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TURKEY PULLS ENVOY AFTER U.S. VOTE ON 'GENOCIDE' LABEL
By Susan Cornwell and Arshad Mohammed
Reuters
March 5 2010
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional panel voted on Thursday
to label as "genocide" the World War One-era massacre of Armenians
by Turkish forces, prompting Turkey to recall its ambassador from
Washington.
The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-22
to approve the non-binding resolution, which calls on President
Barack Obama to ensure U.S. policy formally refers to the killings
as genocide.
The action cleared the way for the measure to be considered by the
full House but it was unclear whether it would actually come to a vote
there. The Obama administration and Turkey had pressed lawmakers to
drop the matter.
The vote triggered an immediate condemnation from Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who recalled Turkey's ambassador to Washington
for consultations. Erdogan said he worried the measure would harm
Turkish-U.S. ties and efforts by Muslim Turkey and Christian Armenia
to end a century of hostility.
The vote put Obama in a tight spot between his desire to maintain
good relations with Turkey, a Muslim but secular democracy that
plays a vital role for U.S. interests from Iran to Afghanistan to
the Middle East.
On the one side is NATO ally Turkey, which rejects calling the events
genocide. On the other side is an important U.S. Armenian-American
constituency and their backers in Congress ahead of congressional
elections in November.
ARMENIA HAILS VOTE
"We highly appreciate the decision," Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian told Reuters. "This is further proof of the devotion of
the American people to universal human values and is an important
step towards the prevention of crimes against humanity."
The price on Turkey's 2030 benchmark Global Bond did not change after
the vote. It remained down 0.44 points in price to 160, yielding
6.465 percent.
"I don't think there will be any reaction in the markets unless the
political response from Turkey elevates it as an issue," said A.J.
Mediratta, senior managing director at Greylock Capital Management
in New York.
"Clearly the U.S. administration didn't want this to come to a head
and I think the Turkish government understands this. If there is a
reaction, it will come at the London open tomorrow."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned House Foreign
Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, a fellow Democrat, on
Wednesday to argue the measure could harm efforts to normalize
Turkish-Armenian relations, the White House said.
Turkey and Armenia signed a protocol last year to normalize relations
but it has yet to pass through the parliament of either country. Obama
called Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday to urge quick
ratification, the White House said.
Despite Clinton's appeal, Berman went ahead with a committee debate
and a vote. He said Turkey was a "vital" ally but "nothing justifies
Turkey's turning a blind eye to the reality of the Armenian genocide."
Turkey accepts that many Armenians were killed by Ottoman forces
but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted to
genocide -- a term employed by many Western historians and some
foreign parliaments.
(Additional reporting by Daniel Bases in New York and Zerin Elci in
Ankara; Editing by Matt Spetalnick and John O'Callaghan)
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldN ews/idINIndia-46668020100304?sp=true
By Susan Cornwell and Arshad Mohammed
Reuters
March 5 2010
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressional panel voted on Thursday
to label as "genocide" the World War One-era massacre of Armenians
by Turkish forces, prompting Turkey to recall its ambassador from
Washington.
The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-22
to approve the non-binding resolution, which calls on President
Barack Obama to ensure U.S. policy formally refers to the killings
as genocide.
The action cleared the way for the measure to be considered by the
full House but it was unclear whether it would actually come to a vote
there. The Obama administration and Turkey had pressed lawmakers to
drop the matter.
The vote triggered an immediate condemnation from Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who recalled Turkey's ambassador to Washington
for consultations. Erdogan said he worried the measure would harm
Turkish-U.S. ties and efforts by Muslim Turkey and Christian Armenia
to end a century of hostility.
The vote put Obama in a tight spot between his desire to maintain
good relations with Turkey, a Muslim but secular democracy that
plays a vital role for U.S. interests from Iran to Afghanistan to
the Middle East.
On the one side is NATO ally Turkey, which rejects calling the events
genocide. On the other side is an important U.S. Armenian-American
constituency and their backers in Congress ahead of congressional
elections in November.
ARMENIA HAILS VOTE
"We highly appreciate the decision," Armenian Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian told Reuters. "This is further proof of the devotion of
the American people to universal human values and is an important
step towards the prevention of crimes against humanity."
The price on Turkey's 2030 benchmark Global Bond did not change after
the vote. It remained down 0.44 points in price to 160, yielding
6.465 percent.
"I don't think there will be any reaction in the markets unless the
political response from Turkey elevates it as an issue," said A.J.
Mediratta, senior managing director at Greylock Capital Management
in New York.
"Clearly the U.S. administration didn't want this to come to a head
and I think the Turkish government understands this. If there is a
reaction, it will come at the London open tomorrow."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned House Foreign
Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, a fellow Democrat, on
Wednesday to argue the measure could harm efforts to normalize
Turkish-Armenian relations, the White House said.
Turkey and Armenia signed a protocol last year to normalize relations
but it has yet to pass through the parliament of either country. Obama
called Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday to urge quick
ratification, the White House said.
Despite Clinton's appeal, Berman went ahead with a committee debate
and a vote. He said Turkey was a "vital" ally but "nothing justifies
Turkey's turning a blind eye to the reality of the Armenian genocide."
Turkey accepts that many Armenians were killed by Ottoman forces
but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted to
genocide -- a term employed by many Western historians and some
foreign parliaments.
(Additional reporting by Daniel Bases in New York and Zerin Elci in
Ankara; Editing by Matt Spetalnick and John O'Callaghan)
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldN ews/idINIndia-46668020100304?sp=true