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GUL'S SECOND DAY IN WASHINGTON MARKED BY TALKS ON THE ARMENIAN BILL
Hurriyet, Turkey
Feb 7 2007
The second day of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's visit to Washington
DC was marked yesterday by talks on the so-called "Armenian Genocide"
bill that was presented to the US House of Representatives last week.
Speaking yesterday at Washington's National Press Club, Gul noted
that the Armenian bill represented a serious threat to relations
between Turkey and the US, saying "If it is passed, it will have a
shock effect on our relations."
Gul met one on one yesterday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice for half an hour, and later for an hour at a working lunch. Rice
at those times assured Gul that the current administration was working
to prevent the passage of the Armenian bill. Gul and Rice also touched
on the topics of PKK terror, Iraq, Iran, the Middle East, Cyprus,
and Kosovo during their meetings.
During his talk at the Press Club, which was entitled "Turkey and
the US: Allies in the past and into the future," Gul made some
of the following comments with regards to the so-called Armenian
Genocide bill:
"We have no difficulty facing our own history. These events took
place during a time of war. At the same time period, we lost 3 million
people. An acceptance of the Armenian bill would have a serious effect
on our dual relations. Let's not forget that we have been a long-time
ally of the US, and will be so in the future. The Armenian bill should
not be allowed to take Turkish-American relations hostage. It should
not be politicized. Recommendations which we made to Armenian last
year on what could be done are on the table, out in the open. We
even opened up our secret military archives. This bill represents a
real and serious threat to Turkish-American relations. Its acceptance
would have a shock effect."
Hurriyet, Turkey
Feb 7 2007
The second day of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's visit to Washington
DC was marked yesterday by talks on the so-called "Armenian Genocide"
bill that was presented to the US House of Representatives last week.
Speaking yesterday at Washington's National Press Club, Gul noted
that the Armenian bill represented a serious threat to relations
between Turkey and the US, saying "If it is passed, it will have a
shock effect on our relations."
Gul met one on one yesterday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice for half an hour, and later for an hour at a working lunch. Rice
at those times assured Gul that the current administration was working
to prevent the passage of the Armenian bill. Gul and Rice also touched
on the topics of PKK terror, Iraq, Iran, the Middle East, Cyprus,
and Kosovo during their meetings.
During his talk at the Press Club, which was entitled "Turkey and
the US: Allies in the past and into the future," Gul made some
of the following comments with regards to the so-called Armenian
Genocide bill:
"We have no difficulty facing our own history. These events took
place during a time of war. At the same time period, we lost 3 million
people. An acceptance of the Armenian bill would have a serious effect
on our dual relations. Let's not forget that we have been a long-time
ally of the US, and will be so in the future. The Armenian bill should
not be allowed to take Turkish-American relations hostage. It should
not be politicized. Recommendations which we made to Armenian last
year on what could be done are on the table, out in the open. We
even opened up our secret military archives. This bill represents a
real and serious threat to Turkish-American relations. Its acceptance
would have a shock effect."