Author: Kanayan Tamar

AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” LAW ADOPTED BY FRENCH SENATE

Trend
Feb 1 2012
Azerbaijan

Today, Feb 1, at the first spring meeting session, the Azerbaijani
Parliament discussed the law criminalising the denial of the so-called
“Armenian genocide”.

Though Azerbaijan quite clearly demonstrated its position on this
issue, some mass media outlets try to ignore it, the MP from the ruling
New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) Siyavush Novruzov said at the meeting. He
decidedly condemned these actions.

“There shouldn’t be differences in this issue between power and
opposition. All should make a common cause. The Azerbaijani state
and Azerbaijani parliament will take steps in connection with this
French law. We have always been with Turkey. We observe the situation
and logically, in legal form, express and as required will state our
position,” Mr Novruzov stressed.

Parliamentary chairman Oqtay Asadov supported him and said the support
of Turkey is a heartfelt step.

“We have to wait and see what decision concerning the new law the
French Constitutional Council will make. However we will take all
the necessary steps after this happens as well,” the chairman said.

Azerbaijani MPs repeatedly expressed their position on this issue,
MP Ganira Pashayeva said.

“On the 20th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide committed by Armenians
against Azerbaijanis it is necessary to send an address to Turkey so
that it will officially recognise this genocide, “she suggested.

“It will be evidence of our brotherhood with Turkey and the
world will see against whom in fact the genocide was committed. I
believe the parliament of fraternal Turkey will positively meet
and appreciate this suggestion. It’s necessary to organise a rally
in the centre of Istanbul under the slogan ‘We are all Khojalians,
we are all-Karabakhis!’,” Ms Pashayeva stressed.

Co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Joseph Debono Grech and
Pedro Agramunt also addressed the parliament.

On Jan.23, after eight hours of discussion, the Senate (upper chamber
of the French parliament) voted for adoption of the law criminalizing
denial of the so called “Armenian genocide”. Some 127 senators voted
for, while 86 were against.

The bill demands about a year’s imprisonment and a fine of 45,000
euros for denial of the so-called “Armenian genocide”.

FARCICAL FRENCH MOVE ON ARMENIAN VOTES OVER TURKS
by Murat Yetkin

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 2 2012
Turkey

Generally speaking the Turkish media was in a joyous mood yesterday,
following a motion by a group of French legislators to annul the
French Senate’s approval of a law criminalizing denial that the
Armenian killings of 1915 in the last years of the Ottoman Empire
was a genocide.

77 members of the French Senate and 65 members of the Parliament
signed letters to the Constitutional Council claiming that the law,
supported by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was against the
French Constitution, as such a law would violate freedom of expression.

One headline went as far as to say the motion represented “142 slaps
on Sarkozy’s face.” Others had even lower tones, as if the motion
constituted a victory for Turkish thesis on the Armenian problem;
which currently stands at a shy acknowledgement of “mutual massacres.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was chic enough to say he was
happy to see that there were those in Paris to correct the mistakes,
and that one should wait for the court decision in the meantime.

President Sarkozy’s statement was a piece of political art as well;
framed as if he wasn’t expecting such a knife in his back, since many
of the opposing legislators were actually from his ruling Union for
a Popular Movement (UMP) party.

It was as if Sarkozy had not sent a message to Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan right after the Senate approved the bill to
say he had 15 days to approve it. This message effectively said:
“I give you a chance to convince French politicians to try their
chance to annul it and you have 15 days for that, but you have to
stop your campaign to discredit me.” It was after that message that
Turkish fury against the French President was toned down, with leaks
to Turkish media that a chance should be given to diplomacy.

Another statement, by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton following
the French vote, was interesting too; effectively, Clinton asked
everybody to leave the issue to historians, as if the Armenian question
was not the annual Turkey-bashing festival in Washington DC.

One might argue that this is not hypocrisy, but realpolitik in a
populist fashion.

Now the Constitutional Council will reportedly give a decision within
30 days, starting from Jan. 31, the day the appeal was lodged.

In the meantime France is approaching its Presidential elections. The
first round will be held on April 22nd; two days before the 97th
anniversary of the infamous Ottoman decree for the forced deportation
of Armenian population from the Eastern provinces under Russian
occupation during the World War I. The second round will be held on
May 6th.

