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ENRAGED BY APPROVAL OF DENIAL BILL, TURKEY AWAITS SARKOZY'S SIGNATURE
Today's Zaman
Jan 24 2012
Turkey
Turkey has blasted the French Senate's approval of a denial bill that
is now one step closer to becoming a law that can punish anyone who
says the Armenian deaths of 1915 did not constitute genocide, with
its prime minister ruling the approval "null and void" for Turkey,
while its president vowed Turkish-French ties would take a new,
undesirable dimension.
"Making such a move for electoral gain does not suit a grand country
such as France," President Abdullah Gul on Tuesday said of the French
Senate's decision that came late on Monday's night, straining even
further the already frail Turkish-French ties.
The French Senate's approval of the bill that seeks to make it a crime
for anyone to refuse to term the Armenian deaths in 1915 at the hands
of Ottoman Turks as genocide is not the final step in the process of
passing a bill as the law in France stipulates French President Nicolas
Sarkozy needs to ratify it with his signature. Turkey, convinced
that the mastermind of the bill was Sarkozy himself, believes he will
ratify it, but hopes that it will be nullified by Constitutional Court,
or that the decision will be appealed. "I am hoping that 60 senators
will apply to the Constitutional Court to lift this shadow on French
democracy," Gul said, adding that Turkey still expects a change in the
course of events that could save bilateral ties between the countries.
Although the Senate approved the bill with a 127 to 86 majority,
it could still get rejected in the event if 60 lawmakers take it to
a superior court and succeed in getting an approval from that court,
acknowledging that the bill is in violation of the French constitution.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday claimed the French
Senate approval did not bear any implications for Turkey, saying that
"the bill approved both by the French National Assembly as well as
French Senate is, for us, null and void" at a group meeting of his
ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Although Erdogan
vowed that Turkey has already planned its the steps to take against
the French administration when the bill becomes law in the country,
he did not elaborate on what those steps might include, and refrained
from spelling out concrete measures against its NATO partner and
international ally.
"We are still patient. We will act in accordance as the developments
unfold," he added. He also said Turkey will implement measures against
France "step by step."
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé spoke on Canal+
television on Tuesday, saying that the bill was poorly timed, and that
Ankara should remain calm regarding the developments. "We need good
relations with it [Turkey] and we need to get through this phase,"
Reuters quoted Juppé as saying. "We have very important economic and
trade ties. I hope the reality of the situation will not be usurped
by emotions."
As far as emotions went, Turkey's Ambassador to Paris Tahsin Burcuoglu,
who was briefly recalled in late December for consultations following
lower house's approval of the same bill, stated that the bill could
lead to a total rupture in relations between Turkey and France, and
that Turkey might consider downgrading the level of diplomatic contact
between the countries. "When I say total rupture I include things
like my definitive departure [from France]," he told reporters a day
after the Senate's approval, warning that diplomatic ties might be
reduced to the minimal level recognized by international conventions,
the level of chargé d'affaires. Although Ankara has not hinted at
that direction, it is speculated that Turkey could send the French
ambassador home after Monday's vote.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry, in the initial Turkish reaction, condemned
the Senate's approval early Tuesday morning in a written statement
issued in multiple languages, hinting that the dispute is expected
to last and have far-reaching consequences for a large number of
countries. "Turkey is committed to taking all the necessary steps
against this unjust disposition, which reduces basic human values and
public conscience to nothing," the ministry statement read, while at
the same time urging the French president not to sign the bill while
he still can do something to avert the impending crisis. It said the
law should not be finalized to "avoid this being recorded as one of
France's political, legal and moral mistakes," AP reported.
"We find it useful to remind all parties that, in case of the
completion of the finalization process for the law, we will not
hesitate to implement, as we deem appropriate, the measures that we
have considered in advance," the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry
also added that "it must also be known that we will continue to
strongly use our right to defend ourselves on a legitimate basis
against unfair allegations," signaling that the country might take
the French law to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), as was
previously suggested.
The French lower house's support for the bill on Dec. 22 prompted
a harsh reaction from Turkey as the country froze all economic,
political and military meetings and bilateral deals with France, but
Turkish officials refrained from naming the possible steps it would
take against France after Monday's approval. It is speculated in the
international media that the calm atmosphere among Turkey's decision
makers was related to the fact that the bill could still be sunk by
either the French constitutional court for its incompatibility with
the French legal system, or by Sarkozy, who might opt not to put his
signature on the bill, although it is quite unlikely that he would
make such a move ahead of the elections.
