French try to end Turks’ EU bid
Sunday, 15 October, 2006
Gulf Time
By Kerstin Gehmlich – Reuters
PARIS: French deputies hailed a vote to make denial of the Armenian genocide a crime as a triumph for human rights, but analysts said Thursday’s vote had more to do with fears of Turkey’s EU entry and an election next year.
Despite harsh criticism from Ankara and business fears of a Turkish backlash, the lower house of parliament passed a law imposing prison terms on anyone who denies Armenians suffered genocide in 1915 at the hands of Ottoman Turks.
Parliamentarians celebrated the Socialist-sponsored bill, which still needs Senate approval, as "immense progress...for the cause of humanity" and a "proposal for civil peace".
But analysts said the impulse for the initiative was more prosaic, coming barely six months before parliamentary and presidential elections and amid a climate of strong French voter opposition to Turkey’s European Union entry.
"There is a very strong Armenian minority (in France) but there also is the issue of bringing Turkey into the EU," said Hall Gardner from the American University of Paris.
"(The law) is meant to block Turkey’s entry into the EU. That’s the strategy of some people," he said.
Conservative presidential frontrunner Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out strongly against Turkey’s EU entry.
Segolene Royal, his likely Socialist rival has not yet stated her position on Turkey’s membership but said on Wednesday Ankara needed to recognise the Armenia genocide to confirm its candidacy.
A recent survey showed some 60% of French opposed to Ankara entering the bloc. Critics say Turkey is too big, too poor and too culturally different to become a fully integrated member of the EU.
Concerns about Turkey’s possible EU membership was blamed in part for French voters’ rejection of the EU constitution in a referendum last year.
Turkey denies accusations of a genocide of some 1.5mn Armenians during the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, arguing that Armenian deaths were a part of general partisan fighting in which both sides suffered.
France’s Armenian community, which is up to 500,000-strong and one of the largest in Europe, had pushed hard for the bill and found cross-party support in parliament.
"Several deputies with strong Armenian communities in their districts told themselves to ensure re-election, they are standing by those who demand punishment for denial of the genocide," said political scientist Didier Billion.
Turkey was quick to condemn the vote and its Foreign Ministry said it had dealt a severe blow to French-Turkish ties. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan this week told France to examine its own colonial past rather than preach to Turkey.
Some French critics asked whether their own country had learnt anything from its empire having ended in bloody wars in Indochina and Algeria.
A French law urging teachers to stress the "positive role" of the French overseas presence sparked a heated national debate and large protests earlier this year, forcing President Jacques Chirac to order its repeal.
Analysts said the controversy over France’s colonial past made the human rights rhetoric behind the Armenia bill less credible.
"For some deputies, there is a moral duty to say France, as the home of human rights, must take a position on these issues," said Billion of the IRIS institute.
"But ... rather than being proud about our universal message on human rights, we have to address some problems linked to our own history," he said. – Reuters
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Gulf Time
By Kerstin Gehmlich – Reuters
PARIS: French deputies hailed a vote to make denial of the Armenian genocide a crime as a triumph for human rights, but analysts said Thursday’s vote had more to do with fears of Turkey’s EU entry and an election next year.
Despite harsh criticism from Ankara and business fears of a Turkish backlash, the lower house of parliament passed a law imposing prison terms on anyone who denies Armenians suffered genocide in 1915 at the hands of Ottoman Turks.
Parliamentarians celebrated the Socialist-sponsored bill, which still needs Senate approval, as "immense progress...for the cause of humanity" and a "proposal for civil peace".
But analysts said the impulse for the initiative was more prosaic, coming barely six months before parliamentary and presidential elections and amid a climate of strong French voter opposition to Turkey’s European Union entry.
"There is a very strong Armenian minority (in France) but there also is the issue of bringing Turkey into the EU," said Hall Gardner from the American University of Paris.
"(The law) is meant to block Turkey’s entry into the EU. That’s the strategy of some people," he said.
Conservative presidential frontrunner Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out strongly against Turkey’s EU entry.
Segolene Royal, his likely Socialist rival has not yet stated her position on Turkey’s membership but said on Wednesday Ankara needed to recognise the Armenia genocide to confirm its candidacy.
A recent survey showed some 60% of French opposed to Ankara entering the bloc. Critics say Turkey is too big, too poor and too culturally different to become a fully integrated member of the EU.
Concerns about Turkey’s possible EU membership was blamed in part for French voters’ rejection of the EU constitution in a referendum last year.
Turkey denies accusations of a genocide of some 1.5mn Armenians during the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, arguing that Armenian deaths were a part of general partisan fighting in which both sides suffered.
France’s Armenian community, which is up to 500,000-strong and one of the largest in Europe, had pushed hard for the bill and found cross-party support in parliament.
"Several deputies with strong Armenian communities in their districts told themselves to ensure re-election, they are standing by those who demand punishment for denial of the genocide," said political scientist Didier Billion.
Turkey was quick to condemn the vote and its Foreign Ministry said it had dealt a severe blow to French-Turkish ties. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan this week told France to examine its own colonial past rather than preach to Turkey.
Some French critics asked whether their own country had learnt anything from its empire having ended in bloody wars in Indochina and Algeria.
A French law urging teachers to stress the "positive role" of the French overseas presence sparked a heated national debate and large protests earlier this year, forcing President Jacques Chirac to order its repeal.
Analysts said the controversy over France’s colonial past made the human rights rhetoric behind the Armenia bill less credible.
"For some deputies, there is a moral duty to say France, as the home of human rights, must take a position on these issues," said Billion of the IRIS institute.
"But ... rather than being proud about our universal message on human rights, we have to address some problems linked to our own history," he said. – Reuters
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Labels: Genocide Recognition
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