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Terra.com
July 5 2012
Turkey warms to France as genocide law abandoned
July 05, 2012 - 01:15 PM
Turkey's foreign minister hailed the opening of a warmer phase in
relations with France on Thursday as a French law on the mass killing
of Armenians in 1915 was abandoned, but he received no support for a
Turkish bid to join the European Union.
Ahmet Davutoglu was visiting France for the first time since the
election in May of President Francois Hollande, who Turkish officials
hoped might be more open to the prospect of Ankara's EU bid than
predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
Davutoglu sought to clear the air in the wake of the row over a French
law that would have made it illegal to deny that the killing of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 amounted to genocide.
Ankara canceled all economic, political and military meetings with
Paris in December after France's lower house of parliament voted in
favor of the draft law.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the law, which was
rejected by France's highest court in February as contrary to free
speech, was unlikely to be resurrected.
But Fabius skirted the question of Ankara's bid to join the European
Union, which was launched in 2005 but has virtually ground to a halt
due to a dispute over the island of Cyprus.
"The French government is examining a number of matters inherited from
the previous government," he said at a joint news conference.
Fabius hinted that EU membership for Turkey would be put to a
referendum, as anticipated by a 2008 constitutional amendment which
can nonetheless be overruled by parliament.
"At the end of the day, things will come down to the decision of the
people," he said.
Hollande, while running for president this year, answered a question
about Turkey's accession to the EU by saying: "It will not happen
during the next five-year term."
Turkey would only enter the EU once it fulfils all 35 membership
criteria, 14 of which are blocked due to Turkey's refusal to recognize
Greek Cypriot sovereignty on the island.
Cyprus has been divided between the Greek Cypriot south and the
Turkish north since a Greek coup followed by a Turkish army invasion
in 1974. Efforts to reunite the island have so far failed and Turkey
is the only nation that recognizes the self-declared Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus, which joined the EU in 2005, took over the bloc's presidency
on July 1, prompting Ankara to say it would suspend relations with the
EU presidency during the six-month term.
(Reporting By Nicholas Vinocur; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
http://news.terra.com/turkey-warms-to-france-as-genocide-law-abandoned,4d5e10eac1858310VgnVCM20000099cceb0aRCRD .html
July 5 2012
Turkey warms to France as genocide law abandoned
July 05, 2012 - 01:15 PM
Turkey's foreign minister hailed the opening of a warmer phase in
relations with France on Thursday as a French law on the mass killing
of Armenians in 1915 was abandoned, but he received no support for a
Turkish bid to join the European Union.
Ahmet Davutoglu was visiting France for the first time since the
election in May of President Francois Hollande, who Turkish officials
hoped might be more open to the prospect of Ankara's EU bid than
predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
Davutoglu sought to clear the air in the wake of the row over a French
law that would have made it illegal to deny that the killing of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 amounted to genocide.
Ankara canceled all economic, political and military meetings with
Paris in December after France's lower house of parliament voted in
favor of the draft law.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the law, which was
rejected by France's highest court in February as contrary to free
speech, was unlikely to be resurrected.
But Fabius skirted the question of Ankara's bid to join the European
Union, which was launched in 2005 but has virtually ground to a halt
due to a dispute over the island of Cyprus.
"The French government is examining a number of matters inherited from
the previous government," he said at a joint news conference.
Fabius hinted that EU membership for Turkey would be put to a
referendum, as anticipated by a 2008 constitutional amendment which
can nonetheless be overruled by parliament.
"At the end of the day, things will come down to the decision of the
people," he said.
Hollande, while running for president this year, answered a question
about Turkey's accession to the EU by saying: "It will not happen
during the next five-year term."
Turkey would only enter the EU once it fulfils all 35 membership
criteria, 14 of which are blocked due to Turkey's refusal to recognize
Greek Cypriot sovereignty on the island.
Cyprus has been divided between the Greek Cypriot south and the
Turkish north since a Greek coup followed by a Turkish army invasion
in 1974. Efforts to reunite the island have so far failed and Turkey
is the only nation that recognizes the self-declared Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus.
Cyprus, which joined the EU in 2005, took over the bloc's presidency
on July 1, prompting Ankara to say it would suspend relations with the
EU presidency during the six-month term.
(Reporting By Nicholas Vinocur; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
http://news.terra.com/turkey-warms-to-france-as-genocide-law-abandoned,4d5e10eac1858310VgnVCM20000099cceb0aRCRD .html