150 MEMBERS OF THE UK PARLIAMENT SUPPORT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MOTION
PanARMENIAN.Net
11.07.2007 15:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Another important milestone on the way to UK
Recognition of the Armenian Genocide was passed today. MP Glenda
Jackson became the 150th Member of the UK Parliament to sign the Early
Day Motion 357, recognizing Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire,
independent French journalist Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net.
This motion, submitted by MP Bob Spink, has put the Armenian Genocide
issue at the forefront of international issues in which MPs have
shown concern.
Including other MPs who signed the Genocide Motion in previous years
but were unable to do so this year for parliamentary technical reasons,
the total number now approaches 200.
The majority of MPs who are eligible to sign the motion, and
unconstrained by their party, have now done so. 180 out of 460 MPs,
who are eligible to sign, are members of the Conservative Party who
provide a ready-made answer explaining why their members will not
sign. However, few Conservatives have dared to break with the Party’s
authority. 143 out of the other 280 MPs of the Labor Party, Liberal
Democrat Party, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales)
and smaller parties just over half have signed the motion.
To continue with the lobbying, a copy of the "House of Commons
Conference on the Armenian Genocide" published by Nor Serount
Cultural Association, to all MPs be circulated this week will. It
includes contributions by historians and other Genocide Scholars. The
organizations expect that this will enable all MPs to have more
knowledge of the issue, resulting in more signatures in the three
weeks left for the motion after the summer recess.
Voting is most likely to take place in winter.