Polls show Sarkozy behind his main rival Francois Hollande of the
Socialist Party; he desperately needs votes in packages, like those
of the French-Armenians, whose roots are in Turkey.

If the bill is turned down, also allowing the possibility of annuling
the recognition of 1915 killings as genocide, nothing will change for
the Armenian community in France, other than the broken and manipulated
hopes they invested in Sarkozy in the form of votes. That is why this
business-as-usual looks farcical as well.

DENIAL BILL RUNS UP 356 MILLION DOLLAR COST MONTHLY

Sabah
Feb 1 2012
Turkey

The protest of the Armenian bill has resulted in a 34.4% drop in
French imports compared to the same period of the year prior. The
increasing reactions have at present resulted in a monthly detriment
to Sarkozy of 356 million dollars.

The draft passed by the French Parliament which deems criminalizing
the Armenian allegations of a so-called ‘genocide’ has slowly begun
to result in an increasing financial bill incurred by France. Import
figures from France for December, 2011 regressed to 678,946,000
dollars, which is a 34.4% drop compared to figures from the same
period the year prior.

As a result, Nicolas Sarkozy’s ‘Armenian bill’, which he put forth
in order to gain favor in the upcoming elections, has resulted in
costing France 356 million dollars in one month alone. According to
foreign trade figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUÄ°K),
in 2011, Turkey’s exports to France increased by 12.5%, surpassing 6.8
billion dollars. Export figures from December of last year decreased
by 12 percent, compared to the same time period from the year prior,
and regressed to 543,387,000 dollars.

ELEVENTH LARGEST MARKET According to figures from the Foreign Economic
Relations Board (DEÄ°K), during the 2011 January to November period,
Turkey was the top 11th country to export goods to France, and the
top 16th country to receive French imports. During the same time
period, Turkey consisted of 1.64 percent of France’s total exports,
while Turkey provided for 1.17 percent of France’s total imports.

FRENCH FIRMS ARE TRYING NOT TO DRAW ATTENTION

According to information obtained, following France’s approval of
the ‘denial’ bill, French firms operating in Turkey received an
order to ‘not draw attention’. According to an article in France’s
Le Monde, businessmen are concerned that the joint trade volume,
which had reached 12 billion euros in 2011, would incur harm due to
the tension which has surfaced in diplomatic relations over recent
years. A high-level official at TEB, BNP Paribas’ Turkish partners,
relayed to Le Monde that they had received an order to ‘not draw
attention!’ At present, there are 400 French-based firms operating
in Turkey with over 100,000 employees.

TURKISH FM THANKS FRENCH MPS AND SENATORS REJECTING ARMENIAN BILL

Anadolu Agency
Feb 1 2012
Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu thanked French
parliamentarians and senators who appealed the law on Armenian
allegations at French Constitutional Council.

Davutoglu, who is currently holding meetings in Belgrade, told AA
on Tuesday that the parliamentarians and senators claimed freedom of
thought, and he wished Turkish-French friendship would win in the end.

Now what we have to do is to wait for the decision of French
Constitutional Council, he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, French senators appealed the law penalizing denial
of the Armenian allegations on the Ottoman era incidents of 1915 that
was adopted at the French Senate.

65 MPs and 72 senators signed to appeal the law at the French
Constitutional Council.

The council is expected to make public its decision within a month.

The French Parliament and Senate enacted the bill last week.

The law penalizes denial of the Armenian allegations with a prison
term of one year and a fine of 45,000 euro.

LA REACTION DE CHRISTOPHE MASSE
Aurelie Ohanian

armenews.com
jeudi 2 fevrier 2012

Reaction de Christophe Masse sur la Saisine du Conseil Constitutionnel
pour tenter de faire annuler le vote de la Loi penalisant la negation
des genocides Rapporteur a l’assemblee nationale de la loi de
penalisation du genocide armenien le 12 octobre 2006

Vice President du CG13 -Conseiller municipal ville de Marseille

Les parlementaires qui viennent de saisir le conseil constitutionnel
pour faire annuler le vote de la loi penalisant le negationnisme
des genocides, tentent de voler une victoire acquise sur le
terrain democratique. Ce qui ressemble desormais a un acharnement
incomprehensible doit cesser.

