Turkish President Abdullah Gul has called on France to halt plans for a law criminalising the denial of the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I as genocide.
The French lower house of parliament is due to consider a bill that proposes a one-year prison term and a heavy fine.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million people died during mass deportations. Turkey puts the figure at closer to 300,000.
In a statement, President Gul said the proposed legislation, set to go before the National Assembly on Thursday, denied Turkey the freedom to reject unfair and groundless accusations . He also suggested that France was jeopardising
centuries of friendship because of small political calculations .
Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote to French President Nicolas Sarkozy warning him that bill was hostile and directly targeted Turkey and Turks living in France. Such steps will have grave consequences for
future relations between Turkey and France in political, economic, cultural and all areas, and the responsibility will rest with those behind this initiative, the Anatolia news agency quoted him as saying.
A delegation of Turkish MPs and businessmen has travelled to Paris to lobby against the bill and was due to meet Sarkozy's diplomatic adviser, Jean-David Levitte, and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe.
Update: Passed
23rd December 2011. See article
from bbc.co.uk
The Turkish prime minister has announced measures against France after MPs passed a bill criminalising denial of the 1915-16 Armenian
genocide .
Ankara is recalling its ambassador and freezing political visits as well as joint military projects, including exercises, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
The bill was passed by the French National Assembly on Thursday and is due to go before the Senate next year.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe has publicly opposed it.
Under the bill, those publicly denying genocide would face a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros.