Haber Gazete
/july_30.htm
July 31 2009
Turkey

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20500
July 30, 2009

Dear Mr. President:

We write to you with our concerns about Turkish backpedaling on the
agreed upon roadmap to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia.

On April 22, 2009, just two days before the 94th commemoration of
the Armenian Genocide, the Department of State released the following
statement:

The United States welcomes the statement made by Armenia and Turkey
on normalization of their bilateral relations. It has long been
and remains the position of the United States that normalization
should take place without preconditions and within a reasonable
timeframe. We urge Armenia and Turkey to proceed according to the
agreed framework and roadmap. We look forward to working with both
governments in support of normalization, and thus promote peace,
security and stability in the whole region.

Two days later, instead of recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the
Administration opted to focus on this new roadmap to Armenian-Turkish
normalization. "I also strongly support the efforts by Turkey and
Armenia to normalize their bilateral relations," you wrote. "Under
Swiss auspices, the two governments have agreed on a framework and
roadmap for normalization. I commend this progress, and urge them to
fulfill its promise."

While the Government of Armenia remains committed to this roadmap and
has long offered to establish ties with Turkey without preconditions,
Turkey’s public statements and actions since April 24th stand in
sharp contrast to this agreement and undermine U.S. policy that
normalization take place without preconditions.

On May 13, 2009, Prime Minister Erdogan publically conditioned
normalization of relations with Yerevan on Azerbaijan’s approval
of a future settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that fully
meets Baku’s satisfaction. "I want to repeat once more that until the
occupation ends, the border gates [with Armenia] will remain closed,"
Erdogan told the Azeri Parliament.

On June 17, 2009, EU South Caucasus Envoy Peter Semneby said Turkey
had taken "tactical steps backwards" in the normalization process
with Armenia.

It would appear that Turkey, in an effort to block U.S. recognition
of the Armenian Genocide, agreed to a roadmap it did not intend to
uphold. Therefore, we urge your Administration to separate the issues
of normalization and genocide recognition. We hope that renewed efforts
and focused resources from the Administration can be utilized to
nurture the Armenia-Turkey normalization process without preconditions
and within a reasonable timeframe, and continue to remain strongly
supportive of your stated campaign policy to officially recognize
the Armenian Genocide.

Sincerely,

Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Joe Baca (D-CA), Michele Bachmann (R-MN),
Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Howard Berman (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL),
Bruce Braley, (D-IA), John Campbell, (R-CA), Lois Capps (D-CA),
Michael Capuano (D-MA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA),
Jerry Costello (D-IL), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Joseph Crowley (D-NY),
Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Steve Driehaus (D-OH), Anna Eshoo (D-CA),
Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Bob Filner (D-CA), Barney Frank (D-MA),
Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ),
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Michael Honda (D-CA),
Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Dale Kildee
(D-MI), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), James Langevin (D-RI), Barbara Lee
(D-CA), Sander Levin (D-MI), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Frank LoBiondo
(R-NJ), Daniel Lungren (R-CA). Stephen Lynch (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY), Edward Markey (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Thaddeus McCotter
(R-MI), James McGovern (D-MA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Candice Miller
(R-MI), Walt Minnick (D-ID), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Richard Neal
(D-CA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), John Olver (D-MA) Payne, Donald (D-NJ),
Gary Peters (D-MI), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Peter
Roskam (R-IL), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Edward Royce (R-CA), Bobby Rush
(D-IL) Paul Ryan (R-WI), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD)
James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ),
Mark Souder (R-IN), Zack Space (D-OH), Jackie Speier (D-CA), John
Tierney (D-MA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Niki Tsongas
(D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Walz (D-MN) Henry Waxman (D-CA),
Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).