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ANKARA: April 24 not deadline for Armenia rapprochement

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  • ANKARA: April 24 not deadline for Armenia rapprochement

    Today's Zaman, Turkey
    Feb 28 2009


    April 24 not deadline for Armenia rapprochement


    Armenian-American efforts to win US endorsement on their claims of an
    Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire are likely to be
    among the topics of discussion when US Secretary of State Hillary
    Clinton visits Ankara next week.

    But she is unlikely to see on the same menu any timetable for a quick
    normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, which Turkish
    officials say proceed on a separate track and according to different
    criteria.

    Restoration of diplomatic ties between the estranged neighbors is a
    step that would certainly improve the atmosphere in favor of Turkey in
    Washington, where Armenian-American groups are lobbying strongly for
    US recognition of the genocide charges. April 24, when Armenians say
    the genocide campaign started more than 90 years ago in eastern
    Anatolia, will stand as a turning point in the recognition campaign
    because President Barack Obama, who has made firm pledges to
    Armenian-American voters to support their cause during his election
    campaign, will release an official statement on that day to
    commemorate the suffering of Armenians during the years of World War
    I. Given his clear pledge of support in the past, lobbyists expect him
    to break a tradition followed by American presidents until now to
    avoid the "g-word" in their April 24 messages.

    A US presidential statement acknowledging the genocide of Armenians by
    the Turks would certainly be a deep blow to Turkish-US ties that
    neither Turks nor Americans would be happy to see. But Turkish
    policymakers make clear they will not trade a rapprochement with
    Armenia for US silence on the genocide issue.

    "Our efforts to resolve our problems with Armenia are not linked to
    Armenian genocide claims in the US," a Turkish official, speaking on
    condition of anonymity, said on Friday. Given the complex issues that
    need to be worked out between Turkey and Armenia before any step in
    the direction of normalization, any drastic breakthrough is indeed
    unlikely in the near future, according to Turkish policymakers.

    Turkey severed its diplomatic ties and closed its border gate with
    Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan, who was then
    at war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia occupied a chunk of
    Azerbaijani territory due to a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh
    region. Ankara now says normalization of ties depends on an Armenian
    withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh (or at least a partial withdrawal
    from some of the occupied territory) and a reversal in the Armenian
    policy of supporting Armenian diaspora efforts to win international
    recognition for genocide claims, as well as a formal declaration by
    Yerevan for recognition of the current border with Turkey.

    Hopes for rapprochement have been high since President Abdullah Gül
    visited Armenia last September to watch a World Cup qualifying match
    between the national teams of the two countries. Since then, diplomats
    have been holding closed-door meetings on how to normalize
    ties. Turkish, Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have also
    held three-way talks to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Any step
    in the direction of normal ties with Armenia should guarantee that
    neither Azerbaijan nor the Turkish public, sensitive over genocide
    accusations and widely against the deterioration of ties with
    Azerbaijan, will be offended.

    First visit by new secretary of state

    The Armenian issue is perhaps the single potential source of tension
    in relations with the Barack Obama administration, which officials say
    are progressing smoothly. When Clinton visits Ankara on March 7, her
    first visit to Turkey as secretary of state, the two countries are
    also expected to discuss Middle East peace efforts, Iraq and
    Afghanistan.

    Officials said that any US request to use Turkish facilities for
    withdrawal from Iraq will need to be negotiated, although authorities
    are warm to the idea of assisting a US pullout from the neighboring
    country. Modalities and principles need to be negotiated, said an
    official, once the US side comes up with a clearer set of requests.

    28 February 2009, Saturday
    FATMA DEMIRELLI Ä°STANBUL

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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