Anatolian Times, Turkey
March 24 2006

Acknowledgement Of Armenian Allegations Is A Serious Threat To
Turkish-u.S. Relations, Aktan

WASHINGTON D.C. – ”Acknowledgement of allegations regarding the
so-called Armenian genocide in the United States will be a serious
blow to Turkish-U.S. relations,” retired Ambassador Gunduz Aktan
affirmed on Friday.
Aktan, currently in the United States to give a series of conference
pertaining to Armenian allegations, took the floor at a meeting
organized by the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA).

”If U.S. Congress acknowledges allegations regarding the so-called
Armenian genocide and if U.S. President George Bush uses the word
‘genocide’ (in his speeches) this will definitely have a political
impact on our relations. This will constitutes a serious threat to
the bilateral relations,” Aktan indicated.

”Acknowledgement of the allegations by the parliaments and heads of
state does not have a legal liability. For example those allegations
were acknowledged in France but later forgotten,” Aktan said, yet
noted that ”the actual problem is political and psychological.”

Recalling that he was one of the members of the Turkish-Armenian
Reconciliation Committee, Aktan said it was impossible to convince
the Armenians that a genocide hadn’t been committed.

Aktan said genocide had been defined by law, noting that the issue
could be discussed before a court.

Comparing the Armenian allegations and Holocaust from some specific
points of views, Aktan said, ”Jews were killed because they were
Jews. Nobody in Turkey was against Armenians. Jews did not
collaborate with the enemy and/or reclaim territory from Germany.”

Meanwhile retired Ambassador Omer Lutem indicated that convincing
particularly the Armenian Diaspora seemed impossible, stating that
the idea of genocide claim was deepened during the term in office of
Armenian President Robert Kocarian.