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TIME: French Draft Law On Armenian Genocide Rocks Franco-Turkish Rel

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  • TIME: French Draft Law On Armenian Genocide Rocks Franco-Turkish Rel

    FRENCH DRAFT LAW ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ROCKS FRANCO-TURKISH RELATIONS

    TIME
    http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2012/01/24/french-draft-law-on-armenian-genocide-rocks-franco-turkish-relations/
    Jan 24 2012

    Anyone who hoped that calm and harmony might somehow prevail after
    the passage of a French bill criminalizing denial of the 1915
    genocide of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was mightily disappointed
    Monday night. Adoption of that draft legislation by France's upper
    house of parliament late Monday sparked immediate outrage and protest
    from Turkey-and considerable concern about how that dispute might
    impact an array of critical international issues. The resumed uproar
    surrounding the pending French law means already strained relations
    between France and Turkey are likely to decay even more in the coming
    days and months-and at the very time when Ankara's role as a partner
    with the European Union on hot topic dossiers like repression in
    Syria and Iran's nuclear program is more important than ever.

    The bill passed France's upper chamber Monday night in a 127 to 86
    vote that crossed party lines-yet also united parliamentarians on
    the left and right in opposition. That result sends the text towards
    procedural clearance en route to becoming law, following its approval
    by the lower house of parliament in December. The measure is worded
    to criminalize and punish denial of any officially recognized genocide
    with prison terms of up to a year, and fines of $59,000. But the fact
    that a similar law particular to the Shoah has been in place since
    1990 means the new bill's intent is to extend those penalties to
    negation of the mass killing of Armenians by Turks nearly a century
    ago as well-an event France officially recognized as genocide in
    2001. Around 20 other nations categorize the slaying of what many
    historians generally calculate was 1.5 million Armenians in 1915-16 as
    genocide, though fewer have also criminalized its denial. Turkey has
    steadfastly rejected that the killing of Armenians was systematic,
    and says those victims-often cited as 300,000 to 500,000-were among
    the many people caught up in violence arising from Ottoman Empire's
    break-up at the end of World War I. Not surprisingly, the response
    of the Turkish government, many of its citizens, and ethnic Turks
    around the world was one of indignation and anger. Reiterating its
    protests and threats when the measure passed France's lower house
    in December, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying
    "Turkey is committed to taking all the necessary steps against this
    unjust disposition, which reduces basic human values and public
    conscience to nothing." Officials in Ankara also indicated they'd
    repeat their temporary December recall of Turkey's ambassador from
    Paris, and move beyond already suspended political, military, and
    economic activities with France towards sterner measures. "You can
    also expect that diplomatic relations now will be at the level of
    charges d'affaires not ambassadors anymore." Turkish Ambassador Tahsin
    Burcuoglu told reporters in Paris after Monday's vote.

    Still, by Tuesday morning, some evidence had arisen to suggest that
    though Ankara will register its anger and opposition to the French bill
    in no uncertain terms, Turkey may decide to stop short of engaging in
    a full diplomatic battle with Paris. 'This is a re-emergence of the
    mentality of the Middle Ages. History is not made in parliaments,"
    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told legislators from his
    AKP party Tuesday. "Our attitude will be one of reason and reserve,
    we are still in a period of patience. We will plan our actions based
    what happens next. Our sanctions will be step by step."

    If Erdogan's comments seemed to clash with the more heated language
    arising elsewhere in Turkey, he wasn't alone in sounding a different
    note from the prevailing chorus. Though its backers in France
    hailed the French text as a logical step in treating all officially
    recognized genocides in the same legal manner, it drew considerable
    opposition and criticism from other quarters. Ethicists, historians,
    and legislators have all expressed unease at seeing a parliament
    create legally binding analyses and definitions of historical events.
    Jean-Pierre Sueur, a member of Socialist-dominated upper house of
    parliament, challenged the bill with the view "it isn't the business
    of the law, and especially criminal law, to interview in the field
    of history and to rule in terms of historical truth."

    Similarly, respected historian and Green party legislator Esther
    Benbassa argued "this hastily slapped together law will neither
    aid recognition of the Armenian genocide in Turkey, nor help bring
    together the Armenian and Turkish people." But given Turkey's
    unwavering rejection of the genocide-and its position that such
    a definition is an inexcusable insult to the nation's honor-some
    of the text's backers said it was necessary to give France's 2001
    recognition of the Armenian genocide symbolic and legal sense in the
    face of continuing denial of a tragic historical event. "The truth
    is not always strong enough to conquer lies," Socialist legislator
    Yannick Vaugrenard told his upper house peers.

    Be that as it may, many politicians and observers in France derided the
    push to pass the bill as a heavy-handed electoral ploy by President
    Nicolas Sarkozy and his fellow conservatives to prop up their troubled
    outlook heading into general elections next spring. Those skeptics
    say the text is aimed at endearing Sarkozy and the right to France's
    500,000-strong Armenian community-a claim Erdogan also nodded to in
    responding to Monday's vote.

    "We will not allow anyone to use Turkey for political mileage,"
    Erdogan told legislators. "I am addressing French politicians,
    intellectuals and the French people from here: this verdict is a
    massacre of freedom of expression."

    Though they didn't go quite that far in their analysis of its motives,
    even some of Sarkozy's cabinet aired discomfort with the bill and
    its possible consequences. During a Tuesday appearance on French TV
    channel Canal Plus, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe lamented the vote as
    "ill-timed"-a moderated echo of his reaction to the text in December
    as "useless and counter-productive," and incapable to "change minds in
    Turkey." But with the looming law nearly a done deal on Tuesday, Juppe
    stressed the importance of France and Turkey to rise above the current
    dispute and remain focused on wider, longer-term mutual objectives.

    "We need good relations with (Turkey) and we need to get through this
    excessive phase," Juppe said. "We have very important economic and
    trade ties. I hope the reality of the situation will not be usurped
    by emotions."

    Juppe's position reflects his concern over geopolitical problems
    France and the European Union are seeking to deal with-in part by
    relying on Turkey's unique position as a bridge between Europe and
    the Middle East. The push to pass a total EU embargo on Iranian oil
    to increase pressure on Tehran to relinquish its nuclear development
    program, for example, will need full Turkish support to have desired
    impact. Meanwhile, Ankara's support is vital to international - and
    European- efforts to force Damascus to end its bloody repression of
    pro-democracy protesters. (Turkey shares a 900 km border with Syria;
    it has hosted Syrian opposition leaders as well as defectors from
    the Syrian army.). And despite the hot reaction of Turks generally
    to Monday's French vote, Erdogan's manner of protesting the bill
    seemed to indicate he isn't ready to throw the wider and more crucial
    geopolitical baby out with the troubled bathwater of Franco-Turkish
    relations.

    "They are trying to woo votes by using enmity towards Turkey," Erdogan
    commented. "The decision by the French Senate does not exist as far
    as we are concerned."

    -with reporting by Pelin Turgut/Istanbul

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