TURKISH NGOS PROTEST FRENCH MOVE TO DEBATE ARMENIAN BILL
The News Anatolian, Turkey
May 17 2006
Various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and representatives of
labor unions in Ankara yesterday protested a bill set to be voted on
Thursday by the French Parliament which introduces prison terms for
those questioning the Armenian genocide claims.
The protestors demonstrated in front of the French Embassy calling on
the French Parliament not to pass the Armenian bill. Paris Caddesi,
where the embassy is also located, was closed to traffic for half
an hour.
The demonstrators chanted slogans against supporters of the bill and
waved Turkish flags. The protest was held amid tight security and
ended peacefully when the street was reopened to traffic.
In related news, the Association of Young Leaders yesterday condemned
the debates that will take place in the French Parliament on Thursday
by issuing a written statement.
The association expressed its disappointment over the submission of a
bill that limits freedom of thought and expression to the Parliament
of a country like France, known for its open attitude towards
freedoms. “We hope the French Parliament won’t take a decision that
will deeply harm the historic relations between Turkey and France
for the sake of winning a few thousand Armenian supporters in the
next elections,” it read.
Underlining that parliaments making rulings on claims that have not
been recognized as a crime by national or international courts is
unjust, the young leaders also stressed that writing history is not
the business of parliaments.
“If we’re forced to follow that logic then the Turkish Parliament
should also enact laws that introduce punishments for those who
deny the French genocides claimed to have been committed in Algeria,
Rwanda and Hatay,” the statement added.
Although French President Jacques Chirac last Friday gave Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan assurances that France will
take Turkish concerns into consideration during the debate on the
bill, French socialists last Thursday expressed their insistence on
bringing the bill to the Parliament’s floor despite Parliament’s Law
Commission having rejected the controversial bill. At debates last
Wednesday in the Law Commission, ruling Union for Popular Movement
(UMP) deputies sharply criticized the bill, drawn up by a group of
socialist deputies. Alain Marsaud and Michel Piron from the UMP are
opposed to the bill, and Piron stressed that trying to write history
with laws would result in a discredited “official history.” After the
debates, the commission made no changes to the bill and rejected it
by a majority.
However, under French Parliament’s bylaws, the bill is still going
to be debated by the General Assembly this Thursday. The majority
of ruling UMP deputies are opposed to the bill, but if they don’t
participate in this week’s meeting, it’s expected to be approved by
the National Assembly. The UMP has announced that there will be no
group decision on the issue.