Agence France Presse — English
October 13, 2006 Friday

Turkish PM decries EU double standards after French genocide vote

The EU is not in a position to "preach" to Turkey on human rights
after France’s move to block free speech with a bill making it a
crime to deny Armenians were victims of genocide, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday.

"Those who are trying to preach to us should keep their advice for
themselves," Erdogan said in a televised speech at a road
inauguration ceremony here.

"They should first rectify the backward step they have taken on
freedom of expression and then come to us," he said.

France’s lower house of parliament infuriated Turkey on Thursday when
it approved a draft law that foresees up to one year in prison and a
fine for anyone who denies that the World War I massacres of
Armenians were genocide.

The bill still needs the approval of the Senate and the president to
take effect.

European Union pressure is mounting on Ankara to either scrap or
amend Article 301 of its penal code, which has landed a string of
intellectuals in the courts for "insulting Turkishness."

Most cases, including one against novelist Orhan Pamuk who was
awarded the Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday, have resulted from
remarks the defendants made to contest the official line on the
Armenian massacres, which Ankara fiercely rejects amounted to
genocide.

The European Commission, the EU executive arm, also denounced the
French bill, saying that it "would prohibit the debate and the
dialogue which is necessary for reconciliation on the issue."

Erdogan also advised citizens not to answer the call of several
consumer and business groups to boycott French goods.

"What are we going to earn or lose by boycotting goods?… We should
consider this carefully," he said.

Erdogan pointed out that the 10 billion dollar (eight billioneuro)
bilateral trade between France and Turkey constituted only about 1.5
percent of France’s overall trade.

"We will act calmly," he said. "The steps that need to be taken will
be taken by the government on all political platforms at home and
abroad."

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had warned ahead of the vote that
French companies would be barred from major economic projects in
Turkey, notably a project to build a nuclear power plant.