Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

President Sezer thanks Clinton
by Ankara - Turkish Daily News
Posted: Thursday, October 26, 2000 09:36 pm CST

As President Sezer thanks US President Clinton for his efforts to block the resolution, American experts predict that a similar resolution will be brought to the House floor during Congress' next session

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has thanked U.S. President Bill Clinton via letter for his efforts to block the resolution on the so-called Armenian genocide. Calling the resolution "an attempt to destroy the good bilateral relations between our two countries," President Sezer wrote Clinton that he would be remembered as a true, pioneering friend of Turkey.

Citing the concerns of the Turkish side over the resolution, President Sezer stressed in his letter that Turkey attached great importance to further improving bilateral relations between the two countries. "Turkey attaches the utmost importance to its relations with its friend and ally the United States," Sezer wrote. "I am sure that my hope that similar initiatives to hamper developing bilateral relations would not be renewed in the future is shared by you as well."

While the repercussions of the resolution's withdrawal continue, the Greek press has evaluated the withdrawal as a "diplomatic victory" for Turkey. Stating that Clinton's last-minute intervention had headed off the most serious crisis in Turkish-U.S. relations in years, the Greek press claimed that the latest developments had once again shown the "hypocrisy" of the U.S. administration. The press cited several factors that Turkey used to block the resolution. Turkey's strategic location came first as its number-one asset, powered by threats that Incirlik Air Base could be closed down had the resolution passed. Over the last decade Incirlik has been one of the most vital military bases for the United States, particularly during the Gulf War. The base is still used for policing the no-fly zone in Northern Iraq. The Greek press also reported that the powerful Jewish lobby in Washington supported Turkey's efforts to block the resolution. The Greek media also claimed that the U.S. House of Representatives had bowed to "blackmail" on the part of Clinton.

Resolution will surface again
In related news, a new report from the U.S.-based Center For Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) evaluating the resolution's withdrawal predicts that a similar resolution would be brought to the House floor during the next legislative year. The report's author, David McKeeby, stressed that the Armenian lobby would not abandon its efforts for a recognition of the so-called genocide. Stating that were such a recognition effected, American strategic interests in the Middle East would be damaged extensively, McKeeby indicated that it could also influence Turkey's bid for European Union membership since the EU, too, could ask Turkey to make some recognition of the so-called genocide. McKeeby recommended in his article that the topic of the so-called genocide be discussed by historians.

Aliyev backs Turkey on resolution
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Haidar Aliyev has strongly backed Turkey with regard to the resolution. Stating that any harm inflicted on Turkey would harm Azerbaijan as well, Aliyev said that the Armenian lobby in the U.S. had damaged Azerbaijani interests and that in this latest incident, it had lobbied to have lies recognized as facts. Stressing that Armenia had committed genocides against both Azerbaijani Turks and Turks in Anatolia, Aliyev indicated that a part of Azerbaijan was still under Armenian occupation, namely the Nagorno-Karabakh region. He added that Turkey had taken into account the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories in its decision not to establish political and economic relations with Armenia.

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