Today’s Zaman, Turkey
April 3 2010

ErdoÄ?an to visit US, envoy to return after `genocide’ row

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an announced on Friday he would
attend an international nuclear summit hosted by President Barack
Obama in Washington on April 12-13 and would also return the country’s
ambassador to the United States, around a month after he was recalled
to protest a US congressional committee labeling the World War I
killings of Anatolian Armenians as genocide.

Following the adoption of a nonbinding resolution by the US House
Committee on Foreign Affairs on March 4 recognizing the World War
I-era killings of Ottoman Armenians as genocide, Turkey recalled its
ambassador in Washington, Namık Tan, to Ankara for consultations,
while ErdoÄ?an put his visit to the United States later this month,
during which he is to attend the nuclear energy summit in the US
capital at the invitation of US President Obama, on hold.

`We have made our assessment with our colleagues,’ ErdoÄ?an said in
response to questions from reporters on Friday, adding that he decided
to respond ini the affirmative to the invitation, which he received
around five to six months ago. `Before attending the summit — as I
said yesterday [Thursday] — we will send our ambassador to the US
within the next week,’ he added.

When asked whether it was possible to say the recent crisis in
bilateral relations between Ankara and Washington has come to an end,
ErdoÄ?an did not say whether tensions had decreased but stressed the
importance of the April 12-13 summit.

Ambassador Tan is to return to Washington soon.

Recalling a telephone conversation between US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu on
Sunday, which was initiated by the US side, ErdoÄ?an added that `there
are some positive developments on this issue. I hope these positive
developments continue during the month of April as well.’

The prime minister’s emphasis on the month of April was an explicit
reference to Ankara’s expectations concerning the wording of Obama’s
traditional April 24 message. Last year, Obama avoided using the
g-word in his message, although he had pledged to recognize the
Armenian diaspora’s genocide claims in his election campaign.

April 24 is the day Armenians claim marks the anniversary of the
beginning of a systematic genocide campaign against Anatolian
Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire.

`The US side has received the necessary message,’ Turkish diplomatic
sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Today’s Zaman on
Friday when asked about the reason behind ErdoÄ?an’s decisions on both
the nuclear summit and Tan’s return.

According to Ankara, Clinton’s conversation with DavutoÄ?lu — during
which the former reiterated that the Obama administration stands
opposed to the resolution on the Armenian genocide and is also against
a full House vote on the measure — has proven that the US
administration got Ankara’s message. `The continuation of actions
signaling a protest would be harmful for us after this moment. What
mattered was giving the message,’ the same diplomatic sources said.

Meanwhile, Deniz Baykal, the leader of main opposition Republican
People’s Party (CHP), suggested on Friday that ErdoÄ?an’s decision to
attend the summit was `a step back.’

03 April 2010, Saturday
TODAY’S ZAMAN ANKARA