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ANCA: Armenian & Hellenic Caucus Leaders Oppose Turkey Missile Sale

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  • ANCA: Armenian & Hellenic Caucus Leaders Oppose Turkey Missile Sale

    Armenian National Committee of America
    1711 N Street NW
    Washington, DC 20036
    Tel: (202) 775-1918
    Fax: (202) 775-5648
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Internet: www.anca.org

    PRESS RELEASE
    May 11, 2006
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
    Tel: (202) 775-1918

    ARMENIAN AND HELLENIC CAUCUS LEADERS JOIN
    TOGETHER IN OPPOSING MISSILE SALE TO TURKEY

    -- Reps. Bilirakis, Pallone, Radanovich, and Maloney
    Warn that SLAM-ER Missile Transfer Will Undermine
    Cyprus Peace Process and Threaten Armenia

    WASHINGTON, DC - The Co-Chairpersons of the Hellenic Caucus, Reps.
    Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), were joined
    today by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
    Armenian Genocide Resolution lead sponsor George Radanovich (R-CA)
    in calling on Congressional leaders to reexamine a controversial
    $162 million U.S. missile sale to Turkey.

    In letters addressed to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the
    House Armed Services and International Relations Committees, the
    four legislators voiced their "deep concern and opposition to the
    application currently before your Committee for the foreign
    military sale to Turkey of 50 AGM 84K Joint Standoff Land Attack
    Missiles - Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) and associated equipment and
    services."

    Noting that Turkey has enforced an illegal blockade against Armenia
    for the last twelve years, provides support to Azerbaijan against
    Nagorno Karabagh, and refuses to normalize relations with Armenia,
    they stressed that, "there are no safeguards in place to ensure
    that the transfer of these advanced new weapons to Turkey will not
    be used to threaten Armenia." Commenting on the presence of more
    than 40,000 Turkish military troops in the Turkish-occupied area of
    Cyprus, the legislators argued that the sale would "exacerbate the
    already existing military imbalance over Cyprus," and "worsen the
    uneasy, insecure and disadvantaged position of the Republic of
    Cyprus in terms of its defense and weapons proliferation." They
    closed the letter by requesting a "thorough reexamination of all
    factors pertaining to the sale" of the missiles to Turkey.

    "We join with our friends at the American Hellenic Institute in
    thanking Representatives Bilirakis, Pallone, Maloney, and
    Radanovich in calling for a careful review of this ill-advised and
    destabilizing arms sale to an already over-armed Turkish military,"
    said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "Neither U.S.
    interests nor American values are served by providing advanced
    offensive weapons to a government that used U.S. arms to invade
    Cyprus in 1974, transferred weapons to Azerbaijan during the
    Nagorno Karabagh conflict, regularly invades Greek airspace over
    the Aegean Sea, and has used American military equipment in
    committing human rights abuses against its own citizens."

    The full text of the Congressional letter is provided below.

    #####

    Dear Mr. Chairman:

    We are writing to express our deep concern and opposition to the
    application currently before your Committee for the foreign
    military sale to Turkey of 50 AGM 84K Joint Standoff Land Attack
    Missiles - Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) and associated equipment and
    services.

    Considering the presence of more than 40,000 Turkish military
    troops in the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus, this particular sale
    - if materialized - will exacerbate the already existing military
    imbalance over Cyprus. It will worsen the uneasy, insecure and
    disadvantaged position of the Republic of Cyprus in terms of its
    defense and weapons proliferation.

    We also believe that U.S. approval of this sale will negatively
    influence the ongoing efforts of the Administration to encourage a
    negotiated settlement of the Cyprus question. Support for the sale
    could be perceived as adversely affecting our third-party role in
    helping to bring the interested parties together.

    Turkey has also has enforced an illegal blockade against Armenia
    for the last twelve years, continues to provide support to
    Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabagh, and refuses to normalize
    relations with Armenia. There are no safeguards in place to ensure
    that the transfer of these advanced new weapons to Turkey will not
    be used to threaten Armenia.

    This potential sale sends the wrong political message at the wrong
    time to Turkey and the neighboring countries. In a time of
    delicate diplomatic balance by the United States in that region of
    the world, the sale of this particular weapon to Turkey runs the
    real danger of being seen by the other countries of concern as a
    politically insensitive move.

    We therefore request a thorough reexamination of all factors
    pertaining to the sale of the cruise missiles to Turkey.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    [signed]
    Michael Bilirakis
    Co-Chair, Hellenic Caucus

    [signed]
    Frank Pallone
    Co-Chair, Armenian Caucus

    [signed]
    Carolyn Maloney
    Co-Chair, Hellenic Caucus

    [signed]
    George Radanovich
    Member, Armenian Caucus
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