US AMBASSADOR LINKS ARMENIAN ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL TO PROTOCOLS, SOURCES SAY

Hurriyet
Feb 16 2010
Turkey

U.S. Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey warned Turkish deputies on
Tuesday that the Armenian "genocide" bill would likely pass through
the U.S. Congress in March unless the Turkish Parliament ratifies
the normalization protocols, the Daily News has learned from reliable
sources.

Members of the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission
expressed their concern to Jeffrey, who earlier confirmed his full
support to the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia.

The commission said it was concerned that a pending resolution in the
U.S. House of Representatives recognizing the 1915 events as "genocide"
would destroy ongoing normalization talks. The U.S. House Foreign
Affairs Committee is expected to discuss the related bill on March 4.

Asked before the meeting if the bill would harm the ongoing process
between Yerevan and Ankara, Jeffrey replied: "We give full support for
the [normalization] process between Turkey and Armenia. As President
[Barack] Obama noted in his speech at the Turkish Parliament, the best
way is to continue this process. That’s why we send this message to
both countries."

Following the hour-and-a-half-long meeting, Murat Mercan, chairman
of the commission, said, "We will do what is best for our country
regardless of the outside effects."

Onur Oymen, a deputy from the opposition Republican People’s Party,
or CHP, noted the protocols would not be passed by Parliament unless
Armenia withdraws from occupied Azerbaijani territories.

"The approval of the bill will harm Turkish-U.S. relations. There
is disagreement on this issue between the deputies of the ruling and
opposition parties," Oymen said.

"I will convey the message given by the parliamentarians," Jeffrey
said.

Upon questions related to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s talks in
Tehran, Jeffrey outlined ongoing consultations between U.S. and Turkish
diplomats but recalled that Iran had yet to give any satisfactory
or concrete answer to the offer by the United Nations Security
Council. "Hopefully, an answer will come thanks to mediation by
Mr. Davutoglu," he said.