TURKISH PRIME MINISTER WARNS US PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

arminfo
2008-01-24 15:02:00

ArmInfo. Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned US
presidential candidate Barack Obama after he pledged he would support
Armenian claims of genocide at the hands f the late Ottoman Empire
if he wins the race, Turkish Daily News reports.

He reiterated that Turkish-US ties would receive a serious blow if the
Congress passes a resolution recognizing Armenian claims of genocide.

"Everybody knows that passage of such a resolution would lead
to irremediable wounds in Turkey-US relations," Erdogan said in
Parliament.

According to the prime minister, such remarks stem from lack of
sufficient information on the part of the presidential candidates
about US foreign policy in general.

"These unfortunate remarks by a presidential candidate risk casting
a shadow on our relations," Erdogan said. "Our relations should not
be sacrificed due to slander campaigns by certain lobbies."

Obama pledged to support passage of the resolution, shelved twice in
the US Congress under pressure from the administration, which feared
it risked spoiling ties with NATO ally Turkey, in a letter sent to a
leading American-Armenian group, the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).