US pressures Turkey with Armenian "genocide card"

US pressures Turkey with Armenian "genocide card"
Submitted by Sandy Smith on 2010-10-22
With relations between the United States and Turkey deteriorating over several issues, including ties with Iran, Israel, and NATO, Washington has pulled out a blackjack to get Turkey's attention. Washington is warning Ankara that if it does not show some improvement on these issues, it could see the U.S. government formally approving Armenian genocide claims.
Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review reports that U.S. officials warned Turkish government representatives that the administration would be unable to block passage of a Congressional resolution recognizing Armenian claims of genocide if Turkey does not move to address American concerns over its growing ties to Iran, its souring relations with Israel, and its reluctance to participate in NATO plans for a European missile defense system.
The issue of the killing of more than 1.5 million Armenians in executions and a forced migration during World War I remains a touchy subject for the Turks, who to this day reject Armenia's argument that the actions the Ottoman Empire took against its Armenian population constituted genocide.
U.S. concerned over growing Turkish ties with Iran
Since the Justice and Development Party took control of the government, Turkey has displayed more of a tilt towards the Middle East and away from the West in its international relations. Tensions began to rise when Ankara refused to allow American troops to cross Turkish territory in order to invade Iraq in 2003 and have continued to escalate since. Other Turkish moves that have raised American blood pressure include supporting a Palestinian flotilla aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade of Gaza and its blocking of additional United Nations sanctions against Iran earlier this year.
The U.S. says the NATO missile defense system, parts of which would be located in NATO member Turkey, is necessary to protect against a possible future nuclear strike by Iran. Turkey has refused to allow any part of the system to be based there on the grounds that doing so would worsen its relations with Iran. The Turkish moves taken together have led many in Congress to become increasingly skeptical of Turkey's intentions towards the West. It is this growing skepticism that has led the Obama administration to warn Turkey that Congress may approve an Armenian genocide resolution. Previous bills to acknowledge Armenian genocide claims have been passed by Congressional committees but died on the floor.
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