Zaman, Turkey
May 12 2006

French Companies Worried About Boycott Threats

While debates over the bill to criminalize the denial of the
so-called Armenian genocide continue in France, French companies
worry about a possible boycott threat from Turkey, officials said.

French businessmen regard the proposed bill proposal as the
“irresponsibility of politicians,’ wrote the French daily Le Monde.
“This crisis could be worse than the crisis that occurred between the
two countries when France officially recognized the so-called
genocide in 2001,” commented reporters, while boycott calls on French
goods in Turkey received wide coverage in the news.

Meanwhile, “The Defense Committee for Armenian Case” (CCAF) in France
reacted to the rejection of the bill at the Parliament Law Affairs
Commission in yesterday’s session.

The CCAF disclosed that the bill was rejected upon the request of
President Jacques Chirac.

Parliament Foreign Affairs Commission Vice President Herve de
Charrette; however, pronounced his objection to the bill and said
that the bill would most probably be rejected in the General
Assembly.