Voice of America
Oct 19 2007
U.S.-Turkish Relations Strained Over Iraq and Armenian "Genocide"
By Judith Latham
Washington
19 October 2007
Turkey, a member of NATO, is a key U.S. ally on whom Washington
depends for logistical support in the Middle East
U.S.-Turkish relations are in an extremely delicate phase. A member
of NATO, Turkey is a key U.S. ally on whom Washington depends for
logistical support in the Middle East and as a bridge to the Muslim
world. Earlier this week Turkey’s parliament voted to authorize
cross-border military operations into Iraq against the Kurdish
Workers Party, or PKK, as the ethnic separatist movement is also
known. Turkey blames Iraqi-based rebels of the PKK for attacks that
have killed about 30 Turkish soldiers and civilians in the past few
weeks. But Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih has warned
Ankara that a unilateral military operation across the border would
have `grave consequences’ that could destabilize Iraq and the region.
Washington has also urged Turkey not to resort to military action.
Kurdish supporters in Dahuk (northern Iraq) protest Turkey’s decision
to send army to Iraq, 18 Oct 2007
Turkish journalist Ali Aslan, Washington correspondent for Zaman
newspaper, says that the current problems in U.S.-Turkish relations
are not new. Speaking with host Judith Latham of VOA News Now’s
International Press Club, Mr. Aslan explains that they began with the
U.S. decision to invade Iraq in 2003. He reminds that Turkey refused
at that time to allow U.S. troops to use Turkish territory, which
represented the first time that Turkey had said no to a `major U.S.
demand.’ Furthermore, Mr. Aslan says, Ankara believes the United
States has an obligation to help contain the PKK in northern Iraq by
putting pressure on the Kurdish leadership there. He acknowledges
that Washington is now in a difficult position – having to choose
between its ally and friend, Turkey, and its need for `relative
stability’ in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
1.5 million Armenians are estimated to have died in mass killings
during and after First World War when the Ottoman Empire was
collapsing. The historians have generally accepted it as genocide
Meanwhile the Iraqi-Kurdish issue has been enormously complicated by
Turkey’s strong objection to support in a U.S. congressional
committee for a non-binding resolution condemning as `genocide’ the
mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire nearly a century
ago. During that tumultuous period from 1915 to 1923, when the
Ottoman Empire was collapsing and the Russian Empire was
transitioning to Soviet communist rule, Newsweek correspondent
Richard Wolffe says, 1.5 million Armenians are estimated to have died
in mass killings that `historians have generally accepted as
genocide.’
Nonetheless, Turkey rejects this interpretation, arguing that the
mass killings were an unfortunate consequence of civil war.
Furthermore, Ankara objects to the U.S. Congress weighing in on a
matter that they believe is better left to historians. But U.S.
domestic politics is also a factor in the controversy. The strong
Armenian-American lobby has been fighting for a genocide resolution
for decades, and some members of Congress with Armenian-American
constituents in their districts continue to back the resolution.
Indeed some critics of the resolution say that, even if what happened
to the Armenians was tantamount to genocide, they think it is unwise
for Congress to pass such a resolution at a time when smooth
relations with Turkey are critical to the U.S. effort in Iraq.
Worried about antagonizing Turkish leaders, members of both political
parties are now withdrawing their support for the resolution. Many
U.S. lawmakers now think passage of the resolution would be extremely
ill timed and worry that Ankara might deny American access to
critical military facilities in Turkey that are needed to continue
supplying U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Judith Latham’s Report 1.2 MB (Real)
Judith Latham’s Report 3.4 MB (MP3)
Listen to Judith Latham’s Report 3.4 MB (MP3)