BUSH WARNS CONGRESS AGAINST ALIENATING ANKARA
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington
The Guardian, UK
,,2188109, 00.html
Oct 10 2007
An Armenian woman mourns a boy during the deportation of Armenians
from what became Turkey in 1915. Photograph: CRDA/EPA
The White House today embarked on a unified effort to head off a
vote in Congress to officially recognise as a genocide the forced
deportations and massacre of Armenians in the last days of the
Ottoman Empire.
In comments on the White House lawn, George Bush led officials in
warning of the negative repercussions should Congress use the word
"genocide" to describe the persecution that killed an estimated 1.5
million Armenians and forced many into exile.
"This resolution is not the right response to these historic mass
killings, and its passage would do great harm to our relations with
a key ally in Nato and in the global war on terror," Mr Bush said.
The secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, warned the resolution,
expected to be passed by the House of Representatives later today,
could set back Middle East peace prospects.
"The passage of this resolution at this time would, indeed, be very
problematic for everything that we’re trying to do in the Middle East,"
she said.
Its passage could also put US soldiers at risk in Iraq, the defence
secretary, Robert Gates, said, warning that America risked losing
access to important supply routes. About 70% of air cargo for Iraq
goes through Turkey.
"Access to airfields and to the roads and so on in Turkey would be
very much put at risk if this resolution passes," Mr Gates said.
Ms Rice and Mr Gates bolstered their arguments with signed letters
from their predecessors, the Washington Post said today.
However, the measure has strong support in the Democratic-controlled
House, where more than half the members have signed on as co-sponsors,
including the speaker, Nancy Pelosi. About half of the Senate has
co-sponsored the measure as well.
The persecution of the Armenians continues to resonate strongly among
the descendants of those who sought refuge in America 90 years ago.
The resolution calls on the president to use the word genocide during
the annual commemoration of the killings each April.
As the successor to the Ottoman empire, the modern Turkish state has
spent millions of pounds on public relations and lobbying to dissuade
western governments from labeling the events of 1915 – 1917 a genocide.
The Turkish military cancelled defence contracts with France last
year when its national assembly voted to make denial of the Armenian
holocaust a crime.
While Turkey does not deny that tens and thousands of Armenian men,
women and children were killed and forced to flee their homes, it
claims the deaths were the result of widespread fighting.