ANKARA CONTINUES TO CRITICIZE GENOCIDE BILL
Zaman, Turkey
Oct 14 2006
Turkey continues to express outrage over the approval of a bill
making it a crime to deny the so-called Armenian genocide in the
French National Assembly.
Regarding the decision as "a black stain on French history," Turkish
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that there were unfortunately
people whose minds are tied in comprehending the fight for freedom,
especially some politicians in France.
At his speech for the dedication of Turgut Ozal Boulevard, Erdogan
commented on a placard that said "France be Clever" and said France,
which had criticized Turkey on Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code,
has now banned the freedom of expression in its own country.
The prime minister said that the value of trade relations between
France and Turkey amounted to $10 billion, which is only 1.5 percent
of France’s exports.
Erdogan encouraged the 500,000 Turkish citizens living in France to
be as strong as the Armenians living there. Having paid an official
visit to Berlin, EU Top Negotiator Ali Babacan said that Turkey had
the potential with its recent political reforms to become a model
for Europe.
ANAP Deputy Asks to Change his French Car
Motherland (Anavatan) Party deputy Suleyman Saribas has applied to the
Turkish parliament, asking to swap his French Peugeot official car,
which was assigned to him, for a different one.
Feeling ashamed of driving a French car, Saribas said French cars
should not be used by the state government.