Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

FRANCE TO ENACT ARMENIA GENOCIDE LAW IN TWO WEEKS

-law-in-two-weeks_203436.html
24/01/2012

France will within a fortnight enact a new law banning denial of
the Armenian genocide, despite threats by Turkey to impose sanctions
against Paris, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office said Tuesday.

“The president of the republic will promulgate the law punishing denial
of the genocide of the Armenians in 1915 within the normal timeframe,”
which is two weeks, a Sarkozy aide said.

The French Senate on Monday approved the measure which threatens with
jail anyone in France who denies that the massacre of Armenians by
Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide.

Turkey on Tuesday slammed the planned law as discriminatory and
racist and vowed to impose unspecified sanctions against Paris on a
“step-by-step” basis.

French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe appealed to France’s “Turkish
friends” for calm as Turks reacted furiously to the Senate’s approval
of the bill.

But Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that his
Islamist-rooted government would punish Paris with retaliatory
measures if Sarkozy, whose right-wing UMP party initiated the bill,
signed it into law.

Hundreds of people protested outside the French embassy in Ankara
Tuesday and the consulate in Istanbul, chanting slogans such as
“Armenian Genocide Is an Imperialist Lie”.

France has already recognised the killings as a genocide, but the
new bill would go further, by punishing anyone who denies this with
a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros ($57,000).

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their forebears were killed in
1915 and 1916 by the forces of Turkey’s former Ottoman Empire.

Turkey disputes the figure, arguing that 500,000 died, and denies this
was genocide, ascribing the toll to fighting and starvation during
World War I and accusing the Armenians of siding with Russian invaders.

From: Baghdasarian

FRENCH PUBLICIST CONSIDERS DENIAL DIRT OF SPIRIT

ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 24, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: By passing of the Armenian Bill,
it will be easier for Turks to turn the page of the history, French
publicist, scientist Bernard-Henri Levy said in an interview with
Nouvelles d’Armenie, Armenpress reports.

“The memory of that horror can only impede self-recognition and
shaping the own destiny,” Bernard-Henri Levy said, stressing that a
larger number of intellectuals, journalists and just ordinary people
already understand this in Turkey, but they are still a minority.

The intellectual expressed confidence that the passing of the bill
cannot impede historians in their work in any way, just that work
will be already without dirt. “Actually denial is dirt of spirit,”
the publicist underlined.

From: Baghdasarian

ERDOGAN DELAYS IMPOSING SANCTIONS AGAINST FRANCE

ARMENPRESS
JANUARY 24, 2012
YEREVAN

ANKARA, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: Turkey will take reacting steps
against the bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide
after waiting for some time. “We will wait and see the developments
and decide on our reply to them,” he said. “The current conflict must
not turn into a large-scale issue,” Turkey’s PM Recep Erdogan stated.

So, the Turkish PM reacted the passing of the Armenian Bill by the
French Senate. The head of the government made this statement during
the sitting of Justice and Development Party’s faction at the Turkish
Parliament, Armenpress reports.

Erdogan stressed that he does not attach importance to the decisions
adopted by the French NA and Senate: “There is no bill for Turkey”.

“This is a racist and discriminatory approach and if you cannot
see this, then you are deaf to the footsteps of fascism in Europe,”
Mr Erdogan said.

Erdogan called on the French intellectuals and political figures to
be watchful and branded the bill as manifestation of racism, adding
the bill “murdered freedom of thought”.

He also reminded that Sarkozy’s grandfather was born in the territory
of the Ottoman Empire and now Sarkozy is playing a role of an enemy
to Turkey.

Again and again Erdogan called on France not to interfere in the home
affairs of Ankara.

The French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the denial of the
Armenian Genocide by 127 votes to 86. The senators hailed the passing
of the bill with applauses.

The bill intends a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros ($57,000)
for everyone who will deny the genocide.

France strives to make punishable all the crimes, which have been
recognized and condemned in that country. A bill criminalizing the
denial of the Holocaust has been working in France since 1990, and
France has recognized the Armenian Genocide still in 2001.

From: Baghdasarian

‘CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL MAY REJECT DENIAL BILL’

Today’s Zaman
Jan 24 2012
Turkey

A bill passed by the French Senate on Monday night that makes denying
the Armenian genocide an imprisonable offence runs a chance of being
invalidated by the Constitutional Council, a Turkish-French relations
expert at the French Strategic and International Relations Institute
(IRIS) has said.

