U.S. SENDS AMBASSADORS TO TURKEY FOR DAMAGE CONTROL

MEMRI, DC
Oct 15 2007

The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates sent their assistants Eric Edelman and Dan Fried
to Ankara yesterday, while they were on a visit to Moscow.

The two officials made contacts in Ankara and met with a committee
led by the Undersecretary of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ertuðrul Apakan. Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman, who is a
former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, said: "We are sorry for the Armenian
bill. We want to overcome this period without any damages.

The U.S. government is concerned about possible harm to our strategic
relations, and will do its best to prevent the passing of the Armenian
bill in the House."

Referring to the Turkey’s fight against PKK terrorism, Edelman said,
"We will communicate to Iraq Turkey’s determination to fight the PKK
in every way and we will remind them of the U.N. rules."

Ertugrul Apakan stated that the Armenian bill humiliates the Turkish
nation and added that the U.S. has the responsibility to stop it.

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