ŞENSOY URGES ALL-OUT EFFORTS AGAINST ‘GENOCIDE’ MOVE IN US
Turkish Daily News
Nov 22 2006
Turkish Ambassador to the United States Nabi Şensoy yesterday
sought support from the Turkish government, opposition parties, the
press and business circles as well as nongovernmental organizations
in a move to prevent an alleged Armenian genocide resolution from
being brought up in the U.S. Congress.
"There is a need for all-out efforts," Şensoy was quoted as saying
by the Anatolia news agency. Şensoy stressed it was significant
to obtain support from Turkish authorities, the government, the
opposition and NGOs.
Şensoy also said no resolution on the alleged genocide was
expected to appear on the agenda of the U.S. Congress by the end of
this year but added that it might be likely after the new Congress
takes charge as of January. "The U.S. administration will assume a
stance on the issue by taking into consideration the integrity of
bilateral relations [with Turkey]," he added.
A group of Turkish lawmakers including Istanbul deputy Egemen
Bagiş, a close aide to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputies Reha Denemec and
Mevlut Cavuşoglu, as well as main opposition Republican People’s
Party (CHP) deputy Zeynep Damla Gurel traveled to the United States
to attend the annual meeting of the Working Group on Turkey in the
U.S. Congress.
The Turkish lawmakers’ visit came after the election victory handed
control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate to the
Democrats following the Nov. 7 congressional elections. U.S. Armenian
groups have welcomed the Democratic Party’s landslide win in the
elections and voiced an expectation that the new Congress would
formally recognize last century’s Armenian killings in the Ottoman
Empire as genocide.
In France, a conference on minorities will be held on Nov. 25 on the
occasion of Armenian year, news reports said yesterday.
France declared September 2006-July 2007 as the Armenian year.
Ankara has warned Paris not to let the activities be dominated by
the alleged genocide. France welcomed the comment but said it cannot
control local activities to that effect.