Author: Andres-Papazian

GUL URGES FRANCE TO WITHDRAW FROM MINSK GROUP IF GENOCIDE BILL ENACTED

Today’s Zaman

Dec 23 2011
Turkey

Turkish President Abdullah Gul has said France should withdraw from
the Minsk Group if a bill recently approved by the French Assembly that
aims to penalize denial of the alleged Armenian genocide becomes law.

France, along with the US and Russia, co-chairs the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group, which has
been trying to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute since 1990s but
has thus far failed to provide a viable solution to the issue.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, a day after the approval of the
highly controversial bill in the French assembly despite strong
Turkish opposition, Gul said France should withdraw from the Minsk
Group if the bill is approved by the Senate and becomes law because
the country will lose its impartial position in the settling of the
Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Ethnic Armenian separatists, backed by Armenia, fought a war to
overthrow Azerbaijani control over Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s
at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Separatists also
seized land surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkey closed its border
with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during its conflict
with Armenia. Turkey backs Azerbaijani claims to Nagorno-Karabakh,
which has a large number of ethnic Armenian residents.

Gul also criticized French President Nicolas Sarkozy for “being
prejudiced against Turkey.” Recalling that the French president has
not responded to Gul’s phone calls for days, Gul complained that
“heads of state talk to each other even during war time.” He said
Sarkozy’s stance reveals his prejudices against Turkey.

The lower house of the French parliament voted on Thursday in favor
of a controversial bill penalizing the denial of the alleged Armenian
genocide, ignoring massive Turkish protests against the measure.

The bill sets a punishment of up to a year in prison and a fine of
45,000 euros ($59,000) for those who deny or “outrageously minimize”
the alleged genocide of Armenians in eastern Anatolia during the
final years of the Ottoman Empire, putting such action on par with
denial of the Holocaust.

The measure now needs to be passed in the senate, the upper house of
parliament, before it will come into effect.

From: A. Papazian

TRYING TO UNDERSTAND FRANCE

Today’s Zaman
Dec 23 2011
Turkey

It is not our job to lecture France, as this country is already full
of thinkers, politicians and scientists.

Besides, as we are in a country which does not have a brilliant record
on human rights and liberties, it becomes particularly difficult for
us to be convincing when criticizing a country like France. It is
not like we have faced our own history’s every aspect bravely.

The French authorities had certainly known that the bill aiming at
criminalizing the denial of the Armenian “genocide” would be met with
Turkey’s tough reaction. Perhaps France imagined that these reactions
would have no serious or concrete results after all. Or perhaps the
French government deliberately wanted to derail bilateral relations.

That is why it is important for us to understand what kind of political
and diplomatic outcomes France expected through this legal initiative.

This first option is that France had wanted to turn the ongoing
tension between the two countries into an all-out crisis. Perhaps
they thought that this crisis would hit the Turkish economy hard
and then Turkish and French businessmen would use all their clout to
convince the Turkish government to come around. The business world’s
efforts may provide some kind of economic rapprochement without any
political settlement. To say the truth, this is exactly what Nicolas
Sarkozy has in mind for French-Turkish relations. President Sarkozy
opposes Turkey’s membership in the EU; he does not want Turks to have
voting power in the union’s institutions, but he also wants them
to act together with Europe in the military, security and economic
fields. Of course, he never could explain why Turkey would accept
this without EU accession on the horizon.

The second option is to use the ongoing tension between the two
countries as a threat against Turkey. France is certainly aware that
Turkey will take some steps to protest this law. Turkey will try to
take commercial measures against France, the latter will be excluded
from military procurement bids, and French institutions in Turkey,
such as schools, will be put under pressure. Moreover, Turkey will
probably try to oppose France in multilateral platforms such as NATO
and the European Council. However, if Turkey does act like this,
France will adopt a similar stance against Turkish interests. France
probably believes that in such a fight, Turkey’s losses will be much
more significant than those of France.

Such a fight aimed at harming each other means that France’s intention
must be to make Turkey accept something. The problem is that it is not
possible to understand for now what, exactly, France wants Turkey to
accept. Perhaps this is all about the European Union after all. France
needs Turkey to renounce becoming a member but still to protect EU
interests in the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Middle East and Central
Asia. When France says “the EU’s interests,” it actually means it
needs Turkey to protect primarily French interests in those areas.

