CONSTITUTIONS ARE NOT TO BE TOYED WITH
By E. Triantafylidou

Kathimerini, Greece
Oct 16 2006

The decision of the French parliament last week to pass a bill making
it a crime to deny that the 1915-1917 massacres of Armenians by the
Ottoman Turks constituted genocide caused tumult in Turkey.

Turkey’s secular army and the Islamic-leaning government were both
angry at France’s bill and responded with a threat that Paris risks
losing euros, dollars and Turkey’s vast market.

"The decision lies with the people," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul said after the Ankara Chamber of Commerce threatened to boycott
one French product every week, if the bill were adopted. Gul also
threatened French carmakers in Turkey with retaliatory measures and
warned that French companies would be excluded from plans to build
a nuclear plant.

The president of the Council of Chambers of Commerce and Industry,
Nafi Gural, urged consumers to keep their cool. He warned that barring
French companies from economic projects will cost Turkey thousands
of jobs.

In view of the French presidential and parliamentary elections due
in the spring, critics say that deputies passed the bill with an eye
fixed on the strong Armenian minority living in their country. But
the issue is more complex than that. Germany’s presidency of the
European Union is expected to resurrect talks on the bloc’s moribund
constitutional treaty.

Constitutions are not something to toy with. For that reason, along
with its respect for the genocide of the Armenians, Europe should
take into account other obvious issues, such as the Cyprus problem.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress