International Falls Daily Journal, MN
Oct 12 2007

Turkey should do what’s right

Submitted by Journal Staff on October 12, 2007 – 1:00pm.
Filed under: Editorials
What’s in a word?

A lot, apparently, when that word is genocide.

Genocide is defined as the deliberate and systematic destruction of a
racial, political, or cultural group, according to Merriam-Webster
Online Search.

A U.S. House panel approved a bill describing the World War I-era
mass killings of Armenians as genocide.

The measure was approved despite warnings by President George Bush
that its passage could do harm to U.S. relations with a key ally in
NATO and in the global war on terror. Bush said he will try to
pressure Democratic leaders not to schedule a full House vote on the
bill.

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul criticized the decision to move
toward a full House vote. Later, Turkey ordered its ambassador in
Washington to return to Turkey for consultation over the bill.
Earlier, the country ended military ties with France after a French
panel voted to make it a crime to deny the killings were genocide.

Up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the
time of World War I, historians estimate. Scholars view the event as
the first genocide of the 20th century. But Turkey officials deny the
deaths were genocide. Instead, they say the death toll has been
inflated and those killed died as a result of civil war and unrest.

It’s understandable that Bush would want to ease tensions over the
bill. He views the country as a necessary tool of the Iraq war, as
our military planes, and the fuel used by the military in the war,
travels through Turkey.

However, Turkey has considered a military offensive into Iraq against
Kurdish rebels. That move is strongly opposed by the U.S. because it
could destabilize one of the few relatively peaceful areas in Iraq.

Calling Armenian deaths in WWI genocide has been brought to the table
by Armenian Americans who have lobbied Congress for decades to pass a
resolution that recognizes a part of history we should never forget.

Resolutions about historical events like this shouldn’t play a role
in the world’s current political situation. Instead, Bush and Turkey
should learn from the tragedies of the past and focus on resolving
the challenges in the war we’re fighting today.