Bloomberg
May 8 2006
Turkey Recalls Envoys to France, Canada Over Genocide Dispute
May 8 (Bloomberg) — Turkey recalled its envoys to France and Canada
because of disagreements with both countries over whether the
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks last century constitute
genocide.
Turkey’s ambassador to Paris Osman Koruturk and ambassador to Ottawa
Aydemir Erman have returned to the capital Ankara for
“consultations” following “baseless claims of genocide of
Armenians,” Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Namik Tan said in an
e-mailed statement today.
“It is expected that our ambassadors will return to their duties
once the consultations are complete,” Tan said.
The EU has said Turkey’s bid to join the bloc may be hindered by the
claims of genocide against hundreds of thousands of Armenians during
the First World War. Turkey denies the charges, saying the deaths
were part of wider ethnic clashes as Armenians sided with Russia
during the war.
Turkey recalled its envoy to France prior to a debate by French
lawmakers on May 18 about a law that foresees a one-year jail term
and a 45,000-euro ($58,000) fine for persons who deny that genocide
took place. Turkey’s parliament is sending a delegation to France
tomorrow in order to convince their French counterparts not to pass
the bill, said Bulent Arinc, chief of the Turkish legislature,
according to the Hurriyet newspaper.
The French National Assembly in May 1998 formally recognized as
genocide the killing of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire
between 1915 and 1917.
Turkey’s foreign ministry on April 25 accused Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper of exhibiting a “gravely prejudiced attitude” after
he said that his government continued to recognize motions adopted by
the Canadian senate and parliament acknowledging that the genocide
took place.
Turkey may bar French companies from bidding for a planned nuclear
power station and other projects if France approves the legislation,
Milliyet daily said on May 1, without saying where it got the
information.