Turkey's Finance Minister Zafer Caglayan also voiced the expectation
that the bill could be brought to a superior court for nullification by
60 lawmakers, as he noted that he convinced that the French decision
was at odds with the French legal system. The same criticism was
voiced by French senators during Monday's hours-long-debate in the
French Senate, as critics of the denial bill noted that parliaments
should not enforce international law on third countries and that the
bill is in violation of the freedom of expression in France.
Prior to the bill's approval, a French Senate panel, the Commission
of Laws, voiced its opinion against the bill, saying it would be
unconstitutional if it passed the Senate. The Senate could have
adhered to the commission's decision, although not binding and merely
advisory, but it disregarded the commission's decision and went ahead
with the vote. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also brought up the issue,
saying a similar law went through the same stages back in May 2011,
but the opinion of the same commission changed the fate of the bill
that time, dropping it from Senate's agenda. "Although the Commission
of Laws of the Senate once again concluded that the latest proposal was
in violation of the Constitution, the Senate adopted it," the Foreign
Ministry noted. "Since there has not been a change in the substance of
the matter in the meantime, this development is a blatant indication
of how such a sensitive issue can be exploited for domestic political
purposes in France," it added. Ankara's speculation that the bill
is politically charged to gain votes from half a million Armenians
living in France is also voiced by the international media, and is
not refuted by French politicians, who expressed that politicians make
laws to appease their voters, and that's what democracy is all about.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Constitutional Council may reject denial bill' A bill passed by
the French Senate on Monday night that makes denying the Armenian
genocide an imprisonable offence runs a chance of being invalidated
by the Constitutional Council, a Turkish-French relations expert at
the French Strategic and International Relations Institute (IRIS)
has said. Contacted by Today's Zaman prior to Monday's late night
Senate vote on the bill, Didier Billion said the bill would only
deepen the wounds in bilateral relations between Turkey and France.
"Our hope is that, in the event of it passing through Senate, this
ridiculous and unreasonable bill will be returned by the Constitutional
Council," Billion told Today's Zaman, before the results of the vote
were publicized. Many in Turkey have expressed anger towards French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who Billion accused of having anti-Turkish
sentiments.
"The bill not only aims to earn the votes of the Armenian diaspora in
France; it is also motivated by Sarkozy's negative feelings towards
Turks," Didier said, suggesting that there was a personal aspect to
the bill. Sarkozy also opposes Turkey's entry into the EU.
Jean-Vincent Place, leader of the Green Party that opposed the bill,
made further claims that there had been serious pressure placed on
senators to vote in favor of the bill. Emre Demir Paris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armenian diaspora hails Senate's approval Although Monday's French
Senate approval of a genocide denial bill left Turkey fuming, the same
vote won praise from the Armenian diaspora as well as from Yerevan,
which hailed the decision as one that should be written in gold
in history.
Alexis Govciyan, national president of the Council of Coordination
of Armenian Organizations in France, stated that the law that would
protect "the memory of the victims of the genocide and the dignity
of their descendants like us will be respected," after the bill was
voted on Monday evening, AP reported. A similar reaction came from
Yerevan following the Senate vote, with Armenian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Edward Nalbandian saying: "This day will be written in gold;
not only in the history of friendship between the Armenian and French
peoples, but also in the annals of the history of the protection of
human rights." Armenia hailed the Senate vote, which came a decade
after France officially recognized the deaths of Armenians in 1915
as genocide and constituted one more step towards making it a crime
to say otherwise, blocking the possibility for a Turkish argument to
debate the issue.
Members of the Armenian diaspora all over the world are readying for
the centennial of the "Armenian genocide" in 2015, lobbying in third
country parliaments to pass genocide recognition and denial laws.
Ankara Today's Zaman with wires
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From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: =?windows-1252?Q?ISTANBUL=3A_Enraged_by_approval_of_denial_b ill=2C_Turkey?=
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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 24 2012
Enraged by approval of denial bill, Turkey awaits Sarkozyâ??s signature
24 January 2012 / TODAYâ??S ZAMAN WITH WIRES, ANKARA
Turkey has blasted the French Senate's approval of a denial bill that
is now one step closer to becoming a law that can punish anyone who
says the Armenian deaths of 1915 did not constitute genocide, with its
prime minister ruling the approval â??null and voidâ?? for Turkey, while
its president vowed Turkish-French ties would take a new, undesirable
dimension.
