By Emile Picy
PARIS, May 18 (Reuters) – The French government said on Thursday it would not support a proposed bill to punish anyone denying Armenian genocide claims because it would upset Turkey, the alleged perpetrator of the killings.
Turkish officials have warned France of “irreparable damage” to bilateral ties if Paris passes the law, presented in parliament by the opposition Socialists. Ankara recalled its ambassador to France this month and a leading deputy there warned of a possible boycott of French goods.
But without the support of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party, the bill is unlikely to become law.
Turkey denies claims that 1.5 million Armenians perished in a genocide committed by Ottoman forces during and immediately after World War One. Around 400,000 people of Armenian descent live in France, Europe’s largest Armenian diaspora.
“We cannot accept this proposed law,” Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told deputies during a debate on the bill.
“The Armenian cause is just and should be defended and respected,” he said. “But the bill you have submitted today would, if passed, be considered as an unfriendly gesture by a large majority of Turks, whether you want this or not.
“That could have serious political consequences and weaken our influence, not only in Turkey but in the whole region.”
Turkish media say the bill is an attempt by politicians to court the Armenian vote as France gears up for presidential elections in 2007.
Turkey says the Armenians who died after World War One were victims of partisan fighting that claimed even more Turkish lives as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.
The bill suffered a second blow on Thursday when deputies had to cut short the debate due to time constraints. The next time they can review it under the procedure used for this debate is next November, they said.
The Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement it expected the bill to be dropped.
“Our expectation is that the bill … will be dropped in the coming period and that the historical realities of the 1915 incidents will be investigated by a joint commission of Turkish and Armenian historians,” the statement said.
Groups of Armenians and Turks demonstrated outside the National Assembly as the debate was taking place.
Several countries have passed resolutions recognising the Armenian genocide, sparking brief trade boycotts. The French bill would go further by imposing up to five years in jail and 45,000 euros ($57,540) in fines for genocide denial.
The European Parliament has approved a non-binding resolution saying Turkey must recognise the killing of Armenians as a genocide before it can join the EU.
Opposition to Turkey’s entry to the EU was seen as one of the reasons behind France’s rejection last year of a new EU-wide constitution.
(Additional reporting by Darren Butler in Istanbul)
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