CNN
2007/10/11

Turks warn U.S. over genocide vote

* Story Highlights
* Turkish foreign ministry says Armenia vote jeopardizes U.S.-Turkish relations
* U.S. House committee approves resolution recognizing Armenian "genocide"
* Resolution was opposed by U.S. President Bush, Secretary of State Rice
* Rice to call Turkish leaders to express "deep disappointment" with vote

(CNN) — Turkey’s government on Thursday warned the U.S. that a
congressional bill recognizing the mass killings of Armenians during
World War One as genocide could jeopardize relations between the two
countries.

In a statement, Turkey’s foreign ministry said the country’s
government "resents and condemns this decision" and called the
resolution an "irresponsible act" at an "extremely critical time."

The issue threatened to "not only endanger the relations with a
friendly and allied nation but also jeopardize a strategic partnership
that has been cultivated for generations," it added.

"We still hope that common sense will prevail and that the House of
Representatives will not move this resolution any further."

The resolution was passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a
27-21 vote — the first step towards a full House vote — on Wednesday
evening despite opposition from U.S. President George W. Bush.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who has warned in a letter to Bush
that U.S. recognition of the mass killings as genocide would cause
"serious problems" between the countries, called the resolution
"unacceptable."

Meanwhile Turkey’s ambassador to the U.S., Nabi Sensoy, said the
resolution would be a "very injurious move to the psyche of the
Turkish people," predicting that its passage would create a backlash
in his country.

Egemen Bagis, a foreign policy adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, told an audience in Washington that U.S. lawmakers
wanted to play hard ball, adding: "I can assure you Turkey knows how
to play hard ball."

Bagis added that Turkey would respond if Congress passed a bill and
warned: "I can promise you it won’t be pleasant."

He cited Turkey’s refusal to allow French airplanes to cross its air
space since France passed a law declaring it a crime to deny that the
mass killings of Armenians between 1915 and 1923 constituted genocide.

The vote was also strongly criticized by Turkish newspapers, The
Associated Press reported. "Bill of hatred," said Hurriyet’s front
page, while Vatan’s headline read "27 foolish Americans.

Turkish protests come with relations between Washington and Ankara
already tense amid Turkish military and political preparations for a
possible strike into northern Iraq in response to recent attacks by
Kurdish militants.

Turkey accuses fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of
operating from bases inside Iraqi territory. However, the U.S. has
urged its NATO ally to refrain amid fears they could destabilize the
relatively peaceful region — a key route for supplies into northern
Iraq.

Turkish lawmakers were due to meet on Thursday to discuss a motion
intended to secure their approval for cross-border operations.

But Turkish Prime Minister told CNN Turk that a decision was unlikely
before next week due to the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.

Bush, along with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense
Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday warned U.S. lawmakers that the
Armenia "genocide" resolution would create unnecessary headaches for
U.S. relations with Turkey.

Speaking after the vote, U.S. Undersecretary of State Nick Burns told
reporters that Rice would call the Turkish leadership Thursday to
express the administration’s "deep disappointment" over the vote.

"We want to convey to the Turkish people and the Turkish government a
message of respect and a message of support for them and the hope we
can continue to work together with them," Burns said.

Democratic representatives said they intended to bring the resolution
to the House floor for a full vote. Adam Schiff, the resolution’s
sponsor, said the U.S. had a "compelling historical and moral reason"
to recognize the mass killing of Armenians as genocide.

But House Minority Leader John Boehner said jeopardizing the U.S.
military and strategic alliance with Turkey would be "totally
irresponsible."

"Let the historians decide what happened 90 years ago," he added.

The resolution says that the deportation of nearly two million
Armenians from the Ottoman Empire during and after World War One,
resulting in the deaths of 1.5 million of them, was "systematic" and
"deliberate," amounting to "genocide."

The Armenian government and Armenians around the world, including many
Armenian-Americans, have been pressing for international recognition
of their contention that their people were the victims of genocide at
the hands of the Ottoman Turks.

Armenian President Robert Kocharian welcomed the resolution on
Thursday, AP reported, saying: "We hope this process will lead to a
full recognition by the United States of America … of the genocide."

The issue remains highly sensitive in Turkey, where many insist there
was no organized campaign against the Armenians and that many Turks
also died in the chaos and violence of the period.

In an interview with CNN, Sensoy said the events of the era were
tragic for both Turks and Armenians and that hundreds of thousands
died in "mutual killings."

CNN’s Deirdre Walsh, Elise Labott and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

Source: protests/index.html