RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN: "I BELIEVE THE UNITED STATES FEELS THE IMPORTANCE OF TURKEY"

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.02.2009 00:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s ties with Israel were severely strained
by Turkish prime minister Erdogan’s fierce criticism of the recent
bombardment of Gaza, which left more than 1,300 Palestinians
dead. Relations soured further after he stormed out of a debate at
the world economic forum in Davos after clashing angrily with the
Israeli president, Shimon Peres. The gesture was widely acclaimed in
Turkey and throughout the Muslim world but was condemned in Israel,
where Erdogan was seen as an apologist for the Palestinian militant
group Hamas, with which his government has cultivated ties.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said an Israeli-Palestinian settlement had to
include Hamas, which he called the party of "change and reform". He
also condemned Israel’s recent onslaught as disproportionate. "Hamas
doesn’t have any planes. Hamas doesn’t have any tanks or artillery,
and with the use of disproportionate force Gaza was being put under
fire," he said. "One thousand, one hundred and 30people have died. We
have more than 5,500 injured. Who is going to ask: what has happened
here and who is going to pay the price for this?"

However, Erdogan dismissed fears that the US pro-Israel lobby would
retaliate by lifting its opposition to a congressional resolution
recognizing the Armenian Genocide claims. During last year’s US
presidential election campaign, Obama and his vice-president, Joe
Biden, voiced support for the resolution.

But Erdogan said: "I believe the United States feels and knows the
importance of Turkey within the region more than some people who
do not understand this." According to him, Armenian Genocide is not
an issue that can affect Turkey-American relations in a very strong
way. I don’t believe the US Congress would take a decision based on
emotions. It should be left to historians."

Allegations by the Armenian government and Diaspora about the fate of
their people under the Ottoman empire have long been one of Turkish
society’s biggest taboos. Turkey vehemently disputes Armenian claims
that up to 1.5 million were deliberately killed in a program amounting
to genocide. Officials say the death toll was much lower and a result
of inter-ethnic clashes in which many Turks also died. Turkey has
called for a historical commission to examine the issue and has
recently pursued rapprochement with Armenia, with which it has no
diplomatic ties, Guardian reports.