Month: October 2006

PanARMENIAN.Net

Every Week Turkey Will Include a French Company in Black-List
13.10.2006 18:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish Union of Consumers declared a limited
boycott on French products today. A non-governmental organization
engaged in examination of problems and protection of consumers’ rights
said the boycott will first of all refer to Total French oil
company. The NGO representatives also said that in case of adoption of
the bill every week the union will include a French company in the
black-list.

`We will explain our reaction to France in a language it will
understand. The boycott will remain in force until the bill is
cancelled,’ the union chairman said, reports Trend news agency.

TREND, Azerbaijan
Oct 13 2006

Baku calls on French Senate Not To Adopt Legislation Make Denial of
So-called `Armenian Genocide’ Illegal in France

Source: Trend
Author: E.Huseynov

13.10.2006

`It is with great surprise and concern that we followed the
development of the French Parliament’s lower house and the ensuing
vote regarding the legislation to make denial of the so-called
`Armenian genocide’ illegal in France,’ a statement issued by the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reads.

Unfortunately, Armenia and its Diaspora continue to play a very
destructive role in the ongoing developments in the region, instead
of contributing to peace and stability With full understanding that
this initiative needs to be yet ratified by the Senate, we urge the
French Parliament to apply a more careful, impartial, and balanced
approach, the document states.

Taking note of the French Government’s position of disagreement with
this legislative act, we are hopeful that the French Senate will
obstruct this negative development in full compliance with
international community’s proclaimed interest in re-establishment of
security, stability and mutual confidence climate in this
strategically important region of Europe, the statement stressed.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
October 13, 2006
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY APPLAUDS FRANCE FOR STRONGLY AFFIRMING THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly welcomes the continued commitment
by the French parliament to keep the history of the Armenian Genocide
inviolable despite calls from Turkey to drop an Armenian Genocide bill
or risk damaging bilateral ties.

Yesterday, the French National Assembly voted 106 to 19 to approve
legislation that would penalize Armenian Genocide denial with fines and
a jail term. The bill must still be approved by France’s upper house of
parliament and signed by President Jacques Chirac, who called on Turkey
to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide during a recent state visit to
Armenia.

According to The Associated Press, Chirac asked, "Should Turkey
recognize the genocide of Armenia to join the European Union? Honestly,
I believe so. Each country grows by acknowledging its dramas and errors
of the past."

In the week leading up to the vote, the Turkish government warned France
that bilateral relations would suffer if lawmakers approved the bill. A
statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, criticized the vote
saying, "French-Turkish relations….have been dealt a severe blow today
as a result of the irresponsible false claims of French politicians who
do not see the political consequences of their actions."

The Armenian government, for its part, called the vote a "natural
continuation of France’s principled and consistent defenses of human and
historic rights and values."

The statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Vartan Oskanian also said,
"To adopt such a decision is the French Parliament’s sovereign right and
is understandable. What we don’t understand is the Turkish government’s
instigation of extremist public relations, especially while Turkey
itself has a law that does exactly the same thing and punishes those who
even use the term genocide or venture to discuss those events."

ORHAN PAMUK AWARDED NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE; ASSEMBLY INTERVIEW WITH
HRANT DINK

While the passage of the French bill was making international headlines,
news broke that Turkey’s best-known writer Orhan Pamuk was awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature. Last year, Pamuk was prosecuted under
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code and charged with "insulting
Turkishness" for telling a Swiss newspaper that "30,000 Kurds and one
million Armenians were killed in these lands, and nobody but me dares
talk about it." The charges have since been dropped.

The Armenian Assembly spoke with Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink,
from his home in Istanbul, on these latest developments, including new
"denigration" charges filed against him for acknowledging the Armenian
Genocide.

Reflecting on the passage of the French bill, Dink added "I do see some
positive results coming out of this….The Armenian and Turkish
governments, both states, should see there is no alternative to
dialogue. There is no alternative to good neighborliness. There is no
alternative to opening the borders and joint action."

Dink also welcomed Orhan Pamuk’s award, saying "for those of us
struggling for democracy in Turkey, it is a great honor and great joy
that our beloved friend…has made so many great contributions to the
pursuit of democracy, has ascended to the world’s highest pedestal of
the Nobel Prize in Literature."