Perhaps Turkey has as of late sent signals that it is more inclined
to assist French rivals within the EU and that this is why France
has now decided to compel Turkey to change its mind, by all means.

Let’s be honest: Turkey has committed many mistakes in the past
while dealing with the Armenian, Cypriot and Kurdish issues. Instead
of correcting its mistakes, Turkey prefers to respond with anger,
and other countries use these problems as a diplomatic tool. Maybe
Turkey thinks that France is easily replaceable as there are many
other countries that are willing to work with Turkey. You can be sure
that there are indeed several countries that will be pleased to see
a break in French-Turkish relations.

We will all see together the outcome of this crisis, but it seems
that France has decided to push Turkey away without any clear reason
as to why.

From: A. Papazian

OFFENSIVE TURQUE CONTRE UNE LOI SUR LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN EN FRANCE
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 22 decembre 2011

La Turquie mène une offensive tous azimuts contre une proposition de
loi penalisant la negation du genocide armenien qui sera examinee jeudi
en France, provoquant une grave crise dans les relations bilaterales.

Ces derniers jours, les dirigeants turcs sont montes un a un au
creneau pour fustiger ce texte qui prevoit un an de prison et 45.000
euros d’amende en cas de negation d’un genocide reconnu par la loi.

La France a reconnu en 2001 le genocide armenien perpetre entre 1915
et 1917 sous l’empire ottoman, et qui a fait 1,5 million de morts
selon les Armeniens.

Mardi soir, le parti gouvernemental de la justice et du developpement
(AKP, issu de la mouvance islamiste) et les deux principaux partis
d’opposition ont adopte une declaration conjointe denoncant une
“erreur historique, inacceptable et grave” de la part des legislateurs
francais.

Ces formations, tout comme le Premier ministre Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
ont invite la France a reflechir sur les erreurs de son passe colonial,
en Algerie notamment, plutôt que “de porter des jugements sur des
faits historiques”.

Le president Abdullah Gul a quant a lui exhorte Paris a renoncer a
une loi “inacceptable”, deposee a l’initiative d’une deputee de la
majorite presidentielle.

Mercredi, le ministre aux Affaires europeennes Egemen Bagis a dresse
a mots couverts une liste de mesures de retorsions que chaque citoyen
turc pourrait faire siennes.

“Le peuple turc est emotif et il exprime ses reactions. Nous avons
vu dans le passe (…) qu’il pouvait intervenir en choisissant le
supermarche où il va faire ses courses, l’endroit où il achète son
essence, quel yoghourt il va acheter, quel avion il va prendre”,
a declare M. Bagis a des journalistes.

Interroge sur les produits qui pourraient faire les frais de la
vindicte populaire, le ministre a repondu : “Les cosmetiques, les
parfums, l’habillement… Mes concitoyens sont assez intelligents
pour faire la difference entre les produits d’importation et ceux
fabriques dans ce pays.”

Le chef de l’Etat francais Nicolas Sarkozy etait mercredi la cible
des journaux turcs, qui l’accusent sans menagement de vouloir
instrumentaliser le genocide armenien a quelques mois du scrutin
presidentiel en France.

“Le vilain monsieur” titrait ainsi le quotidien d’opposition Sozcu,
accusant M. Sarkozy de manoeuvre electoraliste pour attirer les voix
de la diaspora armenienne de France, qui represente environ 400.000
personnes.

Devant l’ambassade de France a Ankara, une centaine de manifestants ont
deploye des banderoles sur lesquels on pouvait lire “Sarkozy menteur”
ou encore “Qu’aviez-vous a faire en Algerie ?”.

La Turquie reconnaît que jusqu’a 500.000 personnes sont mortes pendant
lse dernières annees de l’Empire ottoman, mais affirme qu’elles ont
ete les victimes des aleas de la Première Guerre mondiale et non
d’une volonte d’extermination massive.

Deux delegations turques (hommes d’affaires et parlementaires) ont
tente en debut de semaine a Paris d’inflechir la position francaise,
sans obtenir que le texte soit retire de l’ordre du jour du Parlement
pour jeudi.

Le ministre francais des Affaires europeennes, Jean Leonetti, a appele
mercredi la Turquie a reconnaître le genocide armenien comme “un fait
historique”, niant que le texte legislatif ait des arrières-pensees
electoralistes.

