YALCIN DOGAN: SHOULD TURKEY TAKE FRANCE TO COURT?

Hurriyet, Turkey
Oct 10 2006

Among various scenarios being tossed around these days concerning the
French Parliament’s upcoming vote on the "Armenian genocide bill,"
there is one that has caught my interest. Here it is: Could Turkey
take a case against France to the European Court of Human Rights?

France, which has played a central role through history in the
protection of human rights, is now contradicting its own history. It
is preparing to accept a bill which is in direct conflict with freedom
of thought.

The French Parliament votes on the "Armenian genocide bill" in two
days. Leaving aside issues like "freedom of thought" for a moment,
this bill is so ridiculous as to even be anathema to the very basics
of justice. Still, despite this, and despite the fact that the law
proposed by the bill would run against the "equality" championed by
the French Constitution, it looks likely that French parliamentarians
will vote to approve this bill.

If the French Parliament does in fact vote to approve the bill, it
will pass on to the Senate, where it will wait for two years before
going into implementation.

Polish plumbers Ankara is testing different ways of putting pressure
on France.

Barring any major surprises however, it looks like all preventative
measures will come to naught. How can France accept a law like this one
though? What sort of reasons lie behind hostility towards Turkey there?

More than hostility in fact, there is a fear of Turkey. When Poland
entered the EU, France was reportedly mostly in fear of the Polish
plumbers, fearful of the menace these plumbers presented towards French
jobs. And now, with Turkish EU membership a possibility on the horizon,
different bogeymen are being pulled out-one of these, the Armenian
genocide allegations-to pull Turkey down in the public eye.

The weakest period

The debate of the "Armenian genocide" bill happens to coincide with
a very weak period in terms of politics and economy in France. Also,
in comes in advance of elections in May, 2007.

The French economy is not what it used to be. It is losing serious
ground. President Chirac has lost much of his power that he used to
hold in the presidency. And so, the French Republic, one of history’s
greatest states ever, has been stumbling for the past few years.

France has also not been able to deal with the problems presented
by its 7-8% Muslim population. Each day seems to bring forward yet
another problem connected with this section of citizenry.

Interestingly, the French press is extremely careful on this subject
now, and does not carry echoes of the problems on TV or in the papers.

And so, with an economy that is losing power, and the fear of Muslims
creeping in at every corner, the spectre of a future competitor like
Turkey within the EU is a natural enemy. What the Armenian genocide
bill really is then is a reflection of France’s own fears.

Economic threat At this stage in the game, voices rising in chorus
from Turkey are calling for economic sanctions against France if the
bill is voted into law:

"Let’s not let France bid in our contracts, let’s limit our trade!"

But these are not reasonable solutions. These are not practical actions
in a global world. Economic threats don’t really even work in this
age anymore. In the end, we ought to see that economic "punishments"
would only hurt us too.

Which means we have to find a solution through politics.

Which is where I return to the beginning of this column. Turkey
could bring France to the European Court of Human Rights if this
bill is voted into law. Can countries bring other countries to this
international court? Yes, and in fact, there are two examples from
the past, one involving Greece and the other involving Turkey. Both
were brought about by a group of European countries concerned about
violations of democracy.

When all is said and done, Turkey is picking up a trump card here in
terms of "behavior anathema to freedom of thought and expression." It
doesn’t have to bring France to the European Court of Human Rights,
but it certainly has that option.

It may be time to use that option.