International Herald Tribune, France
Oct 6 2006

Turkey warns French draft bill on Armenian killings could severely
hurt ties

The Associated Press
Published: October 6, 2006

ANKARA, Turkey Turkey on Friday warned that a French bill that would
make it a crime to deny that World War I-era killings of Armenians
amounted to genocide could severely hurt ties between the two
countries.

French lawmakers, who had caved to pressure from Turkey and put off
sensitive debate on the issue in the lower house in May, are
scheduled to debate the bill on Thursday.

"The Armenian issue has poisoned our relations in the past more than
enough. But this time, it is obvious that the mentioned draft bill
will inflict an irreparable heavy blow to our improving relations,"
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan told a news conference.

Tan said that the approval of the bill would be considered by the
Turkish public as "a hostile act."

It is obvious that it would not be possible to control the reaction
of our public opinion," he said.

Under the bill, people who contest that there was an Armenian
genocide would risk up to a year in prison and fines of up to ~@45,000
(US$57,000).

On Tuesday, Turkey said it was out of the question to accept a call
by French President Jacques Chirac who urged Turkey to acknowledge
the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century as genocide.

Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out of
eastern Turkey, and have pushed for recognition of the killings
around the world as genocide.

Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But Ankara is
facing increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the killings,
particularly as it seeks membership in the European Union.

ANKARA, Turkey Turkey on Friday warned that a French bill that would
make it a crime to deny that World War I-era killings of Armenians
amounted to genocide could severely hurt ties between the two
countries.

French lawmakers, who had caved to pressure from Turkey and put off
sensitive debate on the issue in the lower house in May, are
scheduled to debate the bill on Thursday.

"The Armenian issue has poisoned our relations in the past more than
enough. But this time, it is obvious that the mentioned draft bill
will inflict an irreparable heavy blow to our improving relations,"
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan told a news conference.

Tan said that the approval of the bill would be considered by the
Turkish public as "a hostile act."

It is obvious that it would not be possible to control the reaction
of our public opinion," he said.

Under the bill, people who contest that there was an Armenian
genocide would risk up to a year in prison and fines of up to ~@45,000
(US$57,000).

On Tuesday, Turkey said it was out of the question to accept a call
by French President Jacques Chirac who urged Turkey to acknowledge
the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century as genocide.

Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out of
eastern Turkey, and have pushed for recognition of the killings
around the world as genocide.

Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But Ankara is
facing increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the killings,
particularly as it seeks membership in the European Union.