AZG Armenian Daily #020, 02/02/2008

Armenian Genocide

TURKEY TO ADDRESS THE HAGUE INTERNATIONAL COURT TO
PROVE THE INCONSISTENCE OF THE "ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ALLEGATIONS"

As April 24 is drawing nearer, the political,
governmental and intellectual circles of the Turkish
society are becoming more active about the Armenian
Genocide, and their anxiety is urging them towards
short-sighted actions. The most "remarkable" of those
actions were made by prof. Yusuf Halacoglu, president
of the Turkish Historic Society.

First of all, on the Turkish Public Television he
promised to put his head into the noose in case the
fact of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 is proved. Then
he stated that the Armenians died because of diseases
and epidemics during the deportation.

When promising to hang himself Halacoglu clearly
remembered about the abolition of death penalty in
Turkey. And when speaking about epidemics he was
trying to consolidate the positions of the Turkish
negationism, which is incompatible with the historical
truth.

Another remarkable thing was the Turkish Parliament’s
proposal to the National Assembly and the Senate of
France. On January 31 "Zaman" and "Miliet" reported
that the Turkish parliament promoted an initiative to
argue the French law on denying the Armenian Genocide
at the International Court of Hague.

According to the information received, a parliamentary
delegation was sent from Ankara to Paris with a
proposal to address to the Hague International Court
in order to find out whether the law on recognition of
the Armenian Genocide, adopted in France in 2001,
meets the requirements of the UN Convention on
Genocide or not.

Member of the Turkish delegation Sukuroglu declared
that Turkey shall address to the International court
alone in case France refuses to cooperate. Then he
stated that the French Parliament violated the UN
Convention on Genocide by recognizing the fact
Armenian Genocide, and therefore the authorities of
Ankara are determined to prove the illegality of the
French law on the Genocide and the inconsistence of
the Armenians’ claims.

By H. Chaqrian, translated by A.M.