TURKEY CONDENMS US RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN 1915 ALLEGATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.03.2010 13:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned
on Thursday the resolution of U.S. lawmakers labelling 1915 events in
Ottoman-era as "genocide" and recalled its ambassador to the United
States for consultation.

In a statement, Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said that
"We condemn this resolution which charges Turkish nation with a crime
that it did not commit," the statement said.

He also said he was seriously concerned that the non-binding resolution
would harm Turkish-U.S. ties and efforts by Muslim Turkey and Christian
Armenia to bury a century of hostility.

A U.S. congressional panel voted to label as "genocide" the 1915
events, " ignoring fierce opposition from Turkey and President Barack
Obama’s administration, Reuters said.

The controversial measure passed the House of Representatives Foreign
Affairs Committee in a closer-than-expected vote of 23-22.

The issue puts U.S. President Barack Obama between NATO ally Turkey.

Turkey had warned its ties with the United States would be damaged
and Ankara’s efforts to normalize relations with Armenia could be
harmed if the resolution passed, even though the vote was non-binding,
Reuters reported.

The draft 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.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress