ANKARA EYES BRITISH MEASURE ON ARMENIA

United Press International UPI
/Ankara-eyes-British-measure-on-Armenia/UPI-247212 68664634/
March 15 2010

ANKARA, Turkey, March 15 (UPI) — Ankara is watching lawmakers in
London as they get set to deliberate over a national day of remembrance
for the deaths of Armenians during the Ottoman era.

Turkey pulled its ambassador to Sweden last week after Swedish
lawmakers narrowly approved a resolution describing the killing of
Armenians in World War I as genocide. The Turkish envoy to Washington
was recalled when a similar measure narrowly passed March 4 in the
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.

A measure is on its way to the British Parliament that if adopted
would set aside an "Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day." British
lawmakers are to review a draft of the measure this month.

Nilgun Canver, a council member in the London Borough of Haringey,
told Turkey’s English-language daily newspaper Hurriyet that there was
"no chance" the measure would pass.

Ankara expressed similar optimism regarding the U.S. measure, citing
a last ditch-appeal to shoot down the non-binding resolution by U.S.

Security of State Hillary Clinton. The measure passed on a 23-22 vote.

Armenia wants Turkey to recognize the killings as genocide but Turkey
has said there was no systematic attempt to wipe out the Christian
Armenian people in 1915.