TURKISH FM ALI BABACAN: PASSAGE IN CONGRESS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION WILL IRREPARABLY DAMAGE TURKEY-U.S. RELATIONS
MEMRI, DC
Source: Zaman, Turkey
Oct 7 2007
Islamist Turkish daily Zaman reported that the Foreign Minister
Ali Babacan said, "The passage of a resolution in the US Congress
supporting Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the late
Ottoman Empire will irreparably damage the image of the United States
and make the Jews too a target of criticism in Turkey".
Babacan told Zaman "If it is passed, relations with the United States
will undoubtedly be affected very negatively. It will further damage
the image of U.S. in Turkey. We, as the government, cannot prevent
it no matter what we do."
The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs is due
to vote on the non-binding resolution on Wednesday. The resolution is
widely expected to clear the committee and chances are very high that
it will be approved in the House of Representatives if it is brought to
the floor by speaker Nancy Pelosi. Eight former US secretaries of state
wrote a letter last week to Pelosi, who backs the genocide claims, to
block the vote. The US administration is also opposed to the measure.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
