Thursday, France advanced the passage of a bill to standardize opinion on the Armenian genocide. This is not some innocuous sop to the Armenians, a hefty fine (€45,000 = USD $56,293) and jail time (one year) are prescribed. What France thinks it is doing is anybody's guess.

The issue isn't whether Turkey should examine its brutal history. It should. And it should conciliate with Armenia. Frankly that is business between Armenia and Turkey.

The issue is whether France is in the business of regulating history and legislating what opinions can and cannot be held.

This bill is meant to testify to truth in pursuit of justice, but France is hardly a paladin of the truth or of justice.

Then we wonder what is France's standing in this matter? She was not a party to the actions, neither agent nor victim. She did not have missions in situ. And she did not figure prominently in post-war tribunals other than to provide a venue and catering.

It is improbable that France would suffer any other country's regulation of French history codified in law. When Rwanda charged France with abetment of genocide, then-French junior foreign minister Renaud Muselier remarked:

I regret that memories and polemics have been mixed up. There are individual and collective responsibilities (for the Rwandan genocide), but time will enable the history of it to be told objectively.

France has not advanced anything similar against trading partner and multipolar chum Russia regarding the Holodomor, or trading partner China regarding the Great Leap Forward.

If France feels strongly about the Armenian genocide, why didn't she petition the United Nations for some sort of official recognition, the groundwork already having been prepared by a sub-committee?

And lastly, what did France hope to accomplish? Probably not all this:

TURKEY SAYS TIES DAMAGED BY FRENCH APPROVAL
OF ARMENIA GENOCIDE BILL

ANKARA October 12, 2006 (IHT/AP) - "No one should harbor the conviction that Turkey will take this lightly," Turkey's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, said. "The parliament will meet on Tuesday with a special agenda and no doubt we have measures to take in every field."

Gul did not elaborate but his comments were interpreted by many as also being a reference to proposals currently being debated by Turkish lawmakers to recognize an "Algerian genocide" by France.

"This is a national issue, no doubt our reaction both at the official and public level will be very big," Gul said.

BRUSSELS CONCERNED; ‘DECISION FOOLISH & UN-EUROPEAN’

BRUSSELS October 13, 2006 (Zaman) - Brussels has been deeply troubled by the approval of the French bill making it illegal to deny the alleged Armenian genocide despite warnings from the European Union and the European Parliament (EP).

... While negative reactions from EP members continue, one of the harshest criticisms came from Joost Lagendijk, chairman of European Union-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Commission, whose description of the bill was “foolish and far from belonging to Europe.”

Andrew Duff, the English member of the EP for East England, told the French assembly, “You have made Voltaire turn in his grave!”

EU CONDEMNS FRENCH BILL ON MASS KILLINGS
IN ARMENIA AS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE

HELSINKI October 13, 2006 (IHT/AP) - "We don't think that this decision at this moment is helpful in the context of the European Union's relations with Turkey," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said. "This is not the best way to contribute to something we think is important."

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the bill, "instead of opening up the debate, would rather close it down, and thus have a negative impact."

"We don't achieve real dialogue and real reconciliation by ultimatums, but by dialogue. Therefore, this law is counterproductive," Rehn told reporters.

Barroso said "the very sensitive issue" of Armenia should be made by "Turkish society itself."

"Frankly, we don't think it is helpful that another parliament outside takes a legislative action on a matter of historical interpretation and analysis," he said.

TURKISH CONSUMERS GROUP ANNOUNCES
LIMITED BOYCOTT OF FRENCH GOODS
IN REACTION TO GENOCIDE BILL

ANKARA October 13, 2006 (IHT/AP) - The Turkish Consumers Union announced a limited boycott of French goods Friday in reaction to a French law that would make it a crime to deny that mass killings of Armenians in Turkey was genocide.

The non-governmental group, which seeks to educate and advocate for Turkish consumers, said the boycott would begin with the French oil products company Total, and that the union would publicize a new French company for Turks to boycott each week.

"From today on, every week we are going to boycott a French brand, and show our reaction in a language that France can understand," group chairman Bulent Deniz said.

TURKISH BUSINESSMEN BOYCOTT FRENCH COMPANIES
ISTANBUL October 13, 2006 (Zaman)

TURKISH CONSUMERS BEGIN BOYCOTT OF FRENCH GOODS
ISTANBUL October 14, 2006 (Zaman)

TURKISH ARMY ACCUSES ARMENIA, TENSIONS RISE

ANKARA October 13, 2006 (Reuters) - Turkey's military said on Friday Armenian soldiers fired into its territory two days ago amid an escalation in tensions after France's passage of a law making it a crime to deny Armenians suffered genocide by Ottoman Turks.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT DESTROYED IN FRANCE

PARIS October 14, 2006 (Reuters) - "Police say it might have been stolen for the metal, but it seems too much of a coincidence that this should have happened just after parliament voted the Armenia bill," said Stephane Topalian, a member of the Armenian church council.

Pave believes France has been squirming to rid herself of accession promises made to Turkey in the most blameless way possible. The bill does not much help the Armenian cause, on the contrary, it has only made Turkey more intractable. The bill does, however, openly insult Turkey aplenty -- and on many different levels at once. It may so pique Turkish pride that it abandons its EU bid, which suits France fine.

PFFT (What is this?): Nice going 4½ | France unilaterally subverts multipolar club 4 | Rayonnement français 0

Bonjour,

Les Yanks donneurs de leçons de morale et grands contempteurs d' axes du mal s'entendent il est vrai très bien avec les négationnistes turcs...
Et ces c.... veulent faire entrer les Turcs dans l ' UE.
Non ! Mais de quoi je me mêle ?
Détruisez d' abord votre mur de la honte !
Dire que cette crapule de Reagan faisait la leçon à Gorbatchev sur le mur de Berlin et vla que les crapules yanks en construisent un de plusieurs centaines de km !!

Good luck to your country in Irak , Milton ! !
Joyeux ramadan irakien !