DAVID PHILLIPS: TURKEY SHOULD NOT HAVE SIGNED THE PROTOCOLS BASED ON WISHFUL THINKING

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 11, 2010 – 21:08 AMT 16:08 GMT

Turkey acted with political naivety during the Turkish-Armenian
reconciliation process since its actions were based on wishful
thinking, an American expert on conflict prevention and peace building
said over the weekend.

"Turkey acted on two assumptions. First, Turkey thought the
reconciliation process would galvanize the Minsk Group to find a
solution to Nagorno-Karabakh," said David Phillips, director of
the program on Conflict Prevention and Peace-building at American
University.

Turkey also acted on the assumption that efforts to gain international
recognition of Armenian Genocide will end, said Phillips, adding
that both assumptions of Turkey were wishful thinking. "There was
no linkage between the protocols and the Nagorno-Karabakh problem,"
said the former adviser to the U.S. State Department, adding that
Turkey should not have signed the protocols based on wishful thinking.

Turkey was not serious about ratifying the protocols and therefore
made no significant effort to see them ratified, Phillips told the
Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Armenia could not wait forever and hence suspended the ratification
process, according to Phillips, who is pessimistic about the near
future. "I don’t see what Turkey gains if it ratifies the protocols.

They will loose support if they do it before the elections," said
Phillips.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress