British Justice Minister: Armenian Genocide bill won’t pass

PanARMENIAN.Net - British Justice Minister Jack Straw assured visiting Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the parliament would not pass a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, CNN Turk reported.

"The chance of this becoming law is zero," Straw said. "I can assure everyone on this issue."

After the Swedish parliament adopted a resolution Armenians, Assyrians/Syrians/Chaldeans and Pontic Greeks, many have turned their attention to the British Parliament, where a draft will be submitted to a House of Commons committee after a second reading on April 30.

If it is approved, an Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day will be established in the country.

"The English government and the opposition do not support this draft," Straw said.

The British committee is scheduled to hold its last evaluation in late March; the first reading of the draft was made Jan. 6. A similar draft will follow the same process in the British House of Lords.