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The New Anatolian, Turkey
March 31 2007
NYT: Turkish-US ties tense over Armenian measure
The New Anatolian / Washington
31 March 2007
The New York Times reported yesterday that a so-called Armenian
genocide resolution set for a vote in the lower house of the U.S.
Congress is threatening to make bilateral relations unusually tense.
The paper said that the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, backs the
resolution and at first wanted a vote in April, but that under
Turkish pressure, Bush administration figures have lobbied for the
Democrats in charge of Congress to drop the measure.
The paper stressed that a vote in Congress would be purely symbolic,
as the resolution is non-binding, but added, "Turks have warned that
it would be felt as a bitter slap, and could cause enormous public
pressure on the government in Ankara to chill its cooperation with
Washington, which has strong military ties to Turkey, a NATO member."
The paper underlined that in an effort to highlight Turkey's
opposition to a congressional resolution, many high-ranking Turkish
officials have visited Washington in recent months. The paper quoted
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as saying that the damage would
be very deep if the resolution passed.
"It is only natural that the Turkish public who closely follow the
issue would also react to this strongly," Gul told the Times in a
telephone interview. "As the elected government of democratic Turkey,
we would not be able to remain indifferent. However, I am confident
that common sense would prevail at the Congress."
The paper recalled that Daniel Fried, the assistant secretary of
state for European and Eurasian affairs, warned in testimony to
Congress this month that Turkish wrath could be so strong that Turkey
might bar American access to Incirlik Airbase, in eastern Turkey,
through which 74 percent of United States military air cargo destined
for Iraq passes.
The paper stated, "Turkey's Foreign Ministry also chided the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday for supporting a resolution
that would condemn the killing in January of Hrant Dink, an editor
who was a voice for ethnic Armenians in Turkey."
"Similar congressional votes have been deferred in the past after
intense lobbying," the paper said. "But with strong support for the
resolution from Ms. Pelosi, and lingering resentment in Congress over
Turkey's refusal to let United States forces use Turkish soil for the
invasion of Iraq, the bill's prospects may have grown."
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 31 2007
NYT: Turkish-US ties tense over Armenian measure
The New Anatolian / Washington
31 March 2007
The New York Times reported yesterday that a so-called Armenian
genocide resolution set for a vote in the lower house of the U.S.
Congress is threatening to make bilateral relations unusually tense.
The paper said that the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, backs the
resolution and at first wanted a vote in April, but that under
Turkish pressure, Bush administration figures have lobbied for the
Democrats in charge of Congress to drop the measure.
The paper stressed that a vote in Congress would be purely symbolic,
as the resolution is non-binding, but added, "Turks have warned that
it would be felt as a bitter slap, and could cause enormous public
pressure on the government in Ankara to chill its cooperation with
Washington, which has strong military ties to Turkey, a NATO member."
The paper underlined that in an effort to highlight Turkey's
opposition to a congressional resolution, many high-ranking Turkish
officials have visited Washington in recent months. The paper quoted
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul as saying that the damage would
be very deep if the resolution passed.
"It is only natural that the Turkish public who closely follow the
issue would also react to this strongly," Gul told the Times in a
telephone interview. "As the elected government of democratic Turkey,
we would not be able to remain indifferent. However, I am confident
that common sense would prevail at the Congress."
The paper recalled that Daniel Fried, the assistant secretary of
state for European and Eurasian affairs, warned in testimony to
Congress this month that Turkish wrath could be so strong that Turkey
might bar American access to Incirlik Airbase, in eastern Turkey,
through which 74 percent of United States military air cargo destined
for Iraq passes.
The paper stated, "Turkey's Foreign Ministry also chided the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday for supporting a resolution
that would condemn the killing in January of Hrant Dink, an editor
who was a voice for ethnic Armenians in Turkey."
"Similar congressional votes have been deferred in the past after
intense lobbying," the paper said. "But with strong support for the
resolution from Ms. Pelosi, and lingering resentment in Congress over
Turkey's refusal to let United States forces use Turkish soil for the
invasion of Iraq, the bill's prospects may have grown."
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.