New Anatolian, Turkey
May 9 2006
US congressmen praise Turkish-Israeli ties
The New Anatolian / Ankara
U.S. congressmen yesterday told Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
of their appreciation for the development of Turkish-Israeli
relations, despite the visit by a Hamas delegation to Ankara, Turkish
government sources told The New Anatolian.
The remarks by the U.S. delegation, which was composed of members of
the House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee, were made
during a meeting with Gul in Ankara. The talks were dominated by
recent developments in the Middle East especially Israel, Iraq and
Iran, as well as the Armenian genocide claims, which brought Turkey
to the edge of a crisis with France and Canada.
According to the sources, while the U.S. officials didn’t express
dissatisfaction over Hamas’ February visit to Turkey following the
Palestinian elections that brought the militant group to power, they
praised the developing pace of cooperation and relations between
Turkey and Israel, both strategic allies of the U.S.
Gul explained Ankara’s stance towards Iran’s nuclear program,
underlining that Turkey is against the presence of weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs) in the region, which might pave the way for a new
crisis in the Middle East.
The visit by the U.S. delegation coincided with the visit by top
Iranian nuclear envoy Ali Larijani, something which didn’t escape
notice.
On the issue of the latest developments in Iraq, the U.S. officials
suggested Turkey invite Iraq’s new prime minister to Ankara as a sign
of Turkish support for the country’s political process, diplomatic
sources said.
Gul for his part touched on the importance of preserving Iraq’s
territorial integrity and national unity, urging the U.S. to support
all Iraqi groups.
Gul underlined that while Ankara has the opportunity to deal with the
developments in the Middle East in detail, Washington has a global
perspective towards the region because of its geographic location and
said that despite the presence of differences in perceptions, the
U.S. and Turkey should work together to create a joint vision in the
region.
Concerning the Armenian genocide claims, while Gul explained to the
U.S. officials that the events of 1915 were not genocide, the U.S.
side stressed the need to establish a joint commission composed of
Turkish and Armenian historians to study the controversial events.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
