State Dept Cannot Stop Genocide Resolution

[Aratta-Kingdom]

We know Obama and Clinton never contacted Berman or Pelosi to stop the resolution. So what is the point of this game? Do they hope to put pressure on turkey, or.....(??????????)

 

 

 

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State Dept says it cannot stop genocide resolutionBy DESMOND BUTLER (AP) – 24 minutes ago

 

 

 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5infX83Qg20idVFtW3FcluMFJNncgD9EGFMI80

 

WASHINGTON — A U.S. congressional resolution that would recognize World War I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide could go forward despite opposition from the Obama administration.

 

Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon told reporters there is no deal with Democratic congressional leaders to block the resolution. That contradicts earlier claims by the State Department.

 

"Congress is an independent body, and they are going to do what they decide to do," Gordon said ahead of speech at the Brookings Institution.

 

Turkey strongly opposes the resolution. It withdrew its ambassador to Washington earlier this month after a congressional committee approved the measure.

 

Gordon acknowledged the congressional committee vote had set back relations at a time when the United States is seeking help from Turkey to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions. But he said the United States has not seen a deterioration in cooperation with Turkey on a wide range of foreign policy matters.

 

The Obama administration has urged lawmakers to keep the measure from a vote in the full U.S. House. It is not clear whether supporters of the resolution have enough support to bring it to the House floor.

 

"I recognize that we have a tough job ahead of us to garner the necessary support," said the resolution's chief sponsor, California Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff.

 

Gordon said the resolution is an obstacle for reconciliation talks between Turkey and Armenia. The two countries reached a deal last year to normalize relations and open their border, but it has not yet been ratified by their governments.

 

But Gordon denied the process had stalled.

 

"I really think that those two countries' leaderships are committed to doing this," he told reporters.

 

He said that the Obama administration thinks the historical issues are best addressed by the two countries as part of reconciliation talks.

 

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, however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

 

In a speech, Gordon urged Turkey to step up pressure on Iran, a neighbor and important trading partner. He criticized Turkey for not voting on a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency demanding that Iran suspend construction of a once-secret nuclear facility.

 

"With respect to Iran, while the international community has sought to present a single, coordinated message to Iran's government, Turkey has at times sounded a different note," Gordon said, according to prepared text of the speech.

 

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

In a speech, Gordon urged Turkey to step up pressure on Iran, a neighbor and important trading partner. He criticized Turkey for not voting on a resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency demanding that Iran suspend construction of a once-secret nuclear facility.

 

"With respect to Iran, while the international community has sought to present a single, coordinated message to Iran's government, Turkey has at times sounded a different note," Gordon said, according to prepared text of the speech.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seems turkey is not gonna support U.S. to put pressure Iran. Asa consequence, the U.S. increases pressure on Turkey...

 

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'Only rumours' that Iran making nuclear weapons: Turkish PM(AFP) – 21 hours ago

 

LONDON — Turkey's prime minister said Tuesday it was "only rumours" that Iran was making nuclear weapons, stressing the Islamic republic's right to develop civilian atomic power.

 

Speaking before meeting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also questioned why countries like Israel did not face calls from the international community to disarm, while Iran did.

 

"It's only rumours that Iran is making nuclear weapons," Erdogan told the BBC, speaking through an interpreter.

 

"I believe it is Iran's most natural right to employ nuclear energy for civilian purposes."

 

Turkey has good relations with its neighbour Iran and has offered to host an exchange of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) with 20 percent enriched uranium to be supplied by world powers to Tehran as part of a UN-drafted deal.

 

The prime minister added that countries with nuclear weapons "are not in a position to turn to another country and to say: 'Oh, you are not supposed to produce nuclear weapons'."

 

"Take Israel. Israel possess nuclear weapons. Why aren't other countries warning Israel to dispose of her nuclear weapons but they're doing the same to Iran?" he asked.

 

At a press conference with Brown at Downing Street later, Erdogan said he would like to see "a world without nuclear weapons" and advocated diplomacy over sanctions.

 

"We always say to all of our friends we would not like to see any nuclear weapons in our region," he said. "We believe in the importance of a diplomatic solution."

 

He added: "Sanctions have been imposed twice before and if it's considered to carry on with the sanctions a third time, we will see but what I would say is that what we need to do... is find diplomatic solution".

 

Brown added: "Prime Minister Erdogan and I share a conviction that we must resolve this issue diplomatically and my belief is that the UN Security Council must take action to ensure sanctions against Iran."

 

 

 

 

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

Hima parz erevum a te shan glux@ vortegh a taghvats. U.S. is punishing and at the same time is putting more pressure on turkey.

 

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Iran nuclear programme 'solely civilian' - Turkish PM

 

BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8570842.stm

 

 

The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has told the BBC that he believes Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. Mr Erdogan said he was confident Iran's nuclear programme was for civilian purposes only and described President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a "friend".

