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FRENCH ARMY CHANGE ROUTE AFTER TURKEY BAN
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 3 2012
Turkey
French state aircraft and warships are no longer using Turkish airspace
and territorial waters after permission requests in three different
cases were rejected by the Turkish government, France's top diplomat
in Ankara said, amid the ongoing spat over a French law penalizing
the denial of Armenian genocide.
"Our requests [for an aircraft and two warships] have been rejected,
so we are no longer issuing such requests. We are using alternative
routes," France's Ambassador to Turkey Laurent Bili told the private
news channel CNN Turk in an interview.
Bili said the first rejection was to a request for a French military
aircraft that wanted to use Turkish airspace on its way to France
from Afghanistan. Similarly, two French warships were not allowed to
enter Turkish territorial waters recently. Turkey's move against the
French military was part of sanctions imposed against France after
the adoption of the law at French Parliament late December last year.
Though enough numbers of lawmakers and senators were collected to
take the law to the Constitutional Council for possible annulment,
Bili's words revealed the process was not an easy one.
"There was such an atmosphere [in Ankara] that necessitated my return
to France," Bili said, adding that the Turkish reaction against
the move was a surprise for many French people but did not affect
Turkey's image in the country. "France attaches great importance
to its relationship with Turkey. We need to be calm. The law is not
aimed against Turkey [...] The number of Armenians living in France
is 10 times more than the number of Armenians in Turkey. They have
become a part of French history. I understand how sensitive issues
are concerning ancestors, but cutting off ties is not a good idea."
The French Constitutional Council must conclude its study on the law
by Feb. 29 if the government does not demand the speeding up of the
process and give its verdict in eight days. If it does not embrace
the law, the council will either fully reject the law or will demand
a partial amendment. In both cases, the legislative process will have
to start from scratch.
From: Baghdasarian
Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 3 2012
Turkey
French state aircraft and warships are no longer using Turkish airspace
and territorial waters after permission requests in three different
cases were rejected by the Turkish government, France's top diplomat
in Ankara said, amid the ongoing spat over a French law penalizing
the denial of Armenian genocide.
"Our requests [for an aircraft and two warships] have been rejected,
so we are no longer issuing such requests. We are using alternative
routes," France's Ambassador to Turkey Laurent Bili told the private
news channel CNN Turk in an interview.
Bili said the first rejection was to a request for a French military
aircraft that wanted to use Turkish airspace on its way to France
from Afghanistan. Similarly, two French warships were not allowed to
enter Turkish territorial waters recently. Turkey's move against the
French military was part of sanctions imposed against France after
the adoption of the law at French Parliament late December last year.
Though enough numbers of lawmakers and senators were collected to
take the law to the Constitutional Council for possible annulment,
Bili's words revealed the process was not an easy one.
"There was such an atmosphere [in Ankara] that necessitated my return
to France," Bili said, adding that the Turkish reaction against
the move was a surprise for many French people but did not affect
Turkey's image in the country. "France attaches great importance
to its relationship with Turkey. We need to be calm. The law is not
aimed against Turkey [...] The number of Armenians living in France
is 10 times more than the number of Armenians in Turkey. They have
become a part of French history. I understand how sensitive issues
are concerning ancestors, but cutting off ties is not a good idea."
The French Constitutional Council must conclude its study on the law
by Feb. 29 if the government does not demand the speeding up of the
process and give its verdict in eight days. If it does not embrace
the law, the council will either fully reject the law or will demand
a partial amendment. In both cases, the legislative process will have
to start from scratch.
From: Baghdasarian