“One of our great strengths is we do not criminalize speech,” the secretary told a public meeting on Thursday. “People can say nearly anything they choose, and they do, in our country. And so other countries, including close friends and allies like France, have different standards, different histories, but we are, I hope, never going to go down that path to criminalize speech.”

Turkey has so far limited its actions to some demonstrative steps, showing what it can do if French President Nicolas Sarkozy signs the law, which is expected in the coming days.

The vote at the 348-member upper house of the French legislature went 127-86 in favor of the bill – which had gained international attention and sparked controversy since it was passed by the National Assembly, the lower house, in December. The lawmakers deliberated 7 hours before delivering the vote at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday (10:30 p.m. in Paris).