PRO-TURKISH US LAWMAKER MURTHA DIES AT AGE OF 77

Hurriyet
Feb 9 2010
Turkey

John Murtha, an influential Democratic member of the U.S. House
of Representatives and a staunch supporter of the U.S.-Turkish
cooperation, died Monday night at the age of 77.

A former Marine officer, the Pennsylvania Democrat played a crucial
role in 2007 in preventing passage of an Armenian "genocide"
bill in the House of Representatives, which was a major threat to
U.S.-Turkish ties at the time. He was also a prominent critic of
former President George W. Bush’s Iraq policies. Murtha died at a
hospital in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania after suffering complications
from gallbladder surgery, wire services reported.

The fall of 2007 was one of the toughest times in the history of the
decades-long U.S.-Turkish relationship. On one front, militants from
the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, were attacking Turkish targets
and killing dozens of soldiers. Ankara warned that it would send its
army to neighboring northern Iraq to fight the PKK there unless the
United States moved to radically increase anti-PKK cooperation.

On the other front, an Armenian "genocide" resolution had passed the
House Foreign Affairs Committee and come very close to a House floor
vote. Ankara warned that the bill’s passage would lead to a major
and lasting deterioration of ties, including a move to cut Turkish
cooperation in Iraq.

Bush’s Republican administration already had urged Republican
representatives to keep away from backing the "genocide" bill, and
the effort was largely successful. But a vast majority of Democrats,
who were in control of the House, supported the resolution.

Game changing remarks

On Oct. 17, 2007, when backers of the "genocide" resolution seemed to
have more than enough votes for the bill’s passage, Murtha appeared
for a news conference at the House press gallery together with a
handful of other Democratic lawmakers. The event was a game changer.

"What happened nearly 100 years ago was terrible. I don’t know whether
it was a massacre or a genocide, but that is beside the point. The
point is we have to deal with today’s world. Until we can stop the
war in Iraq, I believe it is imperative to ensure continued access
to military installations in Turkey, which serve U.S. operations in
both Iraq and Afghanistan," Murtha said.

"I met with Turkish President Abdullah Gul and foreign policy experts,
and they all impressed upon me that a U.S. resolution will further
fuel anti-Americanism among the Turkish population and will in turn
pressure the Turkish government to distance itself from the United
States in the region," he said.

"I am also concerned about the recent developments regarding possible
Turkish military action against the PKK in northern Iraq. This
resolution could very well increase political pressure in Turkey and
force the government to take such military action," Murtha said.

Then he predicted that the floor vote on the genocide bill would
fail, with some 55 to 60 Democrats in the 435-member House opposing
the measure.

Murtha’s speech had a domino effect on Democratic lawmakers with dozens
of representatives withdrawing their support from the resolution. As
a result, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a staunch supporter
of the "genocide" bill, had to shelve a floor vote indefinitely. And
a collapse in U.S.-Turkish ties was narrowly averted.

"Murtha was a great statesman fully aware of the importance of the
Turkish-U.S. alliance," said one senior Turkish diplomat. "We will
miss him dearly."

Changing course in Iraq

Murtha’s Iraq war views also eventually prompted Washington to change
course in the war, eventually forcing a decision to withdraw forces
in 2011.

Murtha originally voted in 2002 to authorize Bush to use military
force in Iraq, but his growing frustration over the administration’s
handling of the war prompted him in November 2005 to call for an
immediate withdrawal of troops. "The war in Iraq is not going as
advertised," he said. "It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."

Murtha’s opposition to the Iraq war rattled Washington, where he
enjoyed bipartisan respect for his work on military issues. On Capitol
Hill, he was seen as speaking for those in uniform when it came to
military matters.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress