Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Dec 6 2009

Obama reiterates support for Turkey-Armenia peace process

Sunday, December 6, 2009
Ã`MÄ°T ENGÄ°NSOY
ANKARA – Hürriyet Daily News

In a letter to Armenian-American organizations, U.S. President Barack
Obama has reiterated his backing for the ongoing normalization process
between Turkey and Armenia, a major Armenian-American group said this
weekend.

`I believe this historic process has important benefits for the future
of both countries,’ Obama said in the letter sent to the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America, the Armenian General Benevolent Union
and the Armenian Assembly of America, or AAA, according to a statement
by the Armenian National Committee of America.

`We continue to support Armenia and Turkey as they move ahead to
fulfill the promise of normalization,’ Obama said in the letter.

Despite the ongoing reconciliation process, Armenian-Americans are
continuing to urge both the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress
to formally recognize the World War I-era killings of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire as genocide.

During last year’s election campaign, Obama pledged to categorize the
killings as genocide if elected president. After assuming the office
in January, however, he began supporting the reconciliation process.

At the time, Obama said he would not make any move jeopardizing that
process ` angering Armenian-American groups, who accused him of
breaking his promise.

Ahead of ErdoÄ?an visit

In his latest letter to Armenian groups, Obama said: `Regarding the
past, I deeply appreciate your views on what is one of the great
atrocities of the 20th century. As I said in my Remembrance Day
message, my view of that history has not changed. My interest remains
the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgement of the
facts.’

Obama made similar remarks when he visited Turkey in early April. The
U.S. president’s letter came shortly before his planned meeting with
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an at the White House on
Monday.

In the latest major development related to the reconciliation process,
the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed protocols Oct. 10
under which Ankara and Yerevan pledged to establish normal diplomatic
relations and reopen their land border.

The deal, if ratified by the two countries’ parliaments, would
effectively end decades of hostile relations. The protocols, however,
have not yet been ratified by either country.

Turkey and Armenia presently have no official diplomatic relations,
while Turkey has kept its land border with Armenia closed since 1993
in protest of the Armenian invasion and occupation of Azerbaijani
territory in an early 1990s war.

Obstacles to normalization process

Ankara has been urging Armenia to withdraw from occupied Azerbaijani
lands so that the normalization process can proceed. However, Obama
said the reconciliation process should proceed without preconditions.

`Normalization between Armenia and Turkey should move forward without
preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe,’ he said.

The fate of the reconciliation process will be one of the top items on
the agenda at Monday’s meeting between ErdoÄ?an and Obama, officials
from both sides said.

Armenian-American groups are now accusing Turkey of dragging its feet
over the implementation of the normalization process.

`Prime Minister ErdoÄ?an ` having succeeded in using the
Ankara-inspired protocols [with Armenia] to enlist the cooperation of
yet another U.S. administration into its campaign to block recognition
of the Armenian genocide ` is now coming to Washington to cement his
gains and further press his advantage,’ the Armenian National
Committee of America said in its weekend statement.