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FRANCE IGNORES TURKISH WARNINGS, PASSES ARMENIAN 'GENOCIDE' BILL
Today's Zaman
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-269321-france-ignores-turkish-warnings-passes-armenian-genocide-bill.html
Jan 24 2012
Turkey
French Senate voted late for Monday a controversial bill making
it a crime to deny the 1915 killings of Armenians was a genocide,
ignoring warnings from Turkey that passage of the legislation would
lead to new sanctions. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned
hours before the French Senate debate on the denial bill that runs
a high risk of wrecking Turkish-French ties that the bill could
provoke reactions from "hundreds of thousands" if it passes through
the senate, pledging Turkey would reciprocate a senate approval in
its own determined fashion.
"We see tens of thousands of our brothers, our kin, gathered in Paris,
which proves how strong a reaction the bill will receive [in the
event it passes as law]," Erdogan told reporters earlier on Monday,
referencing demonstrations in France over the weekend against the
bill. The bill seeks punishment for anyone who refuses to term the
killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Empire as genocide, on the
grounds that such a rejection is equal to making racist and xenophobic
remarks and can spark hatred in French society.
"This decision is very wrong," Tahsin Burcuoglu, Turkey's ambassador
to France, said minutes after the vote. "We are not responsible for
this. We did what we could," he added, referring to impending damage
to Turkish-French ties.
Turkey already suspended military, economic and political ties when
the lower house of French parliament passed the bill last month.
Erdogan announced on Monday that Turkey had "decisions to make in
response to the decision the French Senate is going to make today,"
signaling Turkey is readying to counter the French move with
unspecified measures.
Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also had warned
France that Turkey is ready to take new measures against Paris,
in a last-ditch push to fend off the bill.
Turkey briefly recalled its ambassador to Paris and suspended military,
economic and political ties when the bill was passed in France's
lower house last month. Forty-thousand Turks from all over Europe
gathered in Paris on Saturday to raise their voice against the Senate
debate, hoping the Senate might drop the bill off the agenda or vote
against it.
"The steps we will take in case the bill passes as law have already
been determined," Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolia, but he
did not elaborate on what those steps might include.
"Turkey will continue to implement sanctions as long as this bill
remains on the table," Davutoglu stated. "We hope, however, this
won't be necessary, and common sense will reign in the French Senate."
The foreign minister had earlier voiced late Sunday evening Turkey's
determination to respond to the bill, saying his country would take
"new and permanent" measures against France in the event French
senators do not reject the bill. His message appeared to be a
response to critics who claimed Turkey vowed measures against France
in 2001 when the French Senate recognized the incidents of 1915 as
"Armenian genocide" perpetrated by Ottoman Turks, but they didn't
amount to anything. "Turkey is not what it was in 2001," he noted,
with clear reference to his ruling Justice and Development Party's
(AK Party) assumption of leadership of Turkish politics in 2003,
which changed the way the country behaved.
Similarly, AK Party Deputy Chairman Omer Celik said on Monday
measures against France would be permanent, not temporary, if the
bill passes. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag also stated, "It
is clear relations between Turkey and France will not be the same,"
Anatolia reported.
The measure now needs to be signed by President Nicolas Sarkozy,
whose party proposed it, to become a law, something seen by many a
mere formality.
Contrary to the French argument, Turkey has been fighting the bill,
saying that such a move would mean blocking freedom of expression in
France and take away Turks' right to defend their ancestors against
the alleged crime of genocide, a claim Turkey takes as an insult to
its identity.
"The issue they [the French Senate] are debating now is foremost
in denial of freedoms France has laid a claim on up until today,"
Erdogan was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as telling reporters,
as he suggested the bill would also be contradictory to human rights
and could spark demonstrations from "hundreds of thousands of people,"
who would react to the French move.
Erdogan may not visit France if bill passes In response to reporters'
questions, Erdogan raised the possibility on Monday that his future
visits to France might fall under question due to passage of the
bill. A day prior to Erdogan's remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent
Arınc speculated the French bill could jeopardize visits from
senior Turkish officials to France. Arınc rhetorically asked what
French officials would do if Erdogan said, "1915 is not genocide,"
during a visit to France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy noted in
a recent letter he sent to Erdogan that the law would only affect
French citizens and be applicable in France, to dismiss speculations
senior Turkish officials might fall victim to the controversial bill
during their visits to France.
'A new era of Inquisition' Meanwhile, the European Democratic and
Social Rally (RDSE) in the French Senate defined the bill as "dangerous
and unnecessary," Anatolia reported on Monday. RDSE's group chairman
Jacques Mézard and member Jean-Michel Baylet held a joint press
conference on Monday and said they would vote "no" on the bill.
The bill sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine
of 45,000 euros for those who deny or "outrageously minimize" the
killings -- putting such action on par with denial of the Holocaust.
France formally recognized the 1915 killings as genocide in 2001 but
provided no penalty for anyone who rejected it.
Turkey maintains there was no systematic campaign to kill Armenians
and that many Turks also died during the chaotic disintegration of
the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey has argued the bill would compromise freedom of expression
in France.
"European values are under threat," Davutoglu said. "If each parliament
takes decisions containing its own views of history and implements
them, a new era of Inquisition will be opened in Europe."
"Those who voice views that exclude this view of history will be
jailed," he said. "It would, unfortunately, be a great shame for
France to revive this."
