France risks 'permanent' Turkey ire with genocide law vote

PARIS: French senators vote Monday on a bill to outlaw denial of the Armenian genocide. a move that a furious Turkey has vowed to punish with "permanent" sanctions if it is passed into law.

The French lower house last month approved the bill which threatens with jail anyone who denies that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide, drawing a first wave of Turkish ire.

Ankara froze political and military ties with France and has promised further measures if the measure is passed by the Senate or is approved by President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose right-wing UMP party put forward the bill.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday repeated Ankara's fierce opposition to the bill which he said would result in "permanent sanctions", saying it goes against European values and would not help Turkish-Armenian relations. (AFP)