Sarkozy urges Turkey to respect its partners

PanARMENIAN.Net - French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that he shows great respect for Turkey, which should, in return, respect its partners.

Meanwhile, the Armenian Diaspora has expressed discontent with some of the French ruling party members opposing the bill penalizing the Armenian Genocide denial, according to Turkish media outlets.

“Some members of the ruling party demonstrate weird conduct on the threshold of the elections. It will become clear in the future whether they tricked us or not,” one of the heads of the Armenian community in France Jules Harounian said.

On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial with 127 votes for and 86 against. Expected to be signed into law by President within 14 days, the bill will impose a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire.

Two separate groups of French politicians who oppose the legislation - from both the Senate and the lower house - said they had formally requested the constitutional council examine the law. The groups said they each had gathered more than the minimum 60 signatures required to ask the council to test the law's constitutionality. The council is obliged to deliver its judgment within a month, but this can be reduced to eight days if the government deems the matter urgent.