â??Making such a move for electoral gain does not suit a grand country
such as France,â?? President Abdullah Gül on Tuesday said of the French
Senate's decision that came late on Monday's night, straining even
further the already frail Turkish-French ties.
The French Senate's approval of the bill that seeks to make it a crime
for anyone to refuse to term the Armenian deaths in 1915 at the hands
of Ottoman Turks as genocide is not the final step in the process of
passing a bill as the law in France stipulates French President
Nicolas Sarkozy needs to ratify it with his signature. Turkey,
convinced that the mastermind of the bill was Sarkozy himself,
believes he will ratify it, but hopes that it will be nullified by
Constitutional Court, or that the decision will be appealed. â??I am
hoping that 60 senators will apply to the Constitutional Court to lift
this shadow on French democracy,â?? Gül said, adding that Turkey still
expects a change in the course of events that could save bilateral
ties between the countries.
Although the Senate approved the bill with a 127 to 86 majority, it
could still get rejected in the event if 60 lawmakers take it to a
superior court and succeed in getting an approval from that court,
acknowledging that the bill is in violation of the French
constitution.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an on Tuesday claimed the French
Senate approval did not bear any implications for Turkey, saying that
â??the bill approved both by the French National Assembly as well as
French Senate is, for us, null and voidâ?? at a group meeting of his
ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Although ErdoÄ?an
vowed that Turkey has already planned its the steps to take against
the French administration when the bill becomes law in the country, he
did not elaborate on what those steps might include, and refrained
from spelling out concrete measures against its NATO partner and
international ally.
â??We are still patient. We will act in accordance as the developments
unfold,â?? he added. He also said Turkey will implement measures against
France â??step by step.â??
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé spoke on Canal+
television on Tuesday, saying that the bill was poorly timed, and that
Ankara should remain calm regarding the developments. â??We need good
relations with it [Turkey] and we need to get through this phase,â??
Reuters quoted Juppé as saying. â??We have very important economic and
trade ties. I hope the reality of the situation will not be usurped by
emotions.â??
As far as emotions went, Turkeyâ??s Ambassador to Paris Tahsin
BurcuoÄ?lu, who was briefly recalled in late December for consultations
following lower houseâ??s approval of the same bill, stated that the
bill could lead to a total rupture in relations between Turkey and
France, and that Turkey might consider downgrading the level of
diplomatic contact between the countries. â??When I say total rupture I
include things like my definitive departure [from France],â?? he told
reporters a day after the Senateâ??s approval, warning that diplomatic
ties might be reduced to the minimal level recognized by international
conventions, the level of chargé dâ??affaires. Although Ankara has not
hinted at that direction, it is speculated that Turkey could send the
French ambassador home after Mondayâ??s vote.
Turkeyâ??s Foreign Ministry, in the initial Turkish reaction, condemned
the Senateâ??s approval early Tuesday morning in a written statement
issued in multiple languages, hinting that the dispute is expected to
last and have far-reaching consequences for a large number of
countries. â??Turkey is committed to taking all the necessary steps
against this unjust disposition, which reduces basic human values and
public conscience to nothing,â?? the ministry statement read, while at
the same time urging the French president not to sign the bill while
he still can do something to avert the impending crisis. It said the
law should not be finalized to â??avoid this being recorded as one of
Franceâ??s political, legal and moral mistakes,â?? AP reported.
â??We find it useful to remind all parties that, in case of the
completion of the finalization process for the law, we will not
hesitate to implement, as we deem appropriate, the measures that we
have considered in advance,â?? the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry
also added that â??it must also be known that we will continue to
strongly use our right to defend ourselves on a legitimate basis
against unfair allegations,â?? signaling that the country might take the
French law to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), as was
previously suggested.
