THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: TURKISH TRIP INTENSIFIES DILEMMA FOR OBAMA

ArmInfo
2009-03-16 14:23:00

ArmInfo. ‘Turkey has become so pivotal to U.S. goals in Iraq,
Afghanistan and the Middle East that President Barack Obama included
it on his first overseas tour. But relations between the countries
could be at risk unless Obama is willing to break a campaign promise
to describe as "genocide" the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks
almost a century ago.

Such a declaration would infuriate Turkey, which could complicate
U.S. military operations in the region by withholding cooperation.

This is not an obscure historical debate that Obama can avoid easily.

It will be on the mind of government officials, media and the public
when Obama arrives in Turkey on April 5.

Just weeks later, Obama must decide how to deal with the issue in a
statement to mark the annual Armenian remembrance day, April 24.

Also, a resolution will be introduced soon in the House of
Representatives that describes the killings as genocide. The House
almost passed a similar resolution two years ago, but congressional
leaders did not bring it up for a vote after intense pressure from
then- President George W. Bush and top members of his administration.

The Obama administration has not said what they will do on either
the statement or the resolution. The State Department said it is
considering the issue and the White House declined to comment directly.

"At this moment, our focus is on how, moving forward, the U.S. can
help Turkey and Armenia work together to come to terms with the past,"
said Mike Hammer, a spokesman at the White House’s National Security
Council.

The emphasis dovetails with an argument that the Turkish government
has been making: A U.S. statement on genocide could scuttle current
diplomatic attempts at rapprochement between Muslim Turkey and
Christian Armenia. The distrustful neighbors have no diplomatic ties,
and their border has been closed since 1993 because of a Turkish
protest of Armenia’s occupation of land claimed by Azerbaijan.

In September, Turkish President Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish
leader to visit Armenia, where he and Armenian President Serge
Sarkisian watched their countries’ football teams play a World Cup
qualifying match. The Armenian government appears to be interested
in further talks.

Armenian-American groups and supporters in Congress are focused on
passing a genocide resolution and argue that it should not undermine
diplomatic efforts.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as
the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths
constituted genocide, however, contending the toll has been inflated,
and the casualties were victims of civil war and unrest.

Previous presidents, including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton
avoided the word, even after committing in their campaigns to use it
as president.

Armenian groups are pointing to Obama’s more extensive and unequivocal
statements on the issue.

"The Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion,
or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported
by an overwhelming body of historical evidence," Obama said in a
January 2008 statement on his campaign Web site. "America deserves a
leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian genocide and responds
forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that president."

Other Obama administration officials, including his secretary of state,
Hillary Rodham Clinton, made similar comments about the killings
before joining the administration and have yet to comment since.

Obama’s trip inevitably will focus attention on the dispute.

"The Obama administration was in a very difficult position before the
trip was announced," said Bulent Aliriza, director of the Center for
Strategic and International Studies’ Turkey research program. "With
this trip, the expectations have been raised on the Turkish side
that he will avoid use of the word genocide, and meanwhile, he will
almost certainly see increased pressure from the Armenian lobby prior
to the trip."

Obama could influence the congressional leadership on whether to
allow a new resolution to proceed. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff,
chief sponsor of a draft resolution now being circulated, said the
administration has not discouraged him.

While a congressional resolution would not reflect the administration’s
policy, Turkey threatened serious reprisals when the last resolution
was considered.

Schiff said he expects Obama to maintain his support.

"We are working to persuade the administration that the president
needs to follow through with the commitment that he made, and we are
hopeful and optimistic that he will," the lawmaker said.

It is not clear whether the resolution has adequate support in
Congress, where arguments about the security implications of the
U.S.-Turkish relationship have resonated.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress