U.S. TERMS TURKEY AS IMPORTANT FRIEND, ALLY

People’s Daily Online, China
Source:Xinhua
Oct 16 2007

The United States said Monday that Turkey has been its good friend
and ally and hopes to continue to work with Turkey despite the
present problems.

"Turkey and the United States have been good friends and NATO allies
for a long time," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said
at a briefing.

Despite the problems that have occurred, "we believe it’s important
and believe we will continue to be able to work together as friends
and allies," Casey said.

The United States has urged Turkey to show restraint and not engage
in cross-border military action against the separatist Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK). However, The Turkish government has sought its
parliament’s authorization to do so.

Moreover, Turkey has been furious over a resolution by the House
Foreign Affairs Committee branding the killings of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1917 a "genocide."

Turkey has condemned the "genocide" bill and recalled its ambassador
to Washington back to Turkey for consultation over the matter, a sign
of exasperated US-Turkey tension over the issue.