Turks Angry Over House Armenian Genocide Vote

[Spencer Collins]

Turks Angry Over House Armenian Genocide Vote


By SEBNEM ARSU
Published: October 12, 2007

ISTANBUL, Oct. 11 — Turkey reacted angrily Thursday to a House committee vote in Washington to condemn as genocide the mass killings of Armenians in Turkey that began during World War I, recalling its ambassador from Washington and threatening to withdraw its support for the Iraq war.

In uncharacteristically strong language, President Abdullah Gul criticized the vote by the House Foreign Relations Committee in a statement to the semi-official Anatolian News Agency, and warned that the decision could work against the United States.

“Unfortunately, some politicians in the United States have once more dismissed calls for common sense, and made an attempt to sacrifice big issues for minor domestic political games,” President Gul said.

The House vote comes at a particularly inopportune time. Washington has called on Turkey to show restraint as its military mobilizes on the border with Iraq, threatening an incursion against Kurdish insurgents. On Thursday, Turkish warplanes were reported to be flying close to the border, but not crossing it.

The possibility of Turkish military intervention in Iraq against Kurdish separatists has long worried American officials for its potential to ignite a wider war. On Wednesday, the Turkish government began the process of gaining parliamentary approval to conduct cross-border operations.

The committee vote in the House, though nonbinding and largely symbolic, rebuffed an intense campaign by the White House and earlier warnings from Turkey’s government that such a vote would gravely strain relations with the United States.

In Washington, the Bush administration tried to ease the hard feelings between the countries, and vowed to try to defeat the resolution on Capitol Hill.

“One of the reasons we opposed the resolution in the House yesterday is that the president has expressed on behalf of the American people our horror at the tragedy of 1915,” said Dana Perino, President Bush’s chief spokeswoman. “But at the same time, we have national security concerns, and many of our troops and supplies go through Turkey. They are a very important ally in the war on terror, and we are going to continue to try to work with them. And we hope that the House does not put forward a full vote.”

More?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/wo...3bc&ei=5087%0A

Hey..this was 1915,great "timing" on this resolution..

[cnredd]

Here's what happening...

Turkey is a major supply route for our troops in Iraq...Some Turkish people are even the drivers themselves...

The logic from the Democrats is that if they can't stop the funds from getting to the troops in Congress, they CAN stop the supplies from getting to the troops by offending the country that's out supply route...

Here's the logic...

"We piss off Turkey, they stop the route, troops don't get supplies, troops forced to leave, MoveOn.org has an orgasm"...

Of course there are two problems with this, but since when does logic ever enter the picture?...

1) This hurts the troops...Whether or not this actually forces troops out or not, there will be a time before the final decision where troops will be depleted of necesseties like usable water, generators, and ammunition...Thank you for making them live in almost unbearable conditions by actually making their situation worse...:

2) This will increase the already fierce tensions between Turkey, the Kurds, and anyone else in a 500 mile radius...This is the equivalent of peeling a scab and making it start to bleed again...Starting a tribal war to end a current war that's trying to stop a radical takeover is throwing grease on the fire...

Ramifications and consequences seemed to be about the 15th priority on the list of things that will happen because of this useless legislation...

But hey...It makes Bush look bad, and that's all that counts, right?...

[Spencer Collins]

Originally Posted by cnredd

Here's the logic...

"We piss off Turkey, they stop the route, troops don't get supplies, troops forced to leave, MoveOn.org has an orgasm"...

Of course there are two problems with this, but since when does logic ever enter the picture?...

1) This hurts the troops...Whether or not this actually forces troops out or not, there will be a time before the final decision where troops will be depleted of necesseties like usable water, generators, and ammunition...Thank you for making them live in almost unbearable conditions by actually making their situation worse...:

2) This will increase the already fierce tensions between Turkey, the Kurds, and anyone else in a 500 mile radius...This is the equivalent of peeling a scab and making it start to bleed again...Starting a tribal war to end a current war that's trying to stop a radical takeover is throwing grease on the fire...

Ramifications and consequences seemed to be about the 15th priority on the list of things that will happen because of this useless legislation...

But hey...It makes Bush look bad, and that's all that counts, right?...

Exactly..and the same thoughts went through my mind,this is NOT about genocide,it's a ploy to end the war by meddling in a delicate situation..shameful behavior..

[kit]

Originally Posted by cnredd

Here's what happening...

Turkey is a major supply route for our troops in Iraq...Some Turkish people are even the drivers themselves...

The logic from the Democrats is that if they can't stop the funds from getting to the troops in Congress, they CAN stop the supplies from getting to the troops by offending the country that's out supply route...

Here's the logic...

"We piss off Turkey, they stop the route, troops don't get supplies, troops forced to leave, MoveOn.org has an orgasm"...

Of course there are two problems with this, but since when does logic ever enter the picture?...

1) This hurts the troops...Whether or not this actually forces troops out or not, there will be a time before the final decision where troops will be depleted of necesseties like usable water, generators, and ammunition...Thank you for making them live in almost unbearable conditions by actually making their situation worse...:

2) This will increase the already fierce tensions between Turkey, the Kurds, and anyone else in a 500 mile radius...This is the equivalent of peeling a scab and making it start to bleed again...Starting a tribal war to end a current war that's trying to stop a radical takeover is throwing grease on the fire...

Ramifications and consequences seemed to be about the 15th priority on the list of things that will happen because of this useless legislation...

But hey...It makes Bush look bad, and that's all that counts, right?...

Oh, horse hockey! This has been pending since before we invaded Iraq and has nothing to do with that war directly.

However, it's a VERY bad idea to poke a stick in the Turks eyes right now because we need them to remain quite about the PKK and we need their access to the sea.

The administration has already alienated Turkey to the point that they are ignoring our pleas to not invade Kurdistan. And, our invasion of Iraq was not seen in Turkey as a good thing (Remember the 4th Infantry Division lounging off-shore awaiting the Turks permission to land, which never came?). Our actions in the Middle East are rapidly driving the Turks to institute a muslim-based government because they fear what we're up to and things like this only make matters worse.

Once again, Congress is meddling in an already explosive situation and, between them and the ineptitude of the administration, we're likely now to see that broader, regional war which many feared our invasion of Iraq would ignite and we're far from ready to meet that crisis.