Author: Madatian Greg

Tensions Rise in Turkey on Two Fronts

Envoy Is Recalled Over Vote on Hill; Iraq Action Looms

By Molly Moore and Robin Wright
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, October 12, 2007; A12

ISTANBUL, Oct. 11 — The Turkish government warned Thursday that a
congressional committee vote labeling the mass killings of Armenians
during the Ottoman Empire as genocide would "endanger relations" with
the United States, and it summoned its ambassador from Washington for
emergency consultations.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee vote on the Armenian deaths — one
of the most sensitive issues in Turkish politics and society — came
as Turkish officials said they were preparing to seek parliamentary
authority to launch a military assault across the border in Kurdish
northern Iraq in retribution for Kurdish rebel attacks that have
killed 29 Turkish soldiers, police and civilians in the past two
weeks.

U.S. officials said Thursday that rising tensions over both issues
could have far-reaching ramifications for American operations in Iraq:
A Turkish military attack in northern Iraq could create chaos in the
country’s only relatively stable region, and a Turkish threat to limit
U.S. access to its air bases and roads because of the congressional
vote could cripple supply lines to American forces in Iraq.

"The committee’s approval of this resolution was an irresponsible
move, which, at a greatly sensitive time, will make relations with a
friend and ally more difficult," the Turkish government said in a
statement.

President Abdullah Gul called Wednesday’s congressional vote
"unacceptable," adding, "Some politicians in the United States have
once again sacrificed important matters to petty domestic politics
despite all calls to common sense."

Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy said he plans to leave Washington on
Friday or over the weekend. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara
described the diplomatic recall as temporary.

"This is a serious thing," Sensoy said in an interview. "This is the
first time that an ambassador has been recalled in many years. We have
a sound, time-tested relationship, but these are unfortunate events
that put into danger the future of Turkish-U.S. relations."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his government
will probably present a resolution to parliament next week seeking
permission to conduct a cross-border assault into Iraq targeting
separatist guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the
aftermath of the recent attacks.

Turkey accuses Iraqi Kurds of providing refuge for separatist rebels
who have been waging a war for autonomy against Turkey since 1984.

Turkey’s top civilian and military authorities ordered the armed
forces to their highest state of alert Tuesday. The next day, Turkish
F-16 and F-14 fighter jets and Cobra helicopter gunships bombed
suspected PKK hideouts and escape routes in the mountainous border
regions, according to the Turkish Dogan news agency.

Iraqi civilians said Turkish artillery shells had landed inside Iraqi
territory, according to news reports from the border area.

Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul told reporters, "There is no need for
parliamentary authorization for a hot-pursuit operation" to chase
suspected PKK guerrillas. However, Iraq has denied Turkey permission
to conduct such raids.

Fifteen Turkish soldiers have been killed in the past five days:
Sunday, PKK fighters attacked an 18-member Turkish commando unit,
killing 13 of the soldiers in a gun battle near the border; two
Turkish soldiers were killed Monday in a booby-trap explosion. In
addition, a police officer was killed Wednesday in the southern
Turkish city of Diyarbakir. Last week, PKK gunmen raked a civilian bus
with automatic weapons fire, killing 13 civilians, including a
7-year-old boy. The Turkish news media have described the attacks as
the deadliest in more than a decade.

U.S. and European Union officials on Thursday urged Turkey not to send
its military into northern Iraq, and Iraqi officials warned of serious
consequences.

"If the Turkish troops decided to enter into Iraq’s Kurdistan
territories, their decision would be wrong and they would sustain
heavy casualties and material losses," Nozad Hadi, the Kurdish
governor in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil told AP Television News.

Turkey’s last major operation into Iraq was conducted in 1997, when
tens of thousands of troops and government-paid local civilians
attacked the north.

