ANKARA WILLING TO RESTRICT DAMAGE, ACTS WITH COMMONSENSE

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 16 2006

Although the French National Assembly adopted a bill on Thursday
that makes it a crime to deny an Armenian genocide, Turkey is
refraining from engaging in serious conflict with France and acting
with commonsense.

The U.S. newspaper Washington Times reported that despite Ankara’s
threat of imposing sanctions on France, it is focusing on "restricting
the damage."

A Washington Post article reported that Turkey was acting with
commonsense despite retaliatory threats and a general national hatred
toward France.

French President Jacques Chirac and leading politicians in the country
favor recognition of the genocide issue as a precondition for Turkey’s
EU membership.

The newspaper suggested that this was a tactic to exclude Turkey from
the European Union.

Only 106 out of a total 577 parliamentarians in the French National
Assembly approved the bill.

"Turkey’s foreign trade volume with France is $10 billion; this is
equal to 1.5 percent of France’s entire foreign trade volume. We’re
going to make the proper calculations and then take necessary steps,"
Erdogan said in a speech.

The U.S. newspaper interpreted Erdogan’s remarks as a move to calm
the tension between the two countries.