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The New Anatolian, Turkey
March 17 2007
'Turkey could close Incirlik base'
The New Anatolian with agencies / Washington
17 March 2007
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U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried warned Congress
yesterday against passing a resolution supporting Armenian claims of
genocide, saying the move could result in Turkey closing the Incirlik
Air Base used by the U.S. military
A bill on the so-called Armenian genocide was introduced in the U.S
Senate on Thursday. The bill was drawn up by Democrat Richard Durbin
and Republican John Essington. Senators John Kerry, Edward Kennedy
and Joe Lieberman also signed the bill. It is interesting that
supporters of the bill including presidential candidates Hillary
Clinton, Barak Obama and Joseph Bidenin have not signed the bill this
time. A total of 21 out of 100 senators have declared their support
for the bill.
The bill was submitted to the House of the Representatives on Jan. 30
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried told a hearing of a
House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe that Turkish officials
have informed the U.S. that approval of the resolution could lead to
a shutdown of the base or a restriction on U.S. overflight privileges
granted by Turkey.
He also said the U.S. has been informed that Ankara would respond
with "extreme emotion" if the Armenian resolution were approved.
Turkey provides vital support to U.S. military operations. Incirlik
Air Force Base, a major base in southern Turkey, has been used by the
U.S. to launch operations into Iraq and Afghanistan and was a center
for U.S. fighters that enforced the "no-fly zones" which kept the
Iraqi air force bottled up after the 1991 Gulf War.
He added the U.S. fear was that "passage of any such resolution would
close minds and harden hearts."
At the same time, Daniel Fried has described the events that happened
in 1915 during the Ottoman Empire as a massacre.
Robert Wexler, chair of the Europe Subcommittee and the U.S.-Turkey
Friendship group also underlined that anti-American mood has
increased in Turkey and if the genocide draft is adopted U.S.
opposition would increase.
Joseph Ralston, the U.S. special envoy for countering the terrorist
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Daniel Fata, a Pentagon
representative said that cold relations with Turkey would affect U.S.
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This is an incredibly sensitive issue inside Turkey, and what we are
trying to encourage the Turks to have is meaningful reform of their
dealings with Armenia," said Ralston
In joint identical letters to the speaker of the House of
Representatives and two other senior members, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the
resolution also could inflict significant damage on U.S. efforts to
reconcile the long-standing dispute between the West Asian neighbors.
In the letters, Rice and Gates drew attention to the consequences of
French Parliament's passing genocide bill that made it crime to deny
Armenian genocide claims.
"Turkey cut off all relations with France, including the military
sphere and refused military contracts under discussion due to the
adoption of that resolution. The resolution could inflict significant
damage on the U.S. soldiers located in the region and create problems
for the divisions deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and inflict
significant damage on U.S. efforts to reconcile the long-standing
dispute between Turkey and Armenia," they said.
The appeals went to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and
Representatives John Boehner, leader of the House's Republican
minority, and Tom Lantos, the Democrat who chairs the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs
Turkey strongly opposes the claims that its predecessor state, the
Ottoman government, caused the Armenian deaths in a planned genocide.
The Turkish government has said the toll is wildly inflated and that
Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the
empire's collapse and conditions of World War I. Ankara's proposal to
Yerevan to set up a joint commission of historians to study the
disputed events is still awaiting a positive response from the
Armenian side. After French lawmakers voted last October to make it a
crime to deny that the claims were genocide, Turkey said it would
suspend military relations with France.
March 17 2007
'Turkey could close Incirlik base'
The New Anatolian with agencies / Washington
17 March 2007
Font Size: default medium large
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried warned Congress
yesterday against passing a resolution supporting Armenian claims of
genocide, saying the move could result in Turkey closing the Incirlik
Air Base used by the U.S. military
A bill on the so-called Armenian genocide was introduced in the U.S
Senate on Thursday. The bill was drawn up by Democrat Richard Durbin
and Republican John Essington. Senators John Kerry, Edward Kennedy
and Joe Lieberman also signed the bill. It is interesting that
supporters of the bill including presidential candidates Hillary
Clinton, Barak Obama and Joseph Bidenin have not signed the bill this
time. A total of 21 out of 100 senators have declared their support
for the bill.
The bill was submitted to the House of the Representatives on Jan. 30
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried told a hearing of a
House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe that Turkish officials
have informed the U.S. that approval of the resolution could lead to
a shutdown of the base or a restriction on U.S. overflight privileges
granted by Turkey.
He also said the U.S. has been informed that Ankara would respond
with "extreme emotion" if the Armenian resolution were approved.
Turkey provides vital support to U.S. military operations. Incirlik
Air Force Base, a major base in southern Turkey, has been used by the
U.S. to launch operations into Iraq and Afghanistan and was a center
for U.S. fighters that enforced the "no-fly zones" which kept the
Iraqi air force bottled up after the 1991 Gulf War.
He added the U.S. fear was that "passage of any such resolution would
close minds and harden hearts."
At the same time, Daniel Fried has described the events that happened
in 1915 during the Ottoman Empire as a massacre.
Robert Wexler, chair of the Europe Subcommittee and the U.S.-Turkey
Friendship group also underlined that anti-American mood has
increased in Turkey and if the genocide draft is adopted U.S.
opposition would increase.
Joseph Ralston, the U.S. special envoy for countering the terrorist
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Daniel Fata, a Pentagon
representative said that cold relations with Turkey would affect U.S.
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This is an incredibly sensitive issue inside Turkey, and what we are
trying to encourage the Turks to have is meaningful reform of their
dealings with Armenia," said Ralston
In joint identical letters to the speaker of the House of
Representatives and two other senior members, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the
resolution also could inflict significant damage on U.S. efforts to
reconcile the long-standing dispute between the West Asian neighbors.
In the letters, Rice and Gates drew attention to the consequences of
French Parliament's passing genocide bill that made it crime to deny
Armenian genocide claims.
"Turkey cut off all relations with France, including the military
sphere and refused military contracts under discussion due to the
adoption of that resolution. The resolution could inflict significant
damage on the U.S. soldiers located in the region and create problems
for the divisions deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and inflict
significant damage on U.S. efforts to reconcile the long-standing
dispute between Turkey and Armenia," they said.
The appeals went to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and
Representatives John Boehner, leader of the House's Republican
minority, and Tom Lantos, the Democrat who chairs the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs
Turkey strongly opposes the claims that its predecessor state, the
Ottoman government, caused the Armenian deaths in a planned genocide.
The Turkish government has said the toll is wildly inflated and that
Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the
empire's collapse and conditions of World War I. Ankara's proposal to
Yerevan to set up a joint commission of historians to study the
disputed events is still awaiting a positive response from the
Armenian side. After French lawmakers voted last October to make it a
crime to deny that the claims were genocide, Turkey said it would
suspend military relations with France.