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Turkey Welcomes French Annulment Of "Genocide" Bill

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  • Turkey Welcomes French Annulment Of "Genocide" Bill

    TURKEY WELCOMES FRENCH ANNULMENT OF "GENOCIDE" BILL

    EastDay
    http://english.eastday.com/e/120229/u1a6392596.html
    Feb 29 2012

    ANKARA, Feb. 28-- Turkey on Tuesday welcomed the annulment by the
    Constitutional Council of France of a law that would incriminate people
    who deny the mass killing of the Armenians in 1915 was "genocide."

    "We consider the annulment of the law as a step in line with
    freedom of expression and research, rule of law and the principles
    of international law and against the politicization of history in
    France," said the statement issued by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

    It went on to say that the Turkish government is "glad to note that
    a grave error was corrected by the most competent judicial authority
    in France."

    "It is preferable that, on controversial historical issues, third
    countries adopt an impartial approach encouraging dialogue and
    resolution between the concerned parties, rather than make imprudent
    and prejudicial interventions," said the statement.

    "We hope that, from now on, France will adopt a constructive approach
    so that this controversy between Turkey and Armenia is addressed on
    a just and scholarly basis," said the statement, adding that "such
    an approach will contribute to the development of the Turkish-French
    relationship in the direction it deserves and in all fields."

    French parliament passed the bill last month, which would impose
    a 60,530-U.S.-dollar fine and a year in prison on those who deny
    that the deaths of over one million Armenians under the Ottoman rule
    amounted to "genocide."

    Tensions tainted relations between Paris and Ankara, which rejects
    the term "genocide," insisting that the killed Armenians were victims
    of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the Ottoman Empire
    collapsed before modern Turkey was created.

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