TURKEY WARNS US ON GENOCIDE BILL
PRESS TV
Oct 7 2007
Iran
The head of Turkey’s Parliament has warned the US against passing a
bill that would declare the killing of Armenians a genocide.
AP reported on Sunday that Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan in a
letter to the United States House speaker said that the move would
harm bilateral ties.
In his letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he said that it might
take decades to heal the negative effects of the bill if it passes.
Toptan who is elected by the legislative body to chair parliamentary
sessions, is considered neutral toward all political parties.
The genocide bill declares the killings of Armenians between 1915
and 1917 a genocide, though it would have no binding effect on the
US foreign policy.
The US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee is expected
to consider the bill this week.
Toptan’s letter said the passing of the bill would be acknowledged
by Armenians as a confirmation of their view of the historical dispute.
"Then, it will be difficult to control the dynamics triggered by
Turkish public reaction," it said.