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Today's Zaman, Turkey
Jan 27 2012
Turkish envoy tries to mobilize French senators for appeal
27 January 2012 / EMRE DEMIR, PARIS
Turkey's ambassador in Paris has initiated a campaign to see a French
bill that seeks to penalize the denial of `Armenian genocide' go to
the French constitutional court, by sending letters to senators who
opposed the bill and asking them to petition for an appeals case.
Turkey's Ambassador to France Tahsin BurcuoÄ?lu has delivered letters
to the 86 French senators who voted against the controversial denial
bill in Monday's senate vote, in hopes they will sign a petition to
take the bill to France's superior court, on the grounds the bill
violates the French constitution and its founding base of freedom of
expression.
BurcuoÄ?lu's initiative follows Monday's senate approval of the bill,
which passed through the senate through a narrower-than-expected
majority despite support from both the ruling and main opposition
parties. Despite the approval, French senators can take the bill to
the constitutional court, where it can be thrown out if the court
decides the bill is compromising French law. The appeals case needs
the signature of 60 lawmakers; currently the number of opponents who
have already signed the petition stands at 35.
However, BurcuoÄ?lu's campaign might get stalled due to pressure from
the major parties, which have pressured their lawmakers not to sign
the petition. French senator Jacques Mézard, however, noted it was the
first time a signature campaign against a bill has received support
from senators of six different blocs. BurcuoÄ?lu has until Tuesday to
convince more lawmakers, but his chances are believed to be very weak.
Meanwhile, a recent poll in France revealed that 93 percent of the
French nation was shocked by France's making laws on other countries,
signaling a blowback on French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who
engineered the denial bill, allegedly to garner support from French
voters in the upcoming elections. Polls also show Sarkozy fell behind
his main rival, Socialist François Hollande, by a margin of 20 points.
Jan 27 2012
Turkish envoy tries to mobilize French senators for appeal
27 January 2012 / EMRE DEMIR, PARIS
Turkey's ambassador in Paris has initiated a campaign to see a French
bill that seeks to penalize the denial of `Armenian genocide' go to
the French constitutional court, by sending letters to senators who
opposed the bill and asking them to petition for an appeals case.
Turkey's Ambassador to France Tahsin BurcuoÄ?lu has delivered letters
to the 86 French senators who voted against the controversial denial
bill in Monday's senate vote, in hopes they will sign a petition to
take the bill to France's superior court, on the grounds the bill
violates the French constitution and its founding base of freedom of
expression.
BurcuoÄ?lu's initiative follows Monday's senate approval of the bill,
which passed through the senate through a narrower-than-expected
majority despite support from both the ruling and main opposition
parties. Despite the approval, French senators can take the bill to
the constitutional court, where it can be thrown out if the court
decides the bill is compromising French law. The appeals case needs
the signature of 60 lawmakers; currently the number of opponents who
have already signed the petition stands at 35.
However, BurcuoÄ?lu's campaign might get stalled due to pressure from
the major parties, which have pressured their lawmakers not to sign
the petition. French senator Jacques Mézard, however, noted it was the
first time a signature campaign against a bill has received support
from senators of six different blocs. BurcuoÄ?lu has until Tuesday to
convince more lawmakers, but his chances are believed to be very weak.
Meanwhile, a recent poll in France revealed that 93 percent of the
French nation was shocked by France's making laws on other countries,
signaling a blowback on French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who
engineered the denial bill, allegedly to garner support from French
voters in the upcoming elections. Polls also show Sarkozy fell behind
his main rival, Socialist François Hollande, by a margin of 20 points.