Davutoglu thanks Clinton for French genocide bill remarks

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu thanked his American counterpart, Hillary Clinton, on Saturday for her remarks on France's controversial "genocide" bill, Trend cites Today's Zaman as saying.

Clinton was asked on Thursday why the United States has not matched a move by French lawmakers to criminalize denial that the killing of Armenians during World War I was "genocide". Clinton said the administration was wary of compromising free speech. She said the issue was best left to scholars.

The French bill enraged Turkey, which has threatened sanctions if French President Nicolas Sarkozy signs the bill. The US administration has avoided calling the killings "genocide" despite support for recognition by both Clinton and President Barack Obama when they were senators.

"To try to use government power to resolve historical issues, I think, opens a door that is a very dangerous one to go through," Clinton said at an event with US State Department employees.

Armenians claim that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first "genocide" of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted "genocide", saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.