Chirac to visit Armenian genocide monument

PARIS, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- French President Jacques Chirac plans to visit a monument to the victims of Turkish genocide on a trip to Armenia.

Turkey has been unwilling to acknowledge that thousands of Armenians were killed during World War I. A Turkish newspaper, The New Anatolian, reporting on Chirac's plans, referred to the massacre as "the so-called Armenian genocide" and said the president's trip could be an additional strain on relations between France and Turkey.

Chirac is scheduled to arrive in Armenia Sept. 29. He and President Robert Kocharian are expected to discuss Armenian genocide claims and the relationship between France and Armenia, The New Anatolian said.