Gül’s call falls on Sarkozy’s deaf ears

ANKARA

AFP photo

In an unprecedented move that was perceived as an act of disrespectfulness by Turkey, French President Nicolas Sarkozy refused to talk to the Turkish President Abdullah Gül on the phone, as the latter attempted to call him to personally to convey his message over the Armenian ‘genocide’ denial bill to be voted Thursday in the French parliament.

The Elysée Palace was notified Monday morning that Gül would like to talk to Sarkozy in person, but the request was not met, leading Gül to issue a written statement slamming the bill, sources from the president’s office said. “We have not received a reply from Sarkozy for the last two days,” one source said. “Sarkozy did not have the courage to talk to Gül on the issue.”