[nairi]

What's next? I have a feeling Obama will still refuse to call the event by its name on April 24... But I might be wrong.

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Turkish anger at 'genocide' vote

BBC
Published: 2010/03/05 02:42:07 GMT

Turkey has reacted angrily to a US congressional panel's resolution describing as genocide killings of Armenians in World War I.

PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country had been accused of a crime it did not commit, adding the resolution would harm Turkish-US relations.

Ankara has recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations and says it is considering other responses.

Correspondents say it is still an extremely sensitive issue in Turkey.

The government of Turkey, a key American ally and fellow Nato member, had lobbied hard for the American Congress not to vote on the issue.

The White House had also warned that the vote would harm reconciliation talks between Turkey and Armenia.

Delegation

The resolution was narrowly approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

It calls on President Barack Obama to ensure that US foreign policy reflects an understanding of the "genocide" and to label the World War I killings as such in his annual statement on the issue.

It was approved by 23 votes to 22 by the committee.

ANALYSIS
Kevin Connolly, BBC News, Washington
Ankara has already withdrawn its ambassador from Washington for consultations - in reaction to what will be seen as a significant international insult.

Washington will now be working hard to limit any further diplomatic fallout.

As one of the United States' most important allies in the Muslim world, Turkey's influence is important on both Iran and Afghanistan.

And the cheapest and safest way of extracting American soldiers from Iraq next year would be from neighbouring Turkey - if the diplomatic atmosphere permits.

A Turkish parliamentary delegation had gone to Washington to try to persuade committee members to reject the resolution.

The BBC's Jane O'Brien in Washington says Turkey must be hoping that, as with a similar resolution two years ago, the issue will not come to the floor of the House for a full vote.

In 2007, it passed the committee stage, but was shelved after pressure from the George W Bush administration.

Turkey accepts that atrocities were committed but argues they were part of the war and that there was no systematic attempt to destroy the Christian Armenian people.

The Armenian government welcomed the vote, calling it "an important step towards the prevention of crimes against humanity".

'Too important'

MASS KILLINGS OF ARMENIANS
Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks in 1915-6
Many historians and the Armenian people believe the killings amount to genocide
Turks and some historians deny they were orchestrated
More than 20 countries regard the massacres as genocide

During his election campaign Mr Obama promised to brand the mass killings genocide.

In October last year, Turkey and Armenia signed a historic accord normalising relations between them after a century of hostility.

Armenia wants Turkey to recognise the killings as an act of genocide, but successive Turkish governments have refused to do so.

Hundreds of thousands of Armenians died in 1915, when they were deported en masse from eastern Anatolia by the Ottoman Empire. They were killed by troops or died from starvation and disease.

Armenians have campaigned for the killings to be recognised internationally as genocide - and more than 20 countries have done so.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.u...cas/8550928.stm

Published: 2010/03/05 02:42:07 GMT

© BBC MMX

[hans.vleeuwen]

Ik citeer toch maar even Taner Akçam, Armeense genocide, 2006, p. 17:
"Misschien vreest de [Turkse] regering, dat, als Turkije de genocide en haar verantwoordelijkheid ervoor zou erkennen, dit ernstige gevolgen zou hebben op het gebied van schadeloosstelling voor het verloren land en eigendom." Hij voegt toe, dat territoriale eisen binnen het internationale recht geen geldigheid bezitten. "..dan blijft er de kwestie van de financiële compensatie over."

[hans.vleeuwen]

Ik vraag me af, wie die moet betalen. Het officiële leger nauwelijks, terwijl het parlement ook was gepasseerd: http://forum.nedarm....&st=0&#entry110 post#2, 3e alinea, en het slot van http://forum.nedarm....t=0&#entry11111 post #2 (De Tijdelijke Wet op deportatie).
De PEV ( http://forum.nedarm....t=0&#entry11111 post #3) als instituut evenmin, want die werd in nov. 1918 ontbonden.