SEZER SENDS CHIRAC LETTER ON SUBJECT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

Hurriyet, Turkey
May 11 2006

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer of the Turkish Republic has reportedly
sent a letter to President Jacques Chirac of France, stressing that
the friendship and cooperation between the two countries has gone on
for so long that any actions taken to ruin or disrupt it would be to
the advantage of neither country.

The letter takes the upcoming debates on May 18 in the French
Parliament on a bill which would propose prison time for people
publicly denying Armenian allegation of genocide as its reference
point. Sezer, in his letter, also stresses that the passage of the
controversial bill would deal a serious blow to freedom of expression
and thought, both aspects of life that he reminds Chirac are important
to the French way of life.

Meanwhile, with Ankara having called its Ambassador to France, Osman
Koruturk, back to the Turkish capital for “consultations,” Koruturk
reportedly met with the French Ambassador to Ankara, Paul Poudade,
yesterday. Koruturk reportedly told Poudade that “this subject is very
important to Turkey, do not underestimate the reaction of the Turkish
public” in reference to the potential passage of the genocide bill.