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Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 13 2014
TAA refutes claim tying US genocide resolution to Hizmet
13 April 2014, Sunday /ANKARA, TODAY'S ZAMAN
The Turkic American Alliance (TAA) has refuted the pro-government
daily Sabah's and Yeni Å?afak's claims of `treachery,' linking the
Hizmet movement, a faith-based group inspired by Turkish Islamic
scholar Fethullah Gülen, with the passing of an `Armenian genocide'
resolution at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a senate resolution
on Thursday commemorating the `Armenian Genocide' and clearing the way
for the resolution to be voted in the Senate. US Senator Robert
Menendez (Democrat, New Jersey), chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, and US Senator Mark Kirk introduced the US Senate
resolution on April 3.
Pro-government Sabah daily claimed on Sunday that the `parallel
structure' (in reference to the Hizmet movement) has funded Senator
Menendez's election campaign. Yeni Å?afak daily wrote on Saturday that
Menendez attended a gala meeting of TAA, which has ties with Hizmet,
only one day before the resolution was adopted at the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee in April 10, suggesting that Hizmet was behind the
preparation of this resolution against Turkey's interests and using an
American senator to that end.
Sabah claims that Menendez has received $9,500 in total from two
schools, one law firm and one computer company that have allegedly
close ties to Gülen.
TAA President Faruk Taban and TAA's member organization Turkic
American Association Council (CTAA) President Furkan KoÅ?ar made a
joint statement on Saturday that Yeni Å?afak's story is erroneous, only
based on a photo taken at the gala meeting of TAA. In a photo that
appeared in Yeni Å?afak on Saturday, CTAA President Furkan KoÅ?ar and
Menendez are seen talking to each other.
TAA, the largest national Turkic organization in the US, held its
third annual Turkic American Convention in Washington, D.C., on April
12-13 in cooperation with the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and
Industrialists (TUSKON).
Calling the story a lie, TAA and CTAA said that they have always
expressed their displeasure to Menendez over resolutions that upset
Turks and Azerbaijanis. The statement said that linking TAA and CTAA
with the Armenian resolution at the US Congress is part of an
operation to manipulate people's perceptions -- the Turkish public
have witnessed plenty of examples of this recently. Taban and KoÅ?ar
said the journalist and Yeni Å?afak will be sued for linking their
organizations with the passing of the Armenian resolution.
`It is out of the question to support an Armenian resolution which TAA
and CTAA worked against over the years. Whenever we had a chance we
have expressed our displeasure to Senator Menendez that Turks and
Azerbaijani people are disturbed by these resolutions that have been
brought to US Congress many times over the years. Despite the efforts
of other nongovernmental organizations and the Turkish Embassy in
Washington, the passing of the resolution shows that the Republic of
Turkey and nongovernmental organizations need to maybe exert more
effort,' said the TAA and CTAA presidents in their statement.
The 12 senators voted for the resolution in the 18-member committee at
the Senate, while five senators voted against it and one senator
abstained. It will be up to Senate majority leader Harry Reid to bring
the resolution to the Senate floor.
TAA President Taban also made a written statement on Friday in which
he expressed the sadness of the resolution passing the US Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, before Yeni Å?afak's claims appeared on
the paper on Saturday. Taban also pointed out in his statement that
during this time it is regretful that Turkey did not have an
ambassador in Washington, D.C., to defend Turkey's interests. He also
stressed that TAA members have expressed their concerns to many
congressmen and senators, including Menendez, about the resolution's
possible harm for Turkish-American relations, but their efforts were
not enough to change the outcome.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry appointed a new ambassador to Washington
early this year, but Ambassador Serdar Kılıç arrived in the US capital
at about the time the resolution was passed at the Senate committee.
Former Turkish ambassador to Washington Namık Tan returned to Turkey
mid-March.
The resolution was not on the agenda of the last working day of US
Senate on Friday before the Easter recess. The Senate will reconvene
on April 28.
The resolution (H. Res. 410) is `expressing the sense' of the Senate
on April 24, the day on which Armenians remember the events they
describe as a genocide. Ankara denies claims that the 1915 events
amount to genocide, arguing that both Turks and Armenians were killed
when Armenians revolted against the Ottoman Empire during World War I
in collaboration with the Russian army, which was then invading
eastern Anatolia.
The resolution calls on the Senate `to remember and observe the
anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24, 2014' and says the
US president `should work toward an equitable, constructive, stable,
and durable Armenian-Turkish relationship that includes the full
acknowledgement by Turkey of the facts about the Armenian genocide.'
