Author: Kanayan Tamar

FRENCH LOWER HOUSE APPROVES ARMENIA BILL

Dec 22 2011
Turkey

The bill is expected to put France on a collision course with Turkey,
a strategic ally and trading partner.

The lower house of the French parliament voted on Thursday in favor
of a bill on Armenian allegations on 1915 incidents, ignoring massive
Turkish protests against the measure.

The bill is expected to put France on a collision course with Turkey,
a strategic ally and trading partner.

Turkey says the conflict occurred nearly 100 years ago should be left
to historians.

The bill sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine
of 45,000 euros ($59,000) for those who have different views on
the incidents.

About 50 lawmakers were present during the debates on the bill.

The majority of the lawmakers, including Patrick Ollier, the government
minister in charge of relations with parliament who addressed the
session on behalf of the government, opposed an amendment proposal
which said academic and scientific studies on history should be exempt
from punishment set by the bill. The amendment proposal was eventually
withdrawn by the lawmaker who presented it.

The measure now needs to be passed in the senate, the upper house of
parliament, to go into effect.

Turkey, which vehemently rejects the term “genocide,” has campaigned
to get France to abandon the legislation, threatening to withdraw
its ambassador and warning of “grave consequences” to economic and
political ties.

“Laws voted in this chamber cannot be dictated by Ankara,” said
Jean-Christophe Lagarde, a deputy from the New Center party, as Turks
demonstrated outside the National Assembly ahead of the vote.

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative government backed the measure
despite warnings of Turkey.

PATRICK DEVEDJIAN: TURKEY RECOGNIZED GENOCIDE BACK IN 1919

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 22, 2011 – 15:02 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A member of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
French party said the Armenian Genocide recognition is irrevesrible.

As Patrick Devedjian stated during the debate on a bill panalyzing
Genocide denial at French parliament, “by denying the Genocide,
Turkey denies its past. The truth behind the Armenian Genocide must
not be questioned, but rather, supported by a political step.”

“I’m sure both left- and right-wing parliamentarians are determined
to vote for the victory of justice,” the policitican said.

As Devedjian reminded, in 1919 Turkey had already recongized the
Armenian Genocide.

Today, December 22, the French parliament is debating the bill,
which envisages a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros for those
who publicly deny the Armenian Genocide in France.

FRENCH PARLIAMENT DEBATES ARMENIAN “GENOCIDE BILL”

Monsters and Critics.com

Dec 22 2011

Paris – Thousands of people demonstrated outside France’s National
Assembly on Thursday, as parliamentarians prepared to vote on a bill
that would make it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered a genocide
at the hands of Ottoman Turks.

The demonstrators, mostly French people of Turkish origin, waved
Turkish and French flags and placards denouncing the bill. The police
estimated their numbers at around 4,000.

‘History must not serve politics,’ one placard read.

‘Fishing for votes must not be done at the expense of a country’s
history,’ another one read.

The controversial bill 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 recognizes two events as genocides: the Nazi Holocaust of Jews
during World War II and the mass killings of Armenians in eastern
Turkey during World War I.

A separate law already criminalizes Holocaust denial.

In Turkey, the bill is seen as an attempt by President Nicolas
Sarkozy’s party to curry favour with a small but influential Armenian
diaspora ahead of next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

‘It’s not because a powerful lobby says it (genocide) that I will
say it,’ Halil Karayel, who lives in the eastern city of Strasbourg,
told dpa.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenian citizens of the Ottoman
Empire were either killed or died of neglect on deportation marches
to the Syrian desert in 1915-18. Before becoming president in 2007,
Sarkozy had promised to push through legislation on genocide denial.

Turkey rejects the genocide tag. Ankara says some 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, which was proposed by a member of the ruling Union for a
Popular Movement, enjoys the backing of most French lawmakers.

Some members of the UMP have opposed the bill, however.

UMP deputy Michel Diefenbacher told the assembly, which was only
about one-third full for the vote, that he opposed any attempt by
France to impose its reading of history on another sovereign state.

Once approved by assembly members, the bill will go to the Senate.

Thursday’s debate was broadcast live in Turkey, where the government
has already warned of ‘grave’ consequences for Franco-Turkish relations
if the assembly approves the bill.

A delegation of Turkish parliamentarians travelled to Paris this week
to lobby against the vote but failed to convince the government to
call it off.

The standoff is the latest to rock Franco-Turkish relations, which
have already soured over Sarkozy’s resolute opposition to Turkey
joining the European Union.

French European Affairs Minister Jean Leonetti has downplayed the
possible fallout with Turkey, telling France Inter Radio that its
threatened reprisals were ’empty threats.’

FRENCH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PASSES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL CRIMINALIZATION BILL

Tert.am
22.12.11

The bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide has received
the the French National Assembly’s approval.

Under the legal act proposed by lawmaker Valerie Voyer, anyone on
the territory of France denying the fact of the Armenian massacres
in the Ottoman Empire in the WWI period will face one year in prison
and a fine of 45,000 Euros.

A similar bill adopted by the National Assembly on October 16, 2006
was never approved by the Senate. In May, 2011, the upper chamber of
the French parliament rejected the proposal by a vote of 74 in favor
and 196 against.

Ankara has numerously slammed France over the bill, saying that its
passage would have irrevocable consequences on the French-Turkish
relations. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently said
the initiative is against the Turkish state, Turkish nation and the
Turkish community of France. In a letter to French President Nicolas
Sarkozy, the Erdogan said the adoption of the bill would neghatively
affect the political, economic and cultural relations between the
two countries.

KARABAKH’S INVOLVEMENT IN PEACE PROCESS SIGNALS RECOGNITION

Tert.am
22.12.11

The key achievement of the peace talks over Nagorno-Karabakh is
the country’s involvement in consultative discussions together
with Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group, Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan,
a political analyst, has said.

“Nagorno-Karabakh, as a subject, is actively involved in the process
this year, the fact already signaling recognition,” he told a news
conference on Thursday. “It is noteworthy that several western
diplomats highlight the importance of involving Karabakh in the
negotiations to avoid a stalemate.”

The expert said the transfer of Russia’s chairmanship to the other
co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group was an essential shift in
the process.

“No matter who has assumed chairmanship, we realize it is very hard
to achieve a political decision. That’s why we will try to implement
social programs. The western diplomats, whenever I speak to them,
say Artsakh’s independence will be recognized, but they don’t know
how,” he added.

MP: GENOCIDE DENIAL POLICY SHOULD NOT BE TOLERATED IN FRANCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 22, 2011 – 15:10 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial
refers not only to Armenian reality but targets the policy of denial
and racism, a French member of parliament said.

“Denial is unacceptable and should not be tolerated in a country
like France. I hope that everyone will vote today, being guided by
the conscience,” Patrice Calmejane said, adding that he will support
the bill, which envisages a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros
for those who publicly deny the Armenian Genocide in France.

TATEV CABLEWAY READY TO SECURELY OPERATE IN THE COMING YEARS

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 21, 2011
YEREVAN

Armenia’s Tatev – Wings of Tatev – cableway has already transferred
to winter regime and has been regularly operating since December 20.

îead of the Cableway Tigran Ghazaryan said the cableway was equipped
with special electronic and mechanical systems to accommodate to
Syunik’s winter conditions (winds, humidity).

Swiss Garaventa-Doppelmayr experts have also carried out annual
technical inspection and maintenance work. It was registered that the
cableway is in excellent technical condition and ready to securely
operate in the coming years.

This year the cableway will work till December 29, and then will
operate on January 5-6. In January and February it will operate only
in weekends.

ARMENIA TO HOST 5TH WINTER FESTIVAL DEC 24-27

PanARMENIAN.Net
December 21, 2011 – 14:08 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On December 24-27, Armenia will be hosting the 5th
Winter Festival which has already become a tradition.

As the Festival initiator, Deem Communications director Raffi Niziblian
told a news conference in Yerevan, the event will kick off Dec 24 with
a traditional procession. The participants will march from the Republic
Square to the Lovers Park, where a festive concert will take place.

Mr. Niziblian noted winter games and musical days as the highlights of
the festival. The Winter Fest will be closed with a Santa Claus race,
with the winner to be awarded an Ipad.

Series of online events, including a Dec 26 online party will be
organised on Winter Fest sidelines.

“I hope that the event will not only help create a New Year spirit but
also contribute to Armenia’s image as the center of winter tourism,”
Mr. Niziblian stressed.

BORROWED VOICE: TURKISH ACTRESS SINGS ARMENIAN IN UPCOMING MOVIE

21.12.11 | 14:12

Popular Turkish actress Demet Akbag sings an Armenian folk song in
a movie directed by Joseph Pirhasan to be aired in Turkey in early
January.

In “Last Stop is Salvation” or “Liberation is Final Destination”
(translated from Turkish), featuring a story of women fighting against
violence, the 52-year-old actress stars as Vardanush and sings “Aman,
Aghavni” (Oh, Dove), a song favored by Istanbul-Armenians, Turkish
Habermonitor reports. The actress took private lessons to be able to
sing it in Armenian (albeit with a heavy accent).

The movie clip is available on Habermonitor at

TURKEY URGES FRANCE TO DROP GENOCIDE BILL

armradio.am
21.12.2011 12:13

Turkish President Abdullah Gul called on France yesterday to drop a
parliamentary bill making it illegal to deny the 1915 mass killing
of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey was genocide.

Gul said the planned legislation is unacceptable and strongly urged the
French to reconsider. “It is not possible for us to accept this bill
which denies us the freedom to reject unfair and groundless accusations
targeting our country and our nation,” Gul said in a statement.

The remarks of the Turkish president came as the French parliament
prepares to vote on the draft bill on Thursday. The law proposes
a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of 45,000 euros
($58,000) for those who deny the ‘genocide’ of Armenians by the
Ottoman government during World War I.