“Aujourd’hui, l’ensemble des peuples doivent etre lucides et courageux
et regarder leur Histoire. Le genocide armenien, ca fait presque 100
ans que ca s’est produit, les responsables sont morts, c’est simplement
une reconnaissance d’un fait historique” que devrait faire la Turquie,
a-t-il declare.

La Turquie a menace la France de represailles diplomatiques et
economiques si la loi etait adoptee. Ankara devrait rappeler pour
consultations son ambassadeur et pourrait demander a son homologue
francais en Turquie de faire de meme.

From: A. Papazian

FRANCE : CLASSE POLITIQUE UNIE CONTRE LA NEGATION DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN
Stephane

armenews.com
jeudi 22 decembre 2011

A quatre mois de la presidentielle, la droite au pouvoir en France
et l’opposition de gauche soutiennent avec un rare consensus la
proposition de loi penalisant la negation du genocide armenien,
en depit de voix discordantes et des menaces de la Turquie.

La colère d’Ankara et les tentatives d’hommes d’affaires et de
parlementaires turcs venus a Paris pour tenter de convaincre la
classe politique et l’opinion publique de l’inanite du projet n’y
ont rien fait.

L’examen de la proposition de loi a l’Assemblee nationale a ete
maintenu a jeudi et les parlementaires de droite et de gauche ont
annonce qu’ils voteraient en sa faveur. “Le texte sera adopte sans
difficultes”, a estime le patron des deputes de la majorite UMP
Christian Jacob.

Presente par une deputee du parti presidentiel, le texte conteste
prevoit un an de prison et 45.000 euros d’amende en cas de negation
d’un genocide reconnu par la loi. Paris a admis en 2001 l’existence
d’un genocide d’Armeniens entre 1915 et 1917 (1,5 million de morts
selon les Armeniens).

Si elle reconnaît que jusqu’a 500.000 personnes sont mortes au cours
de cette periode, la Turquie considère qu’elles ont ete les victimes
des aleas de la Première Guerre mondiale et non d’un genocide.

“Ce n’est pas une loi memorielle, pas la reconnaissance d’un genocide,
mais la repression de la negation de ce qui a ete reconnu par la loi”,
a fait valoir M. Jacob.

“Nous avons vote une première loi qui etait la reconnaissance par
la France du genocide armenien”, voter la deuxième “c’est une forme
de coherence”, a egalement commente le chef des deputes socialistes
Jean-Marc Ayrault.

Une proposition de loi similaire avait ete presentee au Parlement en
2006 cette fois par des deputes socialistes, entraînant les memes
reactions furieuses de la Turquie. Mais elle avait ete finalement
enterree.

Les voix discordantes existent toujours y compris dans la majorite
où certains ne cachent pas leur embarras.

Le president de la commission des Affaires etrangères Axel Poniatowski
a admis que la situation etait “compliquee” alors que la Turquie est
devenue un allie incontournable dans le règlement des dossiers syrien
et iranien sur lesquels la France cherche a jouer un rôle central.

Le president UMP de l’Assemblee, Bernard Accoyer, a reconnu qu’il
n’etait “pas favorable aux textes qui pretendent encadrer l’expression
ou le travail des historiens”. Il a juge peu probable que le texte
soit adopte definitivement par le Parlement d’ici au printemps.

Dans les journaux, historiens et juristes argumentent pour ou contre
a coups de tribunes interposees.

“En adoptant cette loi, nos legislateurs rendront service a la societe
turque elle-meme qui ne supporte plus les dogmes dans lesquels l’Etat
l’enferme”, exhorte l’historien Raymond Kevorkian dans Liberation.

“Si haïssable que soient les propos ou les ecrits de quelques
negationnistes, l’arme penale est liberticide”, s’alarme le juriste
Francois Terre dans Le Figaro.

La Turquie, qui accuse le president Nicolas Sarkozy de visees
electoralistes avant la presidentielle du printemps 2012 (les Armeniens
de France sont evalues a 500.000), a menace la France de represailles
diplomatiques, economiques et culturelles si la loi etait adoptee.

“Ce qui explique aujourd’hui cette avancee, ce sont des considerations
electorales et de periode”, estime le politologue Stephane Rozès,
president de Cap (Conseils, analyses et perspectives).

