French Senate recognizes "Genocide "

[Guest]

On Wendnsday the French Senate officially recognized the Armenian Genocide

News briefs as follows;

PARIS, Nov 8 (Reuters) - France's Senate on Wednesday adopted a bill publicly recognising as genocide the mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman empire in 1915.

 

The vote, expected to lead to diplomatic complications with the Turkish government, was adopted by a vote of 164-40 in the French upper house.

 

Armenians say 1.5 million of their compatriots were murdered by Ottoman troops in 1915. Turkey rejects the accusation, saying both sides suffered during partisan fighting as the Ottoman empire collapsed.

 

The adoption of the bill was greeted with loud applause by French people of Armenian origin who attended the Senate session and have lobbied for years for such recognition.

 

The French National Assembly approved a similar bill two years ago, but a parallel bid by the Senate was then shelved after Turkey suspended the signing of a $145 million deal to buy Eryx missiles from a French firm.

 

Wednesday's approval of the bill could also trouble Turkey's budding relations with the European union, of which France currently holds the rotating presidency.

 

A Turkish foreign ministry spokesman had said President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Parliament Speaker Omer Izgi sent warning letters to their French counterparts last week over the pending vote.

 

The official quoted Sezer's letter to French President Jacques Chirac as saying that "the passage of the bill would deal a serious blow to Turkish-French relations."

 

It would also block efforts to normalise relations between Ankara and Yerevan and would not contribute to peace in the Caucasus, the letter said.

Genocide,

[Guest]

Turks threaten French for entertaining the legislation, I hope the French govenment will not crack to the pressure as did the U.S.