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US CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE TO VOTE ON ARMENIAN DRAFT WEDNESDAY
NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Oct 10 2007
President Gul has warned passing the legislation would harm Turkish-US
relations.
WASHINGTON - The Foreign Affairs Committee at the US House of
Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on a contentious bill that,
if passed by Congress, would recognise the so-called Armenian genocide
of 1915.
Turkey has lobbied hard against the bill, rejecting claims made by
Armenians that the Ottoman Empire committed an act of genocide against
its Armenian citizens during the First World War.
On Tuesday, a Turkish delegation led by Justice and Development Party
(AKP) deputy Egemen Bagis, met with US officials in Washington to
push Turkey's case. The delegation met with US Deputy Secretary of
State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns and Deputy Secretary of
State for European and Eurasian Affairs Dan Fried.
Following the meeting, Fried said that the Bush administration opposed
the passing of the bill, describing it as a "mistake".
"We are against the bill and we are working for it not to pass,"
he said.
"We think that the bill is a mistake and there is nothing good the
bill can produce."
In a letter sent to his US counterpart George Bush, President Abdullah
Gul said that the passing of the bill would harm ties between the two
countries and that the Turkish people would react emotionally if the
legislation became law.
NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Oct 10 2007
President Gul has warned passing the legislation would harm Turkish-US
relations.
WASHINGTON - The Foreign Affairs Committee at the US House of
Representatives is set to vote Wednesday on a contentious bill that,
if passed by Congress, would recognise the so-called Armenian genocide
of 1915.
Turkey has lobbied hard against the bill, rejecting claims made by
Armenians that the Ottoman Empire committed an act of genocide against
its Armenian citizens during the First World War.
On Tuesday, a Turkish delegation led by Justice and Development Party
(AKP) deputy Egemen Bagis, met with US officials in Washington to
push Turkey's case. The delegation met with US Deputy Secretary of
State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns and Deputy Secretary of
State for European and Eurasian Affairs Dan Fried.
Following the meeting, Fried said that the Bush administration opposed
the passing of the bill, describing it as a "mistake".
"We are against the bill and we are working for it not to pass,"
he said.
"We think that the bill is a mistake and there is nothing good the
bill can produce."
In a letter sent to his US counterpart George Bush, President Abdullah
Gul said that the passing of the bill would harm ties between the two
countries and that the Turkish people would react emotionally if the
legislation became law.