ANSAmed – Italy
March 4, 2010 Thursday 2:43 PM CET

TURKEY: ARMENIANS; ANKARA PREPARES FOR "PLAN B";
(SEE: TURKEY: ARMENIANS; $45 BILLION ULTIMATUM… AT 12:30)

ANKARA

(ANSAmed) So far US President Barack Obama has undertaken no steps to
block a critical resolution for the approval of Armenian genocide
claims, and Ankara believes that this is result of the hardships
encountered by Obama administration in domestic politics. Hurriyet
daily newspaper says that Ankara has outlined a plan for coping with
the possible approval of the resolution.

The ratification of normalization protocols signed between Turkey and
Armenia is important for stability and tranquility in the Caucasus. If
the US Congress approves the genocide resolution, Turkey might shelf
the normalization protocols. Hrriyet says that the US should not
forget that the Turkish parliament had rejected a motion for
cooperation with the US in the Iraqi war. The US expects Turkish
support in Afghanistan as well as in the withdrawal of American troops
from Iraq. Turkey might review its positions in these issues. Turkey
might slow down its efforts to make a breakthrough in the nuclear
tensions with Iran and in the Middle East peace process. The Turkish
General Staff still evaluates the radar system planned as part of NATO
defense system. The genocide resolution will have impact on these
assessments.

According to the most recent speculation, 22 of the 46-member
committee are expected to vote in favor of the resolution, while 17
are anticipated to vote against. Seven of the committeés Jewish
members remain undecided. The aim of the Turkish committee, which is
currently in Washington, is to obtain the support of at least some of
the members which remain undecided in order to decrease the gap
between votes in favor and votes against the resolution. The U.S.
House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to
meet today at 17:00 Turkish standard time.