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France Shelves Armenian Genocide Debate

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  • France Shelves Armenian Genocide Debate

    FRANCE SHELVES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DEBATE

    Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
    May 18 2006

    The French parliament has put off indefinitely a debate on a bill
    that would make it a crime to deny that the killings of Armenians in
    Ottoman Turkey during World War I constituted a genocide.

    France recognized the killings as genocide five years ago. Under the
    proposed new bill, denying the genocide would be punishable by a year
    in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros (more than $57,000)

    Turkey has always denied the genocide assertions, saying the Armenians
    died in civil unrest.

    Earlier today, French Foreign Minister Filippe Douste-Blazy told
    lawmakers that adoption of the proposed bill would have "serious
    political consequences."

    "If the text [of the draft bill] presented to you today was to be
    adopted it would be considered as an unfriendly gesture by a vast
    majority of the Turkish people," Douste-Blazy said. "This would
    inevitably have serious political consequences and weaken our influence
    not only in Turkey itself but also beyond, in the whole region."

    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had warned that the
    passage of the bill would further damage already strained relations
    between the two countries.

    Turkey's policy over the deaths of up to 1.5 million Armenians
    between 1915 and 1919 is seen as being at odds with its bid to join
    the European Union.
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