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US HOUSE COMMITTEE ADOPTS TURKEY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES ACCOUNTABILITY ACT
Cihan News Agency, Turkey
June 27 2014
ISTANBUL - 27.06.2014 19:28:47
A US House of Representatives committee passed a religious freedom
measure on Thursday that will hold Turkey accountable for the return of
"thousands of stolen Christian holy sites" and specifically urged the
immediate reopening of the Halki Theological Seminary on Heybeliada
in the Sea of Marmara.
House Resolution 4347 (H.Res. 4347), the Turkey Christian Churches
Accountability Act, was introduced by Republican Congressman Ed Royce
from California in March. The resolution then was referred to the
House Foreign Affairs Committee, which held a hearing on Thursday.
H.Res.4347 was adopted with a majority by voice vote in the committee
on Thursday. The resolution requires that the US Department of State
formally report to the US Congress on an annual basis about the status
of Turkey's "return of stolen Christian churches and properties in
Turkey and occupied Cyprus."
The US House of Representatives had adopted a similar resolution
(H.Res. 306) in December 2011, calling upon the Turkish government "to
honor its international obligations to return confiscated Christian
church properties and to fully respect the rights of Christians to
practice their faith."
The Democratic Party's Virginia Representative Gerald Connolly and New
York Representative Gregory Meeks strongly criticized H.Res. 4347 in
the committee hearing on Thursday. Connolly said that the resolution
does not adequately reflect the close friendship between the US and
its NATO ally Turkey, adding that Turkey has been taking positive
steps to protect the religious properties in the country.
"At a time when it needs to be a priority for us to maintain our
strategic relationship with Turkey, adopting this resolution will
harm our relations with Turkey. Turkey is playing an important and
unanticipated role by hosting more than 1 million Syrians who fled the
civil war in Syria. When Iraq is getting pulled into more violence,
it is not appropriate to isolate a valuable and trusted partner like
Turkey -- the majority Muslim, democratic Turkey -- for the stability
of the region," Connolly said, according to Turkish press reports.
Republican Party California Representative Dana Rohrabacher mentioned
the difficulties faced by the Muslim community in Greece during the
committee hearing and suggested that issue should also be mentioned
in the resolution.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has 24 members from the Republican
Party and 21 members from the Democratic Party. Because it was a voice
vote, the vote count it is not clear or with what margin the resolution
was adopted, according to reports. The resolution must now be adopted
both by the House of Representatives and the Senate. If it is adopted
by both chambers of Congress in its current form, then the US Secretary
of State will be presenting an annual report on the subject to the
foreign relations committees of the House and Senate until 2021.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized the adoption of the resolution
in a statement on Thursday, saying that the claims in the resolution
are groundless and based on erroneous information and accusations.
The ministry stated that as part of a reform program in place since
the early 2000s, Turkey has restored many non-Muslim places of worship
to the original owners and has enabled the registration of non-Muslim
properties as religious community foundations and paid for immovable
property that cannot be returned.
"It is unacceptable for certain circles who are against Turkey in
the US Congress to take such a step that is not productive and full
of unjust claims when Turkey is taking concrete steps to broaden all
of its citizens' rights and freedoms, including non-Muslims," the
statement read. The Foreign Ministry also criticized the fact that
Turkey is being singled out as other problematic issues with regard
to other religions are not mentioned in the resolution, adding that
the resolution is not compatible with the multicultural structure of
the US.
The Foreign Ministry also said that this type of step is damaging to
the US-Turkish partnership and stressed that the US administration
needs to speak out against "irresponsible efforts."
However, Ken Hachikian, chairman of the US-based Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) said, "Americans of Armenian, Greek and
Assyrian heritage -- the descendants of those subjected to genocide by
Ottoman Turkey from 1915-1923 and whose churches continue to be held
captive by the Turkish Government -- join with friends of all faiths
in welcoming committee passage of the Royce-Engel Turkey Christian
Churches Accountability Act."
Ankara denies claims that the events of 1915 amount to a 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 adoption of this measure sends a strong signal to Ankara that it
must stop its anti-Christian conduct and start coming to terms with
its moral, material and legal obligations to Armenians, Syriacs,
Cypriots, Pontians and other victims of Turkey's still unpunished
genocidal crimes," said Hachikian.
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) criticized the
resolution for singling out Turkey in a newsletter that was sent
to Turkish-Americans living in the US. ATAA also stressed that the
resolution makes no mention of Muslim and Jewish properties in other
former Ottoman lands.