Le debat entame en 2006 au moment où j’ai rapporte avec succès une
première loi sur cette question, a suffisamment dure. Il a certes ete
riche et passionne mais il a trouve son terme le 23 janvier 2012 par
le vote conforme de la loi au Senat.

Je m’indigne donc contre la pratique de ces parlementaires, qui ayant
perdu sur le terrain des valeurs, espèrent une victoire sur ” tapis
vert “.

Je regrette que le president de la Republique M. Nicolas Sarkozy,
qui avait la possibilite de promulguer cette loi rapidement, ne l’ait
pas fait.

Il a ainsi ouvert la porte, a une manoeuvre procedurière de saisine
constitutionnelle dont il connaissait parfaitement le risque.

Ne l’ayant pas fait, la promulgation de la loi est desormais suspendue
a l’avis du conseil constitutionnel.

Desormais j’invite les sages du CC a respecter le vote de cette loi,
et a ne pas creer un precedent qui pourrait remettre en cause y
compris la loi Gayssot.

J’en appelle a la raison. 2006-2012, 6 ans de tergiversation, ca
suffit !!

Le negationnisme est un delit et pour le punir il faut une loi.

La France ne peut pas impunement laisser fleurir sur son sol une
propagande devastatrice negationniste outrancière et grossière.

Nier un genocide, c’est tuer une deuxième fois, disait Elie Wiesel.

La France s’est honoree le 23 janvier dernier en adoptant cette loi.

La France s’est elevee au dessus des clivages politiques et au dessus
du chantage economique de la Turquie.

Le conseil constitutionnel ne doit pas empecher la promulgation de
cette loi.

ERDOGAN : POUR QUELQUES MILLIERS DE VOTES DU DEVCHIRME
Jean Eckain

armenews.com
jeudi 2 fevrier 2012

Eh bien nous y voila… le mot ” Devchirme” est tombe de la bouche du
premier ministre turc hier dès qu’il a appris de celle du president
francais que ce dernier ferait en sorte qu’un” nouveau texte” soit
depose “tout de suite , en cas de censure de la loi Boyer par les
Sages du Conseil constitutionnel. Pour lui il s’agit “de marcher sur
toutes les valeurs europeennes pour le bien de quelques milliers de
voix du Devchirme ;” (chretiens enrôles dans le corps des Janissaires
sous l’Empire ottoman).

L’exasperation de Monsieur Erdogan est visiblement palpable lorsqu’il
dit que “ce projet de loi qui a ete acceptee par l’Assemblee
nationale francaise et du Senat est inexistant pour nous”. Ajoutant
” Par consequent, afin d’arreter l’arrosage de cette germination de
vigne empoisonnee en France, nous demandons a nos camarades francais
et au public francais de faire entendre leur voix. ”

“Stop”, dit-il “a cette tendance au racisme et a la discrimination
menee par Sarkozy et a l’animosite envers la Turquie. La Turquie est
un grand pays et agira en conformite de cette grandeur.”

Pour lui “la France de l’administration Sarkozy est basee sur le dogme,
les prejuges et le delire. ” Concluant dans Sabah ” la France a besoin
de se liberer de cette mentalite remontant au Moyen-Age.”

EUROPE, LE PROJET CONTRE NATURE DE LA TURQUIE

Le Monde

31 janvier 2012
France

L’adoption par un Senat de gauche de la loi sur le genocide – notamment
armenien – est un cas ponctuel assez remarquable de negation des
frontières partisanes, plutôt rare en France par les temps qui
courent. Mais l’animosite qui preside desormais aux relations
franco-turques, et leurs consequences dommageables previsibles,
possède des racines plus profondes. Elle est aussi vieille que Les
Fourberies de Scapin (“Que diable suis-je alle faire sur cette galère?

“) mais elle est surtout due a l’insistance turque de donner corps
a un projet contre-nature.