Contacted by Today’s Zaman prior to Monday’s late night Senate vote
on the bill, Didier Billion said the bill would only deepen the wounds
in bilateral relations between Turkey and France.

“Our hope is that, in the event of it passing through Senate, this
ridiculous and unreasonable bill will be returned by the Constitutional
Council,” Billion told Today’s Zaman, before the results of the vote
were publicized. Many in Turkey have expressed anger towards French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who Billion accused of having anti-Turkish
sentiments.

“The bill not only aims to earn the votes of the Armenian diaspora in
France; it is also motivated by Sarkozy’s negative feelings towards
Turks,” Didier said, suggesting that there was a personal aspect to
the bill. Sarkozy also opposes Turkey’s entry into the EU.

Jean-Vincent Place, leader of the Green Party that opposed the bill,
made further claims that there had been serious pressure placed on
senators to vote in favor of the bill.

From: Baghdasarian

OPPOSITION PARTY CONDEMNS FRENCH SENATE’S DECISION

Anadolu Agency
Jan 24 2012
Turkey

Turkey’s opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) condemned French
Senate’s adopting a bill which criminalizes the denial of Armenian
allegations about 1915 incidents during Ottoman period.

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli said during his party’s group meeting in
Ankara on Tuesday that Turkish nation would never forget this ugliness
of France which blocked freedom of thought.

Bahceli said that Turkey did not have any genocide in its history.

He added that MHP cursed and condemned the decision of French Senate.

French Senate on Monday adopted a bill that criminalizes the denial
of Armenian allegations pertaining to the incidents of 1915.

The bill was adopted by a vote of 127 against 86.

With the adoption of the Armenian bill at the French Senate, the
denial of Armenian allegations regarding the incidents of 1915 would
be penalized with a prison term of one year and a monetary fine of
45,000 euros in France.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY CONDEMNES FRANCE OVER APPROVED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

National Turk

Jan 24 2012

Turkey strongly condemnes and threatens France with retaliation,
after French Senate approved the bill making it a crime denying mass
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was genocide.

Ankara / NationalTurk – Relations between France and Turkey, the
two NATO allies are at a low and Ankara’s ambassador in Paris states
he’s ready to return to Turkey, after France shamelessly uses poor
Armenian conscience as a cat’s paw for the upcoming France elections.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused French
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is seeking re-election later this year,
of using the law to pander to France’s estimated 400,000 voters of
Armenian origin.

France genocide attrocity : Politics have won over law France Senate’s
upper house approved a bill late on Monday evening, criminalizing
the denial of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I was
genocide. The approval of the Genocide bill will be finalized as a
law after French President Sarkozyan signs it.

The dire event is condemned by Turkey whereas it found praise in
Armenia. Armenian people who live in Armenia are not represented by
themselves. The lobbyist Armenian diaspora all over the world decides
for them.

The French Senate passed the bill – which allows for a potential
one-year prison sentence and a fine of up to 45,000 euros ($57,000)
for those who deny that genocide occurred in 1915 – by a vote of 127
to 86. Of the 217 members of the senate 213 used legit votes. 107 was
the number required for the passing of the law. The Armenian genocide
bill, passed last month by France’s lower house, the National Assembly,
must now be signed by French President Nicolas Sarkozyan before it
can become law, which contradicts with the 34th ammendment of French
constitution. The 34th bylaw of French Constitution is about freedom
of speech and expression.

Sarkozy’s Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has admitted the bill is
“untimely.” while even French Senate’s committee chairman, Jean-Pierre
Sueur, criticized the bill as unconstitutional, saying that it
could be rejected by France’s constitutional court. Sueur said it
specifically runs counter to constitutional provisions guaranteeing
freedom of speech and academic research. He shoved his protests by
asking the French MP’s supporting the genocide bill ” Who do you
serve?”, hinting at the tastleless motives behind the attempt to
alter history for political gains.

Armenia hailed the French Senate vote as a day “written in gold,”
while Turkey lamented “a black day in France’s history.”

‘Permanent’ consequences in France Turkey Relations after Armenian
Genocide Bill France’s NATO ally Turkey, however, has threatened
to raise the level of severe diplomatic fallouts if the genocide
bill is rubber-stamped by Sarkozyan to be finalized as law before
French parliament takes a break at the end of February ahead of the
presidential election.

