TURKEY WARNS US AGAINST ARMENIA ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL

Press TV
March 1 2010

Burak Ozugergin, spokesman of Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Turkey has warned the US against approving a draft bill that recognizes
as genocide the massacre of Armenians between 1915 and 1918 during
World War I.

The US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee is to decide
on Thursday whether to recognize as genocide the mass killing of 1.5
million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during the period.

Such a resolution would damage ties between Ankara and Washington and
undermine efforts to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia,
Burak Ozugergin, spokesman of Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
was quoted as saying on Monday by the semi-official Anatolia News
Agency, Xinhua reported.

Describing the issue of "genocide" as a baseless allegation, Ozugergin
urged the House panel to "act with a sense of responsibility."

President Barack Obama promised during his election campaign that
his administration would recognize the Armenian massacre as genocide.

Last week, however, during a hearing at Congress, Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton underlined the importance of continuing rapprochement
process between Turkey and Armenia, saying that any step that derail
this process should be avoided.

Armenia has pushed for international recognition of the death of
Armenians under the Ottoman rule as genocide.