The French lower houseâ??s support for the bill on Dec. 22 prompted a
harsh reaction from Turkey as the country froze all economic,
political and military meetings and bilateral deals with France, but
Turkish officials refrained from naming the possible steps it would
take against France after Mondayâ??s approval. It is speculated in the
international media that the calm atmosphere among Turkeyâ??s decision
makers was related to the fact that the bill could still be sunk by
either the French constitutional court for its incompatibility with
the French legal system, or by Sarkozy, who might opt not to put his
signature on the bill, although it is quite unlikely that he would
make such a move ahead of the elections.
Turkeyâ??s Finance Minister Zafer Ã?aÄ?layan also voiced the expectation
that the bill could be brought to a superior court for nullification
by 60 lawmakers, as he noted that he convinced that the French
decision was at odds with the French legal system. The same criticism
was voiced by French senators during Mondayâ??s hours-long-debate in the
French Senate, as critics of the denial bill noted that parliaments
should not enforce international law on third countries and that the
bill is in violation of the freedom of expression in France.
Prior to the billâ??s approval, a French Senate panel, the Commission of
Laws, voiced its opinion against the bill, saying it would be
unconstitutional if it passed the Senate. The Senate could have
adhered to the commissionâ??s decision, although not binding and merely
advisory, but it disregarded the commissionâ??s decision and went ahead
with the vote. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also brought up the issue,
saying a similar law went through the same stages back in May 2011,
but the opinion of the same commission changed the fate of the bill
that time, dropping it from Senateâ??s agenda. â??Although the Commission
of Laws of the Senate once again concluded that the latest proposal
was in violation of the Constitution, the Senate adopted it,â?? the
Foreign Ministry noted. â??Since there has not been a change in the
substance of the matter in the meantime, this development is a blatant
indication of how such a sensitive issue can be exploited for domestic
political purposes in France,â?? it added. Ankaraâ??s speculation that the
bill is politically charged to gain votes from half a million
Armenians living in France is also voiced by the international media,
and is not refuted by French politicians, who expressed that
politicians make laws to appease their voters, and thatâ??s what
democracy is all about.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
â??Constitutional Council may reject denial billâ??
A bill passed by the French Senate on Monday night that makes denying
the Armenian genocide an imprisonable offence runs a chance of being
invalidated by the Constitutional Council, a Turkish-French relations
expert at the French Strategic and International Relations Institute
(IRIS) has said. Contacted by Todayâ??s Zaman prior to Mondayâ??s late
night Senate vote on the bill, Didier Billion said the bill would only
deepen the wounds in bilateral relations between Turkey and France.
â??Our hope is that, in the event of it passing through Senate, this
ridiculous and unreasonable bill will be returned by the
Constitutional Council,â?? Billion told Todayâ??s Zaman, before the
results of the vote were publicized. Many in Turkey have expressed
anger towards French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who Billion accused of
having anti-Turkish sentiments.
â??The bill not only aims to earn the votes of the Armenian diaspora in
France; it is also motivated by Sarkozyâ??s negative feelings towards
Turks,â?? Didier said, suggesting that there was a personal aspect to
the bill. Sarkozy also opposes Turkeyâ??s entry into the EU.
Jean-Vincent Place, leader of the Green Party that opposed the bill,
made further claims that there had been serious pressure placed on
senators to vote in favor of the bill. Emre Demir Paris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armenian diaspora hails Senateâ??s approval
Although Mondayâ??s French Senate approval of a genocide denial bill
left Turkey fuming, the same vote won praise from the Armenian
diaspora as well as from Yerevan, which hailed the decision as one
that should be written in gold in history.
Alexis Govciyan, national president of the Council of Coordination of
Armenian Organizations in France, stated that the law that would
protect â??the memory of the victims of the genocide and the dignity of
their descendants like us will be respected,â?? after the bill was voted
on Monday evening, AP reported. A similar reaction came from Yerevan
following the Senate vote, with Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Edward Nalbandian saying: â??This day will be written in gold; not only
in the history of friendship between the Armenian and French peoples,
but also in the annals of the history of the protection of human
rights.â?? Armenia hailed the Senate vote, which came a decade after
France officially recognized the deaths of Armenians in 1915 as
genocide and constituted one more step towards making it a crime to
say otherwise, blocking the possibility for a Turkish argument to
debate the issue.
Members of the Armenian diaspora all over the world are readying for
the centennial of the â??Armenian genocideâ?? in 2015, lobbying in third
country parliaments to pass genocide recognition and denial laws.
Ankara Todayâ??s Zaman with wires
From: A. Papazian
Today's Zaman
Jan 24 2012
Turkey
Turkey has blasted the French Senate's approval of a denial bill that
is now one step closer to becoming a law that can punish anyone who
says the Armenian deaths of 1915 did not constitute genocide, with
its prime minister ruling the approval "null and void" for Turkey,
while its president vowed Turkish-French ties would take a new,
undesirable dimension.
"Making such a move for electoral gain does not suit a grand country
such as France," President Abdullah Gul on Tuesday said of the French
Senate's decision that came late on Monday's night, straining even
further the already frail Turkish-French ties.
The French Senate's approval of the bill that seeks to make it a crime
for anyone to refuse to term the Armenian deaths in 1915 at the hands
of Ottoman Turks as genocide is not the final step in the process of
passing a bill as the law in France stipulates French President Nicolas
Sarkozy needs to ratify it with his signature. Turkey, convinced
that the mastermind of the bill was Sarkozy himself, believes he will
ratify it, but hopes that it will be nullified by Constitutional Court,
or that the decision will be appealed. "I am hoping that 60 senators
will apply to the Constitutional Court to lift this shadow on French
democracy," Gul said, adding that Turkey still expects a change in the
course of events that could save bilateral ties between the countries.
Although the Senate approved the bill with a 127 to 86 majority,
it could still get rejected in the event if 60 lawmakers take it to
a superior court and succeed in getting an approval from that court,
acknowledging that the bill is in violation of the French constitution.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday claimed the French
Senate approval did not bear any implications for Turkey, saying that
"the bill approved both by the French National Assembly as well as
French Senate is, for us, null and void" at a group meeting of his
ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Although Erdogan
vowed that Turkey has already planned its the steps to take against
the French administration when the bill becomes law in the country,
he did not elaborate on what those steps might include, and refrained
from spelling out concrete measures against its NATO partner and
international ally.
"We are still patient. We will act in accordance as the developments
unfold," he added. He also said Turkey will implement measures against
France "step by step."
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé spoke on Canal+
television on Tuesday, saying that the bill was poorly timed, and that
Ankara should remain calm regarding the developments. "We need good
relations with it [Turkey] and we need to get through this phase,"
Reuters quoted Juppé as saying. "We have very important economic and
trade ties. I hope the reality of the situation will not be usurped
by emotions."
As far as emotions went, Turkey's Ambassador to Paris Tahsin Burcuoglu,
who was briefly recalled in late December for consultations following
lower house's approval of the same bill, stated that the bill could
lead to a total rupture in relations between Turkey and France, and
that Turkey might consider downgrading the level of diplomatic contact
between the countries. "When I say total rupture I include things
like my definitive departure [from France]," he told reporters a day
after the Senate's approval, warning that diplomatic ties might be
reduced to the minimal level recognized by international conventions,
the level of chargé d'affaires. Although Ankara has not hinted at
that direction, it is speculated that Turkey could send the French
ambassador home after Monday's vote.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry, in the initial Turkish reaction, condemned
the Senate's approval early Tuesday morning in a written statement
issued in multiple languages, hinting that the dispute is expected
to last and have far-reaching consequences for a large number of
countries. "Turkey is committed to taking all the necessary steps
against this unjust disposition, which reduces basic human values and
public conscience to nothing," the ministry statement read, while at
the same time urging the French president not to sign the bill while
he still can do something to avert the impending crisis. It said the
law should not be finalized to "avoid this being recorded as one of
France's political, legal and moral mistakes," AP reported.
"We find it useful to remind all parties that, in case of the
completion of the finalization process for the law, we will not
hesitate to implement, as we deem appropriate, the measures that we
have considered in advance," the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry
also added that "it must also be known that we will continue to
strongly use our right to defend ourselves on a legitimate basis
against unfair allegations," signaling that the country might take
the French law to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), as was
previously suggested.
The French lower house's support for the bill on Dec. 22 prompted
a harsh reaction from Turkey as the country froze all economic,
political and military meetings and bilateral deals with France, but
Turkish officials refrained from naming the possible steps it would
take against France after Monday's approval. It is speculated in the
international media that the calm atmosphere among Turkey's decision
makers was related to the fact that the bill could still be sunk by
either the French constitutional court for its incompatibility with
the French legal system, or by Sarkozy, who might opt not to put his
signature on the bill, although it is quite unlikely that he would
make such a move ahead of the elections.