The Bush administration has scrambled to contain the damage from the
congressional vote. On Thursday, the White House described Turkey as a
"very important ally on terrorism" that the United States will
continue to "try to work with." Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
planned to speak with Turkish officials, including Erdogan, during a
scheduled flight to Moscow on Friday, State Department officials said.

Turkey acknowledges the deaths of tens of thousands of Armenians from
1915 to 1923 but argues that they occurred in fighting after the
Armenians allied themselves with Russian forces invading the Ottoman
Empire.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian said Thursday at a news conference
in Brussels that he hoped "this process will lead to the full
recognition by the U.S. of the fact of the Armenian genocide."

Also Thursday, the son of a journalist who was slain this year after
calling the massacre of Armenians "genocide" was found guilty of
insulting Turkey’s identity. He had republished his father’s
criticisms.

Arat Dink, the editor of Agos, an Armenian newspaper, and the paper’s
publisher, Serkis Seropyan, were each given one-year suspended
sentences for "insulting Turkishness," their attorney, Erdal Dogan,
told the Associated Press. Dogan added that the two were planning to
appeal the sentences.

Dink’s father was Hrant Dink, an ethnic Armenian journalist convicted
of the same charge. He had appealed the conviction when he was killed
in January by a Turkish youth.

Wright reported from Washington.

Source: le/2007/10/11/AR2007101101276.html?sub=AR

PELOSI HOLDS THE KEY TO ARMENIAN RESOLUTION

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 11 2007

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds the key to
the fate of a U.S. congressional resolution that recognizes the attacks
on Armenians at the turn of last century as and act of genocide.

If she allows the resolution for a vote it is a foregone conclusion
that U.S. representatives will approve it. But she can stall it or
even shelve it.

Experts say the bill would not have even reached the Committee of
Foreign Relations stage if Pelosi had opposed it. But since then
things have changed and pressure from Turkey and all other quarters
may force Pelosi to think twice.

Pelosi who is at odds with the White House on a wide range of issues
topped with Iraq is apparently in no mood to listen to appeals from
the White House on this resolution.

But some Jewish groups as well as some Democrats close to Turkey may
help Pelosi see the other side of the coin.

What is clear is that the strong Armenian lobby managed to convince
Pelosi to support the resolution and will also be pushing her to keep
her promises.

LAST DITCH EFFORTS

As the Congress prepared to act on the bill Turkey was making a
last ditch effort in Washington to convince U.S. lawmakers to reject
the resolution.

The House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee planned
a vote late Wednesday on the measure that is opposed by the Bush
administration.

On Tuesday, President Abdullah Gul warned of "serious troubles in
the two countries’ relations" if the measure is approved.

In Washington, Turkish members of parliament made their case on the
genocide resolution in meetings with members of the committee that
will consider the genocide resolution.

"I have been trying to warn the lawmakers not to make a historic
mistake," said Egemen Bagis, the Deputy Chairman of the ruling Justice
and Development Party and a close foreign policy adviser to Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A measure of the potential problem came in a warning the U.S. Embassy
in Ankara issued Tuesday to U.S. citizens in Turkey, a key NATO ally.

"If, despite the administration’s concerted efforts against this
resolution, it passes committee and makes its way to the floor of the
House for debate and a possible vote, there could be a reaction in the
form of demonstrations and other manifestations of anti-Americanism
throughout Turkey," the statement said.

Meanwhile, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs Dan Fried qualified the resolution as "a mistake", saying
that President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as well as
other officials from the administration personally contacted members
of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the House of Representatives.

"We are against the bill and we are working for it not to pass. We
think that the bill is a mistake and there is nothing good the bill
can produce," Fried told the Anatolian News Agency.

"I hope that this bill will be rejected at the committee meeting and I
hope that Turkish-Armenian relations strongly improves for the better,
Fried said.

The basic dispute involves the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians
in Ottoman Turkey from 1915-17, an event which the Armenians claim
was an act of genocide.

