FRENCH SOCIALISTS CALL THE POLICE TO BAN ANTI ARMENIAN BILL DEMONSTRATIONS IN LYON
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Oct 12 2006
PARIS – The French Socialist who played a crucial role in banning
the Turkish approach regarding the Armenian issue in France, called
the state authorities to prevent the civil demonstrations in Lyon.
Rene Rouquet argued that the French State has the right to ban such
demonstrations. The Turkish people and some French protest the Armenian
bill which makes crime rejecting the Armenian claims.
Dr. Nilgun Gulcan, Turkish EU expert, said “the French socialists
are really strange socialists. Theye are against freedom of speech
and demonstrations. If they oppose the elections tomorrow, it will
not make me surprised”.

SIMMONS: THERE IS NO NEED TO CHANGE TALKS’ FORMAT ON SOLUTION TO NK CONFLICT
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 12 2006
NATO supports the efforts made by OSCE Minsk Group on the solution to
Nagorno Garabagh conflict, Robert Simmons, NATO Special Representative
to South Caucasus and Central Asia told the APA.
He said that there is no need to change the talks’ format and the
sides will come on agreement. The representative also stressed that
NATO does not take part in the solutions to Nagorno Garabagh conflict
and the organization will not directly interfere in the talks “We
are ready to help the conflict sides if necessary,” he said.
Simmons touching upon the South Caucasian states’ integration into
NATO said that Georgia makes progress in this matter compared to
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

NIZAMI BEHMANOV: I DO NOT BELIEVE OSCE EXPERTS’ MONITORING RESULTS
Azeri Press Agency
Oct 12 2006
“I do not believe that the OSCE experts’ monitoring of the arsons
in occupied Azerbaijan territories will have any result. All events
concerning Nagorno Garabagh happened under observation of OSCE
since 1992. I have not seen their decisive position yet,” Nizami
Behmenov, the chief of Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno Garabagh told
journalists, APA reports.
He said OSCE will not give any explanation even if the reports on
the arson results will be prepared and send to UNO.
“It will be ineffective. Azerbaijan has video materials about
happenings in occupied regions. Material concerning arson has
been presented to Minsk group. I do not think separatist Nagorno
Garabagh Republic will let OSCE experts enter those areas, because
the territories are under their control. There are terror bases in
occupied Azerbaijan territories,” he said.

FRENCH BILL IGNORES TURKS, RECOGNISES ARMENIAN CLAIMS AS TRUTH
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Oct 12 2006
* Turkey says ties with France dealt severe blow
Ahmet YONCA (JTW), ANKARA – Ignoring Turkish protests, the French
lower house of parliament approved a bill on Thursday making it a
crime to deny Armenian claims. Defending Turkish approach in France
will be crime if the bill becomes law. The French bill would recognize
the Armenian ‘genocide’ accusation and ignores the Turkish claims,
and rejecting the Armenian position would mean to risk up to a year
in prison and fines of up to $56,000.
“RELATIONS SEVERELY DAMAGED”
The French parliamentary has dealt Turkish-French ties a severe blow,
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Turkey accuses France of
trying to keep Turkey outside of the EU by abusing the Armenian issue.
“French-Turkish relations, which have developed over centuries…
have been dealt a blow today as a result of the irresponsible false
claims of French politicians who do not see the political consequences
of their actions,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry did not say whether Turkey, which is seeking European
Union membership, would take any retaliatory measures against France,
a founder member of the EU.

EVERYBODY HAS TO ACCEPT ARMENIAN CLAIMS IN FRANCE
By Mehtap Duztutar
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Oct 12 2006
~U The French parliament has unilateraly adopted a bill making it a
crime to reject the Armenian claims. There is no document prooving
Armenian claims
~U If the bill becomes law, no Turkish or French could defend the
Turkish approach in the Armenian Issue.
~U The bill carries up to one year of imprisonment and a 45,000 Euro
penalty for denying so-called Armenian genocide.
~U It passed by 106 votes to 19.
~U Ankara believes the issue is being used to whip up French sentiment
against Turkish entry into the EU.

FRENCH LOWER HOUSE APPROVES ARMENIA GENOCIDE BILL
Xinhua, China
Oct 12 2006
PARIS, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) — 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.

ROMANIAN PRESIDENT: ROMANIA READY TO ASSIST TO ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT SETTLEMENT WITHIN INTERNATIONAL LEGAL NORMS
Author: S. Aghayeva
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 12 2006
Romania is ready to render it assistance in the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict settlement within international legal norms, Romania`s
President Traian Besesku told today during the ceremony of presentation
of the Honourary Doctor of the Baku State University to him, Trend
reports referring to “Lider TV”.
Addressing the teachers and professors of the university, the Romanian
President highly appreciated cooperation between the two countries. He
informed the participants of the meeting about priorities of the
Romanian policy. According to him, it is aimed at cooperation with
the Caspian and Black Sea regions. He called Azerbaijan a state
with the highest potential in the region. “Romania ensures Europe`s
energy security and is rich in energy resources, but, nevertheless,
Azerbaijan`s energy reserves and their transit to Europe are of a
great importance to us”, told the Romanian President.
He also marked Azerbaijan`s achievements the country reached in the
sphere of energy security.
The Romanian President also underlined the importance of establishment
of peace and stability in the region and the conflicts settlement.
Mr. Basesku also visited the Heydar Aliyev Fund today where he got
acquainted with the activity of National Leader of Azerbaijan Heydar
Aliyev.