D’une part “les Armeniens francais ont des relais importants”, d’autre
part alors que “la France se retracte sur la nation ces dernières
annees, c’est une facon de dire que la nation francaise est maître
de definir la question des genocides et de la necessaire repression
par rapport au negationnisme”, dit-il.

From: A. Papazian

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Studies Program
University of Michigan
Contact:Ingrid Peterson
Phone: 734-763-0622
E-mail: [email protected]

University of Michigan Workshop Continues Assessment of the State of
Armenian Studies

ANN ARBOR, MICH., Dec. 22, 2011- Leading experts in Armenian Studies
from around the world recently gathered at the University of Michigan
to assess the current state of Armenian Studies in academic
institutions in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The
cross-disciplinary meeting took place from October 14 – 16, 2011, as
part of the ongoing project to assess “The State of Armenian Studies.”
The gathering was organized by the Armenian Studies Program of the
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and convened parallel to events
marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the first endowed
chair in Armenian studies at the University in 1981 and of the Program
itself.

The special project has been able to gather a huge amount of
information on Armenian studies and had made that information
available to the participants for their analysis and comments.

Ambitious in its scope, the three-day meeting sought to have the input
of these scholars to survey a wide array of programs, activities and
publications in Armenian studies over the last 30 years throughout the
world, not including Armenia. The research team at the University had
prepared lists of books published in French, German, Farsi, English,
Spanish, Turkish, Italian, and Russian; the gathering made an general
assessment of publishing interests and trends and laid the groundwork
to complete even more extensive surveys of works published in
Armenian, Polish and other languages. The meeting sought to bring to
light all of the undergraduate and graduate courses that have been
offered in Armenian Studies over the last decade in order to better
grasp how the next generation of scholars is being trained, and to
make recommendations regarding what kinds of courses need to be
offered in the future. The continuing relationships between Armenian
studies as it stands in the university system and other institutions
outside of that system – such as research centers, and archival and
cultural organizations – were also surveyed and discussed. Additional
reports were prepared separately to address the state of the field
regionally, such a in the US, in Europe and in the Middle East.

The goal of the meeting was to gain a more complete understanding of
recent advances in scholarship relevant to the field as well as to
survey avenues for future research, to discuss the relationship
between Armenian Studies programs and the general public, to
brainstorm how to attract both established professors already in the
university as well as new students, and to ensure that scholars in
Armenian Studies continue to produce work that is cutting-edge in
terms of recent methodological and theoretical developments within
greater academia.

The director of ASP, Gerard Libaridian, has been at the helm of the
State of Armenian Studies Project for the last four years, and the
recent gathering of scholars to discuss the findings of the project
represents a milestone – but by no means an endpoint – in the ongoing
project. Most recently, scholars were invited to respond to a series
of questions about various dimensions of Armenian Studies. All
respondents to the questionnaire were invited to continue the
discussion at U-M in Ann Arbor. The participants included many seminal
and active figures in the field, such as Robert Thompson, Ara Sanjian,
Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Peter Cowe, Susan Pattie, Sergio La Porta,
Robert Hewsen, Khachig Tololyan, Asbed Kotchikian, and Marc
Mamigonian, as well as the faculty of ASP at U-M: Kathryn Babayan,
Kevork Bardakjian, Ronald Suny, and Gerard Libaridian. Post-doctoral
fellows and graduate students associated with ASP at U-M also
participated in the discussion. Many others from around the world had
participated in the preparation of the charts, lists, and special
reports.

Generally, organizations that are dedicated to one academic discipline
will assess overall trends in scholarship and make recommendations for
future research and pedagogical practices every five to ten years. The
problem, however, is that Armenian Studies is not a discipline – that
is, a specific methodological approach to train a certain type of
scholar, such as a historian, literary critic, anthropologist,
sociologist, or political scientist – but rather a field related to
every aspect of Armenian life past, present, and future. This is not a
weakness of Armenian Studies, but is generally believed to be a
strength of the field, as it is informed and shaped by many different
kinds of scholars working together across multiple disciplines to
create new bodies of knowledge. The flourishing of Armenian studies
programs, however, has merited a report on par with what other
disciplines produce every five to ten years. To this end, the meeting
concluded with preliminary plans to publish a report on the state of
Armenian Studies which could be put to good use by scholars around the
world, as well as serve to inform the general public of what topics
are of utmost importance today in Armenian Studies, how to continue to
grow the field, what still needs to be done, and why it matters within
and beyond academia.

The project is co-sponsored by the National Association for Armenian
Studies and Research, based in Belmont, Mass., and the Society for
Armenian Studies, currently chaired by Professor Bardakjian.

Armenian Studies Program
The University of Michigan’s Armenian Studies Program promotes the
study of Armenian history, culture, and society. A member of the
University of Michigan International Institute, the program organizes
educational opportunities for students, faculty and the community. For
more information, contact the Armenian Studies Program at (734)
763-0622 or visit

University of Michigan International Institute
The University of Michigan International Institute houses 18 centers
and programs focused on world regions and global themes. The institute
develops and supports international teaching, research, and public
affairs programs to promote global understanding across the campus and
to build connections with intellectuals and institutions worldwide.
For more information, visit

From: A. Papazian

WENGER ADVISED TO TAKE EURO 8M TRANSFER PUNT

Date: 22nd December 2011 at 9:00 pm

Written by Transfer-TavernFollow this writerChief Arsenal scout
Steve Rowley has advised Arsene Wenger to once again look at Shakhtar
Donetsk midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, according to reports.

Rowley believes the 22-year-old Armenian international could perhaps
be the player to fill the midfield hole left by former Arsenal captain
Cesc Fabregas.

Since his £5.4 million move from Metalurg to city rivals Shakhtar in
summer 2010, Mkhitaryan has managed to become of the best players in
the Ukrainian domestic league, and is viewed by many as a hot prospect
in the European football scene.

Known as ‘The Maestro of Armenian Football’, the young midfielder
would certainly add something to the Arsenal team, if Wenger decides
to listen to Rowley’s advice.

Despite the £10 million capture of Mikel Arteta on deadline day,
many (including myself) still believe Arsenal lack creativity in
their midfield.

It is believed the north London club were looking at Mkhitaryan after
Fabregas left for Barcelona in the summer and will heed Rowley’s
advice of tracking him once again during the winter.

It is understood Shakhtar would probably command a fee of around £8
million if the Armenian was put on the market.

Could Mkhitaryan be the player to replace Fabregas and add some much
needed creativity to our midfield? Possibly, he would certainly be
considered a Wenger-ish buy by the Arsenal faithful, one who oozes
class but wouldn’t command such a big fee.

Henrikh possesses great ball control, skill, agility, as well as
superb vision and awareness. He may not bag a lot of goals, but he
does have the ability to create them.

The Armenian certainly looks a bright prospect, and I for one believe
Wenger should definitely take another look at him before ruling out
a potential move for the young midfield maestro.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY RECALLS FRANCE ENVOY AFTER ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL APPROVAL

Today’s Zaman
Dec 22 2011
Turkey

Turkey on Thursday recalled its ambassador in Paris hours after
the French National Assembly passed a measure to make it a crime in
France to deny that the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 amounted
to genocide, an earlier announced response to the possible approval
of the bill.

Turkish Ambassador Tahsin Burcuoglu has been recalled to Ankara for
consultations for an indefinite period of time as Engin Solakoglu,
undersecretary of the Turkish Embassy in Paris, also said would happen
last week.

Despite strong protests by Turkey, French lawmakers in the National
Assembly — the lower house of parliament — voted overwhelmingly in
favor of the bill, which will now be debated next year in the Senate.

The bill makes denial of the alleged Armenian genocide a crime
punishable by a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 45,000 euros.

The approval of the bill has drawn strong condemnation from both
the Turkish government and the opposition. In an immediate comment
on the approval of the bill, Labor Minister Faruk Celik said he
sees the measure as “pitiful.” “They assume that they can change
historical facts with a law. This is a measure which is against all EU
standards, norms and laws. I see this as “pitiful,” he told reporters
in Parliament.

The main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Party Council
(PM) also issued a condemnation over the bill, accusing the French
Assembly of betraying its own history with Thursday’s decision. The
CHP said its members will follow the developments regarding the fate
of the bill closely.

From: A. Papazian

TURKEY RECALLS FRENCH AMBASSADOR OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL LAW

Russia Today

Dec 22 2011

Turkey is recalling its ambassador from France, according to the
Turkish state broadcaster TRT. Ankara is making the move in protest
after the French parliament passed a law making the denial of the
Armenian holocaust a crime.

The French lawmakers put the 1915 atrocity on a par with Holocaust
denial by simple raising their hands on Thursday. The majority in
favor was so clear that no count was needed. The measure now goes to
the Senate, which killed an earlier attempt at passing the criminal
law earlier this year.

In 2001 France, which is home to the largest ethnic Armenian community
in Europe, officially recognized the mass killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks, but did not make denial of the genocide a crime or
institute a penalty for those who deny it or “outrageously minimize”
the killings. Now, the proposed law carries a penalty of up to one
year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euro ($58,870).

France does not view the bill as targeting Turkey, as it applies to
all genocides and is not specifically about the Armenian killings.

“The government backs the idea that genocides cannot be denied,”
said government spokeswoman Valerie Pecresse after a weekly cabinet
meeting. “Each and every country must have the courage to … assess
its history with lucidity.”

The French government “does not think it is an attack against Turkey,”
added Valerie Pecresse.

Turkey insists up to 1.5 million Armenians killed in 1915 and later
were victims of World War I and rejects the term “genocide.” Ankara
called the measure “petty political calculations”, suggesting President
Nicolas Sarkozy is seeking the support of the Armenian community in
France in the upcoming presidential poll.

In its campaign against the legislation, Turkey has warned France of
“grave consequences” to economic and political ties. Hundreds of
members of the Turkish community gathered behind France’s National
Assembly in Paris on Thursday to protest against the bill.

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAIJANIS PROTEST FRENCH VOTE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

NOW LEBANON.com
Dec 22 2011

Activists in Azerbaijan held a rare street rally on Thursday in protest
against the French parliament’s vote on a law making it illegal to deny
that the mass killings of Armenians during World War I was genocide.

Around 50 people from Azerbaijani diaspora and war veterans’ groups
demonstrated outside the French embassy in Baku, shouting slogans like
“People of France, stop Sarkozy!” and “The French parliament should
be fair!”

A statement was read out at the protest saying that the law would
restrict freedom of speech and is aimed at courting the Armenian
community in France, whose votes are being sought by President Nicolas
Sarkozy’s UMP party ahead of elections next year.

The French bill proposes to make it a crime to deny the century-old
deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians at the hands of Turkish
Ottoman forces amounted to a genocide.

Turkic-speaking, mainly Muslim Azerbaijan is an enemy of Armenia and
a close ally of Turkey, which rejects the genocide allegation.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war in the 1990s over the disputed
territory of Nagorny Karabakh, and no final peace deal has yet been
signed despite years of negotiations.

An official at the Azerbaijani presidential administration said on
Wednesday that there was no genocide of Armenians.

“Their claim is fabricated and has nothing to do with historical
reality,” said the official, Ali Hasanov.

From: A. Papazian

FRENCH PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE ARMENIAN “GENOCIDE” BILL

Monsters and Critics.com

Dec 22 2011

Paris – Turkey and France were headed for a diplomatic showdown
Thursday, with the Turkish government warning of ‘grave consequences’
if the French parliament backs legislation making it a crime to deny
that Armenians suffered a ‘genocide’ at the hands of Ottoman Turks.

The controversial bill, which was proposed by a member of the ruling
Union for a Popular Movement, enjoys the backing of most French
lawmakers and is expected to be approved by the lower house of the
country’s parliament, the National Assembly.

After the assembly, the bill is to be sent for ratification to
the Senate.

The legislation proposes to punish people who deny or minimize
genocides with a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros (59,000
dollars).

France says the mass killings of Armenian citizens of the Ottoman
Empire during World War I constituted genocide. Armenians say up to
1.5 million people were killed, mostly during 1915.

Turkey says only 300,000 Armenians died, and argues that it was
largely the result of unrest during the war following the invasion
by Russian forces of eastern Turkey, where most Armenians lived.

The bill has caused anger in Turkey, where it is seen as an attempt
by the party of President Nicolas Sarkozy to woo half a million
voters of Armenian origin ahead of next year’s presidential and
parliamentary elections.

Turkey has warned of ‘grave consequences’ if the assembly approves
the bill.

From: A. Papazian