FRENCH LAWMAKERS POSTPONE SENSITIVE DEBATE ON ARMENIAN KILLINGS

AP Worldstream
May 18, 2006

French lawmakers bowed to pressure from Turkey and postponed debate
Thursday on a proposal that would make it a crime to deny that the
killings of Armenians during World War I constituted genocide.

The National Assembly put off indefinitely debate on a proposal by
the opposition Socialists that would recognize the killings of up to
1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1919 as genocide.

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, speaking earlier, told
lawmakers that the proposal would be seen as “an unfriendly gesture
by the vast majority of Turkish people.”

“We cannot accept this bill,” Douste-Blazy said. “It would have serious
political consequences, (and) weaken our influence not only in Turkey
itself _ but also beyond the region.”

As lawmakers appeared to hesitate about the debate, dozens of members
of Armenian groups yelled “The vote! The vote!” and pounded their
fists for five minutes from a balcony over the Assembly floor.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told French corporate
leaders in a private meeting recently that the bill would damage
bilateral ties.

Armenia accuses Turkey of massacring Armenians during World War I,
when Armenia was under the Ottoman Empire. Turkey says Armenians were
killed in civil unrest during the collapse of the empire.

Under the proposal, people who contest an Armenian genocide would risk
up to a year in prison and face fines of up to A45,000 (US$57,555).

Tension between Armenians and Turks in France increased last month,
when a memorial in the southeast city of Lyon commemorating Armenian
genocide was desecrated.

Turkey has made it government policy to fight genocide assertions
with diplomatic and economic sanctions if necessary. That stance has
come under pressure with Turkey’s campaign to join the European Union.

In 2001, Turkey, which has no diplomatic ties with Armenia, canceled
millions of dollars (euros) worth of defense deals with French
companies after a law recognizing the Armenian killings as genocide
was passed.

Turkey also sent a parliamentary delegation to Paris while Turkish
chambers of commerce sent letters to French counterparts warning of
a boycott.