PanARMENIAN.Net

U.S. Congressmen against Missile Sale to Turkey

12.05.2006 18:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Co-Chairpersons of the Hellenic Caucus were
joined by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and George
Radanovich (R-CA) in calling on Congressional leaders to reexamine a
controversial $162 million U.S. missile sale to Turkey, reported
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). 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 Karabakh, 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.”

Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram
Hampariam thanked the Congressmen and remarked that the sale of
missiles to a state that intruded into Cyprus with the American
weapons and conveyed these weapons to Azerbaijan during the conflict
with Nagorno Karabakh doesn’t meet the U.S. interests.