Turkey refuses to call it genocide, saying the death toll has been
inflated, and insisting that the Armenians killed were victims of
civil war and unrest as the 600-year-old Ottoman Empire collapsed
before the birth of modern Turkey in 1923. Turkey has called for a
conference of scholars to study the Ottoman archives and decide if
the events amounted to genocide. Armenia has rejected this.

STRONG ARMENIAN LOBBY

Armenian-American interest groups also have been rallying supporters
in the large diaspora community to pressure lawmakers to make sure that
a successful committee vote leads to consideration by the full House.

The bill seemed to have enough support on the committee for passage,
but the majority was slight and some backers said they feared that
Turkish pressure would narrow it further. Most Republicans were
expected to vote against the resolution.

On Tuesday, Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly
of America, sought to shore up support in letters to the committee’s
chairman, Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos of California and its ranking
Republican member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.

"We have a unique opportunity in this Congress, while there are still
survivors of the Armenian Genocide living among us, to irrevocably
and unequivocally reaffirm this fact of history," he said.

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholics Karekin II,
was to give the opening invocation to the House’s session ahead of
the committee vote Wednesday.

Supporters of the measure have been trying to counteract Turkish
threats with arguments that Turkish-American relations were too
important to Turkey for the Erdogan government to scuttle.

TURKEY MEANS BUSINESS

But Turkey’s warnings were underscored by its movement toward an
incursion into Iraq, which should it occur could seriously upset U.S.

efforts to stabilize the country.

Bagis said the resolution would make it hard for his government to
continue close cooperation with the United States and resist calls
from the public to go after the Kurdish militants rebels who have
mounted deadly attacks on Turkish soldiers in recent weeks.

Turkey has previously said it would prefer that the United States
and its Iraqi Kurd allies in northern Iraq crack down on the PKK.

"If the Armenian genocide resolution passes, then I think that the
possibility of a cross-border operation is very high," said Ihsan
Dagi, a professor of International Relations at Middle East Technical
University in Ankara, the Turkish capital.

The United States reiterated on Tuesday its warnings against an
incursion.

"If they have a problem, they need to work together to resolve it,
and I’m not sure that unilateral incursions are the way to go,"
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Many in the United States also fear that a public backlash in Turkey
could lead to restrictions on crucial supply routes through Turkey
to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the closure of Incirlik, a strategic
air base in Turkey used by the U.S. Air Force.

Bagis, a member of the Turkish Parliament, underscored that
possibility.

"Let us not forget that 75 percent of all supplies to your troops in
Iraq go through Turkey," he said.

After France voted last year to make it a crime to deny the killings
were genocide, the Turkish government ended its military ties with
that country.

In related development Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan warned
that the passage of the resolution could harm Turkey’s relations
with Israel.

"If things go wrong in Washington, besides Turkish-American relations,
at certain points Turkish-Israeli relations will be affected as well,"
Babacan told Israeli daily Jerusalem Post during his recent visit to
the country.

Babacan also recalled that Turkey had offered to set up a joint
commission of Turkish and Armenian historians to study the incidents
of 1915.

"This issue cannot be decided by ‘yes’ or ‘no’ votes of the
parliamentarians and no parliament can write the history by mere
political decisions," Babacan said.

US CONGRESSIONAL PANEL APPROVES CONTROVERSIAL ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

Southeast European Times, MD
Oct 11 2007

A US congressional committee has passed a non-binding resolution
describing the mass killings of Armenians in the final years of the
Ottoman empire as genocide. Although the bill has no force of law,
it has prompted a sharp reaction from Turkey.

(The Washington Post, Washington Times, Reuters, AP, AFP, BBC, FT,
The Guardian, Independent, VOA, Zaman – 11/10/07; New York Times,
Reuters, VOA, BBC, International Herald Tribune – 10/10/07)

Turkish President Abdullah Gul denounced the vote as "unacceptable".

