Turkey urges France to drop Armenian genocide bill

[News_Editor]

Turkey urges France to drop Armenian genocide bill

2011-12-21 09:48:37 GMT+7 (ICT)

ANKARA (BNO NEWS) -- Turkey called on the French government on Tuesday to halt plans for a bill which would criminalize the denial of the Armenian genocide during World War I, the Hurriyet Daily Newspaper reported.

Turkish President Abdullah Gül said the planned legislation is unacceptable and strongly urged the French to reconsider. "It is not possible for us to accept this bill which denies us the freedom to reject unfair and groundless accusations targeting our country and our nation," Gül said in a statement.

The remarks of the Turkish president came as the French parliament prepares to vote on the draft bill on Thursday. The law proposes a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of 45,000 euros ($58,000) for those who deny the 'genocide' of Armenians by the Ottoman government during World War I.

Turkey and its citizens have been increasing pressure on France to halt the motion, with businessmen and politicians contributing to campaigns. On Monday, a Turkish parliamentary delegation started a three-day campaign in the French capital of Paris to stop the bill.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu said Turkey will "not remain silent" if the French parliament adopts the bill and renewed calls on France's intellectual community to resist the legislation. "The ramifications of the bill will outstrip its proportions if such a prohibitive approach takes the upper hand in the middle of Europe," DavutoÄŸlu said, as quoted by Hurriyet.

"As always, Turkey has contingency plans, calculations and preparations on every issue. There will be measures that Turkey will take. If our warnings remain unanswered and prohibitive attitudes prevail in France, they should not expect us to stay silent," the minister warned.

It is estimated that between 600,000 and 1.5 million people of the Armenian population were killed by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, but Turkey has refused to use the word 'genocide' to describe the events. Numerous countries have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, including France.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-12-21

[Steely Dan]

I see, no bill means no official recognition ergo no genocide. It is inconvenient when outsiders won't let you re-write history.

P.S I note the same bully boy implied threats similar to the tactics Turkey adopted in it's recent spat with Israel.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Steely Dan

[geriatrickid]

ahhh Turkey, ever the charmer.

[tw25rw]

Hopefully, this is one more thing that will keep Turkey out of the EU.