Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
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PRESS RELEASE
February 20, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA ALERTS CONGRESS TO EMERGING TURKEY-SUDAN AXIS OF GENOCIDE
— Warns of Turkey’s Efforts to Block Decisive
International Action to Stop Darfur Genocide
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
alerted Members of Congress this week to the human costs of the
emerging axis of genocide forming between the governments of Turkey
and Sudan, warning that Ankara is playing an increasingly dangerous
role in blocking decisive international action to end the genocide
in Darfur.
The genocidal Ankara and Khartoum regimes have grown markedly
closer over the past two years, driven by Turkey’s increasingly
brazen efforts to undermine the international community’s efforts
to isolate Sudan’s genocidal regime. The main three areas of
cooperation between the two countries have been:
1) Turkey’s sale of lethal weaponry directly to Sudan.
2) Turkish diplomatic support for the Sudanese government’s
genocide denials.
3) Turkey’s use of its UN Security Council seat to block anti-
genocide efforts.
In recent weeks, Turkey came under considerable international
scrutiny for hosting Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Mohammed
Taha, who, during a meeting with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan,
asked Turkey to use its position on the UN Security Council to
block any possible attempts to arrest Sudanese President Omer al-
Bashir on charges of genocide. During his visit, Taha and his
delegation also met with Turkish Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan
and signed a cooperation protocol between their two parliaments,
expanding the number of visits and improving ties between the
legislative bodies.
Rep. Pallone Raises Concerns:
Speaking on the floor of the U.S. House on February 13th, Rep.
Frank Pallone (D-NJ) sharply criticized Turkey for failing to stand
up against, or even to recognize, the Darfur Genocide, noting that
Ankara is actually strengthening its ties to Khartoum. "Last
year," he noted, "Turkish President Abdullah Gul warmly welcomed
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to Ankara. Yet, Al-Bashir
continues to preside over a genocidal regime responsible for the
deaths of 300,000 Sudanese people in the Darfur region of the
country. Today, 2.7 million Darfuris have lost their homes since
the conflict and now live in internally displaced persons camps.
While all of this happens, President Gul of Turkey has said that
the situation in Darfur adds up to a ‘humanitarian tragedy’ caused
by economic difficulties."
The New Jersey legislator, who co-chairs the Armenian Caucus, added
that, "President Gul greeted the Sudanese leader with a military
guard of honor only bestowed on Turkey’s closest allies. While the
international community fiercely works to contain al-Bashir’s
government, Turkey embraces it. Both governments have a long
history of genocide denial."
"One Would Think Turkey’s Leaders Would Be a Little More Careful":
In commentaries published as far back as last January, foreign
policy experts have been warning of the dangers of the Turkey-Sudan
relationship. Writing about Sudanese President Al Bashir’s warm
welcome during a recent trip to Ankara, (Bashir in Turkey: The
Unanswered Questions, The Century Foundation), former U.S.
Ambassador to Turkey Morton Abramowitz, traditionally a reliable
surrogate for Turkey’s interests in Washington, wrote in 2008 that,
"One would think Turkey’s leaders would be a little more careful
before laying down the red carpet for the likes of President Omar
al Bashir of Sudan." He added that, "Turkey has been trying to
persuade the world, not very successfully, that there was no
Armenian genocide in 1915. The picture of President Abdullah Gül
smiling at a joint press conference is hardly going to convince
skeptics that Turkey even knows what genocide means, and it will
certainly raise doubts in supporters of Turkey."
amp;pubid=1790
Additional points along the Axis of Genocide include:
— Sudan President al-Bashir’s first foreign visit after his
indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on crimes
of genocide was to Turkey.
— Sudan and Turkey have signed a memorandum of understanding to
strengthen military relations and are discussing cooperation on
military technology transfers and training.
— Turkey’s Minister of Trade projects that Sudan will soon be
Turkey’s largest trading partner in Africa.
— Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has vocally denied a genocide in
Darfur.
— Despite calls from human rights groups such as Human Rights
Watch, Turkish President Gul has not put pressure on Sudan to end
the atrocities in Darfur, but instead claiming that the hundreds of
thousands of deaths there were merely a "humanitarian tragedy" that
"is not only a matter of politics, but also stems from poverty and
environmental conditions."
To view the 3-page ANCA memo on the Turkey-Sudan axis of genocide,
including a comparison of Turkish and Sudanese genocide denials,
visit:
l_notes/021809.pdf
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