Turkey's Finance Minister Zafer Caglayan also voiced the expectation
that the bill could be brought to a superior court for nullification by
60 lawmakers, as he noted that he convinced that the French decision
was at odds with the French legal system. The same criticism was
voiced by French senators during Monday's hours-long-debate in the
French Senate, as critics of the denial bill noted that parliaments
should not enforce international law on third countries and that the
bill is in violation of the freedom of expression in France.
Prior to the bill's approval, a French Senate panel, the Commission
of Laws, voiced its opinion against the bill, saying it would be
unconstitutional if it passed the Senate. The Senate could have
adhered to the commission's decision, although not binding and merely
advisory, but it disregarded the commission's decision and went ahead
with the vote. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also brought up the issue,
saying a similar law went through the same stages back in May 2011,
but the opinion of the same commission changed the fate of the bill
that time, dropping it from Senate's agenda. "Although the Commission
of Laws of the Senate once again concluded that the latest proposal was
in violation of the Constitution, the Senate adopted it," the Foreign
Ministry noted. "Since there has not been a change in the substance of
the matter in the meantime, this development is a blatant indication
of how such a sensitive issue can be exploited for domestic political
purposes in France," it added. Ankara's speculation that the bill
is politically charged to gain votes from half a million Armenians
living in France is also voiced by the international media, and is
not refuted by French politicians, who expressed that politicians make
laws to appease their voters, and that's what democracy is all about.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Constitutional Council may reject denial bill' A bill passed by
the French Senate on Monday night that makes denying the Armenian
genocide an imprisonable offence runs a chance of being invalidated
by the Constitutional Council, a Turkish-French relations expert at
the French Strategic and International Relations Institute (IRIS)
has said. Contacted by Today's Zaman prior to Monday's late night
Senate vote on the bill, Didier Billion said the bill would only
deepen the wounds in bilateral relations between Turkey and France.
"Our hope is that, in the event of it passing through Senate, this
ridiculous and unreasonable bill will be returned by the Constitutional
Council," Billion told Today's Zaman, before the results of the vote
were publicized. Many in Turkey have expressed anger towards French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who Billion accused of having anti-Turkish
sentiments.
"The bill not only aims to earn the votes of the Armenian diaspora in
France; it is also motivated by Sarkozy's negative feelings towards
Turks," Didier said, suggesting that there was a personal aspect to
the bill. Sarkozy also opposes Turkey's entry into the EU.
Jean-Vincent Place, leader of the Green Party that opposed the bill,
made further claims that there had been serious pressure placed on
senators to vote in favor of the bill. Emre Demir Paris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armenian diaspora hails Senate's approval Although Monday's French
Senate approval of a genocide denial bill left Turkey fuming, the same
vote won praise from the Armenian diaspora as well as from Yerevan,
which hailed the decision as one that should be written in gold
in history.
Alexis Govciyan, national president of the Council of Coordination
of Armenian Organizations in France, stated that the law that would
protect "the memory of the victims of the genocide and the dignity
of their descendants like us will be respected," after the bill was
voted on Monday evening, AP reported. A similar reaction came from
Yerevan following the Senate vote, with Armenian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Edward Nalbandian saying: "This day will be written in gold;
not only in the history of friendship between the Armenian and French
peoples, but also in the annals of the history of the protection of
human rights." Armenia hailed the Senate vote, which came a decade
after France officially recognized the deaths of Armenians in 1915
as genocide and constituted one more step towards making it a crime
to say otherwise, blocking the possibility for a Turkish argument to
debate the issue.
Members of the Armenian diaspora all over the world are readying for
the centennial of the "Armenian genocide" in 2015, lobbying in third
country parliaments to pass genocide recognition and denial laws.
Ankara Today's Zaman with wires
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
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From: Katia Peltekian
Subject: =?windows-1252?Q?ISTANBUL=3A_Enraged_by_approval_of_denial_b ill=2C_Turkey?=
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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 24 2012
Enraged by approval of denial bill, Turkey awaits Sarkozyâ??s signature
24 January 2012 / TODAYâ??S ZAMAN WITH WIRES, ANKARA
Turkey has blasted the French Senate's approval of a denial bill that
is now one step closer to becoming a law that can punish anyone who
says the Armenian deaths of 1915 did not constitute genocide, with its
prime minister ruling the approval â??null and voidâ?? for Turkey, while
its president vowed Turkish-French ties would take a new, undesirable
dimension.
