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Reuters Africa
Jan 22 2012
Turkey warns France again on genocide vote
Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:03pm GMT
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey has again warned France to reject a bill
making it illegal to deny the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks amounted to genocide, due for a vote Monday, Turkish
media said Sunday.
Turkey will take new and permanent measures against France unless
French senators reject the bill, state-run Anatolian news agency
quoted Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying on France 24
television.
Lawmakers in the lower-house National Assembly voted overwhelmingly
last month in favor of the draft law outlawing genocide denial. That
prompted Ankara to cancel all economic, political and military
meetings with Paris and briefly recall its ambassador for
consultations.
Senate leaders of President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party and the
opposition Socialists have said they will vote in favor of the bill
and it is expected to be passed.
Turkey calls the bill a bid by Sarkozy to win the votes of 500,000
ethnic Armenians in France in a two-round presidential vote on April
22 and May 6. It says it curbs freedom of speech and meddles in
matters best left to historians.
Sarkozy wrote a letter to Erdogan last week saying the bill did not
single out any particular country and that France was aware of the
"suffering endured by the Turkish people" during the final years of
the Ottoman empire.
Turkey argues there was heavy loss of life on all sides, not only
among Armenians, during fighting in the region.
European Union candidate Turkey could not impose economic sanctions on
France, given its World Trade Organization membership and customs
union accord with Europe.
But the spat could cost France state-to-state contracts and would
create diplomatic tensions as Turkey takes an increasingly influential
role in the Middle East.
(Reporting by Seda Sezer; editing by Andrew Roche)
Jan 22 2012
Turkey warns France again on genocide vote
Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:03pm GMT
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey has again warned France to reject a bill
making it illegal to deny the 1915 mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks amounted to genocide, due for a vote Monday, Turkish
media said Sunday.
Turkey will take new and permanent measures against France unless
French senators reject the bill, state-run Anatolian news agency
quoted Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying on France 24
television.
Lawmakers in the lower-house National Assembly voted overwhelmingly
last month in favor of the draft law outlawing genocide denial. That
prompted Ankara to cancel all economic, political and military
meetings with Paris and briefly recall its ambassador for
consultations.
Senate leaders of President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party and the
opposition Socialists have said they will vote in favor of the bill
and it is expected to be passed.
Turkey calls the bill a bid by Sarkozy to win the votes of 500,000
ethnic Armenians in France in a two-round presidential vote on April
22 and May 6. It says it curbs freedom of speech and meddles in
matters best left to historians.
Sarkozy wrote a letter to Erdogan last week saying the bill did not
single out any particular country and that France was aware of the
"suffering endured by the Turkish people" during the final years of
the Ottoman empire.
Turkey argues there was heavy loss of life on all sides, not only
among Armenians, during fighting in the region.
European Union candidate Turkey could not impose economic sanctions on
France, given its World Trade Organization membership and customs
union accord with Europe.
But the spat could cost France state-to-state contracts and would
create diplomatic tensions as Turkey takes an increasingly influential
role in the Middle East.
(Reporting by Seda Sezer; editing by Andrew Roche)