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ERDOGAN: I TRUST OBAMA'S LEADERSHIP AND COMMON SENSE
Hurriyet
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n .php?n=erdogan-i-trust-obama8217s-leadership-and-c ommon-sense-2010-03-02
March 2 2010
Turkey
History should be left to historians, not politicians, Turkey's prime
minister said Tuesday in reference to an Armenian genocide resolution
that will be considered by a U.S. House committee this week.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the U.S. administration
to exercise "common sense" in studying the resolution.
Speaking at his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP,
group meeting, Erdogan said the resolution appeared on the agenda
every year and that anti-Turkey propaganda during that period was
extremely pointless.
"I hope the House of Representatives will act with common sense in the
face of such an issue that should be left to historians. I hope that
cooperation will not be harmed by such initiatives," Erdogan said. "I
trust the leadership and common sense of [President Barack] Obama, who
is closely following the ongoing normalization efforts with Armenia."
The prime minister said Turkish-U.S. relations were passing through
a successful period, noting that he had comprehensively taken up the
issue during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
in Qatar recently.
"I separately discussed with her what would be the cost of an adverse
result from that. I am calling on everyone once more to act with common
sense," said Erdogan. "I'd like to say it would be more accurate to
research genocide claims not at the House of Representatives but at
universities and archives."
Resolution process
Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House's Foreign Affairs
Committee, announced in early February that his panel would vote on
the resolution this Thursday.
If the bill passes the committee, it will proceed to a final vote on
the House floor. Similar resolutions passed the committee in 2000,
2005 and 2007, but never reached a floor vote because of extensive
pressure from former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Obama does not have veto power over the resolution, which is not
a bill or a law. The resolution only reflects the House's "sense,"
namely, their collective opinion.
The non-binding resolution, however, would call on Obama to ensure
that U.S. policy formally refers to the Armenian killings as "genocide"
and to use that term when he delivers his annual message on the issue
in April - something Obama avoided during last year's address.
Turkey has warned any House or Senate adoption of an Armenian
"genocide" bill would lead to a major and lasting deterioration in
relations with the United States.
Hurriyet
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n .php?n=erdogan-i-trust-obama8217s-leadership-and-c ommon-sense-2010-03-02
March 2 2010
Turkey
History should be left to historians, not politicians, Turkey's prime
minister said Tuesday in reference to an Armenian genocide resolution
that will be considered by a U.S. House committee this week.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged the U.S. administration
to exercise "common sense" in studying the resolution.
Speaking at his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP,
group meeting, Erdogan said the resolution appeared on the agenda
every year and that anti-Turkey propaganda during that period was
extremely pointless.
"I hope the House of Representatives will act with common sense in the
face of such an issue that should be left to historians. I hope that
cooperation will not be harmed by such initiatives," Erdogan said. "I
trust the leadership and common sense of [President Barack] Obama, who
is closely following the ongoing normalization efforts with Armenia."
The prime minister said Turkish-U.S. relations were passing through
a successful period, noting that he had comprehensively taken up the
issue during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
in Qatar recently.
"I separately discussed with her what would be the cost of an adverse
result from that. I am calling on everyone once more to act with common
sense," said Erdogan. "I'd like to say it would be more accurate to
research genocide claims not at the House of Representatives but at
universities and archives."
Resolution process
Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House's Foreign Affairs
Committee, announced in early February that his panel would vote on
the resolution this Thursday.
If the bill passes the committee, it will proceed to a final vote on
the House floor. Similar resolutions passed the committee in 2000,
2005 and 2007, but never reached a floor vote because of extensive
pressure from former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Obama does not have veto power over the resolution, which is not
a bill or a law. The resolution only reflects the House's "sense,"
namely, their collective opinion.
The non-binding resolution, however, would call on Obama to ensure
that U.S. policy formally refers to the Armenian killings as "genocide"
and to use that term when he delivers his annual message on the issue
in April - something Obama avoided during last year's address.
Turkey has warned any House or Senate adoption of an Armenian
"genocide" bill would lead to a major and lasting deterioration in
relations with the United States.