"It is not just the people living in this country today that his prize
belongs to," Dink continued. "It also belongs to the people who for
centuries populated this land and created this culture. And today, the
culture that Orhan Pamuk presented to the world, in the form of
literature, is the culture of all those people who lived and created on
this land, including the Armenians."

The interview concluded with Dink’s thoughts on his pending trial. "In
March 2007 I will be tried for having stated ‘yes what happened was
genocide’ in an interview with Reuters," he explained. "What else can
we call it if my people who lived there for 4,000 years, disappeared
without a trace, and its culture disappeared? This was my message and
this is why I’m being indicted."

Earlier this month, Dink was awarded the prestigious Bjornson Prize for
Literature for his publications on the Armenian Genocide. He will
accept the award, along with a cash prize, during a ceremony in Molde,
Norway on November 24.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership organization.

NR#2006-094

Editor’s Note: Photograph available on the Assembly Web site at the
following link:

/2006-094-1.jpg

Caption: Hrant Dink

PanARMENIAN.Net

EU Not Going to Interfere in Russian-Georgian Conflict

13.10.2006 18:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Union `does not wish to interfere in
the conflict between Russia and Georgia,’ EU Envoy for the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby said in the Belgian capital city. According to
him, the EU fears that the conflict may `spread throughout the
region.’ Mr Semneby also criticized the Georgian leadership `for
failing to come to consent with Abkhazia and South Ossetia and making
inciting statements,’ reports ITAR-TASS.

Hürriyet, Turkey
Oct 13 2006

French Parliament deaf to advance warnings

Yesterday’s newspapers in France were filled with warnings of the
result of an approval vote in the Parliament for the so-called
"genocide denial" bill. EU Commissioner for Expansion, Olli Rehn, had
written a letter printed in the "Liberation" newspaper warning "don’t
kill off dialogue with Turkey."

In the end though, it appeared that the members of the French
Parliament had blocked their ears to these warnings. Following the
vote, which overwhelming approved the controversial bill, the EU
Commission issued clear criticisms of France.

Speaking after the vote, spokesperson for the EU Commission on
Expansion, Khristina Nagy, said "Unfortunately, this decision will
make EU harmonizing reforms in Turkey more difficult. And if the
approved bill goes into implementation, it will mean a deadend for
Armenian-Turkish relations."

Olli Rehn: This bill puts millions of Turks into position of being
suspect

In a letter to the "Liberation" newspaper, EU Commissioner Olli Rehn
warned "This bill, with its historical opinion it is trying to
impose, puts millions of Turks and their country into the position of
being suspect."

European Parliament MP Duff: Dark day for freedom in France

Another voice condemning the French vote came from European
Parliament member Andrew Duff, who said "The French Parliament has
rejected freedom of thought and expression. It is a dark day in
France for freedom." Duff added "How can France insist to Turkey that
it develop its own freedoms and laws when it finds itself in the
exact opposite situation?"

Le Figaro warns: Don’t make mistake

And finally, yesterday’s Le Figaro printed a warning yesterday to the
members of the French Parliament not to "make a mistake." Calling the
"genocide denial" bill an "opportunistic" initiative, Le Figaro urged
MPs not to push France into a situation of absurdity with an approval
vote.

Hürriyet, Turkey
Oct 13 2006

Ankara readies itself for response to French decision

Sources in Ankara are reporting that the Turkish response to the
French Parliament’s approval of the controversial "Armenian genocide
denial" bill will be swift and strong.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has announced that the Turkish
Parliament will hold a special session on France on Tuesday, and that
on the agenda will be a number of possibilities, including a freezing
of all bilateral relations with France, putting all French firms
wishing to bid on contracts in Turkey on a "red list," and even
freezing for the time being relations between the Turkish Armed
Forces and their French counterparts.

Terse statement from Prime Ministerial offices

The Prime Ministerial buildings in Ankara yesterday issued the
following stern statement in the wake of news from Paris: "There are
some narrow minded politicians in France who have caused their
country to live with this shame, and who should think about what will
come following this decision."

