French president sorry over adoption of Armenian genocide bill

French President Jacques Chirac expressed his regret over adoption of a bill that would make it a crime to deny the alleged Armenian genocide, Turkey's semi- official Anatolia news agency reported on Sunday.

Chirac made the regret on Saturday evening over a telephone call to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying that he was sorry over the adoption of the Armenian genocide bill in the French National Assembly.

"I am very sorry over the initiative of the French National Assembly. I understand your feelings and furthermore I share them," Chirac was quoted as saying.

The report said that Chirac noted this was a development pertaining to the upcoming general elections in France, vowing that he would do his best to prevent the bill to become a law.

The French president said the adoption of the bill would not affect Turkey's negotiations with the European Union (EU), reiterating his support to Turkey's EU process.

Erdogan, for his part, briefed Chirac the indignation of the Turkish people and his government, underscoring that the bill contradicted freedom of speech principle in the French constitution.

On Thursday, the French National Assembly adopted a bill calling for up to a year in prison and fines of up to 56,000 U.S. dollars for anyone who denies the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century.

The bill must be passed by the Senate and signed by French President Jacques Chirac. However, business and consumer groups in Turkey have threatened to boycott French products.

Turkey, which is facing increasing pressure from the EU to fully acknowledge the killings, has always denied that up to 1.5 million Armenians were subjected to genocide.

But Turkey does acknowledge that up to 300,000 Armenians died during fighting and efforts to relocate populations away from the war zone in eastern Turkey.

Source: Xinhua