U.S. NOT TAKE NOTICE OF ARMENIAN LOBBY’S LETTER ON LEBANON

ArmRadio.am
19.08.2006 14:46

U.S. Department of State has not taken notice of the letter of Armenian
lobby –addressed to U.S. President George W. Bush– requesting that
Turkey should not participate in UN Peace Force in Lebanon.

Replying to a question on the letter sent by Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian to U.S. President
Bush, State Department’s Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said he did not
read the letter, Turkish media reported.

Stating that talks regarding peace force in Lebanon are under way at
the UN in New York, Casey noted that the U.S. administration wished
that countries which are eager to contribute to this force would be
included in negotiations, as well as Turkey.

ANCA’s letter claimed that Ottoman Empire ruled the Middle East
violently for centuries, asserting that Turkey’s participation in
peace force in Lebanon did not comply with national interests of the
United States.