Month: October 2006

The Guardian, UK
Oct 13 2006

This ignorant act will only fan the flames of division

The French vote to outlaw denial of the Armenian genocide plays into
the hands of Islamist nationalists in Turkey

Fiachra Gibbons
Friday October 13, 2006
The Guardian

For those who enjoyed a country childhood beyond the reach of a
reliable TV signal, entertainment often consisted of watching two
farmyard animals headbutting each other to the point of
unconsciousness. Typically, two young bullocks would square up to one
another in the way the Turkish donkey and the French ass are doing
today over the Armenian genocide, the collected crimes of French
colonialism, the headscarf, the French insistence that it is their
liberal duty to publish every Muhammad cartoon ever drawn, and any
other raw nerve within reach. Stupider breeds of sheep can keep this
up for hours.

It is pretty poor sport, and one that must take a toll on the limited
reasoning capacities of the creatures involved. Which is why it makes
it all the harder that the supposed excuse for this release of
political testosterone is one of the great forgotten tragedies of the
last century: the massacre – or what some call the genocide – of
around one million Armenians in what is now eastern Turkey. "Who
remembers the Armenians?" Hitler remarked before he set his own
Holocaust in motion. Sadly, few did, even in France.

Turkey has been in headlong and hysterical denial of what was done
between 1915 and 1917 ever since, coming up with one mad face-saving
theory after another to explain how one of Anatolia’s most ancient
populations suddenly disappeared. It is true that Armenian rebels did
their share of slaughtering, and that famine, chaos and Kurdish
land-grabbers played their part as the Ottoman empire collapsed amid
multiple invasions and uprisings. But Ataturk, one of whose adopted
daughters was an Armenian survivor of the forced death marches,
should have – but never could – bring himself to face the truth,
possibly because of his shame at what his brother army officers had
ordered while he was in Gallipoli fighting off the British. (Nor must
we forget that Churchill urged the Armenians to rebel, with vague
promises of support to divert manpower from his sorry mess in the
Dardanelles.)

But the taboo about even mentioning the Armenians has been slowly
broken over the last four years, helped along by the brilliant and
the brave, chief among them the novelist Orhan Pamuk. He has been
prosecuted for "insulting Turkishness" by claiming that a million
Armenians died. What irony that the same Turkish nationalists who
wanted to lynch him then will today be celebrating his Nobel prize
win. Pamuk’s right to freedom of speech was yesterday on the lips of
the French parliamentarians who voted through the bill that would
jail for a year anyone who questions the use of the word genocide for
the killings. No one seemed to have heard that Pamuk himself, in
common with all Turkish liberals, had condemned the bill. It is of
course a cynical exercise to harvest the sizeable Armenian vote, but
so out of touch are the Parisian elite with their suburbs that they
fail to realise the size of the Turkish minority. Officially, of
course, it is illegal to count them, as everyone is French and
nothing else.

That the French – who last year voted to compel teachers in the
immigrant suburbs to teach children the benefits of colonisation
before seeing sense – should act now speaks of profound ignorance and
self-satisfaction. It may also prove to be one of their most
inopportune sallies from port since Villeneuve set sail for
Trafalgar.

For many in France this is not a fight for historic accuracy but
another excuse to point out the differences between the east and
west, between Islam and liberal values, and draw a line at where
Europe ends. France is the fiercest opponent of Turkey’s EU entry. It
is also a place in which the climate is such that a schoolteacher has
become a hero of free speech after unleashing a poisonous tirade
against Muslims in Le Figaro that would have landed him in court
elsewhere.

Turkey and France are seen, from Paris now at least, as
irreconcilable opposites, embodiments of the "clash of civilisation".
Except, of course, they are not. They are in fact, peas in a pod – in
many ways the two most similar states in Europe. Both are fanatically
secular republics, saved from self-destruction by military strongmen
(Napoleon and Ataturk). Both ban the headscarf in schools and are led
by often-remote elites who see religion as a kind of mental
affliction. Both lost great empires but still have the mentalities
that went with them, and both are perpetually convinced that the rest
of the world is plotting to undermine their imminent resurgence.

While the French elite are still petrified by the old Napoleonic fear
of the mob, now transposed to the often nominally Muslim kids from
the suburbs, the Turkish military secular establishment see any show
of religious faith as a harbinger of a fundamentalist takeover. Entry
into Europe means relaxing the iron grip they have imposed in three
coups in a generation. That is why many in the Ankara barracks will
be happy to see Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal compete with each
other to demand that, in their eyes, Turkey humiliates itself yet
again by making a full and frank confession before being admitted to
the top table of civilised nations.

This confirmation that Europe is a closed Christian club also plays
into the hands of the resurgent Islamist nationalists in Turkey,
whose ranks may or may not contain the present prime minister, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, a man who one day presents himself as an advocate of
multicultural tolerance and the next as an old-fashioned Turkish
xenophobe. His own very hazy grip of history was demonstrated
yesterday when he declared that "in our history we never had any
inquisition, dark ages or colonialism" – curiously forgetting the
Ottoman empire, of which he is a fervent nostalgic.

Just as with butting heads, brains seems to suffer when talk turns to
clashing civilisations. The countless Armenian dead are testimony to
the danger of forgetting, and how the past cannot be ignored or
covered up. Equally we should remember that Nicolas Sarkozy’s
great-grandparents were also citizens of the Ottoman empire, living a
few streets away from Ataturk in Salonika, both comfortable members
of the Islamo-Judeo elite. That is not a combination of words we see
often now. What we forget in a few generations.

· Fiachra Gibbons is writing a book on the Ottoman legacy in Europe
[email protected]

People’s Daily, China
Oct 13 2006

Turkey slams France over adoption of Armenian genocide bill

Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday slammed the French Parliament’s
adoption of a proposed draft law criminalizing any denial of the
alleged massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World
War I.

Relations between Turkey and France have suffered "a heavy blow due
to irresponsible initiatives of several French politicians who are
not able to predict consequences of their policies," the ministry
said in a statement.

"Despite our all diplomatic and parliamentary initiatives, and
efforts of our citizens living in France, non-governmental
organizations and business circles, the French parliament adopted the
bill submitted by the Socialist Party on criminalizing of any denial
of so-called Armenian genocide. We profoundly regret the adoption of
the bill," the statement said.

French lawmakers on Thursday voted 106-19 for the bill, which calls
for up to a year in prison and fines of up to 56,000 U.S. dollars for
anyone who denies the Armenian genocide, according to the Turkish
media.

The bill must be passed by the Senate and signed by French President
Jacques Chirac, the reports said.

Reacting to the adoption of the bill, Turkish Parliament Speaker
Bulent Arinc said on Thursday, "It is a shameful and hostile
resolution. It is totally unacceptable."

Arinc expressed his regret over adoption of the draft and said,
"France is considered the cradle of individual freedoms. This
decision contradicts with freedom of thought and expression."

Turkey, a secular Muslim country which is seeking for the European
Union (EU) membership, has vowed to impose economic sanctions on
France if the bill is passed in the French parliament.

According to the Zaman daily newspaper, Turkey is the fifth- largest
customer of France outside the EU. The volume of trade between Turkey
and France is about 10 billion dollars. French exports to Turkey are
5.9 billion dollars while its import remains at 3.8 billion dollars.

Turkey has always denied that up to 1.5 million Armenians were
subjected to genocide in the period between 1915 and 1923.

However, it does acknowledge that up to 300,000 Armenians died during
fighting and efforts to relocate populations away from the war zone
in eastern Turkey.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

People’s Daily, China
Oct 13 2006

French parliament passes bill on Armenian genocide

The French lower house of parliament on Thursday adopted a bill that
would make it a crime to deny that the World War I massacre of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks was genocide.

According to the legislation that was carried by 106 votes to 19,
anyone denying the genocide would be sentenced to one year in prison
and ordered to pay a 45,000-euro (56,570 U.S. dollars) fine.

To become law, the bill still needs the approval of both the upper
house Senate and the French president.

But Turkey has warned that the bill would damage ties between the two
countries, and threatened economic revenge against France if the bill
become law.

"If this draft law is approved, Turkey will lose nothing but France
will … lose Turkey," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in
televised comments late on Wednesday.

Ankara denied it was to blame for the genocide of around 1.5 million
Armenians during the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in World
War I, arguing that it was part of general fighting in which both
sides suffered.

Although the French government considered that it was up to
historians not parliament to judge the past, the ruling Union for a
Popular Movement (UMP) gave its lawmakers a free hand in the vote,
which ensured the passing of the bill.

Later in the day, the European Commission criticized the bill, saying
it could harm reconciliation efforts.

Sabah, Turkey
Oct 13 2006

French companies say: "we believe in Turkey"

Renault, the longest standing French company in Turkey said:
"companies which contribute to export and the development of the
country believe in Turkey."

