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FRENCH SENATE VOTING ON GENOCIDE LAW RISKS TURKISH BACKLASH
Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-23/french-senate-poised-for-genocide-vote-risking-turkish-backlash.html
Jan 23 2012
The French Senate is due to vote on a bill making it a crime to deny
that the mass killing of Armenians early last century was genocide,
risking further deterioration in relations with Turkey.
The bill that the Senate began debating at 4 p.m. in Paris, which
Turkey's foreign minister has lobbied against by summoning executives
of Credit Agricole SA (ACA) and Groupama SA (GPAS) in December,
would make the offense punishable by as long as a year in prison and
a 45,000-euro ($58,600) fine. Thousands of Turks are protesting the
measure outside the Senate, separated by a 200- meter (650-foot)
police corridor from Armenians supporting the law, according to
Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency.
Turkey froze political and military relations with France after the
lower chamber's Dec. 22 vote and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
is threatening additional steps should the Senate pass the measure.
Erdogan says President Nicolas Sarkozy's governing party, which
introduced the legislation, is using it to shore up public support
before presidential elections in May. Sarkozy also opposes Turkey's
membership of the European Union.
"We will take steps depending on today's decision," Erdogan said in
televised comments from Istanbul. "It's incomprehensible for Sarkozy
to push a verdict on a matter historians should decide upon, just
for his own political purposes."
Euronews Partnership TRT, Turkey's state-run broadcaster, is planning
to suspend its 15.5 percent partnership with Lyon-based Euronews if
France approves the bill, Anatolia reported today. TRT is the third-
biggest of 10 stakeholders in the news channel that the French helped
establish to counter Time Warner Inc. (TWC)'s CNN, according to the
news agency.
Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally of France, has
threatened economic as well as political reprisals should the law
pass. French carmakers including Renault SA (RNO) control a fifth of
Turkey's market and French banks such as BNP Paribas SA (BNP) have
assets in the country exceeding $20 billion. French direct investment
in Turkey between 2002 and 2010 was $4.8 billion, the Turkish embassy
in Paris has said.
Armenians say 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were killed from 1915
to 1923 in a deliberate campaign of genocide in Anatolia. Turkey
maintains the deaths occurred as part of clashes in which tens of
thousands of Turks and Armenians died after Armenian groups sided
with an invading Russian army.
About 20 countries including Greece, Canada and Russia, Turkey's
second-biggest trading partner behind Germany, recognize the events
as genocide.
Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande would beat Sarkozy by 57
percent to 43 percent in a May 6 face-off in the second round of the
elections, according to a Jan. 21 BVA poll.
Bloomberg
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-23/french-senate-poised-for-genocide-vote-risking-turkish-backlash.html
Jan 23 2012
The French Senate is due to vote on a bill making it a crime to deny
that the mass killing of Armenians early last century was genocide,
risking further deterioration in relations with Turkey.
The bill that the Senate began debating at 4 p.m. in Paris, which
Turkey's foreign minister has lobbied against by summoning executives
of Credit Agricole SA (ACA) and Groupama SA (GPAS) in December,
would make the offense punishable by as long as a year in prison and
a 45,000-euro ($58,600) fine. Thousands of Turks are protesting the
measure outside the Senate, separated by a 200- meter (650-foot)
police corridor from Armenians supporting the law, according to
Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency.
Turkey froze political and military relations with France after the
lower chamber's Dec. 22 vote and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
is threatening additional steps should the Senate pass the measure.
Erdogan says President Nicolas Sarkozy's governing party, which
introduced the legislation, is using it to shore up public support
before presidential elections in May. Sarkozy also opposes Turkey's
membership of the European Union.
"We will take steps depending on today's decision," Erdogan said in
televised comments from Istanbul. "It's incomprehensible for Sarkozy
to push a verdict on a matter historians should decide upon, just
for his own political purposes."
Euronews Partnership TRT, Turkey's state-run broadcaster, is planning
to suspend its 15.5 percent partnership with Lyon-based Euronews if
France approves the bill, Anatolia reported today. TRT is the third-
biggest of 10 stakeholders in the news channel that the French helped
establish to counter Time Warner Inc. (TWC)'s CNN, according to the
news agency.
Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally of France, has
threatened economic as well as political reprisals should the law
pass. French carmakers including Renault SA (RNO) control a fifth of
Turkey's market and French banks such as BNP Paribas SA (BNP) have
assets in the country exceeding $20 billion. French direct investment
in Turkey between 2002 and 2010 was $4.8 billion, the Turkish embassy
in Paris has said.
Armenians say 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were killed from 1915
to 1923 in a deliberate campaign of genocide in Anatolia. Turkey
maintains the deaths occurred as part of clashes in which tens of
thousands of Turks and Armenians died after Armenian groups sided
with an invading Russian army.
About 20 countries including Greece, Canada and Russia, Turkey's
second-biggest trading partner behind Germany, recognize the events
as genocide.
Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande would beat Sarkozy by 57
percent to 43 percent in a May 6 face-off in the second round of the
elections, according to a Jan. 21 BVA poll.