Strong Views on French Vote, Armenia

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It is really stupid to assume that the French cannot decide for themselves how to vote on this matter. As an American I find it interesting that the US is being made a pawn in this political tug of war. Most of us in America could care less how the French vote. What I would like to see is for Schroeder to stop cozying up to Chirac. Between the two of them they would sell their souls to the devil for a couple of euros. The French people are much smarter than they are given credit for. If they vote "non" it is because they think the constitution will do nothing for them or France. -- Dale Peck, United States

It is not my privilege to vote on the constitution of the EU but if I could, I definitely would vote for it. Nothing is perfect, and time will test its value, but we need courage to embrace the new. -- Elisabeth Heptner

I hope the French (and others) will reject the EU constitution. Power should be diffused, not concentrated. Creating one power over all the peoples of Europe invites tyranny that is frightfully like that attempted by Hitler. The world has already seen this play and we should remember how the plot unfolded. Germany should never be allowed to assert its hegemony over its neighbors. -- John Martinez Pavliga, United States

For me this vote is not about simply tidying up the EU parliament to make room for the newer members. Tony Blair's government ... flatly denies that this constitution is the start of a European Federation. I disagree with this strongly. I've read numerous reports which say that many of the mainland European politicians do believe that this constitution is an important stage in federalization. I do not want to be part of a European Federation. The government within Britain already has too many levels of government. The EU Parliament is already unnecessary, so why do we need to give it more power? I believe that the people of Britain must be free to decide their own destiny without the influence of mainland Europe and the EU is not compatible to the vision. -- James Phillips, Great Britain

The Armenian tragedy during WWI has been recognized by most international experts and even some Turkish intellectuals such as Orhan Pamuk and Taner Akcam as a mass-slaugher by Turkish soliders. However, it was not a Holocaust-like genocide, but rather a civil war similar to strife within the Ottoman territory when the Russian forces invaded eastern Anatolia with the help of the Armenians. Turkey should apologize for any excesses in the historical context, but the EU should forget pressuring Ankara into admitting something which is inequitable. -- Atilla A. Iftikhar