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Clinton uses diplomatic muscle in Turkey-Armenia row
Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:47pm EDT
By Jeff Mason
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had just
left a hotel for a historic signing ceremony between Turkish and
Armenian leaders on Saturday when her caravan stopped and she headed
back.
A decades-old conflict, stemming from the World War One mass killing of
Armenians by Ottoman forces, needed a few more hours to simmer, it
seemed, before resolution could begin.
Clinton, President Barack Obama's most prominent foreign policy
adviser, played a key role in getting the long-term enemies to sign,
hours late, protocols to establish diplomatic ties and open borders,
U.S. officials said.
She drove back to the hotel where Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian was ensconced, spoke to him and Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu by phone, and persuaded both sides to meet at the university
where the signing was to take place, bringing the Armenian along in her
sedan.
The holdup? A disagreement over what the leaders would say at the
ceremony. The solution? Pledging, in the end, to say nothing -- at
least on site.
"There was an agreement that the protocols should speak for
themselves," Clinton told reporters on her plane later in the evening
as she made her way to London.
"They've been carefully, painstakingly negotiated over many months and
at the end of the day that was what the substance of this is about."
Critics say Clinton is sidelined in Obama's administration on big
issues such as Iran, Afghanistan and Middle East peace, but her
European trip to Switzerland, Britain, Ireland and Russia underscored
areas in which she has taken the lead.
The former senator's role in the Turkey-Armenia dispute, which also
featured foreign policy heavyweights from Russia and the European
Union, illustrated her negotiating muscle several months after she
swapped her political job for that of top U.S. diplomat.
"It's just what you sign up for," Clinton said when asked whether this
was one of the hardest diplomatic challenges she had faced in her short
tenure as secretary of state.
"When you're trying to help people resolve long-standing problems
between themselves, it is a very challenging process."
Clinton declined to identify the sticking points in the talks, though
some analysts said Armenia had probably sought to use the word
"genocide" when referring to the killings while Turkey may have planned
to refer to a dispute between ally Azerbaijan and Armenia over the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"There were concerns on both sides," Clinton said. "So there were
several times when I said to all of the parties involved that this is
too important, this has to be seen through, you've come too far."
Obama, who has also been personally involved in encouraging both sides
to sign the protocols, called Clinton as she drove to the airport later
to congratulate her, one adviser said.
(Editing by Tim Pearce)
Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:47pm EDT
By Jeff Mason
LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had just
left a hotel for a historic signing ceremony between Turkish and
Armenian leaders on Saturday when her caravan stopped and she headed
back.
A decades-old conflict, stemming from the World War One mass killing of
Armenians by Ottoman forces, needed a few more hours to simmer, it
seemed, before resolution could begin.
Clinton, President Barack Obama's most prominent foreign policy
adviser, played a key role in getting the long-term enemies to sign,
hours late, protocols to establish diplomatic ties and open borders,
U.S. officials said.
She drove back to the hotel where Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian was ensconced, spoke to him and Turkish counterpart Ahmet
Davutoglu by phone, and persuaded both sides to meet at the university
where the signing was to take place, bringing the Armenian along in her
sedan.
The holdup? A disagreement over what the leaders would say at the
ceremony. The solution? Pledging, in the end, to say nothing -- at
least on site.
"There was an agreement that the protocols should speak for
themselves," Clinton told reporters on her plane later in the evening
as she made her way to London.
"They've been carefully, painstakingly negotiated over many months and
at the end of the day that was what the substance of this is about."
Critics say Clinton is sidelined in Obama's administration on big
issues such as Iran, Afghanistan and Middle East peace, but her
European trip to Switzerland, Britain, Ireland and Russia underscored
areas in which she has taken the lead.
The former senator's role in the Turkey-Armenia dispute, which also
featured foreign policy heavyweights from Russia and the European
Union, illustrated her negotiating muscle several months after she
swapped her political job for that of top U.S. diplomat.
"It's just what you sign up for," Clinton said when asked whether this
was one of the hardest diplomatic challenges she had faced in her short
tenure as secretary of state.
"When you're trying to help people resolve long-standing problems
between themselves, it is a very challenging process."
Clinton declined to identify the sticking points in the talks, though
some analysts said Armenia had probably sought to use the word
"genocide" when referring to the killings while Turkey may have planned
to refer to a dispute between ally Azerbaijan and Armenia over the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"There were concerns on both sides," Clinton said. "So there were
several times when I said to all of the parties involved that this is
too important, this has to be seen through, you've come too far."
Obama, who has also been personally involved in encouraging both sides
to sign the protocols, called Clinton as she drove to the airport later
to congratulate her, one adviser said.
(Editing by Tim Pearce)