Ankara has already temporarily suspended relations with Paris as
Ankara government has frozen political and military ties with Paris.

French President Sarkozyan whose party French UMP (the mainstream
right-wing party in France) supported the bill, needs to sign it into
law, but that is largely considered a formality.

French genocide bill puts Nazis and Turks at same level The bill will
mean that France will officially recognize two genocides – that of
the Jews at the hands of the Nazis during the Second World War and
the killings in eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1917.

Turkey : Reactions to France Armenian Genocide Law Approval Turkey
has threatened retaliatory measures against France following a French
senate vote approving a bill that would outlaw denial that the mass
killings of Armenians in 1915 constituted genocide.

In a written statement following Monday’s vote, Turkey’s foreign
ministry declared: “We strongly condemn this decision which is… an
example of irresponsibility.”

“Politicising the understanding of justice and history through other
people’s past and damaging freedom of expression in a tactless manner
are first and foremost a loss for France.”

Sadullah Ergin, Turkey’s justice minister, added the bill, approved
by 127 votes to 86 in the French upper house, was “a great injustice”
that showed “a total lack of respect” for Turkey.

“Turkey will never accept such a law, and now everybody will pay
a price, including Turkey, France, and the Armenian communities,”
he warned.

“You can expect diplomatic relations will be at the level of charge
d’affaires, not ambassador anymore.” “Turkey is committed to taking
all necessary measures against this unjust disposition, which reduces
basic human rights to nothing,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry announced
in a statement.

The Turkish embassy in Paris said France was “in the process of losing
a strategic partner.” “If the law is adopted by the government, the
consequences will be permanent,” an Turkish embassy spokesman stated.

From: Baghdasarian

FRANCE VIOLATES THE NATURAL HUMAN RIGHT FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION-AZERBAIJAN’S PA

SIA INFORMATION AGENCY

Jan 24 2012
Azerbaijan

Chief of Political Analysis and Information Department of the
Azerbaijan’s Presidential Administration Elnur Aslanov comments on
the decision of the French Senate to criminalize the denial of the
so-called “Armenian genocide”. “The decision of the French Senate
to criminalize the denial of the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’
goes contrary to the main principle of democracy and violates the
natural human right for freedom of expression and thought”, said Elnur
Aslanov. “This law can be characterized as a result of ill-intentioned
activity of the senators who are under the influence of Armenian
lobby and ruling party. It has no legal and moral basis. There are
enough arguments which make the adoption of law impossible.

Thus, the Constitutional Court can abolish this law because its
contradiction to French Constitution. It violates the principle of
the partition of sovereignty. The lawmaking organization can not
be an administrative power and it can not adopt any law making its
functions banal. How the judges ensuring the implementation of the law
will determine the components of the crime? There is no international
jurisprudence concerning the genocide claims. Today even the French
citizens dissenting with the approach of a group of French politicians
found themselves in the atmosphere of pressure on personality. A
small group of politicians rather relying on the situation before the
election process than on the strategic interests of the country have
thus seized the control over freedom of expression in France.

It is regretful that such decisions are passed in the countries that
call themselves the ‘cradle of democracy’ and try to teach others how
to live. The most rational approach in this case would be letting
historians discuss this issue. This has repeatedly been stated by
the Turkish side and dismissed by the Armenian party.

Such steps taken by the French senators further deteriorate the
complex enough situation in relations between Turkey and Armenia,
they deadlock possible normalization and untie the hands of Armenian
nationalists at power. Millions of dollars intended by sponsors of
the Zurich process for the Armenian-Turkish normalization, hundreds
of meetings and press-tours have practically been in vain. Will the
recognition of the ‘genocide’ promote the normalization of relations
between Turkey and Armenia? The answer is clear.

In brief, France has doomed Armenia to poor and disintegrated
coexistence in the region.

On the other hand, based on the same logic, French senators must also
recognize the genocide of civilians in Khojaly where more than 600
people were brutally murdered by Armenian vandals. In turn, Azerbaijan
has always supported and will continue supporting Turkey. We condemn
the adoption of this decision by the Senate. Such decisions can hardly
be forgotten”.

From: Baghdasarian

UK STATE MINISTER: “THE MAIN WEIGHT IN THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT’S SETTLEMENT FALLS ON THE CONFLICT SIDES”

APA
Jan 24 2012
Azerbaijan

Strasbourg. Fuad Gulubeyli – APA. UK State Minister for Europe David
Lidington make a report at today’s meeting of PACE’s winter session.