After the approval of the Armenian genocide denial bill in France,
Renault declared in writing that: "Renault believes in Turkey and is
monitoring these happenings very closely." The communication manager
of the company, Jean-Christophe Nougaret, stated that Renault has
performed commercial and industrial activities within the partnership
of OYAK for 37 years and thus Renault has been contributing to the
development and continuous growth of Turkey with its production and
export performances. "

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Sabah, Turkey
Oct 13 2006

J’accuse! (I blame)

Putting itself in a judge’s position, the French Parliament has
signed an unjust decision which has offended Turkish nation. The same
France, 112 years ago, issued another injustice by imprisoning its
own army officer, thinking he was a spy.

Years ago, when Officer Dreyfus was blamed for being a spy, the
French government imprisoned him without having acquired sufficient
evidence. The famous author Emile Zola defended him in L’Aurore
Newspaper’s headline: "J’accuse! (I blame) she wrote to the French
government. That same government went on to convict Emile Zola as
well.

After many years passed, France accepted both Dreyfus’s and Zola’s
innocence and had to apologize to both. Yesterday’s decision has
reminded everyone of Zola’s "J’accuse!" headline. Ignoring Turkish
protests, the French parliament approved a bill and made it a crime
to deny that Armenians suffered from a genocide in 1915 at the hands
of the Ottoman Turks. The motion was carried by 106 votes to 19.

Sabah, Turkey
Oct 13 2006

France passes the law despite all warnings

The French parliament has approved the bill making it a crime to deny
that Armenians suffered from a genocide in 1915. Both the government
and the press did everything in their power up until the very last
moment to prevent the law from passing, however the motion was
carried by 106 votes to 19.

Ignoring Turkish protests, the French parliament approved a bill on
Thursday making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered from a
genocide in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The bill still
needs to be ratified by both the upper house Senate and the French
president to become a law, but Turkey has already warned that
Thursday’s vote would damage ties between the two NATO allies.
The legislation establishes a one-year prison term and 45,000 euro
($56,570) fine for anyone denying that genocide occurred — exactly
the same sanctions as those imposed for denying the Nazi genocide of
Jews during World War Two. The French government did not support the
motion, saying it was up to historians and not the parliament to
judge the past, but the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
gave its lawmakers a free hand in the vote, ensuring it would pass.

BBC News, UK
Oct 13 2006

Analysis: French focus on Armenian ‘genocide’
By Clive Myrie
BBC News, Paris

A dictionary will tell you that genocide is the organised killing of
a people to end their collective existence.

Ethnic Armenian campaigners in France have hailed the vote

Because of its scope, it requires central planning and a machinery to
implement it.

Genocide was clearly Adolf Hitler’s aim – it was also what the Hutus
of Rwanda desired in 1994.

There are many Turks who will not deny hundreds of thousands of
Armenians were killed in 1915 during a resettlement programme to
other parts of the Ottoman Empire.

But people died, they say, in inter-communal warfare – it was not the
organised killing of a people to end their collective existence. It
was not genocide.

There are many others around the world who beg to differ but some
here in France want to enshrine their view in law.

The lower house of parliament has approved a bill making it a crime
to deny Armenians suffered genocide. No other country has tried this,
so why are the French doing so now?

"Everything is politics" they say and for critics of the French
initiative that is exactly what the controversy is about – politics.

Wooing voters

The bill was proposed by the minority Socialists in the French
Parliament.

There is a presidential election next year and cynics say pushing for
a law criminalising denial of an Armenian genocide plays well with
Armenians here who vote.

Jack Lang, a Socialist MP, believes he knows what is going on and has
broken ranks.

"I believe the Socialist party has adopted an electoralist point of
view. It is not sincere. It is only to get the electoral support of
the Armenian community."

Cynics say there are others whom those who put forward the bill want
to impress: the majority of French people who do not want Turkey
joining the European Union.

Indeed many French politicians agree a mainly Muslim country has no
place in the EU and this may be driving the anti-Turkish bill.

Cross-party support

But is cynicism over the motives behind the bill fair?

For many French politicians denying the Armenian genocide is like
denying the Holocaust and it was not just Socialists who supported
the bill.

They were joined by a number of centre-right politicians too.

Herve Mariton of the ruling UMP party said:

"The genocide is a fact. It is an absolute disgrace for the 20th
Century, it is an absolute disgrace for humanity, it has to be stated
as such."

The government of President Jacques Chirac is in a difficult
position.

He has suggested Turkish recognition of the Armenian genocide should
be a pre-condition of entry into the EU, but he has distanced his
government from the bill.

Principle

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin says it is a bad idea and
insists France wants strong ties with Turkey.

French businesses fear trade will suffer. Exports to Turkey were
worth 4.66bn euros last year.

That is why ultimately the bill will never become law.

