TURKISH PRIME MINISTER SAYS U.S. VOTE TO ‘GREATLY HARM’ TIES
Asbarez
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Mar 8th, 2010
ANKARA (Reuters)-Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on
Saturday warned that a U.S. resolution recognizing the Armenian
Genocide Monday, endorsed by the House Foreign Affairs committee on
March 4, will seriously damage U.S. Turkish relations.
Turkey has expressed its outrage at Thursday’s non-binding vote in
the key House committee and recalled its envoy to the United States
for consultations.
"The decision of the Foreign Affairs Committee will not hurt Turkey,
but it will greatly harm bilateral relations, interests and vision.
Turkey will not be the one who loses," said Erdogan, speaking at a
summit of Turkish businessmen.
The Obama administration made a last-minute appeal against the
resolution and has vowed to stop the vote, which was broadcast
live on Turkish television, from going further in Congress. A
Democratic leadership aide told Reuters Friday there were no plans
"at this point" to schedule a vote of the full House on the measure,
and a State Department official said this was the administration’s
understanding as well.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, facing questions about the issue
while traveling in Latin America, declared Congress should drop the
matter now. "The Obama administration strongly opposes the resolution
that was passed by only one vote in the House committee and will work
very hard to make sure it does not go to the House floor," she said
in Guatemala City.
Turkey has said the resolution could jeopardize a fragile drive
by Turkey and Armenia to normalize relations and lead to further
instability in the south Caucasus, a region crisscrossed by oil and
gas pipelines to Europe. Turkey’s ambassador to the United States
told journalists upon his return on Saturday it was unclear when he
would head back to Washington following his talks with the president,
prime minister and foreign minister.
"I will return when the time is right … We will have to wait and
see," Namik Tan said. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted in a
media report as saying that the consultations could last "a long time."
The resolution calls on Obama to ensure U.S. policy formally refers
to the massacre as "genocide" and to use that term when he delivers
his annual message on the issue in April – something Obama avoided
doing last year.
Pro-Turkish analysts say the vote may alienate it at a time when there
are concerns that its warmer ties with Syria, Iran and Russia, could
herald a shift away from its traditional Western allies. Commentators
had said the bill could affect Washington’s use of the Incirlik air
base in southeast Turkey. Though Turkey denied US forces access to
the base in the run-up to the Iraq war, commentators still claim
it is vital in logistical support for U.S. troops serving in Iraq
and Afghanistan.