APA’s European Bureau reports that Lidington also answered the
questions of the parliamentarians and touched Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. He answered the question “How does the United Kingdom
assess the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group?” of member of Azerbaijani
delegation Ganira Pashayeva and said that the main weight in this issue
fall on the conflict sides: “We are members of the OSCE Minsk Group,
but not co-chairing it. I don’t think that the UK can be involved
directly in the activity of the Minsk Group’s co-chairs.

First of all the main weight in the conflict’s settlement falls
on the sides. I visited Azerbaijan in 2010. During my visit I held
discussions with Azerbaijani President and the other officials on
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I am planning to visit Armenia this year
and to discuss this issue with them”.

From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN’S RULING PARTY: FRANCE HAS BETRAYED THE MEDIATION MISSION WITHIN THE MINSK GROUP

Milaz.info
Jan 24 2012
Azerbaijan

“It will be the most dignified way for France if it leaves the
mediation mission not shaming itself, because France lost its moral
right to fulfill this mission”

“Any step against Turkey is also against Azerbaijan either directly,
or indirectly”

Deputy Chairman – Executive Secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party
Ali Ahmadov’s interview to APA.

– The French Senate voted for the bill on criminalizing the made-up
“Armenian genocide”. How is your attitude to it?

– I don’t believe that anybody regards as positive the adoption
of such an absurd and irresponsible decision except its voters
and Armenians. By passing the bill criminalizing denial of made-up
“Armenian genocide”, the French Parliament put hard-to-clean black
spots in its modern history. The abovementioned bill is not only
against Turkey, maybe it mainly targets at the human rights and
freedom of thought. It is ridiculous to accuse a person for believing
and disbelieving something. The demonstration of such an approach in
France is twice ridiculous. It is impossible to make anyone change
his belief. Once, people were executed, because they didn’t believe
in God. Bolsheviks punished those who believed in God. Neither
inquisitorial court increased the number of believers in God nor
did Bolshevik pursuits increased the number of atheists. The modern
people don’t accept such things. Evidently, France doesn’t understand
that it sacrificed the European values, which it wanted to suggest to
others, and consequently, it caused great damage to these values. I
can unambiguously say that the trust in the sincerity of France will
be seriously decreased.

– How should Azerbaijan react?

– Any step against Turkey is also against Azerbaijan either directly,
or indirectly. The bill passed in France on the co-called Armenian
genocide affects the interests of Azerbaijan. The passage of such
an absurd and groundless bill means that France openly introduces
itself as the defender of Armenia. Actually, the French leaders have
recently acted as Armenian lobbyists. This is proved by the fact that
during his visit to the South Caucasus some months ago French President
Sarkozy called Armenia the sister of France and then recommended the
European Union to adopt the absurd law initiated by him. It should not
be forgotten that France must have neutral position as the co-chair
of the Minsk on the resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. But it
fails or does not want to do it. France’s behavior as the lobbyist
of Armenia’s interests means betrayal of his mediation mission. As
Mevlana says: “Seem as you are or be as you seem.” Unfortunately,
France undertaking the important mediation mission can not be as
it looks or can not look as it is. In this case, it will be the
most dignified way for France if it leaves the mediation mission
not shaming itself, because France lost its moral right to fulfill
this mission. Azerbaijan almost doesn’t trust in Minsk Group. The
known actions by France nullified the trust in this group which
is losing confidence even without that. What can the citizens of
Azerbaijan expect from the pro-Armenian co-chair?! I consider that
Azerbaijani-Turkish brotherhood is our great wealth and it should be
absolutely protected. This brotherhood successfully overcame many
difficulties. There are many forces trying to break the friendship
between Azerbaijan and Turkey. Such efforts are directed against
both countries. We are stronger and magnificent together. Azerbaijan
and Turkey should be always together. Azerbaijan both officially
and through the civil society protested the France’s efforts of
criminalization of the denial of “Armenian genocide” many times. Of
course, the current situation will create significant coldness in
the attitude of Azerbaijani society toward France.

Regarding the France’s activity within the Minsk Group, I think the
criticism on this issue will rise to the level of withdrawal of France
from this group.

– Does France love Armenians so much indeed?

– I don’t think that the French parliament’s efforts to criminalize
the denial of the “Armenian genocide” are exceptionally sourced from
the love. Geopolitical factors should not be forgotten. Turkey is
developing rapidly, it has already become a serious regional power.

