CHANCES FOR IRAQ INCURSION TO GROW IF ARMENIAN BILL PASSED
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 11 2007
The possibility for a cross-border operation into Iraq to hunt down
the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorists would increase if the US
Congress passes a resolution backing Armenian allegations of genocide
at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire, officials and analysts said.
Demonstrators hold Turkish flags and a banner that reads: ‘I can’t
stand even American tourists’ during a protest against a ‘genocide’
resolution in the US Congress in front of the US Consulate in Ýstanbul.
Egemen Baðýþ, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AK Party) who is having talks in Washington with two other
lawmakers in the US Congress and the administration against the
resolution, said the resolution would make it hard for the Turkish
government to continue close cooperation with the United States and
resist calls from the public to go after the PKK terrorists who have
mounted deadly attacks on Turkish soldiers in recent weeks, according
to The Associated Press.
"If the Armenian genocide resolution passes, then I think that the
possibility of a cross-border operation is very high," Ýhsan Daðý,
a professor of international relations at the Middle East Technical
University and a regular columnist for Today’s Zaman, said.
Turkey has previously said it would prefer that the US and its Iraqi
Kurd allies in northern Iraq crack down on the PKK but warned it
would take the matters into its own hands if no action is taken.
Supporters of the resolution have been trying to counteract Turkish
warnings that passage of the resolution would harm bilateral relations
with arguments that Turkish-American relations were too important to
Turkey for the government to scuttle.
But these warnings come amid the Turkish government’s ongoing efforts
to send a motion to Parliament to authorize a cross-border operation
into northern Iraq, which should it occur could seriously upset
US efforts to stabilize the country. Many in the US also fear that
a public backlash in Turkey could lead to restrictions on crucial
supply routes through Turkey to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the closure
of Ýncirlik, a strategic air base in Turkey used by the US Air Force.
Baðýþ underscored that possibility. "Let us not forget that 75
percent of all supplies to your troops in Iraq go through Turkey,"
he was quoted as saying by the AP. The resolution calls on the US
administration to ensure that the alleged genocide is reflected in the
US foreign policy. Turkey categorically rejects genocide charges and
says the relations will receive a deep blow if the resolution passes.
Strong appeal from Bush, Rice, Gates
Turkish and US officials exerted last-ditch efforts before a planned
vote of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee late
yesterday. In a statement, President George W. Bush strongly opposed
the resolution, saying it would do "great harm" to ties with key ally
Turkey and urging the Committee members to oppose it. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates also issued
a joint appeal at the White House just hours before the committee
was to vote on the measure.
"The passage of this resolution at this time would be very problematic
for everything we are trying to do in the Middle East," Rice said,
adding that the measure would be "very destabilizing to our efforts
in Iraq and Afghanistan because Turkey, as an important strategic
ally, is very critical in supporting the efforts that we are making
in these crucial areas." Gates said the United States relies heavily
on Turkey for resupplying US forces in Iraq.
President George W. Bush was to make a statement later asking Congress
not to support the resolution.
On Tuesday, President Abdullah Gul warned of "serious troubles in
the two countries’ relations" if the measure is approved.
"I have been trying to warn the lawmakers not to make a historic
mistake," Baðýþ said. A measure of the potential problem came in a
warning the US Embassy in Ankara issued Tuesday to US citizens in
Turkey, a key NATO ally.
"If, despite the administration’s concerted efforts against this
resolution, it passes committee and makes its way to the floor of the
House for debate and a possible vote, there could be a reaction in the
form of demonstrations and other manifestations of anti-Americanism
throughout Turkey," the statement said.
Armenian-American interest groups also have been rallying supporters
in the large diaspora community to pressure lawmakers to make sure
that a successful committee vote leads to consideration by the full
House. The resolution seemed to have enough support on the committee
for passage, but the majority was slight and some backers said they
feared that Turkish pressure would narrow it further. Most Republicans
were expected to vote against the resolution.
On Tuesday, Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly
of America, sought to shore up support in letters to the committee’s
chairman, Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos of California and its ranking
Republican member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida. "We have a unique
opportunity in this Congress, while there are still survivors of the
Armenian genocide living among us, to irrevocably and unequivocally
reaffirm this fact of history," Ardouny claimed.
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