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TURKEY WARNS FRANCE OF REPRISAL
by NADYA MASIDLOVER
The Australian
January 25, 2012 Wednesday
1 - All-round Country Edition
TURKEY yesterday vowed to take reprisals against France after
the French Senate approved a bill making it a crime to deny that
the massacre of Armenians in 1915 was genocide, further straining
relations between Paris and Ankara and raising the prospect of a
significant diplomatic rift between the two North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation allies.
The bill, which France's lower house of parliament overwhelmingly
approved last month, was passed yesterday by a vote of 127 to 86. It
will require President Nicolas Sarkozy's signature in the next 15
days in order to become law.
The proposal is set to make the denial of genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes that are recognised by French law punishable
by up to a year in prison and a E45,000 ($55,700) fine. The only two
mass killings recognised by French law as genocide are the killing of
Armenians during World War I and the Holocaust. Denying the Holocaust
is already illegal in France.
The news fuelled outrage in Turkey, which accused France of flouting
international law and pledged to "take every step"
to counter the "irresponsible" decision.
"In case of the completion of the finalisation process for the law,
we will not hesitate to implement, as we deem appropriate, the measures
that we have considered in advance," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was expected to address
his ruling AK Party early today in Ankara, where he is expected to
detail his government's response.
Ankara reacted furiously when the lower house passed the bill last
month, withdrawing its ambassador from Paris and freezing political
and military relations.
Armenia praised the move, stressing that the day would "be written
in gold 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 world-wide."
While many countries recognise the killing of as many as 1.5 million
Armenians in 1915 as genocide, Turkey contests the scale of the
losses and says they were casualties of war. It argues the genocide
issue should be left to historians to decide, rather than legislated
by governments.
Relations between the two countries were already frosty, in large part
due to Mr Sarkozy's vocal opposition to Turkey's bid to join the EU.
Turkey's government has repeatedly insisted that the bill is
politically motivated, alleging Mr Sarkozy was trying to win the
votes of 500,000 ethnic Armenians in France ahead of presidential
elections in three months.
Mr Erdogan vowed to never visit France again if the bill was passed,
while Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the government was ready
to take new measures against France. Before Mr Sarkozy signs the
bill into law, it can be challenged if his MPs request a review by
France's constitutional council. Some MPs argue that the text could
be regarded as unconstitutional as the Armenian genocide has never
been recognised by an international or French court. That means the
law could be considered tantamount to legislating on history.
Armenians maintain that 1.5 million citizens were systematically killed
during World War I in today's eastern Turkey, then part of the Ottoman
Empire. Turkey denies this, saying hundreds of thousands died in war
and famine, and many Turks were also killed by Armenians.
by NADYA MASIDLOVER
The Australian
January 25, 2012 Wednesday
1 - All-round Country Edition
TURKEY yesterday vowed to take reprisals against France after
the French Senate approved a bill making it a crime to deny that
the massacre of Armenians in 1915 was genocide, further straining
relations between Paris and Ankara and raising the prospect of a
significant diplomatic rift between the two North Atlantic Treaty
Organisation allies.
The bill, which France's lower house of parliament overwhelmingly
approved last month, was passed yesterday by a vote of 127 to 86. It
will require President Nicolas Sarkozy's signature in the next 15
days in order to become law.
The proposal is set to make the denial of genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes that are recognised by French law punishable
by up to a year in prison and a E45,000 ($55,700) fine. The only two
mass killings recognised by French law as genocide are the killing of
Armenians during World War I and the Holocaust. Denying the Holocaust
is already illegal in France.
The news fuelled outrage in Turkey, which accused France of flouting
international law and pledged to "take every step"
to counter the "irresponsible" decision.
"In case of the completion of the finalisation process for the law,
we will not hesitate to implement, as we deem appropriate, the measures
that we have considered in advance," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was expected to address
his ruling AK Party early today in Ankara, where he is expected to
detail his government's response.
Ankara reacted furiously when the lower house passed the bill last
month, withdrawing its ambassador from Paris and freezing political
and military relations.
Armenia praised the move, stressing that the day would "be written
in gold 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 world-wide."
While many countries recognise the killing of as many as 1.5 million
Armenians in 1915 as genocide, Turkey contests the scale of the
losses and says they were casualties of war. It argues the genocide
issue should be left to historians to decide, rather than legislated
by governments.
Relations between the two countries were already frosty, in large part
due to Mr Sarkozy's vocal opposition to Turkey's bid to join the EU.
Turkey's government has repeatedly insisted that the bill is
politically motivated, alleging Mr Sarkozy was trying to win the
votes of 500,000 ethnic Armenians in France ahead of presidential
elections in three months.
Mr Erdogan vowed to never visit France again if the bill was passed,
while Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the government was ready
to take new measures against France. Before Mr Sarkozy signs the
bill into law, it can be challenged if his MPs request a review by
France's constitutional council. Some MPs argue that the text could
be regarded as unconstitutional as the Armenian genocide has never
been recognised by an international or French court. That means the
law could be considered tantamount to legislating on history.
Armenians maintain that 1.5 million citizens were systematically killed
during World War I in today's eastern Turkey, then part of the Ottoman
Empire. Turkey denies this, saying hundreds of thousands died in war
and famine, and many Turks were also killed by Armenians.