TODAY’S ZAMAN Ä°STANBUL
Feb 23, 2009
ANCA places Turkey in `genocide axis’ with Sudan

An influential Armenian-American group has stepped up its campaign for
recognition of claims that 1.5 million Armenians were subjected to
genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century,
telling US congressmen that Turkey is part of an emerging "axis of
genocide" with Sudan.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) said in a statement
that it had alerted members of Congress last week that "Ankara is
playing an increasingly dangerous role in blocking decisive
international action to end the genocide in Darfur," claiming that
Ankara has been selling lethal weaponry to Sudan, providing diplomatic
support for the Sudanese government in the face of international
criticism over its Darfur policy and using its UN Security Council
membership "to block anti-genocide efforts."

Human rights groups criticize Turkey for its close ties with Sudan,
whose leader, Omar al-Bashir, has been indicted at the International
Criminal Court on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity in
Darfur. Turkish leaders have avoided accusing Sudan of genocide,
calling instead for an end to Darfur’s "humanitarian tragedy."

The American-Armenian lobby groups, of which ANCA is one of the
strongest, have been pressuring the US Congress to pass a resolution
recognizing their claims that World War I-era events in Anatolia
constituted genocide. The pressure on the US administration is also
high, as April 24, when Armenians say the genocide campaign started in
1915, is approaching.

American presidents issue messages on this day every year, but no
president has ever used the word genocide in his message. Turks
cheered election of Barack Obama as US president, but Ankara is wary
that relations could receive a serious blow if he goes ahead with his
election campaign promises and supports claims that up to 1.5 million
Armenians were victims of a systematic genocide campaign in the
Ottoman Empire.

The "genocide axis" claims spread by ANCA are likely to upset Ankara,
but the Turkish government may find a recent speech by a pro-Armenian
congressman even more appalling. Republican Rep. Frank Pallone Jr.,
co-chairman of the Armenian Caucus, said in a Feb. 13 speech on the
House floor that Turkey was guilty of "hypocrisy" as it levels human
rights charges against Israel for its Gaza operation in January while
it continues to deny the "Armenian genocide." Rep. Pallone (D-NJ)
sharply criticized Turkey’s hypocrisy in leveling human rights charges
against Israel even as it continues to deny the Armenian genocide and
strengthen its ties to the genocidal Sudanese regime, ANCA
reported. "For a nation that for 94 years has practiced wide-spread
genocide denial of the killing of one-and-a-half million Armenians,
hypocrisy runs deep today in Ankara," Pallone said, according to a
statement from ANCA. "The Turkish people need to step back and
question their skewed understanding of genocide. Look in the mirror,
look at your own history, come to terms with the fact that 1.5 million
Armenians died and when contemporary genocides, like Darfur, take
place it must be denounced."