CHIRAC APOLOGIZED TO TURKISH PRIME MINISTER

PanARMENIAN.Net
16.10.2006 13:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ French President Jacques Chirac in a telephone
conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
he felt sorry that the bill penalizing the Armenian Genocide denial
was approved and added he would try his best to prevent it from
becoming law.

According to the French leader, the adoption in 2001 of the law
recognizing the events of 1915-1917 as the Armenian Genocide was
sufficient for establishing the historical truth.

"The discussion on criminalization of the Armenian Genocide denial
is rather rhetorical than juridical," Jacques Chirac said.

At that he asserted that the Armenian Genocide recognition should be
one of the conditions for EU accession.

Meanwhile European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso voiced
anxiety over the slow process of reform in Turkey. He told BBC that
Turkey will hardly become an EU member during earlier than in 15-20
years.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress