EX-ENVOY WARNS ARMENIAN ISSUE COULD BE "DEFINING" IN TURKEY-US TIES
Hurriyet
Feb 12 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL – The Armenian lobby in Washington is fully mobilized and
highly motivated to re-launch its attempts to have recognized the
Armenian claims regarding the 1915 incidents, but that does not mean
their allegations would be recognized by the White House, a former
ambassador of the U.S. to Ankara said.
"The bad news is that the Armenian lobby is fully mobilized, highly
motivated and in possession of unprecedentedly clear and unqualified
commitments from leading members of the new Administration that the
events of 1915 will be termed ‘genocide’," Mark Parris, retired
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara said late on Wednesday at a dinner in
Istanbul hosted by Turkey’s International Investors Association.
U.S. President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton had pledged, once in office, to recognize
the Armenian claims regarding the 1915 incidents during the election
campaign.
The move helped them to garner the support of the Armenian lobby that
is expected to push for another legislation in Congress to have their
claims recognized.
Parris, who is currently a consultant to the Washington-based
Brookings Institute, said he does not think it necessarily means
either a resolution or a statement by the White House will be realized.
"It is not a pretty picture from where we sit tonight… At the end
of the day someone in Washington will calculate where the American
interest lies and make the case. I think there are strong and
potentially compelling arguments that can be made that this is not
the time and there never be a proper time to approach this issue in
this way," he added.
Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million
of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915.Turkey
rejects the claims saying that 300,000 Armenians, along with at least
as many Turks, died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took
up arms, backed by Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.
The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet on accepting
Turkey’s proposal to form an independent commission to investigate
the claims.
DAVOS LIKELY TO IMPACT JEWISH LOBBY
Parris said for Washington the progress in normalizing relations
between Turkey and Armenian is important.
"I understand from today’s Hurriyet headlines there is something
tangible and imminent if that promises are realized that could change
the course of the discussions in Washington and we can talk about
other issues I mentioned today," he added.
Hurriyet daily reported on Wednesday that Armenia and Azerbaijan
reached a partial agreement towards the solution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkey closed its borders with Armenia
over its invasion 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territory.
Parris confirmed the recent concerns in Turkey that Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan’s outburst in Davos in late January could negatively
effect Turkish-Jewish lobby relations.
"I think that there is some likelihood that there will be an impact on
enthusiasm on which to address a potential action having to do with
the genocide… If you had read their statements you will see that
they had stressed the strategic importance of Turkey. But it would
be inaccurate for me to suggest that there will not be effected by
some of the things said and happened here. And there might be some
consequences from that," he added.
TURKEY’S GAZA RESPONSE HIGHLIGHTS DILEMMA
Parris said Turkey’s reaction against the Israeli operations in Gaza,
which left more than 1,300 people dead, highlighted "the dilemma that
some in the U.S. see in Turkey’s more assertive regional diplomacy".
On the one hand Turkey appears behind the scenes to have been an
active, creative and constructive contributor to negotiations leading
to a ceasefire, he added.
"One the other hand, some of the rhetoric here has, I fear, undermined
Ankara’s hard-earned reputation for even-handedness. That has to be
considered a loss as the Obama administration considers how -and with
whom- to begin the process of re-engagement in pursuit of a lasting
peace between Israel and its neighbors," he said.
Parris said the issue that tops the agenda of the new Obama
administration is the economy, but that he is confident it will meet
the challenge to ensure that Turkey receives the timely, senior-level
attention it merits as a country that "can help or the hurt the new
administration’s efforts abroad".
The Obama administration comes into office with recent and clear
reminders that Turkey is awfully useful if Washington wants to get
help to Georgia or to support or withdraw forces from Iraq or to
develop alternative supply routes for Afghanistan.
PARTNERSHIP IN ENERGY
Among all the challenges awaiting Turkey-U.S. relations, partnership in
energy is a more encouraging subject after "a tragic lost opportunity
in the last eight years", according to Parris.
"The hour is late. But Russia’s test of wills with Ukraine last winter
could be impetus for a renewed commitment by the U.S., Turkey and
Europe to overcome the petty and self-interested squabbling that has
frustrated rapid movement on the Nabucco and other projects essential
to the long-term energy security of the West. And that could return
partnership on energy issues to a prominent place on the U.S.-Turkish
bilateral agenda," he added.
The new administration will find that Turkey-Russia relations are not
the same as they were eight years ago and the countries’ positions
on various issues such as Iran, Iraq, Palestine and the Black Sea
security have converged, and bilateral trade relations have mushroomed.
"I’m not among those who believe Moscow will ever provide an
alternative to strategic partnership with Washington or the West
generally. But as the Obama administration re-engages on issues like
energy security or the security and independence of former Soviet
territories like Georgia or the Ukraine, it will find, I suspect,
that it cannot count on Ankara’s simply following the U.S. lead,
as might have been the case in the past," he said.