FRENCH PRIME MINISTER REMINDS TURKEY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Azg/arm
24 Dec 04
Turkey waxes indignant every time the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide floats to the surface. Today, when the EU gave green light
to starting accession talks, Turkey is furiously balking at the idea
of Genocide recognition whenever European officials hint about it.
The French foreign minister Michel Barnier was one of those officials
who stated at the EU ministers’ get-together in Brussels on December
13 that Turkey has to put up with its past because France is going
to propose the issue of the Armenian tragedy during the talks.
Turkey was taken by surprise when Michel Barnier used the term
“Armenian genocide” instead of “Armenian tragedy” in his speech at
the French National Assembly on December 14 and in an interview to
French RTL radio on December 20.
Turkey’s response came on December 21 on the pages of Miliyetand
Radical. The Turkish newspapers wrote that though the French National
Assembly enacted a law in 2001 recognizing the Armenian Genocide,
the members of French government are cautious in using the term
“genocide”, and Barnier was the first to use it on December 14.
The French prime minister, Pierre Raffarin, followed Barnierâ~@~Ys
example soon after. In a parliament sitting to discuss Turkey-related
issues Raffarin reminded the Armenian Genocide, underscoring that the
Genocide issue together with the Kurdish issue will be brought before
Turkey. TurkishZamanin its turn responded to prime ministerâ~@~Ys
words on December 22.
By Hakob Chakrian
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress