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| The Grand Turk |
| Turkey warns US over 'genocide bill' |
| 2010-12-22 |
| [Iran Press TV] Turkey's prime minister has reportedly written to the US president, warning Washington against declaring the World War I killings of Armenians in Turkey "genocide." Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent the letter to Barack B.O.Obama on Monday, saying that a potential congressional vote in favor of the designation threatened to seriously damage the Turkish-American ties, dpa reported, citing the Turkish press. "We are expecting that you will step in and intervene in Congress," he said. Historians estimate up to one and a half million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in 1915. Turkey argues that the deaths had resulted from intercommunal violence at the time that also affected other ethnic groups and could not be labeled as genocide. Earlier in the year, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives passed a "genocide" resolution in a 23-22 vote. The move "seriously disturbed" Ankara and prompted it to recall its ambassador to Washington, refusing to send him back for one month. The House could hold a vote on the resolution on Tuesday. Should it earn the representatives' approval, the resolution threatens a feeble rapprochement between Ankara and Yerevan. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 refusing to acquiesce in the Turk's denial? Erdogan has done nothing to improve ties, and in fact has done much to damage them. We should lay the blame on his Islamist party and him personally |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-12-22 16:01 |
| #7 I agree with the sentiment about Turkey here, but I have to ask, what is the upside of declaring the genocide? |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2010-12-22 15:21 |
| #6 Threatened to damage ties, huh? I think you already damaged them quite enough when you prevented our troops from moving into Northern Iraq and further damaged them with your pandering to Islamists since. So, fuck you very much. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-12-22 12:11 |
| #5 threatened to seriously damage the Turkish-American ties Too late! |
| Posted by: CincinnatusChili 2010-12-22 11:49 |
| #4 In 2009 Obama used the term 'Meds Yeghern' on Armenian Remembrance Day. Congress could do that also and if the rest the declaration actually said that Turkey should stop denial (Obama stopped short of that), that would move the issue along. |
| Posted by: Lord Garth 2010-12-22 10:21 |
| #3 (awnothissh!tagain.jpg) Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2010-12-22 09:26 |
| #2 step in and intervene in Congress It's not a parliament, dumbass. |
| Posted by: Spot 2010-12-22 08:28 |
| #1 With all the stuff Erdogan has said about the US he can just FOAD! |
| Posted by: Water Modem 2010-12-22 00:34 |