Kiro Manoyan, the manager of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau Hay Dat and Political Issues Office, said at Urbat Club today that finding the genocide bill unconstitutional by the French Constitutional Council the day before was a result of the Turkish threats.
He is not inclined to thinking that the ruling of the Constitutional Council was a move predetermined by the French government, “It was an issue of pleasing or not pleasing, offending or not offending Turkey, anyway, it was not a political game or a predetermined move. Certainly, there is such a version, but it is a bit exaggerated. Our National Assembly did not discuss that issue for 12 hours, both houses of the French parliament discussed that issue for more than 12 hours, I don’t think it is probable that they played.”
The ruling of unconstitutionality was voted on by secret ballots, in which 8 out of 11 members participated, “The ruling is not that flawless. The Turkish threats and political pressure yielded a result. February was not that good a month for our issues from the legal perspective, but we will have a problem also with the 9th appellate court of California, which will also find that the decision of the state of California is unconstitutional – based on that decision cases have been opened, 2 of them have already been closed.”
In Mr. Manoyan’s words, the bill banning the denial of the genocide offered an opportunity for the descendants of those who had gone through the genocide to sue the legal successors of the insurance companies that had operated at the time.
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As for Sarkozy’s assignment to the Cabinet to draw up a new bill, Mr. Manoyan perceived that as a manifestation of good will. However, Mr. Manoyan thinks that even if Sarkozy is reelected, he will not manage to carry it through, “He will not be able to carry it through in the framework of his present powers. This is a new process and must start from the National Assembly; it may start from Senate too. It is always possible to convene a snap meeting, but I don’t think this is an issue, for which a snap meeting may be convened.”
Arpine SIMONYAN