Turks will focus on the statement to come from the US President Barack
Obama on April 24 and see whether Obama will use the `G' (genocide)
word. Obama has so far refrained from naming the events of 1915 as
genocide.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-344592-taa-refutes-claim-tying-us-genocide-resolution-to-hizmet.html
April 13 2014
TAA refutes claim tying US genocide resolution to Hizmet
13 April 2014, Sunday /ANKARA, TODAY'S ZAMAN
The Turkic American Alliance (TAA) has refuted the pro-government
daily Sabah's and Yeni Å?afak's claims of `treachery,' linking the
Hizmet movement, a faith-based group inspired by Turkish Islamic
scholar Fethullah Gülen, with the passing of an `Armenian genocide'
resolution at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a senate resolution
on Thursday commemorating the `Armenian Genocide' and clearing the way
for the resolution to be voted in the Senate. US Senator Robert
Menendez (Democrat, New Jersey), chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, and US Senator Mark Kirk introduced the US Senate
resolution on April 3.
Pro-government Sabah daily claimed on Sunday that the `parallel
structure' (in reference to the Hizmet movement) has funded Senator
Menendez's election campaign. Yeni Å?afak daily wrote on Saturday that
Menendez attended a gala meeting of TAA, which has ties with Hizmet,
only one day before the resolution was adopted at the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee in April 10, suggesting that Hizmet was behind the
preparation of this resolution against Turkey's interests and using an
American senator to that end.
Sabah claims that Menendez has received $9,500 in total from two
schools, one law firm and one computer company that have allegedly
close ties to Gülen.
TAA President Faruk Taban and TAA's member organization Turkic
American Association Council (CTAA) President Furkan KoÅ?ar made a
joint statement on Saturday that Yeni Å?afak's story is erroneous, only
based on a photo taken at the gala meeting of TAA. In a photo that
appeared in Yeni Å?afak on Saturday, CTAA President Furkan KoÅ?ar and
Menendez are seen talking to each other.
TAA, the largest national Turkic organization in the US, held its
third annual Turkic American Convention in Washington, D.C., on April
12-13 in cooperation with the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and
Industrialists (TUSKON).
Calling the story a lie, TAA and CTAA said that they have always
expressed their displeasure to Menendez over resolutions that upset
Turks and Azerbaijanis. The statement said that linking TAA and CTAA
with the Armenian resolution at the US Congress is part of an
operation to manipulate people's perceptions -- the Turkish public
have witnessed plenty of examples of this recently. Taban and KoÅ?ar
said the journalist and Yeni Å?afak will be sued for linking their
organizations with the passing of the Armenian resolution.
`It is out of the question to support an Armenian resolution which TAA
and CTAA worked against over the years. Whenever we had a chance we
have expressed our displeasure to Senator Menendez that Turks and
Azerbaijani people are disturbed by these resolutions that have been
brought to US Congress many times over the years. Despite the efforts
of other nongovernmental organizations and the Turkish Embassy in
Washington, the passing of the resolution shows that the Republic of
Turkey and nongovernmental organizations need to maybe exert more
effort,' said the TAA and CTAA presidents in their statement.
The 12 senators voted for the resolution in the 18-member committee at
the Senate, while five senators voted against it and one senator
abstained. It will be up to Senate majority leader Harry Reid to bring
the resolution to the Senate floor.
TAA President Taban also made a written statement on Friday in which
he expressed the sadness of the resolution passing the US Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, before Yeni Å?afak's claims appeared on
the paper on Saturday. Taban also pointed out in his statement that
during this time it is regretful that Turkey did not have an
ambassador in Washington, D.C., to defend Turkey's interests. He also
stressed that TAA members have expressed their concerns to many
congressmen and senators, including Menendez, about the resolution's
possible harm for Turkish-American relations, but their efforts were
not enough to change the outcome.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry appointed a new ambassador to Washington
early this year, but Ambassador Serdar Kılıç arrived in the US capital
at about the time the resolution was passed at the Senate committee.
Former Turkish ambassador to Washington Namık Tan returned to Turkey
mid-March.
The resolution was not on the agenda of the last working day of US
Senate on Friday before the Easter recess. The Senate will reconvene
on April 28.
The resolution (H. Res. 410) is `expressing the sense' of the Senate
on April 24, the day on which Armenians remember the events they
describe as a genocide. Ankara denies claims that the 1915 events
amount to genocide, arguing that both Turks and Armenians were killed
when Armenians revolted against the Ottoman Empire during World War I
in collaboration with the Russian army, which was then invading
eastern Anatolia.
The resolution calls on the Senate `to remember and observe the
anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24, 2014' and says the
US president `should work toward an equitable, constructive, stable,
and durable Armenian-Turkish relationship that includes the full
acknowledgement by Turkey of the facts about the Armenian genocide.'
Turks will focus on the statement to come from the US President Barack
Obama on April 24 and see whether Obama will use the `G' (genocide)
word. Obama has so far refrained from naming the events of 1915 as
genocide.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-344592-taa-refutes-claim-tying-us-genocide-resolution-to-hizmet.html