Strong Views on French Vote, Armenia

Deutsche Welle
26 April 05

The ‘non’ camp in France is gaining ground

Readers particularly those from the U.S. had a lot to say about the
upcoming French referendum on the European Union Constitution. Some
also chimed in on whether Turkey should apologize for the Armenian
genocide.

The following comments reflect the views of our readers. If you would
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It is really stupid to assume that the French cannot decide for
themselves how to vote on this matter. As an American I find it
interesting that the US is being made a pawn in this political tug of
war. Most of us in America could care less how the French vote. What I
would like to see is for Schroeder to stop cozying up to
Chirac. Between the two of them they would sell their souls to the
devil for a couple of euros. The French people are much smarter than
they are given credit for. If they vote “non” it is because they think
the constitution will do nothing for them or France. — Dale Peck,
United States

It is not my privilege to vote on the constitution of the EU but if I
could, I definitely would vote for it. Nothing is perfect, and time
will test its value, but we need courage to embrace the new. —
Elisabeth Heptner

I hope the French (and others) will reject the EU constitution. Power
should be diffused, not concentrated. Creating one power over all the
peoples of Europe invites tyranny that is frightfully like that
attempted by Hitler. The world has already seen this play and we
should remember how the plot unfolded. Germany should never be allowed
to assert its hegemony over its neighbors. — John Martinez Pavliga,
United States

For me this vote is not about simply tidying up the EU parliament to
make room for the newer members. Tony Blair’s government … flatly
denies that this constitution is the start of a European Federation. I
disagree with this strongly. I’ve read numerous reports which say that
many of the mainland European politicians do believe that this
constitution is an important stage in federalization. I do not want to
be part of a European Federation. The government within Britain
already has too many levels of government. The EU Parliament is
already unnecessary, so why do we need to give it more power? I
believe that the people of Britain must be free to decide their own
destiny without the influence of mainland Europe and the EU is not
compatible to the vision. — James Phillips, Great Britain

The Armenian tragedy during WWI has been recognized by most
international experts and even some Turkish intellectuals such as
Orhan Pamuk and Taner Akcam as a mass-slaugher by Turkish
soliders. However, it was not a Holocaust-like genocide, but rather a
civil war similar to strife within the Ottoman territory when the
Russian forces invaded eastern Anatolia with the help of the
Armenians. Turkey should apologize for any excesses in the historical
context, but the EU should forget pressuring Ankara into admitting
something which is inequitable. — Atilla A. Iftikhar

Compiled by DW staff (dre)