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ARMENIAN BILL IN FRANCE MANIPULATION OF FRENCH PRESIDENT, TURKISH DEPUTY PREMIER SAYS
Anadolu Agency
Jan 23 2012
Turkey
BURSA (A.A) - 22.01.2012 - Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc
said Sunday French President Nicolas Sarkozy manipulated a bill that
penalizes denial of Armenian allegations to win political support
ahead of the French presidential elections scheduled for April.
"France in trying to pass such a law just for on certain political
calculations and on Sarkozy's manipulation. They attempt to force
a person into believing in something," Arinc told reporters in the
western province of Bursa.
The bill penalizes denial of the Armenian allegations on the Ottoman
era incidents of 1915 with a prison term of one year and a fine of
45 thousand euros. And it is set to come to the Senate floor on
Monday but French senate members could vote to uphold an earlier
parliamentary committee decision and drop the bill off the agenda
without even debating it.
A similar bill - proposed by the Socialist Party - was approved in
2006 by the lower house but the senate rejected to debate the bill
last May when it upheld the committee decision back then.
Arinc said the bill was an open breach of the freedom of expression
and human rights, an opinion which he said was also shared by many
French intellectuals and politicians.
"Let me reiterate a question posed earlier by French dailies: Suppose
that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to France and
said 'there was no genocide.' What will happen then - And I am sure
there are thousands of Turks who would dare to say that openly and
similarly there are thousand of French intellectuals who would defy
the bill," Arinc said.
Nearly 40 thousand Turks living in France and other countries in
Europe gathered in the French capital to shun the bill despite rain
and cold weather on Saturday.
Arinc described Saturday's protest as "a success story," adding that
Turks in Europe showed their rightful reactions to the bill.
"We believe that this bill which merely aims to win votes of the
Armenian diaspora in the French presidential elections will not be
approved by the French senate," Arinc said.
From: Baghdasarian
Anadolu Agency
Jan 23 2012
Turkey
BURSA (A.A) - 22.01.2012 - Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc
said Sunday French President Nicolas Sarkozy manipulated a bill that
penalizes denial of Armenian allegations to win political support
ahead of the French presidential elections scheduled for April.
"France in trying to pass such a law just for on certain political
calculations and on Sarkozy's manipulation. They attempt to force
a person into believing in something," Arinc told reporters in the
western province of Bursa.
The bill penalizes denial of the Armenian allegations on the Ottoman
era incidents of 1915 with a prison term of one year and a fine of
45 thousand euros. And it is set to come to the Senate floor on
Monday but French senate members could vote to uphold an earlier
parliamentary committee decision and drop the bill off the agenda
without even debating it.
A similar bill - proposed by the Socialist Party - was approved in
2006 by the lower house but the senate rejected to debate the bill
last May when it upheld the committee decision back then.
Arinc said the bill was an open breach of the freedom of expression
and human rights, an opinion which he said was also shared by many
French intellectuals and politicians.
"Let me reiterate a question posed earlier by French dailies: Suppose
that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to France and
said 'there was no genocide.' What will happen then - And I am sure
there are thousands of Turks who would dare to say that openly and
similarly there are thousand of French intellectuals who would defy
the bill," Arinc said.
Nearly 40 thousand Turks living in France and other countries in
Europe gathered in the French capital to shun the bill despite rain
and cold weather on Saturday.
Arinc described Saturday's protest as "a success story," adding that
Turks in Europe showed their rightful reactions to the bill.
"We believe that this bill which merely aims to win votes of the
Armenian diaspora in the French presidential elections will not be
approved by the French senate," Arinc said.
From: Baghdasarian