Turkey Working to Prevent House Vote on Armenian Genocide Bill

(ADO-World.org)

ANKARA – Turkey is pulling out all the stops to convince US lawmakers not to proceed with a possible vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.252) in a House vote tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, reported the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to President Barack Obama outlining the gravity of the situation, while other high-ranking Turkish political figures have warned that a positive vote could have a deep effect on US-Turkish relations

Turkey is redoubling its efforts to prevent a possible U.S. House of Representatives vote Tuesday on Armenian “genocide” claims,

“In the letter Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] drew attention to the seriousness and sensitivity of the situation. He called President Obama to make active efforts in order to prevent the resolution from going to the House. Erdogan reminded [the president] of the efforts of Ankara to normalize relations with Armenia,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told the Hurriyet on Monday.

“Foreign Minister [Ahmet] Davutoglu, the Turkish Embassy in Washington, Turkish and U.S. Azerbaijani lobbies and Turkish-U.S. friendship groups are urging U.S. officials to avoid the resolution,” the same official said.

According to Hurriyet, Turkish diplomatic sources said Ankara has received overwhelming support from the upper echelons of the U.S. government, citing Deputy Secretary of State Philip Crowley’s statement Friday that the State Department was categorically against the potential vote.

Davutoglu spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week and asked her to halt the adoption of the resolution.

Turkish Embassy staff in Washington have been holding talks with high-ranking U.S. executives in the White House, the National Security Council and the departments of State and Defense to prevent the vote, sources said.

The Turkish-U.S. Friendship Group in Congress has also been sending letters to members of Congress arguing against the resolution and calling on members close to Turkey to become part of the efforts against the resolution.

Meanwhile, Armenian American and anti-genocide activists across the United States continue to mobilize in support of a vote on the resolution.

The Armenian National Committee of America has been issuing appeals throughout the weekend, urging Armenian Americans to phone their Congressional representatives and request they support the resolution.

“With only about 24 hours left before a possible U.S. House vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, we need you to help ensure the passage of H.Res.252. Making a difference is as easy as 1-2-3,” The ANCA said in newsletter to its activists on Monday. “One of our most powerful assets is the vast social network that individual Armenians have developed over the years – reaching tens of millions of Americans, through relatives, neighbors, classmates, work colleagues, business contacts, and friends.”

The ANCA has developed a sample email script to help its activists circulate the message as well as a simple 4-step action alert for reaching out to congressional representatives representatives.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News