Celui de devenir membre a part entière de l’Union europeenne
avec tous ces symboles inenvisageables comme son entree massive au
Parlement europeen et une place de choix a la Commission, l’instance de
gouvernement de l’Union. Les Allemands sont d’accord tout en preferant
nous mettre en avant. Sans faire dans l’anthropomorphisme occidental,
observons que l’Europe est desormais circonscrite. Tant mieux!

Jean-Marie Baurens, Montpellier Lettre parue dans Le Monde du 1er
fevrier

FRANCE-TURQUIE: COMMENT SARKOZY A CREE UN LOBBY TURC

L’Express

31 janvier 2012
France

La communaute installee dans l’Hexagone n’a pu bloquer l’adoption de
la loi reprimant la negation des genocides. Mais, si la question des
massacres de 1915 la divise, elle se rassemble autour de la liberte
d’expression. Et s’organise pour, a l’avenir, faire entendre sa voix.

Ils ont perdu la bataille mais, cette fois-ci, ils sont alles au
combat en rangs serres. En 2001, lors du vote de la reconnaissance du
genocide armenien par le Parlement, ils etaient restes cois. En 2006,
lors d’un premier vote par l’Assemblee nationale d’une penalisation
de la negation du genocide armenien de 1915, seule une infime partie
des Turcs de France – ils seraient de 500 000 a 600 000 dans tout
l’Hexagone – etait descendue dans la rue. Six ans plus tard, la
mobilisation est tout autre. Le 21 janvier, deux jours avant l’adoption
par le Senat d’un texte reprimant “la negation ou la minimisation
outrancière” des genocides reconnus par la loi, de 20.000 a 30.000
manifestants, drapeaux frappes du croissant et tricolores meles,
battaient le pave parisien. Du jamais vu. Et l’activisme des consulats
turcs n’explique pas tout. “Cette fois-ci, nos plaies etaient trop
vives, explique Hikmet Turk, un entrepreneur en bâtiment, porte-parole
du Comite de coordination des associations franco-turques a l’origine
de la protestation. Qu’une loi electoraliste bafoue notre liberte
d’expression, nous les Francais d’origine turque, nous ne pouvons le
tolerer.” La liste des griefs est longue. “Pseudo-genocide, question
chypriote, statut des orthodoxes, notre president Nicolas Sarkozy,
qui s’oppose a l’entree de la Turquie dans l’UE: les medias passent
leur temps a dire du mal des Turcs, denonce Ahmet Ogras, un ingenieur
de 40 ans qui anime l’Union des democrates europeens turcs.

Or une nouvelle generation arrive, mieux eduquee, plus active et
consciente de ses droits citoyens.”

Opposes sur la nature des faits, unis sur les principes

Les Turcs de France restent divises sur la qualification des evenements
de 1915. D’ailleurs dans la manifestation du 21, ce point saillant,
au coeur meme de la loi, etait soigneusement ecarte. “C’est aux
historiens de faire la lumière sur ce qui s’est reellement passe,
esquive Hikmet Turk. Mon arrière-grand-père, que j’ai connu, avait une
autre version que celle avancee par les Armeniens.” “Je ne suis pas
competent: laissons les historiens travailler”, rencherit Ahmet Ogras.

Cette loi electoraliste ne va qu’accentuer le communautarisme et le
nationalisme Coordinateur de l’Assemblee citoyenne des originaires
de Turquie (Acort), Umit Metin n’a pas, lui, rejoint le defile parce
que ses organisateurs “collent trop a l’histoire officielle des
evenements de 1915”. Le 30 janvier, l’Acort organisait dans la mairie
du Xe arrondissement de Paris une projection-debat d’un film-hommage
consacre a Hrant Dink, un journaliste armenien de Turquie assassine en
2007 par un ultranationaliste. Au nom du dialogue entre communautes,
ce dernier, dans un entretien a L’Express, avait juge “imbecile” toute
tentative de penaliser la negation du genocide. Ce dialogue serait
desormais “menace par cette loi electoraliste, qui ne va qu’accentuer
le communautarisme et le nationalisme”, a en croire Umit Metin.

