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Thursday, July 5th, 2012
Ara Khachatourian
Foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Laurent Fabius during a press
conference in Paris on Thursday (AP photo)
PARIS - The new government of President Francoise Hollande indicated
Thursday that it was unlikely that the law criminalizing the denial of
the Armenian Genocide would be `resurrected,' reported Reuters.
France's new foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, made the announcement
during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu who is
in Paris on an official visit.
Last month Turkey indicated that it would remove all sanctions imposed
when the two houses of the French parliament passed a measure to
criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide. France's high court
ultimately ruled against the law, saying it impeded free speech.
During his presidential campaign Hollande vowed that he would
personally draft a similar law and shepherd its passage.
In April, Hollande said he would make sure that a new law is drafted
with `utmost legal security' in order to ensure its approval by the
country's highest court. `We can no longer commit an imprecision that
would again leave us with the impossibility of having the text
validated,' he said.
Davutoglu hailed the opening of what he deemed are warmer relations
with France since the new regime has opted out of pursuing the
Genocide law.
Fabius, however, skirted the question of Ankara's bid to join the
European Union, which was launched in 2005 but has virtually ground to
a halt due to a dispute over the island of Cyprus.
`The French government is examining a number of matters inherited from
the previous government,' he said at a joint news conference.
Fabius hinted that EU membership for Turkey would be put to a
referendum, as anticipated by a 2008 constitutional amendment which
can nonetheless be overruled by parliament.
`At the end of the day, things will come down to the decision of the
people,' he said.
Hollande, while running for president this year, answered a question
about Turkey's accession to the EU by saying: `It will not happen
during the next five-year term.'
Turkey would only enter the EU once it fulfils all 35 membership
criteria, 14 of which are blocked due to Turkey's refusal to recognize
Greek Cypriot sovereignty on the island.
Thursday, July 5th, 2012
Ara Khachatourian
Foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Laurent Fabius during a press
conference in Paris on Thursday (AP photo)
PARIS - The new government of President Francoise Hollande indicated
Thursday that it was unlikely that the law criminalizing the denial of
the Armenian Genocide would be `resurrected,' reported Reuters.
France's new foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, made the announcement
during a meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Ahmet Davutoglu who is
in Paris on an official visit.
Last month Turkey indicated that it would remove all sanctions imposed
when the two houses of the French parliament passed a measure to
criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide. France's high court
ultimately ruled against the law, saying it impeded free speech.
During his presidential campaign Hollande vowed that he would
personally draft a similar law and shepherd its passage.
In April, Hollande said he would make sure that a new law is drafted
with `utmost legal security' in order to ensure its approval by the
country's highest court. `We can no longer commit an imprecision that
would again leave us with the impossibility of having the text
validated,' he said.
Davutoglu hailed the opening of what he deemed are warmer relations
with France since the new regime has opted out of pursuing the
Genocide law.
Fabius, however, skirted the question of Ankara's bid to join the
European Union, which was launched in 2005 but has virtually ground to
a halt due to a dispute over the island of Cyprus.
`The French government is examining a number of matters inherited from
the previous government,' he said at a joint news conference.
Fabius hinted that EU membership for Turkey would be put to a
referendum, as anticipated by a 2008 constitutional amendment which
can nonetheless be overruled by parliament.
`At the end of the day, things will come down to the decision of the
people,' he said.
Hollande, while running for president this year, answered a question
about Turkey's accession to the EU by saying: `It will not happen
during the next five-year term.'
Turkey would only enter the EU once it fulfils all 35 membership
criteria, 14 of which are blocked due to Turkey's refusal to recognize
Greek Cypriot sovereignty on the island.