French Parliament's vote creates shock waves
Güncelleme Tarihi:
In France, a cradle of democracy which helped make freedom a universal value, the French National Parliament yesterday voted to approve a bill mandating jail time and monetary fines for people publicly denying the so-called Armenian genocide.
Despite yesterday's overwhelming vote of approval however, the bill must pass through the French Senate and then be signed by the French president before being put into implementation. Also casting an ambigious shadow overt the parliament's vote yesterday was the fact that the French government repeated both before and after the vote that it did not support the bill in question.
Paris administration underscores its opposition to the bill
The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement following the vote saying that it "wanted very much" to continue dialogue between Paris and Ankara. Foreign Ministry spokeperson Jean Baptiste Mattei said "Just as we wish to carry on our strong friendship and our cooperative ties, we want to continue our dialogue with Turkey." Spokesperson Mattei also referred to the "genocide denial" bill approved yesterday as both "unnecessary" and "untimely" in his statements.
Another voice of opposition against the "genocide denial" bill came yesterday from European Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna, who stood to address the national assembly prior to its morning vote on the bill. Said Colonna, "We as the government are opposed to this bill. As it is, the parliament already voted to officially recognize the Armenian genocide in 2001. President Jacques Chirac mentioned the genocide clearly on his visit to the Armenian capital Yerevan. And looking at things politically, Turkey has already begun work on this subject, looking back at history, as have other countries. We must encourage this work. This is why we, as the government, oppose this bill."
Out of the entire French Parliament, which has 571 seats, a total of 125 MPs participated in yesterday's vote. Out of these 125 votes, 106 were in support of the bill, with 19 opposing.
Mesrob II: This will only butter the bread of radicals everywhere
Speaking in reaction to news that the French Parliament had passed the "genocide denial" bill, Patriarch Mesrob II, the leader of the Armenian Orthodox community in Turkey, issued this warning:
"The French, who have in the past put up serious blockades in front of Turkey during its quest for EU membership, have now dealt a serious blow to the already constrained dialogue between Turkey and Armenia. The law will only butter the bread of both radical Turks and radical Armenians."