WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Washington is an ally to both the Turkish and French governments and wants their relationship to remain on solid ground, a U.S. State Department official said.
A bill that criminalizes denial of the World War I Armenian genocide awaits the signature of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It would impose a sentence of a year in prison and a fine of more than $58,000 on those who deny any officially recognized genocide.
The Turkish government reacted swiftly to the decision. Officials in Ankara described the measure as "racist."
Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said both governments were important allies of the United States but the matter was largely a bilateral issue.
"Frankly, this is a matter between Turkey and France, and we want to see good relations between them," she said. "They are both allies of the United States and that's our message to both sides."
Turkey in December suspended diplomatic and military ties with the French government. Turkish law prohibits descriptions of the Armenian killings as genocide. The Turkish government admits to atrocities but disputes the use of the term genocide.
