NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Oct 14 2006
Turkey slams passing of French genocide denial bill
The Armenian Patriarch warned that the new law will strengthen the
hands of far right nationalists in both France and Turkey.
NTV-MSNBC
Güncelleme: 17:05 TSÝ 13 Ekim 2006 CumaANKARA / ISTANBUL – The
passing of controversial legislation by the French parliament
outlawing the denial of allegations that the Ottoman Empire massacred
Armenians during the First World War has sparked an outpouring of
criticism across Turkey. The bill, approved by the lower house of the
French parliament on Thursday, foresees fines of 45,000 euros and up
to one year behind bars for those found guilty of denying the so
called genocide.
Deniz Baykal, chairman of the opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP), said it was impossible to mortgage history by making such
decisions. `This decision aims at preventing talks over historical
facts,’ he said. Mehmet Agar, the leader of the opposition True Path
Party (DYP), said that the decision was a violation of democracy,
human rights and freedom of expression. `It will lead to
irrecoverable damage in the bilateral relations between Turkey and
France,’ Agar said.
Another to criticise the decision of the French parliament was Mesrob
II, the Armenian Patriarch in Turkey, who said that the new
legislation will strengthen the hands of not only Turkish but also
Armenian extreme nationalist and racist groups. `The French, who have
put several obstacles before Turkey on its road to the EU, have given
a major blow to the very limited dialogue between Turkey and
Armenia,’ he said. `I think that this resolution, adopted by the
French parliament, is anti-democratic because it limits personal
freedom of expression.’
Turkey’s leading business lobby group, the Turkish Industrialists’
and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD), said that the vote of the
French parliament was a great mistake and was contrary to the
European Union’s philosophy and its standards of democracy. In a
statement issued late Thursday TUSIAD said that France had mortgaged
its foreign policy in order to gain the votes of the Armenians in
France. French politicians didn’t have the required authority and
expertise to make a judgement on the issue, the statement said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
