TURKEY RECALLS US AMBASSADOR; ARMENIA HAILS ‘YES’ VOTE ON GENOCIDE BILL

Asbarez
recalls-us-ambassador-armenia-hails-yes-vote-on-ge nocide-bill/
Mar 4th, 2010

WASHINGTON (Combined Sources)-Turkey recalled its ambassador to
Washington Thursday evening after a congressional panel voted to
recognize the Armenian Genocide.

In a statement issued after the vote, a Turkish government spokesman
said: "We condemn this resolution which accuses the Turkish nation of a
crime it has not committed. Following this development, our ambassador
to Washington, Namik Tan, was recalled to Ankara for consultations."

Armenia, however, described the vote as a boost for human rights.

Edward Nalbandian, the Armenian Foreign Minister, told Reuters:
"We highly appreciate the decision. This is further proof of the
devotion of the American people to universal human values and is an
important step towards the prevention of crimes against humanity."

The 23-22 vote to approve the resolution by the House of
Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee came despite pressure to drop
the matter by the Obama administration. The resolution, H.Res.252,
calls on the US to formally affirm the US historical record on the
crime against humanity. The vote means that the resolution – which
is non-binding – is now cleared for consideration by the full House.

Turkey had warned that its ties with the United States, and attempts to
normalize relations with Armenia, would be damaged if the resolution
were approved. Turkey and Armenia signed a protocol last year to
normalize relations but it has yet to pass through the parliament of
either country. Turkey has set a series of preconditions on Armenia
to fulfill before it agrees to sign it.

In a last-ditch attempt to avoid a vote, Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton telephoned Howard Berman, the House Foreign Affairs Committee
chairman, a fellow Democrat, to highlight the potential fallout.

Despite the appeal, Berman went ahead with the debate. He said Turkey
was a "vital" ally but "nothing justifies Turkey’s turning a blind
eye to the reality of the Armenian genocide."