TURKEY WANTS GENOCIDE DISCUSSION QUASHED

Jewish Telegraphic Agency
8034.html
April 11 2008
NY

Turkey wants Israel to cancel a planned Knesset discussion on the
Armenian genocide.

The chairman of the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, Hasan Murat Mercan, has asked the Prime Minister’s Office
to to cancel the discussion, Ha’aretz reported.

The Armenian genocide was the main issue raised by Mercan, who headed
a parliamentary delegation to Israel this week. Mercan also talked
with the Israelis about Iran, the Palestinians and Syria.

"The Armenian issue is very sensitive for Turkey," the delegation
told Yoram Turbowicz and Shalom Turgeman, two senior aides to Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert. "We would prefer if this discussion would not
take place at this time in the Israeli Parliament because it may harm
the relations between the two countries."

Turbowicz said the Israeli government has no interest in hurting
its relations with Turkey, "but there are subjects and parliamentary
initiatives that are not related to the government."