SCANDAL AT THE FRENCH PARLIAMENT
Jean Eckian

Paris, May 18, 2006

French members of Parliament prevented of vote

The heavy economic threats that Turkey put forward in France if the
French National Assembly voted the bill penalizing the negation of
the Armenian Genocide, were of all their weight this 18 May in Paris.

With the initiative of the French socialist deputy of the 8st district
of Marseilles, Mr. Christophe MASSE, a bill aiming at sanctioning
the negation of the Armenian Genocide purely and was simply evacuated
for a technical question of timing.

Actually this is subtle. The time assigned with the socialist party
which presented the proposal, could not exceed it time of 1:00 pm.

The debate started to 11:30 am, but in this time, two other questions
of French domestic policy were also to be mentioned. The mission,
consequently, became impossible, when the Foreign Minister, Philippe
Douste-Blazy spoke. He will leave it only 25 minutes later, after
having taken position against this law by asserting links which link
France and Turkey. When the deputies who support the law spoke, the
president of the Parliament, Jean-Louis Debre, will authorize only
5 minutes per anybody. Thus, with 1:03 pm, it announced: “assigned
time is past, the meeting is raised.”

This noxious operation, orchestrated on the most level of State,
did not allow the deputies present in the chamber of being able to
decide by a final vote, whereas, a vast majority for this adoption
was joined together between the various tendencies of the French
political parties.

In the street being next to the Parliament, 2000 French of Armenian
origin, listened to the retransmission of the debates by expressing
their distress, the French flag in the hand, while in the enclosure,
others stressed “the vote, the vote, the vote!”. They will be expelled
by the police force.

At the end of the meeting, the deputies have join the Armenian
public in the street to explain this incredible situation. All were
dissatisfied and in anger to denounce this scandal of the French
Republic.

Patrick Devedjian, council of the Minister of Interior Department,
Nicolas Sarkozy, known as her indignation, qualifying the Parliament
of “Shadow theatre”, while Alexis Govciyan (CCAF) noted “a broken
down democracy”.

If this text had been approved by the Parliament, the Senate should
also to him have decided at the time of a forthcoming transfer to
be ratified and added to the law of January 29, 2001 recognizing the
Armenian Genocide.

To support the French members of Parliament, several Armenian Community
delegations of France had joined Paris by the train, of Marseilles,
Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Valence and Lyon, with the call of the
Council of Coordination of Armenian Associations of France (CCAF),
with the support of Licra (International League against racism &
anti-semitism ), “S.O.S racism” and “Girls and sons of Jewish
deportees”, chaired by Serge Klarsfeld, celebrates it “hunter of
Nazis”.

Against Turkish demonstration was held not far from the enclosure from
the French National Assembly, to protest against the legalization of
this bill. No incident was announced.

It will be necessary to wait the year 2007 for a new bill.