No Political Implications In French Draft Law Criminalizing Denial Of Armenian Genocide

YEREVAN, December 21. /ARKA/. The Armenian genocide is a "fact of history" and a proposed French law making it illegal to deny this has nothing to do with forthcoming elections, France's minister for Europe has said. 

"Today all peoples must be lucid and courageous in looking at their history. It has been nearly 100 years since the Armenian genocide took place, those responsible are dead, it is simply a matter of recognizing a fact of history," European Affairs Minister Jean Leonetti told Radio Classique. 

The French parliament is to debate the bill on December 22, which would see anyone in France who publicly denies the genocide facing a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros (£38,000), on Thursday and is expected to approve it. 

Turkish officials have accused French authorities of backing the bill to win votes with France's Armenian minority, estimated to number between 300,000 and 500,000 people, ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next year. But Mr. Leonetti noted that the opposition Socialists were planning to back the bill along with the ruling UMP party. 

If this was to win votes, I don't think the opposition would vote (for the law). But the Socialists will vote for this bill, which comes from a deputy, not from the government," he said. France recognized the killings as genocide in 2001. –0--