Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

French parliamentary committee approves Armenia genocide bill
by Agence France Presse - January 10, 2001
Posted: Monday, January 15, 2001 07:43 am CST

PARIS, Jan 10 -- The foreign affairs committee of the French lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, Wednesday approved a controversial bill officially recognising as genocide the massacre of Armenians in the last years of Turkey's Ottoman empire.

The decision means the unamended text, which has already been adopted by the upper house, the Senate, will be put before the Assembly on January 18.

The bill is an initiative of individual deputies, and has been disowned by the French government which fears it will have damaging repurcussions on relations with Turkey.

On Monday a visiting delegation of Turkish parliamentarians warned of unspecified "reprisals" if the bill becomes law.

Armenians say that 1.5 million people died in massacres and mass deportations between 1915 and 1917, while Turkey claims a much smaller figure were killed in what it says was a revolt against the authorities.

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