AZG Armenian Daily #190, 06/10/2006

Armenian Genocide

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN SUPPOSEDLY OPPOSES FRENCH BILL
PENALIZE DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

On October 3, commenting on Turkish reaction to Jacques Chirac’s
statement in favor of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, daily
Azg voiced an opinion that Turkey is more concerned not with the
statements themselves but with their impact on passing the French
bill that makes denial of the Armenian Genocide prosecutable.

This opinion was confirmed by Turkey’s undertakings to block the
passing of the bill. To this end, a delegation of Turkish Parliament
left for Paris that failed to meet leaders of Socialist party backing
the bill.

This fact threw the Turkish delegation off balance, and one of its
members, representative of People’s Republican Party Saqru Eleqdag, set
on blackmailing. He hinted that Armenian citizens, 70.000 according
to his calculations, will be expelled from Turkey once the bill passes.

In the meantime, Turkish Zaman newspaper wrote that Robert Kocharian
said to Jacques Chirac during his visit to Yerevan: "At the present
stage we would not like the bill to pass. It will harm our relations
with Turkey."

Interestingly, author of the article, Ali Ihsan Aiden, wrote about
this four days ago after Chirac’s visit and from Paris.

By Hakob Chakrian