[Getty Images]

The US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee passed a
resolution Wednesday (October 10th), defining the early 20th century
mass killings of Armenians in Turkey as genocide. The move, criticised
by top officials in both Ankara and Washington, clears the way for
a full House vote on the non-binding bill.

Resolution 106 was approved by a 27-21 vote, despite calls by US
President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
Defence Secretary Robert Gates to reject the measure.

"We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people
that began in 1915," Bush said in remarks ahead of Wednesday’s vote.

"This resolution is not the right response to these historic mass
killings, and its passage would do great harm to our relations with
a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror."

Armenians maintain that 1.5 million of their kin were massacred by
the Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1917 in a bid to drive them out
of eastern Turkey. While acknowledging that thousands of Armenians
did indeed perish during the turbulent times of World War I, Turkey
staunchly denies that a genocide took place.

The position of the Bush administration is that Turkey and Armenia
should be left to resolve their dispute and that the United States
would not facilitate reconciliation by joining that debate.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif) and a number of
other lawmakers in late January, is non-binding and largely symbolic.

Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University,
explained on Wednesday that such measures do not have the power to
change US law or policy.

"A non-binding resolution expresses the sentiments or opinion of
Congress," Lichtman told the Voice of America. "It could be one house
of Congress or both houses of Congress, but it does not actually
change policy because it does not have the force of law."

Nevertheless, Turkish officials had lobbied hard against its
adoption. Its passage by the committee Wednesday sparked a prompt
reaction.

"The committee’s approval of this resolution was an irresponsible move,
which at a greatly sensitive time will make relations with a friend
and ally, and a strategic partnership nurtured over generations, more
difficult," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Voicing
regret over approval of the bill, US Assistant Secretary of State
Nicholas Burns said Rice would call Turkish leaders on Thursday to
explain the US position.

"The United States recognises the immense suffering of the Armenian
people due to mass killings and forced deportations at the end of the
Ottoman Empire," he said. "We support a full and fair accounting of
the atrocities that befell as many as 1.5 million Armenians during
World War I, which House Resolution 106 does not do."

"We will obviously impress upon the Turkish leadership our deep
disappointment, the fact that we opposed this resolution," Burns said.

ANALYSTS: US CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS SYMBOLIC
By Margaret Besheer

Voice of America
voa76.cfm
Oct 11 2007

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee has
narrowly passed a non-binding resolution declaring as a genocide the
World War I-era killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks. VOA’s Margaret Besheer looks at the implications of
such a measure.

>From 1915 to 1923, Armenians accuse the Ottoman Turks of killing as
many as 1.5 million of their people in systematic deportations and
killings in a push to drive them out of eastern Turkey.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives foreign affairs
committee adopted what is known as a non-binding resolution that
declares those mass killings a genocide.

Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University,
explains that a non-binding resolution is purely symbolic and does
not change U.S. law or policy.

"A non-binding resolution expresses the sentiments or opinion of
Congress," said Allan Lichtman. "It could be one house of Congress
or both houses of Congress, but it does not actually change policy
because it does not have the force of law."

He says non-binding resolutions are not uncommon, especially in matters
where Congress does not want to change policy or does not have the
necessary votes to do so. Lichtman points to a recent example of a
non-binding resolution.

"The House recently passed a non-binding resolution opposing the troop
surge by the Bush administration in Iraq," he said. "That obviously
was very hotly debated and very hotly contested even though it had
nothing to do with stopping the president from putting into effect
the troop surge."

Wednesday’s passage by the foreign affairs committee is a first step
to sending the resolution to the entire House of Representatives for
a vote. But even if it passes there, it will still have no legal or
policy implications.

But despite that, the Turkish government has been very vocal about the
resolution, warning that its adoption would severely harm relations
between Ankara and Washington.