â??Making such a move for electoral gain does not suit a grand country
such as France,â?? President Abdullah Gül on Tuesday said of the French
Senate's decision that came late on Monday's night, straining even
further the already frail Turkish-French ties.
The French Senate's approval of the bill that seeks to make it a crime
for anyone to refuse to term the Armenian deaths in 1915 at the hands
of Ottoman Turks as genocide is not the final step in the process of
passing a bill as the law in France stipulates French President
Nicolas Sarkozy needs to ratify it with his signature. Turkey,
convinced that the mastermind of the bill was Sarkozy himself,
believes he will ratify it, but hopes that it will be nullified by
Constitutional Court, or that the decision will be appealed. â??I am
hoping that 60 senators will apply to the Constitutional Court to lift
this shadow on French democracy,â?? Gül said, adding that Turkey still
expects a change in the course of events that could save bilateral
ties between the countries.
Although the Senate approved the bill with a 127 to 86 majority, it
could still get rejected in the event if 60 lawmakers take it to a
superior court and succeed in getting an approval from that court,
acknowledging that the bill is in violation of the French
constitution.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an on Tuesday claimed the French
Senate approval did not bear any implications for Turkey, saying that
â??the bill approved both by the French National Assembly as well as
French Senate is, for us, null and voidâ?? at a group meeting of his
ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Although ErdoÄ?an
vowed that Turkey has already planned its the steps to take against
the French administration when the bill becomes law in the country, he
did not elaborate on what those steps might include, and refrained
from spelling out concrete measures against its NATO partner and
international ally.
â??We are still patient. We will act in accordance as the developments
unfold,â?? he added. He also said Turkey will implement measures against
France â??step by step.â??
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé spoke on Canal+
television on Tuesday, saying that the bill was poorly timed, and that
Ankara should remain calm regarding the developments. â??We need good
relations with it [Turkey] and we need to get through this phase,â??
Reuters quoted Juppé as saying. â??We have very important economic and
trade ties. I hope the reality of the situation will not be usurped by
emotions.â??
As far as emotions went, Turkeyâ??s Ambassador to Paris Tahsin
BurcuoÄ?lu, who was briefly recalled in late December for consultations
following lower houseâ??s approval of the same bill, stated that the
bill could lead to a total rupture in relations between Turkey and
France, and that Turkey might consider downgrading the level of
diplomatic contact between the countries. â??When I say total rupture I
include things like my definitive departure [from France],â?? he told
reporters a day after the Senateâ??s approval, warning that diplomatic
ties might be reduced to the minimal level recognized by international
conventions, the level of chargé dâ??affaires. Although Ankara has not
hinted at that direction, it is speculated that Turkey could send the
French ambassador home after Mondayâ??s vote.
Turkeyâ??s Foreign Ministry, in the initial Turkish reaction, condemned
the Senateâ??s approval early Tuesday morning in a written statement
issued in multiple languages, hinting that the dispute is expected to
last and have far-reaching consequences for a large number of
countries. â??Turkey is committed to taking all the necessary steps
against this unjust disposition, which reduces basic human values and
public conscience to nothing,â?? the ministry statement read, while at
the same time urging the French president not to sign the bill while
he still can do something to avert the impending crisis. It said the
law should not be finalized to â??avoid this being recorded as one of
Franceâ??s political, legal and moral mistakes,â?? AP reported.
â??We find it useful to remind all parties that, in case of the
completion of the finalization process for the law, we will not
hesitate to implement, as we deem appropriate, the measures that we
have considered in advance,â?? the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry
also added that â??it must also be known that we will continue to
strongly use our right to defend ourselves on a legitimate basis
against unfair allegations,â?? signaling that the country might take the
French law to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), as was
previously suggested.
The French lower houseâ??s support for the bill on Dec. 22 prompted a
harsh reaction from Turkey as the country froze all economic,
political and military meetings and bilateral deals with France, but
Turkish officials refrained from naming the possible steps it would
take against France after Mondayâ??s approval. It is speculated in the
international media that the calm atmosphere among Turkeyâ??s decision
makers was related to the fact that the bill could still be sunk by
either the French constitutional court for its incompatibility with
the French legal system, or by Sarkozy, who might opt not to put his
signature on the bill, although it is quite unlikely that he would
make such a move ahead of the elections.
