Unison.ie, Ireland
Oct 13 2006
French Pass Bill That Punishes Denial of Armenian Genocide
PARIS, Oct. 12 – The National Assembly, defying appeals from Turkey,
approved legislation Thursday that would make it a crime to deny that
the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey during and after World War I
were genocide.
The legislation, which was criticized by Turkey’s government and some
European Union officials, could further complicate talks for Turkey’s
admission to the Union.
With 106 deputies voting in favor and 19 against, the law sets fines
of up to 45,000 euros, or about $56,000, and a year in prison for
denying the genocide. Of the 577 members of the Assembly, 4 abstained
and 448 did not vote at all, raising the question of whether there
would be enough political will to push the law through the Senate.
Scholars and most Western governments have recognized the killing of
more than a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks from 1915 to 1919 as
genocide. But the subject is still taboo in Turkey, and charges have
been pressed against writers and others who have brought attention to
the genocide, including Orhan Pamuk, who was just awarded the Nobel
Prize in literature.
`The Turkish people refuse the limitation of freedom of expression on
the basis of groundless claims,’ the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in
a statement. `With this draft law, France unfortunately loses its
privileged status in the eyes of Turkish public opinion.’
Ali Babacan, the Turkish economy minister and the country’s lead
negotiator on talks with Europe, said he could not rule out
consequences for French companies.
`What happened in France today, we believe, is not in line with the
core values of the European Union,’ Mr. Babacan said, adding that the
government would not encourage a boycott of French goods.
In Brussels, the European Union warned that the law could have a
harmful effect on negotiations. `It would prohibit dialogue which is
necessary for reconciliation on the issue,’ said Krisztina Nagy, a
spokeswoman for the Union. `It is not up to law to write history.
Historians need to have debate.’
Turkey’s potential membership in the European Union has been a hot
political topic here ahead of the presidential elections next spring.
The leading candidates to succeed President Jacques Chirac, including
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal, have agreed
that Turkey must acknowledge the genocide before gaining membership.
But the new legislation has been more of a campaign issue in France,
which has one of Europe’s largest Armenian populations.
Although most of France’s top politicians supported the European
Union’s planned constitution, the French rejected it last year in a
referendum that was also seen as a vote against further European
expansion. The problem for politicians seeking to succeed Mr. Chirac
is how to oppose Turkish entry without taking on the xenophobic tones
of the far right.
After the vote, Mr. Chirac’s government, which opposed the
legislation, expressed eagerness for dialogue with Turkey and said
the bill was unnecessary and inopportune. `We are very committed to
dialogue with Turkey, as well as to the strong ties of friendship and
cooperation which link us to that country,’ said Jean-Baptiste
Mattéi, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
Ms. Royal, who is the leading Socialist candidate for president, has
loudly supported the bill. On Wednesday, she reiterated that
`obviously,’ Turkey would have to recognize the genocide, and added,
`My opinion is that of the French people.’
Two other senior Socialists, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Jack Lang,
had reservations about the bill.
On the center right, Mr. Sarkozy has opposed Turkey’s joining the
European Union, but he kept silent about the genocide bill, which was
sponsored by the Socialists.
A leading Turkish analyst of the European Union, Can Baydarol, said
that although the decision would seem to have no direct effect on
Turkey’s relations with Europe, the hostile attitude of French
lawmakers demonstrated some of the obstacles to Turkish membership.
`Now people see that more than the technical details, political
maneuvers will mark the years-long process on the way to full
membership,’ he said.
Sebnem Arsu contributed reporting from Istanbul.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress