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Rice and Gates are against the Armenian Resolution |
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Thursday, 15 March 2007* Rice, Gates send letter to Congress opposing ÔÇÝgenocide' resolution
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates have sent a letter to senior members of Congress indicating the damage that Turkish-US ties could suffer if a pending resolution on Armenian claims of genocide is passed.
In their joint letter, Gates and Rice also said the passage of the resolution, which urges the US administration to recognize the alleged genocide, would deal a blow to US national interests.
The letter has been sent to Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, House Republican leader John Boehner and Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The resolution was presented to the US House of Representatives earlier this year though the timing of the vote has yet to be decided.
A similar resolution is expected to be presented to the Senate as well.
Turkey has warned that passage of the resolution would harm strategic relations with the United States and undermine cooperation in key regions across the world; in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.
The US administration assures Ankara that it is opposed to the resolution, although it has limited means to convince the congressmen not to vote for it.
Turkey categorically rejects charges that Armenians were subject to genocide during World War I and says there were deaths on both sides after Armenians took up arms and revolted against the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with the then invading Russian army. More than 520.000 Turkish were massacred by the armed Armenian groups during the events.
A group of Turkish parliamentarians from both the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) met with US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns on Tuesday during a visit to Washington aimed at conveying Turkish feelings toward a possible passage of the resolution in the US Congress.
Burns reiterated that the US administration opposed the resolution at the 90-minute meeting and that it would continue with its efforts to prevent its passage, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The Turkish parliamentary delegation consists of AK Party deputies Egemen Bagis, Vahit Erdem and Reha Denemec, as well as Bihlun Tamayligil and Ersin Arioglu from the CHP (Republican Party). The delegation met the US press and representatives of US Jewish groups during their visit and they were expected to have meetings with congressmen on Wednesday and Thursday.
A separate delegation of mayors is also visiting New York to support efforts against passage of the resolution and voice Turkish opposition to Armenian attempts to win international recognition for the alleged genocide.
15 March 2007 |
Thursday, 15 March 2007
Armenian Issue and the US
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