Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
May 14 2006

Turkey Threatens Sanctions Over Armenian ‘Genocide’ Law

May 14, 2006 — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is today
quoted as threatening France with trade sanctions if it adopts a bill
making it illegal to deny that the 1915-17 massacre of Armenians in
Turkey was “genocide.”

The Turkish newspaper “Hurriyet” quotes Erdogan as saying sanctions
will be imposed if French lawmakers pass a bill making denial of the
“Armenian genocide” liable to a five-year jail term and a 45,000 euro
($58,000) fine.

Legislators are expected to vote on the measure on May 18.

Armenians allege up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917, while the Ottoman Empire
was falling apart.

Turkey rejects the claim that the killings were systematic.