Hürriyet, Turkey
May 13 2006

Chirac: Pro-Genocide Bill could still be rejected

At a dinner with Latin American Leaders held in Vienna this week,
French President Jacques Chirac gave Turkish Prime Minister, Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan an important message regarding the `Bill on Criminal
Punishment for Denial of the supposed Armenian Genocide’.

Chirac told Erdoðan, `the National Assembly is very busy. The bill
may still be rejected at a vote which will determine whether or not
it will be part of the agenda. It may not be discussed at that
session.’ Chirac stated that the French Government would treat the
case with utmost respect to Turkey’s sensitivity about the issue.

Diplomatic sources evaluate this new attitude of the French
Government as `the result of suggestions from French firms, investing
in Turkey. The volume of trade between the two countries currently
stands at 10 billion euro, of which 6.3 billion euro belongs to
France, and 3.7 billion euro to Turkey. Chirac’s Government, the UMP,
could prevent the bill from getting to the parliamentary agenda, in a
pre-voting session to take place before the bill appears on the
Parliamentary agenda on May 18.’

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress