TURKEY WARNS US OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VOTE
By Suzan Fraser
The Associated Press
March 5, 2010, 5:42AM
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ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey warned the Obama administration on Friday of
negative diplomatic consequences if it doesn’t impede a U.S. resolution
branding the World War I-era killing of Armenians genocide.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey, a key Muslim ally of
the U.S., would assess what measures it would take, adding that the
issue was a matter of "honor" for his country.
A U.S. congressional committee approved the measure Thursday. The
23-22 vote sends the measure to the full House of Representatives,
where prospects for passage are uncertain. Minutes after the vote,
Turkey withdrew its ambassador to the U.S.
Historians estimate 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.
President Barack Obama’s administration had been silent about the
resolution until shortly before the vote when it said it opposed its
passage. Turkey wants stronger action to block the resolution.
"The picture shows that the U.S. administration did not put enough
weight behind the issue," Davutoglu told reporters. "We are seriously
disturbed by the result."
"We expect the U.S. administration to, as of now, display more
effective efforts. Otherwise the picture ahead will not be a
positive one," he said. He complained of a lack of "strategic vision"
in Washington.
The measure was approved at a time when Washington is expected to
press Turkey to back sanctions against Iran to be approved in the U.N.
Security Council, where Turkey currently holds a seat. Turkish
cooperation also is important to U.S. operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Also at stake are defense contracts. Turkey is an important market for
U.S. defense companies, many of which had lobbied against the measure.
"We have had good cooperation with the U.S. administration at all
levels," Davutoglu said. "We would expect our contributions not to
be sacrificed to domestic political games."
Davutoglu said the U.S. ambassador had been called to the Foreign
Ministry for talks. The ambassador, James Jeffrey, told reporters
the Obama administration was opposed to the measure being voted in
the full House.
The foreign minister said Turkey was determined to press ahead with
efforts to normalize ties with Armenia, but said Turkey would not be
"pressured" into taking any decisions.
He added that the vote had put the ratification of agreements to
normalize ties with Armenia at risk.
Last year, Turkey and Armenia agreed to normalize ties by establishing
diplomatic relations and reopen their shared border, but the agreements
have yet to be approved by their parliaments.
Turkey has been dragging its feet, fearful of upsetting ally
Azerbaijan, which balks at any suggestion of the reopening of the
border until its own dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh is
settled. The region in Azerbaijan has been under Armenian control.
Armenian-American groups have sought congressional affirmation of
the killings as genocide for decades and welcomed Thursday’s vote.
The genocide issue is one of many obstacles to Turkey’s membership
in the European Union. Turkey has been struggling to block similar
genocide bills in parliaments across the globe.
The U.S. congressional vote came at a time when relations with the
United States – strained by Turkey’s refusal to allow its territory
to be used for the invasion of Iraq – had recently improved. Turkey
was the first Muslim country Obama visited after taking office.
Davutoglu expressed dismay at the voting process, which was televised
live in Turkey, in which the chairman of the committee extended the
voting session when the "no" were ahead and appeared to abruptly
close the session as soon as the "yes" votes had it.
"The lack of seriousness of the situation shows that such an issue
cannot be decided by parliaments," Davutoglu said, reiterating a
Turkish proposal for the establishment of committees of historians
to settle the issue.
Turkish politicians also criticized the vote.
Murat Mercan, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
ruling party who traveled to Washington to lobby U.S. congress members,
said Obama intervened too late.
Sukru Elekdag, an opposition party lawmaker said the ratification of
agreements to normalize ties with Armenia was now uncertain.
"If (the agreements) come to the (Turkish) Foreign Affairs Committee
they may be rejected there," he said.
___
Associated Press writer Desmond Butler contributed to this report
from Washington.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
