May 4, 2006 - 16:35 AMT
Bill on Criminal Punishment for Denial of Armenian Genocide Introduced before French Parliament
Discussion of a bill on criminal punishment for denial of the Armenian Genocide is scheduled at the French Parliament May 18. In an article titled Election Blackmail of Armenians Turkish journalist Mehmet Ali Birand writes French Armenians are one of most powerful components of the Armenian lobby and have 400 electors.

«Recalling that past time Jacques Chirac won with a difference of 120 thousand votes, we will see votes of Armenians are very important. The campaign against Turkey first was launched in France. It is presidential election period in France and for the sake of 400 votes that country announced the Year of Armenia and introduced a bill on criminal punishment for denial of the Armenian Genocide,» Birand writes.

The Turkish journalist binds the bill with concern over constituency votes. «The French know about the opposition of the Turkish public opinion, the bill will cause. France is the seven among countries investing in Turkey. 220 French companies invested billions of euros in Turkey. Is losing Turkey for a law, whose coming into effect will result in unnecessary problems, worth doing it for France,» Mehmet Ali Birand notes, reports Turkish Daily News.