Middle East Times, Egypt
Oct 12 2007

Turkey puts pressure on US over Armenian genocide bill
AFP

October 12, 2007

ANKARA — Turkey hopes its decision to recall its US ambassador will
be enough to block a resolution labeling the 1915 to 1917 massacres
of Armenians a genocide from going to a full vote in the US House of
Representatives, experts say.

Ankara called back its ambassador late Thursday to protest against
the adoption of the resolution by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made it clear she will
submit the bill to a full vote, despite Turkey’s staunch opposition.

Turkey is trying to demonstrate that "we are not bluffing," a senior
Turkish diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The resolution runs contrary to the strategic ties forged with the
United States, and we must make the Americans understand this," he
said. "In diplomacy, we work with the mind, not with the heart."

But feelings are what surge forth when the Turks are accused of
committing genocide against the Armenians, who were appreciated under
the Ottoman Empire as "the faithful nation" until they allied
themselves with the Russian enemy during World War I.

The Turks admit to mass killings and deportations, but categorically
reject the genocide tag.

Ankara strongly criticized the committee’s vote Wednesday, saying it
was "unacceptable that the Turkish nation be accused of a crime it
never committed."

It is now trying to limit the damage with a series of diplomatic
measures, such as canceling joint military exercises and official
visits, to prevent the bill being adopted by the House.

The first move was to call back Turkey’s ambassador in Washington,
Nabi Sensoy, Thursday.

"On Ankara’s instructions, I will return to Turkey this weekend,
Sensoy told the Anatolia news agency, adding that he would stay "as
long as consultations continue," while the White House said it hoped
for the envoy’s speedy return to his post.

On Friday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan downplayed the move,
saying a permanent withdrawal of the envoy was "out of the question.

"He is coming for consultations," he said.

Turkish sources said Admiral Metin Atac, commander in chief of the
Navy, has canceled a planned visit to the United States in protest.

Military ties between the two countries have been extremely close
since Turkey joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1952,
and the two armies are engaged in several joint operations, including
in Afghanistan.

Media reports Friday said Erdogan could also cancel a planned visit
to the White House in November, despite the fact that President
George W. Bush threw the entire weight of his administration behind a
‘no’ vote on the genocide resolution.

"We will pursue our action to prevent the bill going before the
House," Erdogan said. "If it does, there are other measures we can
take, but it is too early to talk about them for the time."

Members of Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party have
already threatened to close Turkey’s southern Incirlik air force base
to US planes that supply troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iraq was already a serious source of friction, with Turkey accusing
the US of not doing enough to curb Turkish Kurd rebels, based in
northern Iraq, from conducting deadly attacks in Turkish territory.

The Turks are threatening unilateral military action against bases in
the northern Iraqi mountains of the separatist Kurdistan Workers’
Party, and parliament is expected to authorize the government to send
troops abroad in a vote next week.

"It is because bilateral ties are at a historic nadir that the
[genocide] bill is likely to be voted by the House," commented Sedat
Laciner of the USAK strategic studies institute, here.

"Turkey must demonstrate that it is serious, and that the bill is
harmful to US interests," columnist Taha Akyol wrote Friday in the
liberal daily Milliyet.