GUL: “PASSING THE BILL WOULD DO HARM TO FRANCE”
Turkish Press
Oct 12 2006
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that if the French
Parliament passes the Armenian bill, France would lose not only Turkey
but also much else besides. Speaking to reporters after meeting with
Bahamian Foreign Minister Frederick Audley, Gul said that Ankara
had done its best to warn France of the negative consequences of
its passing the bill. Stressing that everybody from politicians to
businessmen from large sectors of society had tired to prevent this
misguided move, Gul said he hoped that France would not harm itself
for the sake of domestic politics.

EUROPE’S ENLARGEMENT COMMISSIONER HAS DENOUNCED THE BILL
EuroNews
Oct 12 2006
This comes barely six months before French elections and amid a climate
of strong French voter opposition to Turkey’s potential future EU
entry. France’s Armenian community numbers around 500,000.
President Jacques Chirac at a commemoration ceremony recently said
he believes Turkish acceptance of the country’s role in the deaths
ought to be a condition for its European Union membership.
When these negotiations began a year ago, it was not a pre-condition.
Chirac said all countries grow by coming to terms with their dramas
and errors. EU enlargement spokesperson Krisztina Nagy, in Brussels
made the European stance clear: “For the concrete framework for the
negotiations with Turkey, the European Council has taken a decision,
and this decision does not include the recognition of the Armenian
genocide as a criterion for accession for Turkey.” The European
Commission warned France that it could hinder efforts to end decades
of dispute over the killings. Nagy said: “It is not up to law to
write history.”

18 COUNTRIES ACCEPTED ‘GENOCIDE’ IN 41 YEARS
By Suleyman Kurt, Ankara
Zaman Online, Turkey
Oct 12 2006
Parliaments of foreign countries began to recognize the so-called
Armenian genocide 41 years ago.
To date, 18 parliaments have recognized the events of 1915 as genocide
since 1965. The number of parliaments taking a stance on this issue
increased dramatically after 2000. According to the evaluations made in
Ankara there are five factors effective in the political decisions of
these parliaments. These are pressure from Armenian minorities in these
countries, hostility against Turkey, Turcophobia or reluctance over
Turkey’s admittance into the European Union, looking for an accomplice
for the genocides they had committed in the past and religious reasons.
The Armenian Diaspora began to carry the events of 1915 on the agenda
of countries in which they live beginning in 1960. The first decision
was taken in 1965 in Uruguay. Following this decision, Southern Cyprus
made a similar decision in 1982, and the number of decisions overall
increased dramatically after 2000. The decisions reached their peak
in 2005, the 90th anniversary of 1915 events.
Armenian Pressure and Turcophobia
The authorities asserted that the decisions made in Uruguay, Russia,
Canada, Lebanon, France, Switzerland, Italy and Venezuela were taken
due to pressure of the Armenian minority population in these countries.
The decisions made in Greece and Southern Cyprus were due to hostility
against Turkey, while it is believed that reluctance over Turkey’s
accession to the European Union lies under the decisions made in Italy
and France. The decisions made in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany,
Switzerland and Poland have similar reasons, religious reasons behind
the Vatican’s decision. The attitudes of Germany, Latvia and Slovakia
are accepted as a struggle to find accomplices for their own crimes
against humanity.
Final Aim: Demanding Land from Turkey The Armenian Diaspora, which
has been the most influential force behind these countries accepting
these decisions, has made demands for Turkey.
* Advertising the “genocide”
* Recognizing the so-called genocide,
* Paying amends to the inheritors of the victims of the “genocide,”
* Giving part of eastern Turkey’s territory to Armenia.
The first decision to recognize the events of 1915 was made in Uruguay
The countries that support the so-called Armenian genocide thesis
are as follows:
Greek Cypriot Administration: April 29, 1982
Greece: April 25, 1996
Belgium: March 26, 1998
Sweden: March 29, 2000
Vatican: 2000
Lebanon: May 11, 2000
France: Jan.18, 2001
Switzerland: Dec. 16, 2003
Canada: 1996, 2000, and April 21, 2004
Slovakia: Nov. 30, 2004
The Netherlands: Dec. 21, 2004
Poland: April 19, 2005
Argentina: 1993, 2003, 3004, 2005
Russia: April 22, 2005
Uruguay: 1965, 2004, May 3, 2005
Venezuela: July 14, 2005
Latvia: Dec. 15, 2005