06 05 18 - Scandal at the French Parliament:

Negation of the Armenian Genocide Jean Eckian: www.inhomage.com

Paris, May 18, 2006

Scandal at the French Parliament:
French members of Parliament prevented of vote

The heavy economic threats that Turkey put forward in France if the French National Assembly voted the bill penalizing the negation of the Armenian Genocide, were of all their weight this 18 May in Paris.

With the initiative of the French socialist deputy of the 8st district of Marseilles, Mr. Christophe MASSE, a bill aiming at sanctioning the negation of the Armenian Genocide purely and was simply evacuated for a technical question of timing.

Actually this is subtle. The time assigned with the socialist party which presented the proposal, could not exceed it time of 1:00 pm. The debate started to 11:30 am, but in this time, two other questions of French domestic policy were also to be mentioned. The mission, consequently, became impossible, when the Foreign Minister, Philippe Douste-Blazy spoke. He will leave it only 25 minutes later, after having taken position against this law by asserting links which link France and Turkey. When the deputies who support the law spoke, the president of the Parliament, Jean-Louis Debré, will authorize only 5
minutes per anybody. Thus, with 1:03 pm, it announced: "assigned time is past, the meeting is raised."

This noxious operation, orchestrated on the most level of State, did not allow the deputies present in the chamber of being able to decide by a final vote, whereas, a vast majority for this adoption was joined together between the various tendencies of the
French political parties.

In the street being next to the Parliament, 2000 French of Armenian origin, listened to the retransmission of the debates by expressing
their distress, the French flag in the hand, while in the enclosure, others stressed "the vote, the vote, the vote!". They will be expelled by the police force.

At the end of the meeting, the deputies have join the Armenian public in the street to explain this incredible situation. All were dissatisfied and in anger to denounce this scandal of the French
Republic.

Patrick Devedjian, council of the Minister of Interior Department,
Nicolas Sarkozy, known as her indignation, qualifying the
Parliament of "Shadow theatre", while Alexis Govciyan (CCAF) noted "a
broken down democracy".

If this text had been approved by the Parliament, the Senate should also
to him have decided at the time of a forthcoming transfer to be ratified and added to the law of January 29, 2001 recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

To support the French members of Parliament, several Armenian Community delegations of France had joined Paris by the train, of Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Valence and Lyon, with the call of the Council of Coordination of Armenian Associations of France (CCAF), with the support of Licra (International League against racism & anti-semitism ), "S.O.S racism" and "Girls and sons of Jewish deportees", chaired by Serge Klarsfeld, celebrates it "hunter of
Nazis".

Against Turkish demonstration was held not far from the enclosure from the French National Assembly, to protest against the legalization of this bill. No incident was announced.

It will be necessary to wait the year 2007 for a new bill.
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V.v