TURKEY PM: US GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IS INEFFECTIVE COMEDY

novonite.com
March 9 2010
Bulgaria

Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Erdogan, has warned that his country
will not send their ambassador back to Washington until the recent
Armenian genocide issue is clarified. Photo by BGNES Turkey has
announced that it is not ready to return its Ambassador to Washington,
until the recent US Congress Committee resolution to recognize Armenian
genocide is clarified.

"As long as the situation is not clarified, we will not return our
Ambassador to Washington. The US must not let go of a strategic partner
like Turkey because of such an issue," Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Erdogan told the press on a visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Erdogan described the decision of the Foreign Affairs Committee of
the US Congress as "a comedy".

"The US vote is the result of a wrong-headed policy," the Turkish
PM commented.

"Such a comedy, such a parody and a fait accompli that will not affect
Turkey. I will say quite clearly that this resolution will not affect
us. But it will harm the bilateral relations between the countries,
their interests and their vision for the future. We are not going to
be the losers," he stated.

Turkey had recalled its Ambassador to the US, Tamil Nan, last Thursday,
in protest at the congress Committee’s narrowly-won decision to label
the killings of Armenians by Turks in 1915 as "genocide".

The decision is non-binding, but could pave the way to a full vote
of Congress, a move strongly opposed by the Obama administration.

PM Erdogan has officially requested Washington to block the resolution,
warning that the text would seriously harm the efforts of his country
to be reconciled with Armenia, a process that began only months ago.

He also commented on Iran and the ongoing nuclear sanctions issue.

"Further sanctions against Tehran in connection with Iran’s
controversial program to enrich uranium, will not lead to positive
results," Erdogan commented, adding that earlier sanctions "have not
yet led to any results".

Turkey, which maintains good relations with neighboring Iran, has
offered to exchange their low-enriched uranium against uranium enriched
to 20%, which will be provided to Tehran by world powers as part of the
agreement, drawn up by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress