approval of the bill,
which stipulates a one year jail sentence and a 45,000 euro fine for
those who deny the 1915 events amounted to genocide.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the government will
communicate with French investors based in Turkey to discuss ways to
stop the process in France. In addition to eight sanctions Turkey has
imposed against France, Turkey is planning to issue more measures,
including economic and trade measures.
The government and Foreign Ministry will increase their pressure on the
French government to kill the bill at Senate. However, it is believed
the bill will much more likely be approved by the Senate this time as
both the ruling and oppositional parties cannot dare oppose the bill.
In the meantime, the Ankara Municipality's assembly has approved a
proposal to rename Paris Street, where the French Embassy is located,
to Algeria Street. It will also rename De Gaulle Street after an
Algerian national hero and erect a monument dedicated to the Algerian
"genocide" near the French Embassy.
Erdogan yesterday responded to a recent warning from the Algerian
prime minister that Turkey should not use the French colonial era
of Algeria as political capital. Erdogan said he has no intention
of launching a polemic with the Algerian government. "The Algerian
people know very well what Turkey means. And the Algerian opposition
expressed this very well. What is appropriate for a government is to
listen to its people's sentiments."
From: Baghdasarian
Hurriyet Daily News
Jan 11 2012
Turkey
Turkey called on France yesterday to refrain from taking a dangerous
step in a fresh warning ahead of a vote at the French Senate on the
bill outlawing the denial of Armenian "genocide."
"I hope France will not take a dangerous step," said Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu to a group of reporters at Parliament. The French
Senate is set to discuss Jan. 23 the bill which was earlier approved by
French Parliament. The Senate will either drop the bill from the agenda
or will pave the way for a vote before its recess in late February.
The Turkish government has launched fresh efforts to kill the bill
at the Senate as in 2006. Turkish Ambassador Tahsin Burcuoglu was
recalled for consultations after the initial approval of the bill,
which stipulates a one year jail sentence and a 45,000 euro fine for
those who deny the 1915 events amounted to genocide.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the government will
communicate with French investors based in Turkey to discuss ways to
stop the process in France. In addition to eight sanctions Turkey has
imposed against France, Turkey is planning to issue more measures,
including economic and trade measures.
The government and Foreign Ministry will increase their pressure on the
French government to kill the bill at Senate. However, it is believed
the bill will much more likely be approved by the Senate this time as
both the ruling and oppositional parties cannot dare oppose the bill.
In the meantime, the Ankara Municipality's assembly has approved a
proposal to rename Paris Street, where the French Embassy is located,
to Algeria Street. It will also rename De Gaulle Street after an
Algerian national hero and erect a monument dedicated to the Algerian
"genocide" near the French Embassy.
Erdogan yesterday responded to a recent warning from the Algerian
prime minister that Turkey should not use the French colonial era
of Algeria as political capital. Erdogan said he has no intention
of launching a polemic with the Algerian government. "The Algerian
people know very well what Turkey means. And the Algerian opposition
expressed this very well. What is appropriate for a government is to
listen to its people's sentiments."
From: Baghdasarian