Tweet
SARKOZY ON GENOCIDE: IS THE FRENCH PROMISE WORTH THE HOPE OF ARMENIAN VOTERS?
http://www.armenianow.com/genocide/32436/sarkozy_armenia_genocide_recognition
17.10.11 | 13:18
Nicolas Sarkozy
French president Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the South Caucasus last
week initially provided a touch of drama conditioned by the president
himself prior to his visit. In Yerevan the president made a bold
statement to the press: "The Armenian Genocide is a historic fact
and deserves a bigger than just personal condemnation."
It should be noted that in 2007, when he was running for presidency,
he promised to support the adoption of a law criminalizing Genocide
denial; the French Assembly had approved the bill in 2006.
However, despite his campaign promise Sarkozi's party blocked the
bill in the Senate in May. French Armenians were outraged. Prominent
French Armenian singer Charles Aznavour publicly warned Sarkozy,
pointing out that he was risking losing 500,000 French Armenians'
support during the next presidential elections.
The majority of political analysts believe that Sarkozy's daring
statements in Yerevan were addressed to French Armenians - his
potential electorate, rather than Turkey or Armenia.
In this connection analysts are stressing the vulnerability of
Sarkozy's position in France, also pointing out that by the results
of public opinion polls he is less popular than his rival socialist
leader Francois Hollande. And, moreover, not long before Sarkozy's
visit, the French office of Dashnaktsutyun ("Dashnaks") had announced
its support of Hollande as a potential candidate for presidency.
Sarkozy's Yerevan statement caused a clamor in Ankara. Turkish premier
Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on October 11 that "the president of
France has to bring things in order in his own country instead of
giving advice to Turkey on the so-called Armenian Genocide".
Sarkozy's adviser on diplomatic issues Jean-David Levitte's position is
an indirect proof that the French president's statements were first of
all addressed to the hundreds of thousands of native Armenian voters
in France rather than to Turkey.
Sarkozy's appeal to Turkey calling for admitting the Armenian
Genocide was "misunderstood", Levitte said later. Levitte, often
called "the grey cardinal of the French foreign ministry" called
Turkish ambassador to France Tahsin Burcuoglu to Ã~Ilysée Palace.
With reference to diplomatic sources Turkish mass media report that
during the meeting Levitte assured Burcuoglu that France considers
Turkey to be a great country and highly appreciates French-Turkish
friendship.
Burcuoglu stressed how sensitive Turkey is to the Genocide issue and
that another bill providing for prosecution for denial of the Armenian
Genocide would cause serious harm to bilateral relations.
Presidential elections in France will be held in the spring of 2012.
Political analysts also point out the haste of the statement according
to which if by the end of 2011 Turkey doesn't reconsider its position
on the Armenian Genocide, France would take measures correspondingly.
It is abundantly clear that Turkey has no intention whatsoever
to change its position on the Armenian issue. Then, a question
naturally arises: what would Sarkozy answer to the half a million
French Armenians prior to his run for presidency?
http://www.armenianow.com/genocide/32436/sarkozy_armenia_genocide_recognition
17.10.11 | 13:18
Nicolas Sarkozy
French president Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to the South Caucasus last
week initially provided a touch of drama conditioned by the president
himself prior to his visit. In Yerevan the president made a bold
statement to the press: "The Armenian Genocide is a historic fact
and deserves a bigger than just personal condemnation."
It should be noted that in 2007, when he was running for presidency,
he promised to support the adoption of a law criminalizing Genocide
denial; the French Assembly had approved the bill in 2006.
However, despite his campaign promise Sarkozi's party blocked the
bill in the Senate in May. French Armenians were outraged. Prominent
French Armenian singer Charles Aznavour publicly warned Sarkozy,
pointing out that he was risking losing 500,000 French Armenians'
support during the next presidential elections.
The majority of political analysts believe that Sarkozy's daring
statements in Yerevan were addressed to French Armenians - his
potential electorate, rather than Turkey or Armenia.
In this connection analysts are stressing the vulnerability of
Sarkozy's position in France, also pointing out that by the results
of public opinion polls he is less popular than his rival socialist
leader Francois Hollande. And, moreover, not long before Sarkozy's
visit, the French office of Dashnaktsutyun ("Dashnaks") had announced
its support of Hollande as a potential candidate for presidency.
Sarkozy's Yerevan statement caused a clamor in Ankara. Turkish premier
Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on October 11 that "the president of
France has to bring things in order in his own country instead of
giving advice to Turkey on the so-called Armenian Genocide".
Sarkozy's adviser on diplomatic issues Jean-David Levitte's position is
an indirect proof that the French president's statements were first of
all addressed to the hundreds of thousands of native Armenian voters
in France rather than to Turkey.
Sarkozy's appeal to Turkey calling for admitting the Armenian
Genocide was "misunderstood", Levitte said later. Levitte, often
called "the grey cardinal of the French foreign ministry" called
Turkish ambassador to France Tahsin Burcuoglu to Ã~Ilysée Palace.
With reference to diplomatic sources Turkish mass media report that
during the meeting Levitte assured Burcuoglu that France considers
Turkey to be a great country and highly appreciates French-Turkish
friendship.
Burcuoglu stressed how sensitive Turkey is to the Genocide issue and
that another bill providing for prosecution for denial of the Armenian
Genocide would cause serious harm to bilateral relations.
Presidential elections in France will be held in the spring of 2012.
Political analysts also point out the haste of the statement according
to which if by the end of 2011 Turkey doesn't reconsider its position
on the Armenian Genocide, France would take measures correspondingly.
It is abundantly clear that Turkey has no intention whatsoever
to change its position on the Armenian issue. Then, a question
naturally arises: what would Sarkozy answer to the half a million
French Armenians prior to his run for presidency?