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FRANCE VOTES ON GENOCIDE BILL, TURKEY WARNS MORE SANCTIONS
Voice of America
http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/01/23/france-votes-on-genocide-bill-turkey-warns-more-sanctions/
Jan 23 2012
The French Senate has begun debating a bill that makes it illegal to
deny as genocide the mass killings of Armenians during Turkey's Ottoman
era nearly a century ago - despite Turkey's threat of more sanctions.
French senators were to vote on the legislation late Monday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters ahead of the
debate that Ankara is ready to implement new and permanent measures
against France unless the law is rejected. He did not elaborate.
France's lower house of parliament passed the bill last month. The
move prompted Turkey to recall its ambassador to France and ban
the French navy from using Turkish territorial waters. Ankara also
imposed restrictions on the use of Turkish air space by French
military aircraft.
The French foreign ministry called on Turkey not to overreact, and
said France considers Turkey a "very important ally."
Paris police separated rival demonstrations - one pro-Turkish and one
pro-Armenian - outside the upper house of parliament as the debate
got under way.
The bill says anyone denying the killings of Armenians by Ottoman
forces constituted genocide faces a $60,000 fine and up to one year in
jail. Paris recognized the killings as genocide in 2001, but imposed
no penalty over the issue.
Armenia says 1.5 million Armenians were killed during World War I by
troops of Turkey's Ottoman Empire. Turkey has acknowledged the loss
of Armenian lives, but says the death toll is exaggerated and does not
amount to genocide. It says the deaths were the result of civil war.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week wrote a letter to Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying the bill does not single
out a particular country.
Mr. Erdogan has accused France of committing genocide in Algeria more
than 60 years ago. He said French colonialists massacred 15 percent of
Algeria's population starting in 1945. He also accused Mr. Sarkozy of
pandering to the hundreds of thousands of French citizens of Armenian
descent heading into his re-election bid this year.
Turkey's president, Abdullah Gul, has said Mr. Sarkozy is "prejudiced"
against Turkey.
Relations between France and Turkey, both members of NATO, have
been frozen due to French opposition to Turkey's bid to join the
European Union.
Voice of America
http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/01/23/france-votes-on-genocide-bill-turkey-warns-more-sanctions/
Jan 23 2012
The French Senate has begun debating a bill that makes it illegal to
deny as genocide the mass killings of Armenians during Turkey's Ottoman
era nearly a century ago - despite Turkey's threat of more sanctions.
French senators were to vote on the legislation late Monday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters ahead of the
debate that Ankara is ready to implement new and permanent measures
against France unless the law is rejected. He did not elaborate.
France's lower house of parliament passed the bill last month. The
move prompted Turkey to recall its ambassador to France and ban
the French navy from using Turkish territorial waters. Ankara also
imposed restrictions on the use of Turkish air space by French
military aircraft.
The French foreign ministry called on Turkey not to overreact, and
said France considers Turkey a "very important ally."
Paris police separated rival demonstrations - one pro-Turkish and one
pro-Armenian - outside the upper house of parliament as the debate
got under way.
The bill says anyone denying the killings of Armenians by Ottoman
forces constituted genocide faces a $60,000 fine and up to one year in
jail. Paris recognized the killings as genocide in 2001, but imposed
no penalty over the issue.
Armenia says 1.5 million Armenians were killed during World War I by
troops of Turkey's Ottoman Empire. Turkey has acknowledged the loss
of Armenian lives, but says the death toll is exaggerated and does not
amount to genocide. It says the deaths were the result of civil war.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week wrote a letter to Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying the bill does not single
out a particular country.
Mr. Erdogan has accused France of committing genocide in Algeria more
than 60 years ago. He said French colonialists massacred 15 percent of
Algeria's population starting in 1945. He also accused Mr. Sarkozy of
pandering to the hundreds of thousands of French citizens of Armenian
descent heading into his re-election bid this year.
Turkey's president, Abdullah Gul, has said Mr. Sarkozy is "prejudiced"
against Turkey.
Relations between France and Turkey, both members of NATO, have
been frozen due to French opposition to Turkey's bid to join the
European Union.