The Bush administration also strongly opposed the measure. Some
70 percent of air cargo headed for coalition forces in Iraq passes
through Turkey as does a third of fuel going to coalition forces in
Iraq by road.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (r) and Defense Secretary Robert
Gates, 10 Oct 2007 Earlier Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice said the United States recognizes the tragedy against the Armenian
people, but that passage of such a resolution right now would not be
helpful to U.S.-Turkish relations and U.S. interests in the region.

"The passage of this resolution would be very destabilizing to our
efforts in the Middle East, very destabilizing to our efforts in Iraq
and Afghanistan, because Turkey, as an important strategic ally,
is very critical in supporting the efforts we are making in these
crucial areas," said Condoleezza Rice.

Non-binding resolutions have no formal penalities against the party
they censure, but their symbolism can be very contentious. In this
case, although the bill is not an indictment of modern Turkey, there
are concerns that a public outcry in that country could lead to Ankara
placing restrictions on vital supply routes through Turkey into Iraq
and Afghanistan, as well as jeopardize U.S. access to a strategic
Turkish air base.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: +374-10-517163
Fax: +374-10-517301
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:
October 10, 2007

His Holiness Karekin II’s Opening Prayer in the U.S. House of Representatives

`Lord, we thank you for bestowing us with the Grace to pray today for
the leaders of this nation who labor in the universal cause of liberty
and justice. Increase their wisdom and resolution. Their actions
grant inspiration and fulfillment to the desire for justice that lives
in every heart. Our Father in heaven, render guidance to all nations,
including the Republic of Armenia – our homeland and center of our
faith – the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

`With the solemn burden of history, we remember the victims of the
Genocide of the Armenians, the consequences of which are still felt by
the entire world in new manifestations of genocide. Grant rest to the
souls of all victims of crimes against humanity and bestow peace and
justice on their descendants. Give pause to those who trample life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

`Lord, bless this land and people. Grant peace and safety to
America’s sons and daughters who serve their nation abroad. May the
United States continue her mission as a great beacon of hope. Amen.’

##

TURKISH FM MEETS ISRAELI LEADERS, WARNED ON IRAN

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 9 2007

Babacan meets Israeli leaders, warned on Iran

Foreign Minister and Chief EU Negotiator Ali Babacan met with Israeli
leaders on Monday and Sunday and was told about Israel’s concerns
about Iran.

Babacan met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem
on Monday.

Prior to his talk with Olmert, which was closed to press, Babacan
had a meeting with Israeli main opposition Likud Party Chairman
Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu highlighted nuclear threat by Iran and expressed his concerns
over Syria for sheltering terrorist groups.

President Shimon Peres received Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan
in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Minister Babacan invited Peres to Turkey on behalf of Turkish President
Abdullah Gul.

Babacan said that he is hoping to find an explanation for the operation
of Israeli warplanes within Syrian airspace on September 6.

Upon a question about Turkey’s role in Israeli-Syrian peace,
Babacan said that Turkey has a close relationship with Israel and
other regional countries. He noted that dialogue and development of
relations will serve for peace.

When asked what Turkey expects from Israel over Anti Defamation
League’s (ADL) change of stance and its statements regarding Armenian
allegations on 1915 incidents, Babacan said, "Turkey opened its
archives for researchers to reveal the tragedy happened during the
World War I. However, Armenian side has not done the same thing yet."

"Turkey wants this issue to be solved through historians not votes
of parliamentarians. A joint commission shall work on it; and then
we are ready to accept the outcome of its research," Babacan stressed.

Noting that the statements of ADL created a very risky situation,
Babacan warned that these statements and its outcomes may deteriorate
Turkey’s relations with the United States as well as Israel.

On the same question, Peres said that ADL is an independent
institution. He added that Israel supports the view that the issue
should be solved through historians not politicians. He said that
Israel’s views did not change.

Babacan also met Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Babacan visited al-Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Babacan, who arrived in Tel Aviv in the afternoon, later proceeded
to al-Haram al-Sharif.

Babacan visited Abdulazim Selhab, the Chairman of Islamic Foundation,
in his office in al-Haram al-Sharif. "You see the situation
in Palestine. Palestinian people are shattered. People outside
Jerusalem can not come to al-Haram Sharif to worship. I consider
this as cruelty. We will get rid of this difficult situation with
the support of Turkey," he said.

On the other hand, Babacan said Turkey would do its best to resolve
the problems and called on Palestinian people to act in unity and
integrity.

IN THE LETTER TO US DEFENSE SEC’Y GATES, GONUL WARNS AGAINST ARMENIAN RESOLUTION

Turkish Press
Press Review
HURRIYET
Oct 9 2007

Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul yesterday sent a letter to US Defense
Secretary Robert Gates arguing against passage of a resolution
backing the Armenian allegations concerning incidents in 1915. The
resolution is set to be debated tomorrow by a key committee of the
US House of Representatives. In the letter, Gonul stressed that the
resolution jeopardizes Turkish-US relations and could have a negative
impact if passed. "If that happens, it will be difficult to control
the reactions of the Turkish public." he warned. Gonul added that
passage of the resolution would not benefit either the Turkish or US
peoples.

WHITE HOUSE: BUSH RECOGNIZES 1915 EVENTS BUT DOESN’T RANK THEM GENOCIDE

HULIQ, NC
ognizes-1915-events-but-doesnt-rank-them-genocide
Oct 7 2007

Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said President Bush
"reiterated his opposition to the Armenian Genocide resolution,
the passage of which would be harmful to U.S. relations with Turkey."

Johndroe said Bush believes the Armenian episode ranks among the
greatest tragedies of the 20th century, but the determination whether
"the events constitute a genocide should be a matter for historical
inquiry, not legislation."

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 genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide. At the U.S. State
Department, the senior official who deals with Turkish relations said
the United States position is not to deny or accept that genocide
occurred. Nevertheless, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried
said, "We do not believe this bill would advance either the cause of
historical truth or Turkish-Armenian reconciliation or the interests
of the United States."

The Turkish reaction to passage of the bill would be extremely strong,
Fried said. It would do "grave harm" to relations with Turkey, a NATO
ally, and damage the U.S. war effort in Iraq, Turkey’s neighbor.

The resolution is largely symbolic and would not be binding on
foreign policy. Similar measures have been offered before and
never passed, but it appears to have a good chance of passage in the
Democratic-controlled House if it is brought to a vote, The Associated
Press reports. – Source: Armtown

FRENCH OPEN TURKEY TALKS

The Independent
October 6, 2007 Saturday
London

ANKARA France’s Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, was in Turkey
yesterday seeking to improve relations after the French President
Nicolas Sarkozy voiced his opposition to Turkish membership of the EU.

Turkey is also upset by a French law criminalising the denial of
Armenian genocide, and by what it says is French reluctance to
prosecute or extradite suspected Kurdish rebels wanted by Turkey.

COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR US ‘GENOCIDE’ VOTE

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 4 2007

A resolution upholding Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of
the Ottoman Empire is expected to advance in the US Congress next
week amid Turkish warnings that US-Turkey relations will receive a
serious blow if it passes.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has previously
expressed support for genocide claims but it is not clear whether
she would bring the resolution to a vote.

The US House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs announced
on Tuesday that it would debate the resolution next Wednesday. Similar
measures have been debated in Congress for decades but have repeatedly
been thwarted amid concerns about damaging relations with Turkey,
an important NATO ally. Tuesday’s announcement signals that the
Democratic leaders who control the House support the measure. With
this support, the bill stands a good chance of passing in a vote by
the full House this time around.

The US administration has said repeatedly that it opposes the
resolution. Responding to a question posed at a daily press briefing
on Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the
administration was "working very closely" with Congress on the
matter. "As you know, it’s — every time one of these comes up it’s
a very sensitive issue. And we are conveying to members of Congress
individually and in groups our views on it," he said. In Ankara,
US Embassy spokesperson Kathy Schalow was quoted as saying that
both Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador Ross Wilson
were in touch with members of Congress to prevent passage of the
resolution. "We are doing what we can to prevent it," she was quoted
as saying by private ANKA news agency. If the resolution is approved
by the committee, it would be up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to
decide whether to bring it to the House floor for a vote.

While Pelosi has previously expressed support for recognizing the
events as genocide, it is not clear whether she would bring the
resolution to a vote.

But according to two congressional aides, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, the committee would
not have taken up the resolution without Pelosi’s support. The measure
is expected to pass in the committee and has widespread support in
the full House, should Pelosi allow a vote. Recently, eight former
secretaries of state wrote a letter to Pelosi warning that passage
of the resolution would harm strategic Turkish-US relations and deal
a blow to Turkish-Armenian reconciliation efforts.

Though the largely symbolic measure would have no binding effect on
US foreign policy, it could nonetheless damage an already strained
relationship with Turkey.

After France voted last year to make denial of the Armenian genocide
a crime, the Turkish government suspended its military ties with the
country. A similar move against the United States could have drastic
repercussions on its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which rely
heavily on Turkish support. Turkish officials have not elaborated
on possible consequences of the resolution’s eventual passage, but
observers say such drastic measures as closure of an air base used
by the US Air Force in Ýncirlik in southern Turkey could be the
possible outcome.

The measure comes at a time when public opinion polls show that the
United States has become widely unpopular in Turkey, in opposition
to US policy in Iraq. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found
the United States had only a 9 percent favorable rating in Turkey.

Turkey categorically rejects charges of genocide, saying Turks as
well as Armenians died when Armenians in eastern Anatolia took up
arms against the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with the invading
Russian army in hope of creating an independent state in part of
Anatolian lands. The bill’s sponsor, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff,
says the bill’s passage is overdue and urgent, with time running out
for the remaining survivors of the killings. "The United States has
a compelling historical and moral reason to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, which cost a million-and-a-half people their lives," Schiff
said in a statement.

Turkey argues that the US House of Representatives is the wrong
institution to arbitrate such a sensitive historical dispute. It
has proposed that an international commission of experts examine
Armenian and Turkish archives, an offer turned down by Armenia. In
the meantime, Turkey has been lobbying intensively in Congress, with
support from the Bush administration, to quash the resolution. "The
administration is very much against this resolution and has been very
active in trying to stop it," said Turkey’s ambassador to Washington,
Nabi Þensoy. "We are very grateful for their help." But Þensoy said
that Turkey’s government may have to respond should the resolution
pass. "We are not in the business of threatening, but nobody is going
to win if this is passed," he said.

——————————————- ————————————-

Babacan tells Oskanian Turkey open to dialogue Foreign Minister Ali
Babacan met on Tuesday with his Armenian counterpart, Vartan Oskanian,
in the first meeting between the two ministers since Babacan was
appointed to his post after the Turkish general elections held on
July 22. The meeting at UN headquarters in New York was held at
the request of Armenia and was mostly a "greeting" aimed at the
two ministers getting to know each other, the Anatolia news agency
reported. The general atmosphere was positive, and Babacan’s message
to his Armenian counterpart was that Turkey is open to dialogue with
Armenia on disputed issues.

The meeting came as the US House of Representatives’ Committee on
Foreign Affairs prepares to debate and vote on a resolution next week
declaring that Armenians were subject to genocide at the hands of the
Ottoman Turks in the beginning of the last century. Babacan said at
the meeting that history could not be written by votes of politicians
in parliaments and brought to mind a proposal Turkey made to Armenia
in 2005 for joint study of that portion of history. The Armenian
minister, for his part, reiterated Armenia’s request for the opening
of its border gate with Turkey, which has been closed for more than
a decade. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

–Boundary_(ID_mk65Gj3OSUPHQLJrzG2JRA)–