France risks Turkish wrath with Armenia vote

PARIS, Oct 12 (Reuters) The French parliament votes today on whether to make it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks -- a move which could seriously damage Turkey's relations with France.

French businesses fear they will suffer a fierce backlash from Turkey if the bill is approved by the lower house and diplomats say the controversy could have serious consequences for Ankara's drive to join the European Union.

Although the bill would still need to be ratified by the upper house Senate and President Jacques Chirac to become law, its approval by the lower house would send a strong signal to Ankara about French reluctance to accept Turkey as an EU equal.

The French government does not support the motion, but the ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) has given its lawmakers a free hand in the vote which means it is likely to pass.

''Imagine for a second that Germany today denied the Holocaust.

It is totally unacceptable,'' UMP lawmaker Patrick Devedjian, who is of Armenian origin, told RTL radio.

Former foreign minister and fellow UMP lawmaker Michel Barnier, however, disagreed on the need for this bill.

''Let's beware of this French attitude of being the prosecutor of the history of others,'' he told LCI television.

France approved a bill in 2001 officially recognising the genocide and the new motion, put forward by the opposition Socialist party, establishes a one year prison term and 45,000 euro (,570) fine for anyone denying the massacres.

Ankara strongly rejects accusations that some 1.5 million Armenians perished in a systematic genocide in 1915, saying large numbers of both Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks died in a partisan conflict raging at that time.

''If this bill is passed, Turkey will not lose anything but France will lose Turkey,'' Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday. ''(France) will turn into a country that jails people who express their views.'' POWERFUL LOBBY France is believed to be home to the largest Armenian immigrant community in western Europe, with up to half a million people of Armenian descent living there.

They make up a powerful political lobby which cannot be overlooked just seven months ahead of a presidential election.

However, some Turks think French politicians have a broader agenda and are using the bill to try to block Ankara's EU bid.

The majority of French people are opposed to Turkey joining the 25-nation bloc and fears over its potential membership was given as one of the reasons why France voted last year to reject the EU constitution.

Both outgoing President Chirac and Socialist presidential frontrunner Segolene Royal say Turkey must acknowledge the genocide before joining the EU, while conservative frontrunner Nicolas Sarkozy is opposed to its EU entry under any conditions.

Debate on the bill starts at 9.30 a.m. (1300 IST) and a vote is expected by 12.00 p.m. (1530 IST).

French businesses fear the damage will already be done.

''The jobs of French firms are at stake. I think that this is not the moment to put these sort of interests in jeopardy,'' Trade Minister Christine Lagarde told parliament on Wednesday.

REUTERS DKB BST1403