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FRENCH SOCIALISTS PLEDGE TO PASS 'GENOCIDE' BILL IN 2007
AlÝ Ýhsan Aydin Paris
Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 5 2007
The French Socialist Party (PSF) vowed yesterday that a bill
criminalizing the denial of Armenian genocide claims would be passed
in Senate this year if the party wins in the upcoming elections.
The bill, already approved by the lower house of the French Parliament
last year, has angered Turkey, which categorically refutes charges
that Armenians were victims of a genocide campaign at the hands of
the late Ottoman Empire.
PSF Secretary-General Francois Hollande, speaking at an election
campaign meeting with French-Armenians in Paris, said that his party
would introduce the bill to the Senate for final parliamentary approval
in October if it emerges victorious from the elections.
Hollande also said that in order to become a member of the EU, Turkey
must recognize the alleged genocide.
Segolene Royal, the PSF presidential candidate, said she was opposed
to parliaments writing history, but nonetheless insisted on Tuesday
that the bill criminalizing the denial of the alleged genocide must
definitely become law.
Reminded at a press conference of the divided position among French
historians on the subject, Royal declined to comment and referred
similar questions to Jean-Louis Bianco, her right-hand man and leader
of her election campaign.
Bianco said Royal was not taking sides by taking an affirmative
position on the parliamentary function of writing history, but he
added that she was looking forward to the referral of the "Armenian
genocide" issue to the Senate.
"We are facing up to the process of denial, despite the efforts from
a group of historians, both Turkish and Armenian. We cannot accept
what happened in the past. And there are people who are denying
historical facts in France," said Bianco. He further claimed that
nobody had the right to speak falsely. Recalling the Gayssot Act,
Bianco said the act had been put in place in order to punish those
who denied the Holocaust.
Leading names from the PSF say that opinion on the bill is divided
among members of their party. Jacques Lang, former minister of
education and a leading figure in the party, said there has not been
enough discussion of the issue during the election campaign.
Lang, who opposes the bill, said he would do anything to stop it from
getting approval in the Senate.
Another with concerns about the draft is Jean-Marc Ayrault, president
of the PSF parliamentary group, who said the Parliament was unwilling
to make decisions on a matter of history.
--Boundary_(ID_Gq0Cirsyr7DpbobMpgDDrw)--
AlÝ Ýhsan Aydin Paris
Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 5 2007
The French Socialist Party (PSF) vowed yesterday that a bill
criminalizing the denial of Armenian genocide claims would be passed
in Senate this year if the party wins in the upcoming elections.
The bill, already approved by the lower house of the French Parliament
last year, has angered Turkey, which categorically refutes charges
that Armenians were victims of a genocide campaign at the hands of
the late Ottoman Empire.
PSF Secretary-General Francois Hollande, speaking at an election
campaign meeting with French-Armenians in Paris, said that his party
would introduce the bill to the Senate for final parliamentary approval
in October if it emerges victorious from the elections.
Hollande also said that in order to become a member of the EU, Turkey
must recognize the alleged genocide.
Segolene Royal, the PSF presidential candidate, said she was opposed
to parliaments writing history, but nonetheless insisted on Tuesday
that the bill criminalizing the denial of the alleged genocide must
definitely become law.
Reminded at a press conference of the divided position among French
historians on the subject, Royal declined to comment and referred
similar questions to Jean-Louis Bianco, her right-hand man and leader
of her election campaign.
Bianco said Royal was not taking sides by taking an affirmative
position on the parliamentary function of writing history, but he
added that she was looking forward to the referral of the "Armenian
genocide" issue to the Senate.
"We are facing up to the process of denial, despite the efforts from
a group of historians, both Turkish and Armenian. We cannot accept
what happened in the past. And there are people who are denying
historical facts in France," said Bianco. He further claimed that
nobody had the right to speak falsely. Recalling the Gayssot Act,
Bianco said the act had been put in place in order to punish those
who denied the Holocaust.
Leading names from the PSF say that opinion on the bill is divided
among members of their party. Jacques Lang, former minister of
education and a leading figure in the party, said there has not been
enough discussion of the issue during the election campaign.
Lang, who opposes the bill, said he would do anything to stop it from
getting approval in the Senate.
Another with concerns about the draft is Jean-Marc Ayrault, president
of the PSF parliamentary group, who said the Parliament was unwilling
to make decisions on a matter of history.
--Boundary_(ID_Gq0Cirsyr7DpbobMpgDDrw)--