Choc des memoires

C’est aussi au nom de la sauvegarde du debat entre Turcs et Armeniens
que le Congrès des etudiants turcs de France a envoye, avant le
vote, une longue lettre aux parlementaires francais les pressant de
repousser un texte qui aboutirait a “pourfendre litteralement le
dialogue long et sinueux amorce depuis quelques annees au sein de
la societe civile en Turquie”. Sur les bords du Bosphore, après des
decennies de silence, le tabou sur les massacres de 1915 a, en effet,
ete leve par les intellectuels et les medias turcs. “Pour nous,
l’Etat turc doit ouvrir le dialogue, plaide Hakki Unal, etudiant
en sciences politiques a Strasbourg et president du Congrès. Mais
cette loi pousse a un choc des memoires et ne va contribuer qu’a
attiser les extremismes au sein des deux communautes. Me traiter de
negationniste, parce que l’Etat turc a voulu effacer des memoires ce
qui s’est passe, n’est pas acceptable.” Les etudiants ont ete decus:
seuls six parlementaires ont pris la peine de leur repondre.

“Dommages pour les deux pays”

Sur la nature des faits survenus en 1915 – genocide ou pas -, la
communaute turque reste donc divisee. Sur la question des principes,
toutefois, elle retrouve une ligne commune afin de denoncer l’atteinte
a la liberte d’expression que constituerait la loi. C’est aussi
le moyen d’eviter que ses prises de position ne soient reduites
a l’expression d’un ghetto communautaire. Sur un grand placard
publicitaire paru, le 21 janvier, dans quelques quotidiens, le
Comite de coordination des associations franco-turques prend ainsi
soin d’elever a un niveau plus general la polemique en mettant en
avant les reticences de nombreux historiens de renom, au premier
rang desquels Pierre Nora, oppose aux “revendications memorielles
de groupes particuliers”. Sans oublier de citer la tribune indignee
de l’ancien president du Conseil constitutionnel, Robert Badinter,
dans Le Monde, ramassee en une formule choc: “Le Parlement francais
n’a pas recu de la Constitution competence pour dire l’Histoire.”

En amont, plus discrètement, les patrons turcs ont, eux aussi, tente
de geler la mecanique legislative. Une delegation de la Tusiad –
le patronat liberal, accoutume a mener une diplomatie parallèle en
Europe – conduite par le president de l’Union des chambres et des
Bourses de Turquie (Tobb), Rifat Hisarciklioglu, s’est rendue a Paris,
en decembre 2011, afin de mettre en garde contre les “dommages pour
les deux pays” que causerait le vote de la loi.

Les Turcs ont plaide auprès de Laurence Parisot, patronne du Medef,
et d’Henri de Castries, president du directoire d’Axa, un des
piliers de l’Institut du Bosphore, une association basee a Paris,
fondee pour defendre aux yeux de l’opinion francaise la cause de la
Turquie europeenne. Sans resultat, a l’evidence.

Meme si certains de ses membres comme les journalistes Alexandre Adler
et Bernard Guetta, ont denonce le texte de loi, “l’Institut n’a pas
souhaite prendre de position collective, explique sa directrice, Serap
Atan. Mais les Turcs de France ont pris conscience avec cet episode
qu’ils ne pouvaient plus rester silencieux sauf a etre stigmatises”.

Le texte bloque par un recours de parlementaires

Une bombe atomique pour l’Elysee qui n’a rien vu venir President
du groupe France-Turquie a l’Assemblee nationale, le depute (UMP)
du Lot-et-Garonne Michel Diefenbacher a bataille jusqu’au bout contre
l’adoption du texte. “Le rôle du Parlement n’est pas de prendre parti
pour une communaute contre l’autre, justifie-t-il. En outre, notre
mission est de favoriser les relations entre nos pays. Or, dans les
deux cas, cette loi aboutit a un effet inverse.” Après l’adoption
du texte par les deux chambres, il n’a pas menage ses efforts,
en parallèle avec les senateurs du groupe RDSE, afin de reunir 60
signatures parmi ses collègues afin de deferer la loi devant le
Conseil constitutionnel.

La manoeuvre a finalement reussi. A la surprise generale, le 31
janvier, le Conseil etait saisi de deux recours, l’un emanant de
65 deputes, l’autre de 77 senateurs. “C’est une bombe atomique pour
l’Elysee qui n’a rien vu venir” declarait le depute UMP Lionel Tardy,
l’un des signataires. Les parlementaires s’associant au recours sont
issus de tous les groupes. Pour la communaute franco-turque, ce coup
de theâtre justifie leur mobilisation. “Bravo Nicolas Sarkozy !

ironise Umit Metin, coordinateur de l’Acort. Il aura tout fait pour
jeter les bases d’un futur lobby turc en France.”

FORMER ARMENIA PM WANTS INVESTMENT IN MILITARY

The Messengerm Georgia
Jan 31 2012

Former deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Vaan Shirkhanyan, believes
that Azerbaijan’s attempt to enlarge its military will not create a
situation in which it has an advantage over Armenian forces. However,
he recommends that his country carry out an enhancement of their
combat facilities, including not only an increase in arms but also
training of soldiers and officers. Some Armenian analysts are claiming
that the military conflict between their country and Azerbaijan could
erupt again without intervention from larger states.

FRENCH LAWMAKERS WANT TOP COURT TO QUASH LAW THAT MAKES DENYING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ILLEGAL

Globe and Mail

Jan 31 2012
Canada

French lawmakers appealed to their country’s highest court on Tuesday
to overturn a law that makes it illegal to deny that the mass killing
of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago was genocide.

The move raises the possibility that the law, which sparked an angry
reaction in Turkey and equally passionate support from the Armenian
Diaspora around the world, will be dismissed as unconstitutional.

The legislation, which received final parliamentary approval on Jan.

23 and was sent to President Nicolas Sarkozy for ratification,
prompted Ankara to cancel all economic, political and military meetings
with Paris.

But many of those who supported the bill appeared to have second
thoughts. More than 130 French lawmakers from across the political
divide in both the National Assembly and the Senate who had originally
voted against the bill, appealed to the Constitutional Council for
a ruling.

The court has one month to make its decision.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who branded the
legislation “discriminatory and racist,” thanked the lawmakers who
opposed it.

“On behalf of my country, I am declaring our heartfelt gratitude to
the senators and deputies who gave their signatures,” he said. “I
believe they have done what needed to be done.”

The lawmakers argued in their appeal that the event was still the
subject of historical contention, and therefore the legislation
infringed on the freedoms of historians, analysts and others to debate
it, ultimately violating the right to free speech.

They insisted their move did not aim to deny “the suffering of our
compatriots of Armenian origin and of all Armenians across the world.”

Last week, Mr. Erdogan said Turkey was in a “period of patience”
as it considered what measures to take if the bill became law.

France is Turkey’s fifth biggest export market and sixth biggest
supplier of imports of goods and services, and bilateral trade was
$13.5-billion in the first 10 months of last year.

“French companies in Turkey … wanted the Constitutional Council to
be involved because it’s the best solution to calm the Turks,” said
Dorothee Schmid, head of the Turkish program at the French Foreign
Relations Institute in Paris.

“The Turkish government accused the French government of being
racist and discriminatory,” she added, “yet this matter stems from
the inability of the Turks to handle the genocide case. Now there is
a discussion on it.”

As a member of NATO and the World Trade Organisation, Turkey may be
limited in its response by its international obligations. However,
media reports have speculated about possible measures that it might
take against France.

These included recalling the Turkish ambassador in Paris and expelling
the French ambassador in Ankara, thus reducing diplomatic ties to
chargee d’affaires level, and closing Turkish airspace and waters to
French military aircraft and vessels.

Some in mostly Muslim Turkey accuse President Sarkozy of trying to win
the votes of the estimated 500,000 ethnic Armenians living in France
in the two-round presidential vote on April 22 and May 6. France’s
Socialist Party, which has a majority in the upper house, and Mr.

Sarkozy’s UMP party, which put forward the bill, supported the
legislation.

Armenia, backed by many historians and parliaments, says about
1.5-million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern
Turkey during the First World War in a deliberate policy of genocide
ordered by the Ottoman government.

The Ottoman empire was dissolved after the end of the war, but
successive Turkish governments and many Turks feel the charge of
genocide is a direct insult to their nation They say the deaths
occurred during a military conflict, and that there was heavy loss
of life on both sides during fighting in the area.