It has to go to the Senate for a vote and with the government’s
majority in the upper house, it is highly unlikely to pass.

Gesture politics then and a cry from the heart by MPs who believe it
was genocide, or is all this politicking?

And does it make sense to criminalise Armenian genocide denial
anyway?

French jails would be overcrowded with Turks, proud of their history.

Those in favour of the bill emphatically say yes, the horrors of the
past must not be forgotten or denied.

The new bill is not about politics, they say, but principle.

Turkish Press
Oct 13 2006

The Biggest Conflict
Published: 10/12/2006

BY FEHMI KORU
YENI SAFAK- Why did politicians in France wait until 2001 to write a
law on the so-called Armenian genocide? France is the biggest
obstacle to Turkey’s EU membership. We know this from its stance when
decisions were taken about Turkey’s EU membership talks. France was
among the EU countries which was most opposed to the European
Constitution. When people talk about a `train crash` on the way to
the EU, everybody thinks of the possibility of our membership being
rejected through a referendum in France. France is different from all
the other European countries. However, Turkey might be one of the
closest countries to it. Ottoman intellectuals knew France as the
`West,’ and when the Westernization reforms were implemented, the
reformers took France as an example. The founders of the Republic
were Ottoman intellectuals. Naturally, France was the `level of
modern civilization’ for them.

The law on which Turkey based its administrative structure was the
product of the first half of the 19th century and translated from the
Napoleonic Code. Almost all the legislation aimed at turning Turkey
into a Western country is the product of the same era, and France was
taken as an example for this. During the early years of the Republic,
France maintained this `exemplary’ situation. Our intellectuals spoke
French and knew texts in French. In sum, although France isn’t our
soulmate, now it’s excluding and opposing itself to the country which
most resembles it in this region.

A similar analysis can be done of Armenians, which caused French
politicians to oppose Turkey just for votes. The Ottomans trusted the
Armenians the most. The Armenian people established the closest links
with Turkish society, and they were familiar with our culture and
contributed to our national heritage. Even today the presence of
Armenians who live illegally in Turkey shows that Armenians see
Turkey differently from their state. France, the country that we
resemble the most in the West, doesn’t consider it harmful to pass a
meaningless law which drives Turkey into a corner on the
international stage with the pressure of Armenia, which is fated to
get on well with us in the east. This is the biggest conflict that
we’re facing now. Not the Armenians in Armenia, but the Armenians who
live in other countries (the diaspora) are looking for revenge, and
the number of French politicians determined to pass a law punishing
those who deny the so-called Armenian genocide is small. When these
two facts come together, difficult circumstances might emerge against
Turkey. The question of why it’s happening now in France has only one
answer: France had great leaders in the past, but now it lacks a
leadership which can take responsibility on critical issues, turn its
back on petty interests, and look at problems from the vantage point
of history. Can we expect leadership from leaders who don’t realize
that this law will do the exact opposite of its stated intention?

Regnum, Russia
Oct 13 2006

NATO special representative visit to Armenia marked by launch of IPAP
– Oskanyan

Visit of NATO Special Representative for the South Caucasus and
Central Asia Robert Simmons to Armenia was marked by the launch of
the NATO Individual Partnership Action Program (IPAP), Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan informed at a joint press
conference with Robert Simmons Oct 12 in Yerevan. REGNUM
correspondent reports the minister to inform that IPAP is being
implemented in all directions. Robert Simmons also pointed to the
progress in implementing the NATO program.

Answering a question, whether the NATO and EU programs complement
each other, Vardan Oskanyan said that the Armenian `Euro-trend
consists of the three items: NATO, the EU, and liabilities before the
Council of Europe.’ `Hence, a Coordination Council was created
according to the decision of Robert Kocharyan that is designed to
ensure that same items are not repeated in different programs.
However, the NATO and EU partnership programs are so extensive that
they complement each other.’

Robert Simmons informed that NATO mainly concentrates on the issues
of security and reform in the Armenian armed forces. Economic issues
and the human rights field are in the focus of EU and CE. The Council
of Europe is also actively engaged in organizing and running
monitoring missions during elections. Each organization has its own
priorities that, however, complement each other, the NATO special
representative explained.

Regnum, Russia
Oct 13 2006

Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vartan Oskanyan
on the French National Assembly vote

Today’s approval of the bill by the French National Assembly is a
natural continuation of France’s principled and consistent defense of
human and historic rights and values.

This decision is also a natural reaction to the intensive, aggressive
and official denialism of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish state.
They have undertaken a premeditated, planned assault on the truth.

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 reactions, 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.