>Subject: "[Ozgurluk.Org]" Revisonism: TDN/Turkey reacts harshly to passage of >bill on so-called genocide >Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >23 September 2000, Copyright © Turkish Daily News > >Turkey reacts harshly > to passage of bill on > so-called genocide > > SEZER ASKS FOR MORE EFFORTS: > President Ahmet Necdet > Sezer, stressing Turkey's > concerns about the bill, > calls on the US > administration to exert more > efforts to block the bill. > Reacting harshly to the > news, Turkish Prime Minister > Bulent Ecevit describes the > bill's passage as a 'sad and > ugly event' > PEARSON CALLS LOGOGLU: > Foreign Ministry > Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu > makes a phone call to US > Ambassador to Turkey Robert > Pearson regarding the bill. > Speaking to the TDN, Logoglu > says that the ambassador > told him about the US > administration's efforts to > prevent the bill from going > any further > > > > Ankara - Turkish Daily News > > In the immediate wake of a United States House > subcommittee passing a bill recognizing the so-called > Armenian genocide and calling on President Bill > Clinton to officially label the death of Armenians > during World War I a genocide, the Turkish government > in Ankara has exhibited a harsh reaction. > > The whole range of governmental and political > leaders, from President Sezer and Prime Minister > Ecevit to political party leaders and > parliamentarians, described the incident as > unacceptable. They expressed anger and urged the > Clinton administration to exert more efforts to > dissuade congressmen from supporting the bill. > > The U.S. House International Relations Subcommittee > on International Organizations and Human Rights > passed the bill late on Thursday. > > President Ahmet Necdet Sezer stressed Turkey's > concerns about the bill on Friday and called on the > U.S. administration to make more efforts to prevent > the bill from advancing any further in the > legislative pipeline. > > Presidential Spokesman Metin Yalman held a press > conference on Friday in which he stated Sezer's > thoughts regarding the bill. > > "President Sezer, both in his meeting with President > Clinton in New York and during his reception with new > U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson on Thursday, > expressed Turkey's views on this bill. Once again he > reiterated that passage of the bill would lead to > damage to Turco-American relations almost beyond > repair." > > Reacting harshly to the news, Turkish Prime Minister > Bulent Ecevit described the bill's passage as a "sad > and ugly incident." Saying that he believes the U.S. > administration is uneasy about the bill, Ecevit said, > "I hope that the U.S. administration's initiatives > will show the House [of Representatives] the right > path." > > "Turkey is doing its best to promote peace in the > Caucasus, but taking a position in favor of the > Armenian resolution is an extremely ugly and > saddening event," Ecevit asserted. > > Responding to reporters' question prior to departing > his office, Ecevit said that the passage would harm > Turco-American relations. He characterized the United > States as a great world power and added, "But it is > distressing that this great world power has certain > irresponsible politicians who have such influence in > foreign policy." > > Asked whether there would be any concrete response to > the U.S. administration -- such as a re-evaluation of > the Incirlik Air Base or the attack helicopter tender > which was preliminarily awarded to U.S. company Bell > Textron -- Ecevit said that U.S. officials had made > jective statements regarding possible > reactions which Turkey could make. > > The Turkish Foreign Ministry also said the bill would > harm the close relations between the NATO allies and > frustrate hopes of improving ties with Armenia. > > "The approval of the resolution concerning the > so-called genocide will hinder the normalization of > relations between Turkey and Armenia," a Foreign > Ministry statement said. "The approval of the > resolution ... will undoubtedly have serious effects > on bilateral relations between Turkey and the United > States." > > Meanwhile Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Faruk > Logoglu made a phone call yesterday to U.S. > Ambassador to Turkey Robert Pearson regarding the > bill. > > Speaking to the Turkish Daily News, Logoglu said that > the ambassador had informed him about the U.S. > administration's efforts to hinder the bill's > progress. > > Asked whether there would be any new initiatives > against Armenia, Logoglu said there were not but that > the Foreign Ministry has contingency plans covering > possible future developments and would put them into > effect when the time comes. He also said that Turkey > was using other instruments such as calling on its > NATO allies to exert pressure on congressmen. > > Logoglu also said that the ministry hadn't had any > special meeting regarding the bill. "The Foreign > Ministry has been working to defend Turkey's rights > in the international arena and striving hard towards > that end," he said. "We hold regular, continual > meetings in the ministry." > > Meanwhile Patriarch Mesrob II, the spiritual leader > of Turkey's 70,000 Orthodox Armenians, also lamented > the bill's approval. > > "I don't believe that anyone will profit from this, > and I think it will hurt Turkish-Armenian relations," > the patriarch said in a statement on Friday. > > The patriarch said that the issue was one that should > be discussed by Turkish and Armenian historians and > not by the lawmakers of any third country. > > Speaking to the TDN, a diplomatic source said that > the bill's passage would harm the normalization > process in relations between Turkey and Armenia and > also negatively affect Turco-American bilateral > relations. > > Turkey has an economic blockade on Armenia because of > the latter's dispute with neighboring Azerbaijan over > the enclave of Nagorno-Karabach. It refuses to > establish diplomatic relations with Armenia until > that country ends its occupation of Azerbaijani > territories. > > Turkish Ambassador to Washington Baki Ilkin said that > the goal of the bill was to damage the good relations > between Turkey and the United States as well as to > harm Turkey's image in the international arena. "This > is a game. We have to be calm and proceed cautiously > so as not to harm our relations with the United > States" Ilkin said. He added that the decision was > "only the first stage in a [long] process." > > "Turkey knows its history very well and doesn't need > lessons from anybody," Ilkin had said previously. > "The so-called Armenian genocide never occurred in > history. Such attempts [to push the bill through] can > only cast a shadow on the Turkish-American strategic > partnership." > > The bill urges the Clinton administration to > familiarize executive branch employees, especially > those dealing with human rights, with the so-called > Armenian genocide and its consequences. > > It also calls on the U.S. president to refer to the > killings as a genocide in an annual April 24 message > to commemorate the deaths. > > The measure now goes to the full House International > Relations Committee for a vote, which is expected > sometime next week. > > Meanwhile, the U.S administration, taking Turkey's > side, has been struggling to block the bill's > passage. > > According to the Anatolia news agency, President > Clinton, who is reportedly not happy with the bill's > passage, gave his adviser Sandy Berger the task of > convincing House members not to support the bill. > > Marc Grossman, former U.S. ambassador to Turkey and > director-general of the Foreign Service, gave a > speech to the House subcommittee on the first day of > the bill's debate, saying that its passage could harm > important U.S. interesn Turkey. He added that the > administration believes that passage of House > Resolution 398 (the bill's official designation) > would complicate its efforts to bring peace and > stability to the Caucasus. > >-- >Press Agenccy Ozgurluk >In Support of the Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Struggl in Turkey >http://www.ozgurluk.org >DHKC: http://www.ozgurluk.org/dhkc > > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi _______________________________________________________ Kominform list for general information. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Anti-Imperialism list for anti-imperialist news. Subscribe/unsubscribe messages: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________________
