TURKISH OFFICIAL RETURNS FRENCH MEDAL IN PROTEST OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

Anatolia news agency, Turkey
16 Oct 06

Ankara, 16 October: Higher Education Board (YOK) Chairman Prof
Dr Erdogan Tezic returned "Commandeur" medal of merit which was
presented to him by French President Jacques Chirac (two years ago),
as a reaction to the adoption (by French national assembly) of a bill
on so-called Armenian genocide.

YOK stated on Monday [16 October] that Tezic returned "Commandeur"
medal of merit which is one of the highest ranks of Legion d’Honneur
and presented to him on 17 September 2004.

"As a reaction to French national assembly’s adopting the bill making
a crime the denial of so-called Armenian genocide, Tezic, the only
owner of Commandeur medal in Turkey, sent back the medal to Chirac
together with a letter.

This medal, which was started to be presented on Napoleon I era to
very few people in the world, is returned for the first time back to
France," stated YOK.

In his letter to Chirac, Tezic says although it was stated that the
draft was proposed by parliamentarians, and the government has nothing
to do in this issue, President Chirac expressed that Turkey committed
so-called Armenian genocide during his visit to Armenia, thus it was
obviously confirmed that this idea is a state policy of France.

Tezic wrote that he is sending back the medal as this issue
(acknowledgment of so-called Armenian genocide) has become a state
policy of France.