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GUL TELLS BUSH "DON'T DO IT" WHILE BAGIS LAMBASTS PRO-ARMENIAN BILL
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 10 2007
President Abdullah Gul has sent a letter to U.S. President George
W. Bush and indicated that "the adoption of a bill currently before the
U.S. House of Representatives on the Armenian allegations regarding
1915 incidents would create problems in relations between Turkey and
the U.S.".
In his letter, Gul thanked President Bush for his efforts regarding
the bill.
Foreign Relations Committee at the U.S. House of Representatives will
vote the bill on Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Washington, Justice & Development (AK) Party Deputy
Chairman Egemen Bagis said "the bill on the Armenian allegations
belonged to the garbage can".
Egemen Bagis travelled to Washington accompanied by Republican People's
Party Deputy Sukru Elekdag (Istanbul and Nationalist Movement Party
Istanbul MP Gunduz Aktan, to hold talks with officials from the US
Administration and Congress.
The Turkish delegation will tell the Americans about the negative
consequences that the bill would have on Turkey-US relations.
"I am worried because we are face to face with another move by ethnic
nationalists in the US who are motivated to cast a shadow on Turkey's
past and present," told Bagis reporters in Washington.
Bagis said he did not want to define these (ethnic nationalists) as
Armenians and stressed that they did not represent the Armenian nation.
"These are narrow minded, spiteful, racist nationalist militants or
so-called genocide merchants. They make trade over history.
Unfortunately, for some people this bill has become the way for
earning bread".
Bagis regarded the bill as a new initiative launched by "these
militants" exploiting the weak spots of the US Congress against Turkey.
"We are here for this paper (bill) to be crumpled and thrown to the
garbage can, where it belongs," said Bagis.
Bagis emphasized that the US Congress was judging Turkey in a way
that far exceeds the limits of its authority and said the bill would
cast a heavy blow to both Turkey-US and Turkish-Armenian relations.
Bagis warned that the members of congress that backed the initiative
would loose the whole Turkish nation for the sake of a few hundred
thousand votes.
"Somebody has to tell them, what they will loose in the Middle East
and Central Asia, if they lost Turkey. It is enough just to take
a glance at the map. We want common sense, logic and intellect to
triumph and we want them to step back from this grave mistake. If
this bill is adopted, it will remain as a piece of paper that is
impossible to implement. But the heart of the Turkish Nation will
be broken. Otherwise the common sense will win. Then wide areas of
collaboration will be open before us and a process that involves peace,
justice and development for everyone will begin," Bagis stressed.
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 10 2007
President Abdullah Gul has sent a letter to U.S. President George
W. Bush and indicated that "the adoption of a bill currently before the
U.S. House of Representatives on the Armenian allegations regarding
1915 incidents would create problems in relations between Turkey and
the U.S.".
In his letter, Gul thanked President Bush for his efforts regarding
the bill.
Foreign Relations Committee at the U.S. House of Representatives will
vote the bill on Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Washington, Justice & Development (AK) Party Deputy
Chairman Egemen Bagis said "the bill on the Armenian allegations
belonged to the garbage can".
Egemen Bagis travelled to Washington accompanied by Republican People's
Party Deputy Sukru Elekdag (Istanbul and Nationalist Movement Party
Istanbul MP Gunduz Aktan, to hold talks with officials from the US
Administration and Congress.
The Turkish delegation will tell the Americans about the negative
consequences that the bill would have on Turkey-US relations.
"I am worried because we are face to face with another move by ethnic
nationalists in the US who are motivated to cast a shadow on Turkey's
past and present," told Bagis reporters in Washington.
Bagis said he did not want to define these (ethnic nationalists) as
Armenians and stressed that they did not represent the Armenian nation.
"These are narrow minded, spiteful, racist nationalist militants or
so-called genocide merchants. They make trade over history.
Unfortunately, for some people this bill has become the way for
earning bread".
Bagis regarded the bill as a new initiative launched by "these
militants" exploiting the weak spots of the US Congress against Turkey.
"We are here for this paper (bill) to be crumpled and thrown to the
garbage can, where it belongs," said Bagis.
Bagis emphasized that the US Congress was judging Turkey in a way
that far exceeds the limits of its authority and said the bill would
cast a heavy blow to both Turkey-US and Turkish-Armenian relations.
Bagis warned that the members of congress that backed the initiative
would loose the whole Turkish nation for the sake of a few hundred
thousand votes.
"Somebody has to tell them, what they will loose in the Middle East
and Central Asia, if they lost Turkey. It is enough just to take
a glance at the map. We want common sense, logic and intellect to
triumph and we want them to step back from this grave mistake. If
this bill is adopted, it will remain as a piece of paper that is
impossible to implement. But the heart of the Turkish Nation will
be broken. Otherwise the common sense will win. Then wide areas of
collaboration will be open before us and a process that involves peace,
justice and development for everyone will begin," Bagis stressed.