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Dar Al Hayat (Lebanon)
December 28, 2011 Wednesday
International Edition
The Dispute between France and Turkey
by Randa Takieddine
Members of the ruling parliamentary majority in France erred by voting
in the National Assembly for a law to punish the denial of the
massacres against the Armenians for a number of reasons. First, the
vote took place for purely electoral reasons, since the Armenian vote
in France's presidential elections in around four months' time,
followed by legislative elections, is some 400,000-strong. It comes at
an inopportune time because it goes against France's diplomatic
efforts with Turkey. A few weeks before the vote, Foreign Minister
Alain Juppe made a successful visit to Turkey to discuss joint action
to find solutions to the crisis in Syria. Now, following this vote,
Paris will no longer be able to move in concert with Ankara; Juppe
termed the vote not useful and unproductive. The timing of this move
by the legislature might be useful for a number of MPs from Marseilles
and the south of the country, who are determined to pick up support
from Armenian voters. However, the vote is not part of the
calculations of the French president, who seeks to play a role on the
international stage with the Turks, especially since the Armenians
traditionally vote for the French right.
In the second place, the text of the law contradicts all of France's
commitments to not legislate matters having to do with earlier phases
of history. In 2008, the speaker of the National Assembly, Bernard
Accoyer, committed himself, in a report he issued, to not tabling
legislation of this sort, which was violated in this recent vote.
Another motivation for the vote is that the majority in the French
Senate is now with the left, following the most recent elections,
meaning the Socialist opposition to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Prior to this, when a right-wing majority held the French Senate last
fall, Sarkozy could have relied on the Senate to defeat the law. Now,
the left-dominated Senate is hinting that it will endorse the law,
even if it contains negative points - it will be a way to irritate
Sarkozy.
These purely electoral reasons were behind pulling the legislation out
of the "freezer," where it had been since 2007. Sarkozy was aware that
the move would anger the Turks and inspire them to seek political
revenge. Turkey condemned France for committing massacres in Algeria,
while also mentioning Rwanda. The Turks are also resorting to halting
contracts with France which were in any case stumbling, since France
was not among the expected parties to win the contracts. There is a
fear that France will suffer economic losses with the latest
development, as France currently enjoys a surplus in its trade balance
with Turkey.
The move by the legislature will cost France in its diplomatic moves
with Turkey, vis-à-vis the popular uprisings in the Arab world, from
Syria to Libya, and in the Middle East in general, all for electoral
reasons that contain no guarantees, in any case, because the
possibility that the Socialists will take office in France is very
strong.
December 28, 2011 Wednesday
International Edition
The Dispute between France and Turkey
by Randa Takieddine
Members of the ruling parliamentary majority in France erred by voting
in the National Assembly for a law to punish the denial of the
massacres against the Armenians for a number of reasons. First, the
vote took place for purely electoral reasons, since the Armenian vote
in France's presidential elections in around four months' time,
followed by legislative elections, is some 400,000-strong. It comes at
an inopportune time because it goes against France's diplomatic
efforts with Turkey. A few weeks before the vote, Foreign Minister
Alain Juppe made a successful visit to Turkey to discuss joint action
to find solutions to the crisis in Syria. Now, following this vote,
Paris will no longer be able to move in concert with Ankara; Juppe
termed the vote not useful and unproductive. The timing of this move
by the legislature might be useful for a number of MPs from Marseilles
and the south of the country, who are determined to pick up support
from Armenian voters. However, the vote is not part of the
calculations of the French president, who seeks to play a role on the
international stage with the Turks, especially since the Armenians
traditionally vote for the French right.
In the second place, the text of the law contradicts all of France's
commitments to not legislate matters having to do with earlier phases
of history. In 2008, the speaker of the National Assembly, Bernard
Accoyer, committed himself, in a report he issued, to not tabling
legislation of this sort, which was violated in this recent vote.
Another motivation for the vote is that the majority in the French
Senate is now with the left, following the most recent elections,
meaning the Socialist opposition to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Prior to this, when a right-wing majority held the French Senate last
fall, Sarkozy could have relied on the Senate to defeat the law. Now,
the left-dominated Senate is hinting that it will endorse the law,
even if it contains negative points - it will be a way to irritate
Sarkozy.
These purely electoral reasons were behind pulling the legislation out
of the "freezer," where it had been since 2007. Sarkozy was aware that
the move would anger the Turks and inspire them to seek political
revenge. Turkey condemned France for committing massacres in Algeria,
while also mentioning Rwanda. The Turks are also resorting to halting
contracts with France which were in any case stumbling, since France
was not among the expected parties to win the contracts. There is a
fear that France will suffer economic losses with the latest
development, as France currently enjoys a surplus in its trade balance
with Turkey.
The move by the legislature will cost France in its diplomatic moves
with Turkey, vis-à-vis the popular uprisings in the Arab world, from
Syria to Libya, and in the Middle East in general, all for electoral
reasons that contain no guarantees, in any case, because the
possibility that the Socialists will take office in France is very
strong.