CZECK MP CALLS FRENCH BILL ‘UNFORTUNATE AND INAPPROPRIATE’
By Cihan News Agency

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 28 2006

Jan Zahradil, a member of the Czech Civic Democratic Party and the
European Parliament (EP), said that distant historical events could
no longer be manipulated as a political instrument.

Czech parliamentarian Zahradil commented on the controversial French
bill to Cihan News Agency when he attended the celebrations of the
83rd anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic at the
Turkish Embassy in Prague.

The Czech MP labeled the French bill, which penalizes the denial of
the so-called Armenian genocide, as "unfortunate and inappropriate."

Zahradil stressed the French bill would aggravate ties not only
between Turkey and France but also jeopardize the Turkey-EU relations.

Zahradil remarked that Czech Republic had its own negative experience
with the retroactive abuse of its past.