Tan: French govt opposition to Armenian bill ‘a relief,’ but not enough

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 20 2006

The Turkish Foreign Ministry stated yesterday that although the
French government’s opposition to their Parliament’s passage of the
Armenian "genocide" bill is a relief to some extent, it doesn’t solve
the problem.

Speaking during a weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Namik Tan said, "France has lost its privileged position
in the eyes of Turkey. Reparation for this damage is impossible
through an administrative decision or a law."

Stressing that France should have taken constructive steps before the
passage of the bill by Parliament, Tan said, "We expected France to
act in accordance with the acquis and to act with common sense. But
we experienced great disappointment over the issue. From now on,
France will live with this embarrassment."

Tan rules out recall of Turkish ambassador

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also ruled out the recalling of the
Turkish ambassador from Paris, saying that Ankara’s representative
should be present in France to effectively convey its views.

"The decision not to withdraw the ambassador shouldn’t be seen as
a weakness," said Tan, pointing out the different ways for Turkish
people to show their reaction against the French Parliament’s move.

"Some of these steps have already been taken,and some are planned to
be taken in the future," Tan added.

"We are in favor of acting in a cool-headed and logical way. We’re
trying to base our strategy and take steps in line with those two
principles," Tan added.