Turkeyâ??s Finance Minister Zafer Ã?aÄ?layan also voiced the expectation
that the bill could be brought to a superior court for nullification
by 60 lawmakers, as he noted that he convinced that the French
decision was at odds with the French legal system. The same criticism
was voiced by French senators during Mondayâ??s hours-long-debate in the
French Senate, as critics of the denial bill noted that parliaments
should not enforce international law on third countries and that the
bill is in violation of the freedom of expression in France.
Prior to the billâ??s approval, a French Senate panel, the Commission of
Laws, voiced its opinion against the bill, saying it would be
unconstitutional if it passed the Senate. The Senate could have
adhered to the commissionâ??s decision, although not binding and merely
advisory, but it disregarded the commissionâ??s decision and went ahead
with the vote. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also brought up the issue,
saying a similar law went through the same stages back in May 2011,
but the opinion of the same commission changed the fate of the bill
that time, dropping it from Senateâ??s agenda. â??Although the Commission
of Laws of the Senate once again concluded that the latest proposal
was in violation of the Constitution, the Senate adopted it,â?? the
Foreign Ministry noted. â??Since there has not been a change in the
substance of the matter in the meantime, this development is a blatant
indication of how such a sensitive issue can be exploited for domestic
political purposes in France,â?? it added. Ankaraâ??s speculation that the
bill is politically charged to gain votes from half a million
Armenians living in France is also voiced by the international media,
and is not refuted by French politicians, who expressed that
politicians make laws to appease their voters, and thatâ??s what
democracy is all about.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
â??Constitutional Council may reject denial billâ??
A bill passed by the French Senate on Monday night that makes denying
the Armenian genocide an imprisonable offence runs a chance of being
invalidated by the Constitutional Council, a Turkish-French relations
expert at the French Strategic and International Relations Institute
(IRIS) has said. Contacted by Todayâ??s Zaman prior to Mondayâ??s late
night Senate vote on the bill, Didier Billion said the bill would only
deepen the wounds in bilateral relations between Turkey and France.
â??Our hope is that, in the event of it passing through Senate, this
ridiculous and unreasonable bill will be returned by the
Constitutional Council,â?? Billion told Todayâ??s Zaman, before the
results of the vote were publicized. Many in Turkey have expressed
anger towards French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who Billion accused of
having anti-Turkish sentiments.
â??The bill not only aims to earn the votes of the Armenian diaspora in
France; it is also motivated by Sarkozyâ??s negative feelings towards
Turks,â?? Didier said, suggesting that there was a personal aspect to
the bill. Sarkozy also opposes Turkeyâ??s entry into the EU.
Jean-Vincent Place, leader of the Green Party that opposed the bill,
made further claims that there had been serious pressure placed on
senators to vote in favor of the bill. Emre Demir Paris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Armenian diaspora hails Senateâ??s approval
Although Mondayâ??s French Senate approval of a genocide denial bill
left Turkey fuming, the same vote won praise from the Armenian
diaspora as well as from Yerevan, which hailed the decision as one
that should be written in gold in history.
Alexis Govciyan, national president of the Council of Coordination of
Armenian Organizations in France, stated that the law that would
protect â??the memory of the victims of the genocide and the dignity of
their descendants like us will be respected,â?? after the bill was voted
on Monday evening, AP reported. A similar reaction came from Yerevan
following the Senate vote, with Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Edward Nalbandian saying: â??This day will be written in gold; not only
in the history of friendship between the Armenian and French peoples,
but also in the annals of the history of the protection of human
rights.â?? Armenia hailed the Senate vote, which came a decade after
France officially recognized the deaths of Armenians in 1915 as
genocide and constituted one more step towards making it a crime to
say otherwise, blocking the possibility for a Turkish argument to
debate the issue.
Members of the Armenian diaspora all over the world are readying for
the centennial of the â??Armenian genocideâ?? in 2015, lobbying in third
country parliaments to pass genocide recognition and denial laws.
Ankara Todayâ??s Zaman with wires
From: A. Papazian