‘Armenian Genocide’ Draft on French Agenda
Friday, September 29, 2006
zaman.com
By Ali Ihsan Aydin, Paris
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
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
zaman.com
By Ali Ihsan Aydin, Paris
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
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 7:56 PM
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