Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Turkey takes action in genocide row
by CNN, January 18, 2001
Posted: Saturday, January 20, 2001 03:59 am CST

French deputies pass the bill that has angered Turkey

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey has recalled its ambassador from Paris as part of an angry response to the passage of a parliamentary bill formally accusing Turks of genocide in 1915.

State Minister Rustu Kazim Yucelen told a news conference the French National Assembly had "made a mistake in the face of history" in unanimously passing the bill.

"The vote will cause great and lasting harm to relations between Turkey and France...It opens a road to a serious crisis in our relations."

He said Turkey's ambassador had been recalled to Ankara "for consultations."

Yucelan said the bill would damage economic ties between the two countries and affect regional peace -- a reference to landlocked Armenia, which borders Turkey.

Turkey denies any part in genocide and argues that any killings were a part of general partisan fighting in 1915 as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit had earlier summoned French Ambassador Bernard Garcia to his office and warned that approving the bill would mean "historic Turkish-French relations will suffer a permanent wound," private newschannel NTV reported.

Armenians say 1.5 million of their people were killed as part of the Ottoman Empire's campaign to force them out of eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923.

Turkey says the death count is inflated and that Armenians were killed or displaced as the Ottoman Empire tried to quell civil unrest. The Ottoman Empire became Turkey in 1923.

France's National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, officially recognised the Turkish slaughter of the Armenians as an act of genocide in May, 1998.

But the French government and presidency opposed the vote, fearing it would upset Turkey.

The U.S. House shelved a similar resolution last year after U.S. President Bill Clinton warned that it could seriously damage ties with Turkey.

Turkey put intense pressure on the United States, including threatening not to renew the mandate for U.S. aircraft patrolling northern Iraq.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.

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