From: Baghdasarian
Today's Zaman
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-269321-france-ignores-turkish-warnings-passes-armenian-genocide-bill.html
Jan 24 2012
Turkey
French Senate voted late for Monday a controversial bill making
it a crime to deny the 1915 killings of Armenians was a genocide,
ignoring warnings from Turkey that passage of the legislation would
lead to new sanctions. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned
hours before the French Senate debate on the denial bill that runs
a high risk of wrecking Turkish-French ties that the bill could
provoke reactions from "hundreds of thousands" if it passes through
the senate, pledging Turkey would reciprocate a senate approval in
its own determined fashion.
"We see tens of thousands of our brothers, our kin, gathered in Paris,
which proves how strong a reaction the bill will receive [in the
event it passes as law]," Erdogan told reporters earlier on Monday,
referencing demonstrations in France over the weekend against the
bill. The bill seeks punishment for anyone who refuses to term the
killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Empire as genocide, on the
grounds that such a rejection is equal to making racist and xenophobic
remarks and can spark hatred in French society.
"This decision is very wrong," Tahsin Burcuoglu, Turkey's ambassador
to France, said minutes after the vote. "We are not responsible for
this. We did what we could," he added, referring to impending damage
to Turkish-French ties.
Turkey already suspended military, economic and political ties when
the lower house of French parliament passed the bill last month.
Erdogan announced on Monday that Turkey had "decisions to make in
response to the decision the French Senate is going to make today,"
signaling Turkey is readying to counter the French move with
unspecified measures.
Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also had warned
France that Turkey is ready to take new measures against Paris,
in a last-ditch push to fend off the bill.
Turkey briefly recalled its ambassador to Paris and suspended military,
economic and political ties when the bill was passed in France's
lower house last month. Forty-thousand Turks from all over Europe
gathered in Paris on Saturday to raise their voice against the Senate
debate, hoping the Senate might drop the bill off the agenda or vote
against it.
"The steps we will take in case the bill passes as law have already
been determined," Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolia, but he
did not elaborate on what those steps might include.
"Turkey will continue to implement sanctions as long as this bill
remains on the table," Davutoglu stated. "We hope, however, this
won't be necessary, and common sense will reign in the French Senate."
The foreign minister had earlier voiced late Sunday evening Turkey's
determination to respond to the bill, saying his country would take
"new and permanent" measures against France in the event French
senators do not reject the bill. His message appeared to be a
response to critics who claimed Turkey vowed measures against France
in 2001 when the French Senate recognized the incidents of 1915 as
"Armenian genocide" perpetrated by Ottoman Turks, but they didn't
amount to anything. "Turkey is not what it was in 2001," he noted,
with clear reference to his ruling Justice and Development Party's
(AK Party) assumption of leadership of Turkish politics in 2003,
which changed the way the country behaved.
Similarly, AK Party Deputy Chairman Omer Celik said on Monday
measures against France would be permanent, not temporary, if the
bill passes. Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag also stated, "It
is clear relations between Turkey and France will not be the same,"
Anatolia reported.
The measure now needs to be signed by President Nicolas Sarkozy,
whose party proposed it, to become a law, something seen by many a
mere formality.
Contrary to the French argument, Turkey has been fighting the bill,
saying that such a move would mean blocking freedom of expression in
France and take away Turks' right to defend their ancestors against
the alleged crime of genocide, a claim Turkey takes as an insult to
its identity.
"The issue they [the French Senate] are debating now is foremost
in denial of freedoms France has laid a claim on up until today,"
Erdogan was quoted by the Anatolia news agency as telling reporters,
as he suggested the bill would also be contradictory to human rights
and could spark demonstrations from "hundreds of thousands of people,"
who would react to the French move.
Erdogan may not visit France if bill passes In response to reporters'
questions, Erdogan raised the possibility on Monday that his future
visits to France might fall under question due to passage of the
bill. A day prior to Erdogan's remarks, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent
Arınc speculated the French bill could jeopardize visits from
senior Turkish officials to France. Arınc rhetorically asked what
French officials would do if Erdogan said, "1915 is not genocide,"
during a visit to France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy noted in
a recent letter he sent to Erdogan that the law would only affect
French citizens and be applicable in France, to dismiss speculations
senior Turkish officials might fall victim to the controversial bill
during their visits to France.
'A new era of Inquisition' Meanwhile, the European Democratic and
Social Rally (RDSE) in the French Senate defined the bill as "dangerous
and unnecessary," Anatolia reported on Monday. RDSE's group chairman
Jacques Mézard and member Jean-Michel Baylet held a joint press
conference on Monday and said they would vote "no" on the bill.
The bill sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine
of 45,000 euros for those who deny or "outrageously minimize" the
killings -- putting such action on par with denial of the Holocaust.
France formally recognized the 1915 killings as genocide in 2001 but
provided no penalty for anyone who rejected it.
Turkey maintains there was no systematic campaign to kill Armenians
and that many Turks also died during the chaotic disintegration of
the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey has argued the bill would compromise freedom of expression
in France.
"European values are under threat," Davutoglu said. "If each parliament
takes decisions containing its own views of history and implements
them, a new era of Inquisition will be opened in Europe."
"Those who voice views that exclude this view of history will be
jailed," he said. "It would, unfortunately, be a great shame for
France to revive this."
From: Baghdasarian