Turkey warns US of negative diplomatic consequences over Armenian genocide vote

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Turkey warns US over Armenian genocide vote

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey warned the Obama administration on Friday of diplomatic consequences if it doesn’t quash a congressional resolution that would brand the World War I-era killing of Armenians genocide.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey, a key Muslim ally of the U.S., would assess what measures it would take, adding that the issue was a matter of “honor” for his country.

Meanwhile, a senior Obama administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said there was an understanding with the Democratic leadership in Congress that the resolution would not go to a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.

A U.S. congressional committee approved the measure Thursday. The 23-22 vote would send the measure to the full House of Representatives, if the leadership decided to bring it up. Minutes after the vote, Turkey withdrew its ambassador to the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton did not answer a question about the diplomatic fallout Friday.

“The Obama administration strongly opposes the resolution that was passed by only one vote by the House committee and will work very hard to make sure it does not go to the House floor,” Clinton told reporters in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

President Barack Obama promised during his campaign to officially recognize the killings as genocide but has not done so. The Obama administration had been silent about the resolution until shortly before the vote, when it said it opposed its passage. Turkey wants stronger action to block the resolution.

“The picture shows that the U.S. administration did not put enough weight behind the issue,” Davutoglu told reporters. “We are seriously disturbed by the result.”

“We expect the U.S. administration to, as of now, display more effective efforts. Otherwise the picture ahead will not be a positive one,” he said. He complained of a lack of “strategic vision” in Washington.

The measure was approved at a time when Washington is expected to press Turkey to back sanctions against Iran to be approved in the U.N. Security Council, where Turkey currently holds a seat. Turkish cooperation also is important to U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Also at stake are defense contracts. Turkey is an important market for U.S. defense companies, many of which had lobbied against the measure.

“We have had good cooperation with the U.S. administration at all levels,” Davutoglu said. “We would expect our contributions not to be sacrificed to domestic political games.”

Davutoglu said the U.S. ambassador had been called to the Foreign Ministry for talks. The ambassador, James Jeffrey, told reporters the Obama administration was opposed to the measure going before the full House.

The foreign minister said Turkey was determined to press ahead with efforts to normalize ties with Armenia, but said Turkey would not be “pressured” into taking any decisions.

He added that the vote had put the ratification of agreements to normalize ties with Armenia at risk.

Last year, Turkey and Armenia agreed to normalize ties by establishing diplomatic relations and reopen their shared border, but the agreements have yet to be approved by their parliaments.

Turkey has been dragging its feet, fearful of upsetting ally Azerbaijan, which balks at any suggestion of the reopening of the border until its own dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh is settled. The region in Azerbaijan has been under Armenian control.

Armenian groups have sought congressional affirmation of the killings as genocide for decades and welcomed Thursday’s vote.

“The problem that America faces is how to recognize the Armenian genocide without damaging its strategic alliance with Ankara. But at some point, we must adopt moral positions,” Mourad Papazian, president of the western European branch of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, told AP Television News in Paris.

In Ankara, dozens of members of a small left-wing party staged a protest near the heavily protected U.S. Embassy, shouting: “Genocide is an American lie!”

Turkey has been struggling to block similar genocide bills in parliaments across the globe.

Associated Press writer Desmond Butler contributed to this report from Washington.