Increase of Turkey’s influence and role in the Middle East and north
of Africa is obvious. For most countries of that region Turkey serves
as an example in terms of democratic and economic model. France is
losing this role. The project realized in Libya at the cost of great
bloods almost failed. On the other hand, Azerbaijan is also developing
rapidly, its role in the region is increasing. In this respect,
not only Turkey’s, but also Azerbaijan’s interests are targeted at.

From: Baghdasarian

ERDOGAN ACCUSES FRANCE OF FASCISM AFTER PASSING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
by Thomas Seibert and Colin Randall

The National

Jan 25 2012
UAE

Turkey reacted with fury yesterday to a French law making it illegal
to deny that a massacre of Armenians in 1915 was genocide.

Ankara refrained from immediate sanctions against its Nato ally but the
prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the “footsteps of fascism”
could be heard in Europe.

He slammed the French bill as an expression of a “mentality of the
Middle Ages” that violated European values, such as the freedom
of speech.

The French senate approved the law on Monday. The lower house did so
last month.

“The proposal adopted in France is tantamount to discrimination,
racism and a massacre of the freedom of thought,” Mr Erdogan said.

“This bill is completely null and void for us.”

The prime minister said his government had prepared a package of
sanctions if needed, but would not immediately retaliate. “We are
still in the phase of patience,” he told the parliamentary group of
his ruling Justice and

Development Party (AKP) in a televised speech. “We have not given
up hope.”

The 127-86 senate vote means the law will take effect once the French
president, Nicolas Sarkozy, gives his official assent. However,
there are moves to assemble the 60 dissenting senators needed for a
challenge to

France’s constitutional council on the ground that the measure would
breach the right to free expression.

Armenia and several other western countries, as well as international
experts, agree that the Ottoman Armenians were victims of genocide
in the final phase of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and that up to 1.5
million members of the Christian minority were killed in massacres
and death marches.

France recognised the killings as genocide in 2001, but Turkey rejects
the term and says the deaths were the result of a relocation effort
under wartime conditions.

Possible sanctions against France include withdrawing the Turkish
ambassador, expelling the French ambassador from Ankara and closing
Turkey’s harbours and airspace to French warships and warplanes.

Ministers have also raised the possibility of taking France to the
European Court of Human Rights.

While he did not announce concrete steps against France, Mr Erdogan’s
speech contained sharp personal attacks against Mr Sarkozy, whom he
accused of trying “to collect votes with the help of enmity against
Turks”.

In France, as in Turkey, there is suspicion that political calculations
played a part in Mr Sarkozy’s strategy.

An estimated 600,000 French people are of Armenian origin. Mr
Sarkozy’s critics say he may have been courting their support as he
approaches tricky presidential elections in April. Many Turks also
resent Mr Sarkozy for his strong opposition to Turkish entry into
the European Union.

Mr Erdogan said Mr Sarkozy’s father was a descendant of Jews who
faced persecution in Spain in the 15th century and were taken in by
the Ottoman Empire.

The French vote was greeted with unanimous rejection in Turkey. Kemal
Kilicdaroglu, the opposition leader in Ankara, called the decision
a shame and said the government should take “decisive” action.

Referring to French abuses in Algeria, Devlet Bahceli, leader of the
right-wing Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), said France should take
a look “at its own smelly history” before judging Turkey.

Despite the stinging rhetoric, Mr Erdogan’s speech was likely to be
met with relief in France. Shortly before the Turkish prime minister
spoke, Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister who had argued against
the law, appealed to Ankara to remain calm.

Mr Juppe, speaking on Canal+ television yesterday, said he was sure
France and Turkey would rebuild a constructive relationship.

“We need Turkey, Turkey needs us, so I think that realism will prevail
over passion.”

He said the rift was “excessive” and offered a hand of friendship to
Turkey, “this great country, this great political and economic power”.

Engin Solakoglu, a spokesman at the Turkish embassy, said France was
“in the process of losing a strategic partner”.

But some Turks have called on their country to face its past, arguing
that more openness about the events of 1915 would make Turkey less
vulnerable to crises such as this.

“If we go on defending instead of really understanding what happened
in 1915, we will continue to fall victim to opportunist idiots like
Sarkozy,” Suat Kiniklioglu, a member of parliament for the AKP,
said on Twitter.

From: Baghdasarian