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ANKARA: Turkish ministry spokesman warns French Armenian bill couldd

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  • ANKARA: Turkish ministry spokesman warns French Armenian bill couldd

    Turkish ministry spokesman warns French Armenian bill could damage relations

    Anatolia news agency
    3 May 06

    Ankara, 3 May: Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said that Turkey
    expects the French authorities to adopt the same common sense approach
    they use with respect to their own history when dealing with the
    unfounded Armenian allegations.

    Speaking at his weekly news conference, Tan stated in reply to one
    question on the matter that the French authorities were being informed
    at every level that the bill introduced to the French parliament
    considering it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide would cause
    frayed nerves in Turkish-French relations.

    Tan said: "In our talks we pointed out that in a country with a
    powerful democratic past such as France restrictions to freedom of
    expression and freedom of academic study are not in keeping with the
    understanding of democracy, and that acceptance of this bill would
    cause irreparable damage to the long-standing relations between Turkey
    and France, and we asked them not to give this bill any quarter."

    Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tan stated that in debates about France's
    own history, comments made by senior French officials including the
    Minister for Foreign Affairs that politicians and parliamentarians
    should stay out of history, that history should be left to historians
    and that phrases such as genocide should not be used rashly, matched
    the thesis that Turkey had been defending for many years.

    Tan commented: "There is no way we can accept dual standards and
    contradictory approaches in this matter."

    When asked at what level Turkey had made its sensitivities in this
    matter known to France, Tan replied saying there was a host of
    meetings between both countries on the agenda, but that he would not
    go into detail.

    Tan added that France had exhibited as much effort in this as Turkey
    had, but that he would not go into detail because to do so might
    jeopardize an effective outcome.
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