Hollande Criterion May be Key to Armenian Issue [Not!]

Hollande Criterion May be Key to Armenian Issue
French President Francois Hollande holds the key of Algiers before a walk
in the street in Algiers December 19, 2012. Part of his trip was to try to
heal wounds left by a bloody war of independence half a century ago. (photo
by REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer)

By: * Erdal Safak*. Translated from * Sabah
(Turkey).
*

You can’t achieve anything by trying to keep it secret, by forgetting, or
even worse, by denying something like the 132-year-long shackling of
Algeriaunder
a system of diabolical injustice and savagery. To accept the
realities and to expose them is an obligation. That is why archives must be
opened to historians.

This was the essence of French President Francois Hollande’s
speechto
the Algerian parliament. To summarize in one sentence, Hollande says,
`France acknowledges the massacres it carried out in Algeria but is not
apologizing.’ In other words, `Yes to acknowledgement, no to apology.’ He
ended the subject: `Come, let’s leave it to historians to determine the
facts.’

This Hollande criterion could be a key to solving the issue of of Armenian
deportations,
a heavy burden that exhausts Turkey.

What about Turkey saying: `’Turkey, Armenia and other countries that have
documents related to the deportations period should open their archives. A
mixed commission of historians should be set up. This commission should
have full access to all archives=85′

But there has been no positive response to this call from Armenia or
friends like Germany, Britain, France, Russia or the US, all of which have
a substantial number of documents related to that period.

Why does Hollande want archives to be opened to historians? Because a major
part of French documents on Algeria’s independence war is under lock, per
French regulation that sensitive documents related to the security of the
state cannot be made public for 50 years.

Similarly, Algeria is not opening its archives to historians. Both sides
were brutal, both sides massacred in that war. Isn’t the lack of response
to Turkey’s call to `let everyone open their archives’ a result of the fact
that everyone had guilt in the Armenian deportations?

Hollande had been following a consistent attitude to Turkey’s possible
membership in the EU. He always had one condition: `Turkey can’t enter
the
EU unless it recognizes the Armenian genocide.’

Fine, let’s agree to his condition with his own formula: `Yes to
acknowledgement, no to apology.’

But to acknowledge, facts must be uncovered first. This requires opening
the archives.

Then, let’s ask all the powers of that era, led by France, `Are you game?’

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress