Sarkozy to re-draft bill if rejected: ministers

PARIS - Agence France-Presse

France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy speaks at a news conference at the European Council in Brussels.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy will immediately submit a new draft of a law punishing denial of the Armenian genocide claims if France’s top judicial body rejects it, two ministers told AFP Feb. 1.

“The president told us in cabinet that he would immediately submit a new draft if there is a rejection by the Constitutional Council” of a bill approved recently by the French parliament, said one of the ministers, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another minister said Sarkozy had also criticized those in cabinet who had opposed the bill, saying they “did not see past the ends of their noses.” He said a rejection of the bill by the Constitutional Council could open the door to questioning a law that penalizes denial of the Holocaust. After being approved by the National Assembly and Senate, the law was put on hold Jan. 31 after politicians opposed to the legislation demanded that its constitutionality be examined.
Compiled from AFP and AA stories by the Daily News staff.