CHIRAC APOLOGIZES TO ERDOGAN FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Ankara
Zaman, Turkey
Oct 15 2006
Reactions against the French parliament’s vote on Thursday to pass
a bill making it a crime to deny an Armenian genocide continue to
reverberate.
French President Jacques Chirac telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan to say that he felt sorry that the bill was approved
and added he would try his best to prevent it from becoming law.
In the early Saturday morning talk, Chirac said that the events in
France were related to the upcoming general presidential elections.
Erdogan, reporting the outrage of Turkish public opinion, told Chirac
that they should never sacrifice their relationship for politics.
Demanding that the draft not be legalized, Erdogan also condemned
statements Chirac previously released during his visit to Armenia.
The French president sought to link Turkey’s EU membership process
with a call for the recognition of a genocide claim.
The statements were harshly condemned by Turkish public opinion.
Erdogan told him that it was impossible for Turkey to tolerate such
an attitude.
The French president pointed out that votes of Armenians in the
country had far reaching influence on the event, and he added that
there was no change on the relationship between both countries.
Chirac also ensured that the bill approved by the French parliament
would not influence Turkey’s EU negotiations in any way.
Reportedly, Erdogan commented that the draft proposal in France went
against freedom of expression principles enshrined in the French
constitution.
He added that it was impossible to explain the proposal to the Turkish
people in a sensible and reasonable way.
"The matter concerns only Turkey and Armenia. We feel sorry that in
research, the domain of historians, is being used politically."
Chirac promised he would continue to support Turkey’s EU process,
adding he really understood Turkey’s reactions on the issue.