TURKEY - Jan. 18 - French House Adopts Armenian Genocide Accusation.

The French General Assembly unanimously adopts a bill accusing Turks of genocide against Armenians in 1915. Ankara recalls its ambassador to France for consultations and warns of damage to commercial and diplomatic ties between the two NATO allies. "This development could create a serious crisis in French and Turkish relations", PM Bulent Ecevit declares in Ankara. (France's 300,000-strong Armenian community, one of the largest in Europe, had lobbied hard for the bill which states that "France publicly recognises the Armenian genocide of 1915". Members of the Armenian diaspora burst into applause in the public gallery of the French lower house when the 60 or so deputies present raised their hands in support of the motion. The bill had been adopted by the Senate in November 2000. Ankara fiercely denies accusations of a genocide of Armenians during the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire 85 years ago, arguing that any killings were a part of general partisan fighting in which both sides suffered). Ecevit adds: "So-called genocide claims should be left to the objective assessments of historians. Evaluating and using a historical event for daily politics would be a great mistake". (French Pres. Jacques Chirac, a conservative, and Socialist PM Lionel Jospin have distanced themselves from the parliamentary measure and sought to limit the potential damage to relations with Ankara. "The vote that you are going to produce today is a judgement on a painful past, not on the present or the future", Jean-Jack Queyranne, the minister responsible for relations with parliament, told deputies during the session. "It cannot be an act of accusation. In the name of the government, I reaffirm that our friendship with the Armenian and the Turkish peoples runs deep", Queyranne said. Support for the bill cut across political party lines. Several deputies put it in the context of a "duty to remember", an idea that in recent years has prompted France to admit its wartime collaboration with the Nazis and apologise to Jews. Patrick Devedjian, a deputy of Armenian descent who is also spokesman for Chirac's RPR party, said recognising that genocide had taken place was necessary to stop such crimes recurring. "It is not a matter of historians. It is a matter for one's conscience and dignity", he said. Communist Roger Mei said France "owes it to our compatriots of Armenian origin" to acknowledge that what happened 85 years ago constituted genocide. The European Parliament passed a similar resolution in late 2000, angering Ankara as it pursues its campaign to join the EU. A genocide resolution backed by the Armenian lobby in the US Congress in October badly strained relations between Ankara and Washington, but was dropped after Pres. Clinton warned it would hurt US security interests).