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Hurriyet, Turkey
May 5 2011
Sarkozy instructed his party to hamper Armenian bill, Turkish official says
Thursday, May 5, 2011
SEVÄ°L KÃ`Ã?Ã`KKOÅ?UM
ANKARA-Hürriyet Daily News
The senate voted 196 to 74 to block a formal debate on the issue. AFP photo
A potential extra hurdle between Turkish-French relations was removed
when the French president strongly supported the rejection of a bill
that would have made it a punishable offense to deny `Armenian
genocide' claims, a Turkish official said Thursday
`Turkish leaders and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have made a deal
to underline common interests rather than disagreements in bilateral
relations. Thus, the French president has given instructions to his
party members to restrain bills such as the recent Armenian
initiative,' YaÅ?ar YakıÅ?, deputy of the ruling Justice and Development
Party, or AKP, who traveled to France prior to the vote, told the
Hürriyet Daily News on Thursday.
The upper house of the French parliament on Wednesday failed to
approve a bill penalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide claims.
The senate voted 196 to 74 to block a formal debate on the issue. The
bill, which was drafted by lawmakers from the opposition Socialist
Party, was adopted by the French lower house, the National Assembly,
in 2006 amid protests from Ankara.
YakıÅ? recently traveled to France lobbying against the bill with a
delegation consisting of representatives specializing in foreign
politics from political parties in Parliament. The lobbying activities
of the Turkish delegation took affect along with Sarkozy's
instructions, he said, adding this incident could pave the way to open
a new page in Turkish-French bilateral relations, which faces ups and
downs.
It's unlikely for the French Senate to take a similar bill to the
agenda `unless a crucial breakdown destroys bilateral relations,'
YakıÅ? said. `If the bill was rejected with a minor difference in the
Senate, then Armenians could attempt to bring the issue to the agenda,
yet that has low possibility now,' he added.
French Minister of Justice Michel Mercier on Wednesday said they
oppose a law penalizing Armenian genocide claims, yet he revived a
circular that could be issued addressing all chief prosecutors in
order to monitor discriminations against Armenian society. He stressed
that the circular could be an alternative to the failed bill that
would have made denying the Ottoman-era genocide claims punishable.
`The bill has not drafted yet. But it will come into force due to a
current French law, which punishes any incitement to discrimination,
hatred or racial violence,' an official from French Embassy told the
Daily News on Thursday. The official said there was no legal base in
French law to condemn denial of Armenian genocide claims.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=sarkozy-instructed-his-party-to-hamper-armenian-bill-2011-05-05
From: A. Papazian
May 5 2011
Sarkozy instructed his party to hamper Armenian bill, Turkish official says
Thursday, May 5, 2011
SEVÄ°L KÃ`Ã?Ã`KKOÅ?UM
ANKARA-Hürriyet Daily News
The senate voted 196 to 74 to block a formal debate on the issue. AFP photo
A potential extra hurdle between Turkish-French relations was removed
when the French president strongly supported the rejection of a bill
that would have made it a punishable offense to deny `Armenian
genocide' claims, a Turkish official said Thursday
`Turkish leaders and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have made a deal
to underline common interests rather than disagreements in bilateral
relations. Thus, the French president has given instructions to his
party members to restrain bills such as the recent Armenian
initiative,' YaÅ?ar YakıÅ?, deputy of the ruling Justice and Development
Party, or AKP, who traveled to France prior to the vote, told the
Hürriyet Daily News on Thursday.
The upper house of the French parliament on Wednesday failed to
approve a bill penalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide claims.
The senate voted 196 to 74 to block a formal debate on the issue. The
bill, which was drafted by lawmakers from the opposition Socialist
Party, was adopted by the French lower house, the National Assembly,
in 2006 amid protests from Ankara.
YakıÅ? recently traveled to France lobbying against the bill with a
delegation consisting of representatives specializing in foreign
politics from political parties in Parliament. The lobbying activities
of the Turkish delegation took affect along with Sarkozy's
instructions, he said, adding this incident could pave the way to open
a new page in Turkish-French bilateral relations, which faces ups and
downs.
It's unlikely for the French Senate to take a similar bill to the
agenda `unless a crucial breakdown destroys bilateral relations,'
YakıÅ? said. `If the bill was rejected with a minor difference in the
Senate, then Armenians could attempt to bring the issue to the agenda,
yet that has low possibility now,' he added.
French Minister of Justice Michel Mercier on Wednesday said they
oppose a law penalizing Armenian genocide claims, yet he revived a
circular that could be issued addressing all chief prosecutors in
order to monitor discriminations against Armenian society. He stressed
that the circular could be an alternative to the failed bill that
would have made denying the Ottoman-era genocide claims punishable.
`The bill has not drafted yet. But it will come into force due to a
current French law, which punishes any incitement to discrimination,
hatred or racial violence,' an official from French Embassy told the
Daily News on Thursday. The official said there was no legal base in
French law to condemn denial of Armenian genocide claims.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=sarkozy-instructed-his-party-to-hamper-armenian-bill-2011-05-05
From: A. Papazian