Nicolas Sarkozy promises to draft new French law on denial of Armenian genocide

The French President Nicolas Sarkozy has instructed the government to develop a new draft law allowing punishing persons doubting of Armenians' genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Turkey welcomes the decision of the Constitutional Council of France, which recognized the law on punishing for denial of the Armenian genocide adopted by the Senate of France as unconstitutional. Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also welcomes the decision. The Armenian Diaspora in France threatens with protest actions.

Let us remind you that on January 23 the Senate of France adopted a draft law stipulating a year of imprisonment and a fine amounting to 45,000 euros for denial of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey. However, more than 70 senators and 50 members of the Lower House of the French Parliament appealed to the country's Constitutional Council with a petition to cancel the law. On February 27, the Constitutional Council recognized it as unconstitutional.

Nicolas Sarkozy: genocide cannot be tolerated

Nicolas Sarkozy said that he "took note of the decision" of the Constitutional Council and "apprehended disappointment and deep sadness of all who with gratitude and hope responded to the adoption of that law." He stated that he had instructed the government to prepare a new text, taking into account the decision of the Constitutional Council, the "Reuters" reports.

The President of France, who faces an uphill struggle at the election in April 2012, substantiated his decision by "inability to tolerate genocide", the Russian service of the "BBC" reports.

The Constitutional Council of France has accepted the arguments of MPs, who signed the petition that the law on the Armenian genocide was on the edge with censorship. This was stated by the senator Nathalie Goulet, the member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Deputy Chair of the Group of Friendship France-Caucasus, the "PanARMENIAN.Net" reports.

"I have voted for this text from all my heart. I was surprised by the decision of the Constitutional Council. In fact, this decision could be much wider than at present, since the key question is whether it is possible to include in the law the issue, which, according to some people, is connected with the history. Some people feared that the Constitutional Council will affect the law of 2001, the Gayssot law criminalizing denial of the Holocaust; however, the Constitutional Council focused on the text, which had been recently adopted," the French website "Public Senat" quotes Philip Dale, the senator from the Seine-Saint-Denis from the ruling party "Union for Popular Movement" (UPM), as saying.

Decision of the Constitutional Council of France reflects the opinion of Robert Badinter, ex-Justice Minister of France. According to him, the Parliament is not a court if the legislator establishes the historical truth, then the law is devoid of normative nature, and if the law establishes penalties for violation of that historical truth, then the law is unconstitutional, Vincent Niort, the French criminal lawyer, states.

"The Council does not state that the law of January 29, 2001, recognizing the reality of the Armenian genocide, is unconstitutional; it just says that the law is of declarative nature," Vincent Niort has stressed. He has emphasized that from a legal point of view the law of declarative nature has no consequences, the "Le Point" reports.

Turkey welcomes decision of French Constitutional Council

The Turkey's top-ranking officials, for their part, welcomed the decision of the Constitutional Council of France and expressed their willingness to terminate the measures to limit contacts with Paris, which were introduced after last month the French Parliament had adopted the law on the denial of the genocide.

Akhmet Davutoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister, has already promised to consider restoring the economic and military relations with France, which were suspended in protest against the adoption of the law, the "Radio Freedom" reports.

Earlier, commenting on the situation involving the French-Turkish crisis and the reaction of the Turkish authorities to the French Senate's adoption of the draft law criminalizing the Armenian genocide, Andrei Areshev, Deputy General Director of the Strategic Cultural Foundation, has emphasized that "the historical events underlying the French draft law, took place in Turkey of Young Turks, which had nothing common with the modern Turkish state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk."

Azerbaijani MFA positively responds to decision to recognize law criminalizing denial of genocide as unconstitutional

Should France adopt the law stipulating criminal responsibility for denial of the Armenian genocide, then, it would cause much damage to the image of the country. This was stated by Elman Abdullaev, Spokesperson of the Azerbaijani MFA.

"The Armenians, blackmailing France on the eve of the presidential election, carried on the discussion of the law. However, their step failed," the agency "APA" quotes Elman Abdullaev as saying.

Grach Varzhapetyan: Constitutional Council of France makes decision under pressure from Turkish side

French Armenians will organize protest actions in connection with the decision of the Constitutional Council of France, which has invalidated the draft law criminalizing denial of the Armenian genocide. This was announced by Grach Varzhapetyan, the executive staff member of the "Hay Dat" Office of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) in France.

According to him, the decision was made by the Constitutional Council under pressure from the Turkish side. He has stated that the fight is not yet complete, and, in all probability, the new draft law criminalizing denial of the genocide will be compiled and re-submitted to the National Assembly of France, the agency "News- Armenia" reports.