TURKISH PARLIAMENT SLAMS FRENCH BILL ON MASS KILLINGS OF ARMENIANS STRONGLY WARNS AGAINST LEGISLATION

Associated Press Worldstream
October 17, 2006 Tuesday 3:13 PM GMT

Turkey’s parliament on Tuesday condemned a French bill making it a
crime to deny that the World War I-era killing of Armenians in Turkey
was genocide, warning the law would permanently damage ties.

The bill was approved by lawmakers in France’s lower house last week,
but still needs approval by the French Senate and President Jacques
Chirac to become law. Turkey has said the decision has badly damaged
relations with France.

The Turkish parliament condemned the bill in a statement, calling
it an "unfriendly" move aimed at domestic politics and said it
was "surprising to see France as a decision maker when it comes
to historical incidents related to Turkey, while defending it to
leave to the historians when it comes to its actions that led to the
killings of more than 1 million innocent people in Algeria, Indo China,
Madagascar and some African countries," where it ruled.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told parliament that the government
would consider every measure including legal action to prevent the
legislation of the bill.

"From now on, it won’t be Turkey that loses but France," Gul warned
against legislation of the bill.

Chirac’s government is thought to be unlikely to forward the bill
for passage by the Senate.

"It is obvious that legislation of this bill will lead to irreparable
wounds in political, economic and military ties between Turkey and
France," the parliament said in a statement.

The parliament reiterated Turkey’s call to Armenia to respond to a
Turkish proposal to jointly research the incidents, warning that
"Armenia’s use of lobby efforts in France and in other countries
and its hostile policies against the rights and pride of the Turkish
nation will cost dearly to them."

The European Union on Friday criticized the French bill, saying it was
unhelpful at a critical stage in the Muslim country’s EU entry talks.

France, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people whose families
came from Armenia, has already recognized the 1915-1919 killings of
up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide.

Under the bill, those who contest it was genocide would risk up to
a year in prison and fines of up to US$56,000 (euro44,750).

Turkey acknowledges that great numbers of Armenians were killed
in fighting and mass expulsions, but vehemently rejects the label
of genocide.