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Turks march to US Embassy to protest genocide bill
The Associated Press
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
ISTANBUL, Turkey: Hundreds of Turks marched Wednesday to the U.S.
Embassy and consulate in Turkey to protest a U.S. bill declaring the
World War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide.
The demonstrations in Istanbul and Ankara came a day after the United
States Embassy urged its citizens to be alert for possible violence if
a committee in the House of Representatives votes later Wednesday in
favor of the genocide bill - a move that would be considered an insult
by most Turks.
Members of the left-wing Workers' Party protested the bill in front of
the embassy in Ankara, chanting anti-American slogans, an embassy
official said. The official declined to be named due to the
sensitivity of the matter.
The state-run Anatolia news agency quoted Nusret Senem, a party
official, as saying that the "genocide claim was an international,
imperialist and a historical lie.
The protesters later left books - which they said were written by
Armenian historians and politicians who also believe a genocide did
not happen - in front of the embassy on the sidewalk.
A group of about 200 people staged a similar protest in front of the
U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, private NTV television said. The group
dispersed after leaving similar books in front of the consulate
building.
Fearing an increase in anti-American feeling, the U.S. Embassy in
Ankara urged its citizens on Tuesday to avoid demonstrations over the
genocide measure, which is likely to make its way to the house floor.
The Turkish anger over the bill has long prevented a thorough domestic
discussion of what happened to a once sizable Armenian population
under Ottoman rule.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a systematic
genocide between 1915-17, before modern Turkey was born in 1923.
Turkey says the killings occurred at a time of civil unrest as the
Ottoman Empire was falling apart, and that the numbers are inflated.
Turkey's political leadership and the head of state have told U.S.
President George W. Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that passing
the bill could strain U.S.-Turkey ties, already stretched by
Washington's unwillingness to help Ankara crack down on Kurdish rebels
holed up in Iraq.
"If a country passes a bill that harms Turkey, then we should make a
move that will counter it," said Onur Oymen, deputy chairman of the
main opposition party in Turkey. "More than 70 percent of logistical
support to U.S. operations in Iraq is done through Turkey."
When Washington started an arms embargo against Turkey in 1975, due to
a dispute over Cyprus, Turkey ended all its logistical support to the
U.S. troops and intelligence until the embargo was lifted, Oymen said.
Many in the United States also fear that a public backlash in Turkey
_a key NATO ally_ 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.
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/10/europe/E U-GEN-Turkey-US-Genocide.php
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
The Associated Press
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
ISTANBUL, Turkey: Hundreds of Turks marched Wednesday to the U.S.
Embassy and consulate in Turkey to protest a U.S. bill declaring the
World War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide.
The demonstrations in Istanbul and Ankara came a day after the United
States Embassy urged its citizens to be alert for possible violence if
a committee in the House of Representatives votes later Wednesday in
favor of the genocide bill - a move that would be considered an insult
by most Turks.
Members of the left-wing Workers' Party protested the bill in front of
the embassy in Ankara, chanting anti-American slogans, an embassy
official said. The official declined to be named due to the
sensitivity of the matter.
The state-run Anatolia news agency quoted Nusret Senem, a party
official, as saying that the "genocide claim was an international,
imperialist and a historical lie.
The protesters later left books - which they said were written by
Armenian historians and politicians who also believe a genocide did
not happen - in front of the embassy on the sidewalk.
A group of about 200 people staged a similar protest in front of the
U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, private NTV television said. The group
dispersed after leaving similar books in front of the consulate
building.
Fearing an increase in anti-American feeling, the U.S. Embassy in
Ankara urged its citizens on Tuesday to avoid demonstrations over the
genocide measure, which is likely to make its way to the house floor.
The Turkish anger over the bill has long prevented a thorough domestic
discussion of what happened to a once sizable Armenian population
under Ottoman rule.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a systematic
genocide between 1915-17, before modern Turkey was born in 1923.
Turkey says the killings occurred at a time of civil unrest as the
Ottoman Empire was falling apart, and that the numbers are inflated.
Turkey's political leadership and the head of state have told U.S.
President George W. Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that passing
the bill could strain U.S.-Turkey ties, already stretched by
Washington's unwillingness to help Ankara crack down on Kurdish rebels
holed up in Iraq.
"If a country passes a bill that harms Turkey, then we should make a
move that will counter it," said Onur Oymen, deputy chairman of the
main opposition party in Turkey. "More than 70 percent of logistical
support to U.S. operations in Iraq is done through Turkey."
When Washington started an arms embargo against Turkey in 1975, due to
a dispute over Cyprus, Turkey ended all its logistical support to the
U.S. troops and intelligence until the embargo was lifted, Oymen said.
Many in the United States also fear that a public backlash in Turkey
_a key NATO ally_ 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.
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/10/europe/E U-GEN-Turkey-US-Genocide.php
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress