TURKEY’S RULING PARTY WARNS ADOPTION OF ARMENIAN BILL MIGHT HARM TURKEY-US TIES

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
March 13 2007

WASHINGTON D.C. (A.A) -13.03.2007 -"If the draft law (on the so-called
Armenian genocide) submitted to the US Congress is adopted, Turkish-US
relations will be harmed by the Congress itself," Egemen Bagis,
Justice & Development Party (AKP) MP, said on Tuesday.

Bagis is a member of the Turkish parliamentary delegation actually
in Washington D.C. to lobby against the draft resolution.

In an exclusive interview with the A.A correspondent, Bagis said,
"we are endeavouring to prevent the US Congress to make a wrong
historic decision. We will inform and warn them within this scope."

Expressing uneasiness over the situation since he is also the Chairman
of Turkish-US Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, Bagis said,
"Congress members are under pressure by their own voters. The voters
exercise pressure for their own ethnic interests."

"This resolution will also kill the chance of Armenia to open up
to the West. Turkey is the gate for Armenia to open to the Western
world. This is a passage of peace, civilization, democracy and economic
development. However, Armenia insistently tries to close this gate
through such kind of campaigns," Bagis indicated.

"Armenia should abandon remaining stuck between the controversial
pages of the history and should catch up with the 21st century. In that
case we will have many things to discuss with Armenia," Bagis noted.

On the other hand Turkish parliamentary delegation members met
executives of AIPAC, a Jewish institution, on Monday evening.

The delegation is expected to have talks in US State Department and
meet executives of some Jewish organizations today.

The delegation will also have talks in the Congress on Wednesday
and Thursday.