"Targeting people of Turkish heritage reflects the tactic of a
dangerously growing number of members of Congress to payoff narrow
constituencies who hate Turks," said the ATAA newsletter.
http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/US-House-committee-adopts-Turkey-Christian-Churches-Accountability-Act_0157-CHMTQ5MDE1Ny80
Cihan News Agency, Turkey
June 27 2014
ISTANBUL - 27.06.2014 19:28:47
A US House of Representatives committee passed a religious freedom
measure on Thursday that will hold Turkey accountable for the return of
"thousands of stolen Christian holy sites" and specifically urged the
immediate reopening of the Halki Theological Seminary on Heybeliada
in the Sea of Marmara.
House Resolution 4347 (H.Res. 4347), the Turkey Christian Churches
Accountability Act, was introduced by Republican Congressman Ed Royce
from California in March. The resolution then was referred to the
House Foreign Affairs Committee, which held a hearing on Thursday.
H.Res.4347 was adopted with a majority by voice vote in the committee
on Thursday. The resolution requires that the US Department of State
formally report to the US Congress on an annual basis about the status
of Turkey's "return of stolen Christian churches and properties in
Turkey and occupied Cyprus."
The US House of Representatives had adopted a similar resolution
(H.Res. 306) in December 2011, calling upon the Turkish government "to
honor its international obligations to return confiscated Christian
church properties and to fully respect the rights of Christians to
practice their faith."
The Democratic Party's Virginia Representative Gerald Connolly and New
York Representative Gregory Meeks strongly criticized H.Res. 4347 in
the committee hearing on Thursday. Connolly said that the resolution
does not adequately reflect the close friendship between the US and
its NATO ally Turkey, adding that Turkey has been taking positive
steps to protect the religious properties in the country.
"At a time when it needs to be a priority for us to maintain our
strategic relationship with Turkey, adopting this resolution will
harm our relations with Turkey. Turkey is playing an important and
unanticipated role by hosting more than 1 million Syrians who fled the
civil war in Syria. When Iraq is getting pulled into more violence,
it is not appropriate to isolate a valuable and trusted partner like
Turkey -- the majority Muslim, democratic Turkey -- for the stability
of the region," Connolly said, according to Turkish press reports.
Republican Party California Representative Dana Rohrabacher mentioned
the difficulties faced by the Muslim community in Greece during the
committee hearing and suggested that issue should also be mentioned
in the resolution.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has 24 members from the Republican
Party and 21 members from the Democratic Party. Because it was a voice
vote, the vote count it is not clear or with what margin the resolution
was adopted, according to reports. The resolution must now be adopted
both by the House of Representatives and the Senate. If it is adopted
by both chambers of Congress in its current form, then the US Secretary
of State will be presenting an annual report on the subject to the
foreign relations committees of the House and Senate until 2021.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized the adoption of the resolution
in a statement on Thursday, saying that the claims in the resolution
are groundless and based on erroneous information and accusations.
The ministry stated that as part of a reform program in place since
the early 2000s, Turkey has restored many non-Muslim places of worship
to the original owners and has enabled the registration of non-Muslim
properties as religious community foundations and paid for immovable
property that cannot be returned.
"It is unacceptable for certain circles who are against Turkey in
the US Congress to take such a step that is not productive and full
of unjust claims when Turkey is taking concrete steps to broaden all
of its citizens' rights and freedoms, including non-Muslims," the
statement read. The Foreign Ministry also criticized the fact that
Turkey is being singled out as other problematic issues with regard
to other religions are not mentioned in the resolution, adding that
the resolution is not compatible with the multicultural structure of
the US.
The Foreign Ministry also said that this type of step is damaging to
the US-Turkish partnership and stressed that the US administration
needs to speak out against "irresponsible efforts."
However, Ken Hachikian, chairman of the US-based Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) said, "Americans of Armenian, Greek and
Assyrian heritage -- the descendants of those subjected to genocide by
Ottoman Turkey from 1915-1923 and whose churches continue to be held
captive by the Turkish Government -- join with friends of all faiths
in welcoming committee passage of the Royce-Engel Turkey Christian
Churches Accountability Act."
Ankara denies claims that the events of 1915 amount to a 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 adoption of this measure sends a strong signal to Ankara that it
must stop its anti-Christian conduct and start coming to terms with
its moral, material and legal obligations to Armenians, Syriacs,
Cypriots, Pontians and other victims of Turkey's still unpunished
genocidal crimes," said Hachikian.
The Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) criticized the
resolution for singling out Turkey in a newsletter that was sent
to Turkish-Americans living in the US. ATAA also stressed that the
resolution makes no mention of Muslim and Jewish properties in other
former Ottoman lands.
"Targeting people of Turkish heritage reflects the tactic of a
dangerously growing number of members of Congress to payoff narrow
constituencies who hate Turks," said the ATAA newsletter.
http://en.cihan.com.tr/news/US-House-committee-adopts-Turkey-Christian-Churches-Accountability-Act_0157-CHMTQ5MDE1Ny80