Armenian Genocide’ Draft on French Agenda
By Ali Ihsan Aydin, Paris
Friday, September 29, 2006
zaman.com

A proposed law that stipulates punishment for denying the alleged
Armenian genocide is back on France’s agenda.

To ensure consideration by the parliament, the main opposition
Socialist Party (SP), which prepared the draft law, used the right to
`determine a special agenda.’ The proposal, which designates
punishment for denying the Armenian genocide with a fine of 45,000
euros and up to five years imprisonment, will be discussed in the
plenary session of the French parliament on Oct. 12.

Observers are optimistic that the proposal will be adopted because of
the upcoming elections and the Armenian Diaspora’s intensifying
efforts.

The draft was not voted in a parliament session in May since Jean
Louis Debre, the chairman of the French parliament, who opposed the
proposal, recessed that session twice.

Subsequently, the proposal was dropped from the parliament’s agenda.

The French government, reiterating that the endeavor would seriously
harm bilateral relations between France and Turkey, also opposed the
draft.

The session was attended by a fairly small number of deputies.

This time the draft came to the forefront amid preparations for the
spring presidential and general elections.

It has been reported that the French politicians would not be able to
stand against the draft, even if they were hesitant about it, because
of the Armenian Diaspora’s influential lobby.

The draft aims at empowering the existing law promulgated in 2001 that
openly recognizes the Armenian genocide by adding a sanction clause to
it.

In order for the draft to be implemented it must be adopted by the
National Assembly on Oct. 12 and then ratified by the French Senate
without any amendments and revisions.

If even a single amendment proposal regarding the text is adopted at
the Senate, the draft will be returned to the Assembly for further
review.

Following Senate approval, the draft also requires the president’s
ratification.

The recently improved bilateral relations between Turkey and France
will be reportedly affected negatively, even in the case of the
adoption of the draft by the Assembly on Oct. 12.

The French companies that seek to win Turkey’s chopper and nuclear
power plant construction bids will be most affected by the
parliament’s decision.

Meanwhile, French President Jacques Chirac will head to Armenia
because of France’s `Year of Armenia.’ During his stay, Chirac will
visit the Armenian genocide monument.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress