TURKEY HOPES FRANCE WILL NOT PASS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
11 Oct 06

Ankara, 11 October: "We hope that French authorities will reject the
draft law (criminalizing denial of so-called Armenian genocide),"
Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said on Wednesday
[11 October].

In his weekly press conference, Tan noted that French government has
launched some initiatives to counter the draft law, stating that it
was a positive development.

"(French) government has undertaken some initiatives against this
bill," he stressed.

On the other hand, a delegation headed by Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the
Chairman of the Union of Chambers & Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
(TOBB), met representatives of French Economy & Social Labour Council
in Paris this morning.

Sources quoted Hisarciklioglu as saying in the meeting that the
bill was against freedom of expression, stressing that it would harm
relations between the two countries.

After holding talks in Paris, TOBB delegation left France for Turkey.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress