TURKISH PRESIDENT AND PM URGE FRANCE TO ABANDON ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
17.01.2001, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN. Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent a letter to French president Jacques Chirac concerning the latest Armenian attempts to get a genocide bill accepted. Mr. Sezer demanded that Mr. Chirac prevent the bill from being approved in the French National Assembly, Turkish papers report.
On January 18 the lower House of the French Parliament is expected to start discussing the Armenian Resolution, which was already approved by the Senate of France last November.
In his turn, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit called on France to leave to historians a dispute over whether Ottoman Turks massacred Armenians 85 years ago.
"If the bill is approved, it is clear that Turkey will not be responsible for the damage the relations between the two countries will naturally suffer," Ecevit was quoted as saying in reference to the French motion. --0--
On January 18 the lower House of the French Parliament is expected to start discussing the Armenian Resolution, which was already approved by the Senate of France last November.
In his turn, Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit called on France to leave to historians a dispute over whether Ottoman Turks massacred Armenians 85 years ago.
"If the bill is approved, it is clear that Turkey will not be responsible for the damage the relations between the two countries will naturally suffer," Ecevit was quoted as saying in reference to the French motion. --0--
