TURKEY FEELING EU HEAT

EUPolitix.com, Belgium
May 18 2006

A row between Paris and Ankara over the massacre of Armenians in 1915
is threatening to increase anti EU resentment in Turkey.

A controversial law making it a crime to deny the alleged Armenian
genocide by Turkish troops over 90 years ago has been dramatically
postponed by the French Parliament.

Ankara has always denied accusations of genocide and has threatened
Paris with trade sanctions if the law is adopted.

French MEPs are also divided with many seeing the move as an
“unfriendly gesture” against the Turkish people.

“Our patience has limits” said Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, “we will not have hate but we will impose sanctions”.

France, where more than 400,000 Armenians live, passed a law officially
recognising the Armenian genocide in 2001.

Armenia alleges that 1.5 million Armenians were systematically deported
and killed by the Turkish Ottoman Empire, in 1915.

The controversy threatens to increase already strained EU membership
talks.

EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn made it clear on Wednesday
that Ankara had to speed up reforms; otherwise Turkey would face a
“train crash” in EU membership talks.

“It is necessary that the Turkish government takes immediate action
to restart the momentum of reforms in the country,” said Rehn.

Ankara is also feeling the heat over its unyielding position over
Cyprus.

Finland, which takes over the EU’s rotating presidency on July 1,
called on Ankara on to embrace an agreement broadening the customs
union that links the EU and Turkey to the island.

Turkish historian Halil Berktay, one of the first Turks to openly speak
out against Ankara’s official version of the Armenians mass murders,
has warned that the French legislation may increase anti-European
feelings in Turkey.

“That law would be a direct message to the Turkish government to
get rid of its European outfits” the historian told French newspaper
Le Monde.

Brussels favours “reconciliation” on the Armenian issue , but the
European parliament voted in 2005 for a non binding resolution blocking
EU membership if Ankara refused to recognise the genocide.

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