PANEL VOTES TO GIVE TURKEY OLD U.S. WARSHIPS

Ottawa Citizen
October 24, 2007 Wednesday
Canada

WASHINGTON – A U.S. congressional committee agreed yesterday to give
Turkey several decommissioned U.S. military ships, but the legislator
who sponsored the plan denied it was intended to temper Ankara’s
anger over U.S. legislation on Armenian genocide.

On a voice vote, the House foreign affairs committee approved the
package, worth $485 million for Turkey, which was infuriated by the
same panel’s vote Oct. 10 to label as genocide the 1915 massacres of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks.

Representative Tom Lantos, who sponsored the bill to transfer three
naval vessels to Turkey and sell a fourth at a large discount, said
it was a routine transaction with "zero" relationship to the Armenian
genocide controversy.

It was unclear how long the measure had been in the works, and it
now goes to the House floor for a vote.