In Ankara, French Ambassador Paul Poudade said he thought
French-Turkish relations would suffer for a few weeks, and then get
back on track. In a statement to NTV news last night, Ambassador
Poudade said he thought the comments issued from the Turkish Foreign
Ministry were "a little painful, a little sad, but all in all,
measured."

Focus News, Bulgaria
Oct 13 2006

Milliyet, Turkey: EU Calls on Turkey to Keep Calm over France’s
Passing a Bill on Armenian Genocide

13 October 2006 | 11:30 | FOCUS News Agency

Strasbourg/ Ankara. European Parliamentary rapporteur Camiel Eurlings
called on Turkey to keep calm about the bill on the Armenian
genocide, which France’s Parliament passed, the Turkish newspaper
Milliyet reports. The MEP said the adoption of the bill would impede
the efforts at abolishing some restrictions on the freedom of thought
and the efforts at doing away with tortures in Turkey.
France’s lower house of parliament approved a bill on Thursday making
it a crime to deny Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of
Ottoman Turks. The bill provoked anger in Turkey, which said the vote
would damage ties between the two NATO allies and French firms
operating in Turkey.

Toronto Sun, Canada
Oct 13 2006

Turks angry at French bill
By SUN WIRE SERVICES

PARIS — A thin turnout of French legislators approved a bill
yesterday that would make it a crime to deny that mass killings of
Armenians in Turkey during the World War I era amounted to genocide.

Angry Turks called for a boycott French goods.

The genocide issue has become intertwined with debate about allowing
Turkey into the European Union.

AZG Armenian Daily #196, 14/10/2006

Turkey

ANTI-FRENCH HYSTERIA IN HEYDAY IN TURKEY

Turkish Leaders `Shame’ France

As it was anticipated, the adoption by the French parliament of the
bill penalizing denial of the Armenian Genocide has spurred major
hysteria.

Responding to this event, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
named the French politicians "narrow-minded" for legalizing "the
Armenian genocide lie" and said that it is shameful in terms of
"freedom of thought" and is at the same time a blemish for
France. This country, he said, is destined to live with shame.

Erdogan labeled passage of the bill a "gross historic mistake" and
added: "History will surely condemn them who neglect rational
manifestations of opposition. We will not accept such unfairness,
neither will tolerate it."

Byulent Arenc, speaker of the Turkish parliament, called the French
National Assembly’s decision "shameful" and manifestation of "hostile
attitude towards the Turkish people." Foreign minister Abdullah Gul
joined him. "With this decision of the its parliament France showed
that it is a country that pursuits minor goals. To reach these goals
it has trampled on its historic authority. Let no one think that
Turkey will stomach all these. We have elaborated countermeasures for
all spheres that will be gradually used. This issue is national in
essence. Hopefully, France will get out of this deadlock," Milliet
quoted Gul as saying.

Though Gul did not mention of these spheres, Milliet found out from
Foreign Ministry’s sources that Turkey is going to lower to the
minimum cooperation with France in military, politics, healthcare,
education, culture and trade. Meanwhile it is supposed that France
will be alienated from all key international tenders in Turkey.

Denis Bayqal, leader of the Popular Republican party, said on occasion
of the bill’s adoption that it is impossible to take history captive
by a bill and that France has signed beneath historic shame.

By Hakob Chakrian

ITN News, UK
Oct 13 2006

Turkey reels after French genocide vote

9.29, Fri Oct 13 2006

Turkey’s EU ambitions are in doubt after France voted to make it a
crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of
Ottoman Turks during World War One. (Pic: Reuters)

The vote has not been supported by the French government and the
upper house is not expected to ratify it, but Turkey has warned the
damage has already been done to relations between the two countries.

Turkey continues to deny accusations of the genocide of some 1.5
million Armenians.

And it argues the French vote has exposed anti-Turkey feelings which
will undermine pro-EU liberals and bolster Turkish nationalists.

But French Parliament member Roland Blum said he thought the vote
would rectify a double standard in recognising parts of history.

He said: "This is not possible to have two categories of genocide,
Jewish genocide which has been always condemned while Armenian
genocide has been condemned only in some cases."

France is believed to have the largest Armenian immigrant community
in western Europe, with up to half a million people of Armenian
descent living there.