TURKISH PRESIDENT EXPRESSES REGRET OVER APPROVAL OF ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
Turkish Press
March 4 2010
ANKARA – Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed his regret after the
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs approved
the resolution on Armenian allegations.
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs approved
the resolution on incidents of 1915 –which took place shortly before
the fall of the Ottoman Empire– with 23 votes against 22.
Regarding approval of the resolution, Gul said, "this decision is
not reasonable. I strongly condemn it. It does not mean anything for
Turkish people. Turkey will not be responsible for negative outcomes
of this voting."
The resolution was proposed by Democrats Adam Schiff and Frank Pallone
and Republicans George Radanovich and Mark Kirk, all important figures
for the Armenian lobby in the U.S.
Turkey strongly rejects the genocide allegations and regards the
events as civil strife in wartime which claimed lives of many Turks
and Armenians.
Every year between March 4 and April 24 alarm bells ring for relations
between Turkey and U.S., two close allies for decades.
The Armenian lobbies in the U.S. pressure the U.S. legislators to pass
a resolution urging the President to recognise the events as genocide.
Turkish legislators and officials pay visits to U.S. House and hold
meetings with senior U.S. officials and businessmen to prevent the
resolution from being adopted.
A similar resolution was adopted with 27 seven votes against 21 in
2007 but as a result of former President George W. Bush’s intervention,
the resolution was not brought to the House floor.