Turkey is making progress towards European Union membership but entry is still a long way off, France said before talks on Tuesday between Turkey's prime minister and French President Jacques Chirac.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told business leaders Turkish membership would benefit the Union, adding he was convinced France "will give us the greatest support" at a December summit that will decide whether to open entry talks.
France is seen as the only large EU member state still harbouring reservations over Turkey's admission and Foreign Minister Michel Barnier was careful not to raise expectations.
"We have to be truthful - Turkey is not going to enter the European Union tomorrow," he told Europe 1 radio.
"The road is still long, but it is on this path and has been making progress for some time."
Erdogan, who was to discuss Turkey's candidature at a lunch with Chirac, briefed French officials on Monday about Turkey's progress in bringing its laws into line with EU rules.
France's political class is deeply divided over admitting its Nato ally to the European Union, with critics citing Turkey's poverty and human rights record as barriers.
Chirac, who told a Nato summit in Istanbul in June that Turkey's EU drive was "irreversible", faces opposition on Turkish entry from within his governing conservatives.
Alain Juppe, a close Chirac ally and former head of the conservative UMP party, has said the entry of a Muslim nation of 70 million would distort the 25-nation European Union.
The opposition Socialists support Turkish membership in principle, but party chief Francois Hollande has linked the start of entry talks to Ankara's recognition of the 1915 killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide.
France is home to a significant Armenian population. Pro-Armenian groups were to demonstrate in Paris later on Tuesday against Erdogan's three-day visit.
Erdogan, who is accompanied by a trade delegation, met top French employers' association, MEDEF, on Tuesday morning.
During his visit he is expected to discuss the possible purchase of jets from Airbus for the national carrier Turkish Airlines.
The state-run airline, which is slated for privatisation, has said it is talking to both European-based Airbus and to US rival Boeing Co amid a boom in Turkish air travel.
Turkey's ruling centre-right AKP party, which has its roots in political Islam, has introduced a flurry of liberal political and economic reforms ahead of December's decision.
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