 

"I told him I don't want to see nuclear weapons in the region," he added.

 

Meanwhile, a top US general has said intelligence suggests Iran will not be able to build a nuclear bomb this year.

 

Gen David Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, said Tehran's weapon development programme appeared to have suffered delays.

 

"It has, thankfully, slid to the right a bit and it is not this calendar year, I don't think," he told a Senate committee hearing, according to the Reuters news agency.

 

Experts believe that Iran could enrich enough uranium for a bomb within a few months. However, it has apparently not yet mastered the technology of making a nuclear warhead.

 

'Manipulating the facts'

 

In an interview with the BBC's Nik Gowing, Mr Erdogan said he believed it was Iran's "most natural right" to develop a nuclear programme for civilian purposes.

 

It was, he added, "unfair" of nuclear-armed countries to "manipulate the facts" about Turkey's neighbour while at the same time not telling Israel to dispose of its nuclear weapons.

 

 

"Countries with nuclear weapons are not in a position to turn to another country and say: 'You are not supposed to produce nuclear weapons,'" he said.

 

"Iran has consistently spoken of the fact that it is seeking to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes and that they are using uranium enrichment programmes for civilian purposes only."

 

"That is what Mr Ahmadinejad has told me many times before."

 

Mr Erdogan said he had personally warned the Iranian president about the risks of nuclear conflict in the Middle East.

 

"I told him I don't want to see nuclear weapons in the region, and Mr Ahmadinejad told me that they do not have an intention to produce nuclear weapons."

 

In February, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report that Iran's refusal to co-operate and answer questions about its nuclear programme raised concerns about the possible existence of "past or current undisclosed activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile."

 

It also confirmed that Iran had produced 20% enriched uranium.

 

Tehran says it needs the more highly-enriched uranium for a research reactor producing medical isotopes, but Western powers fear it is heading towards enriching uranium to the 90% required for a weapon.

 

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

It's becoming more and more clear that Berman-Sherman team was interested to put pressure on turkey, instead of representing the interests of the people.

 

 

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U.S. URGES ALLY TURKEY TO JOIN IRAN SANCTIONS PUSH

Andrew Quinn

 

Reuters

March 17 2010

UK

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States urged Turkey on Wednesday to

support more sanctions against Iran over Tehran's nuclear program,

saying Ankara could face consequences if it moves out of step with

the international community.

 

Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon, the State Department's top

diplomat for Europe, said U.S.-Turkey relations were strong despite a

row over a resolution by U.S. lawmakers branding the 1915-era killings

of Armenians by Turkish forces as "genocide."

 

But he said Turkey, a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security

Council that has been leery of the U.S.-led push to further punish

Iran, must show it is "on board" with the move toward new sanctions.

 

"Many would be disappointed if Turkey is an exception to an

international consensus on dealing with Iran," he told a news briefing

before a speech on U.S. relations with Turkey, a fellow NATO member

and pivotal regional ally to Washington.

 

"Turkey wants to be an important, responsible actor on the

international scene. And I think joining the majority of the Security

Council in doing this would reinforce that image," Gordon said.

 

"Not doing so would not contribute to that positive outcome ... I

think that's a consequence."

 

The United States and other Western powers are seeking support new

U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, which they fear is

a cover for developing atomic weapons.

 

But China, a permanent, veto-wielding member of the Security Council,

along with non-permanent members Turkey and Brazil, have urged more

time for diplomacy with Iran, which insists its nuclear program is

purely for peaceful purposes.

 

DAMAGE CONTROL

 

Amid the Iran push, U.S. officials are trying to control the damage

after a House of Representatives committee vote this month on the

non-binding "genocide" resolution over the 1915 killings, a move

which infuriated Turkey.

 

The House vote appeared to jeopardize halting progress by Armenia

and Turkey to normalize relations, one key to stability in the south

Caucasus, a region crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines to Europe.

 

Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Washington and has said he will not

return until Ankara gets assurances about the fate of the resolution,

which the Obama administration opposed.

 

Gordon repeated the White House's hope that the resolution would not

move forward in Congress but denied there was any deal with Democratic

lawmakers to kill the bill outright.

 

"There's no deal. The Congress is an independent body and they're

going to do what they decide to do," he said.

 

But Gordon called on Ankara to return the ambassador anyway, saying the

breadth of the bilateral relationship -- which includes cooperation

on Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and the Middle East -- was too important

to link to any one issue.

 

"We would like to see the ambassador here. We think he should be here,

making Turkey's case," Gordon said.

 

He said the relationship was a two-way street and noted that Washington

was a strong supporter of Turkey's bid to join the European Union,

one of Ankara's chief goals.

 

"On nearly every issue that is critical to Turkey's future, the United

States plays an enormously important role as a trusted friend and

ally," Gordon said. The relationship, he added, "requires hard work

and attention -- on both sides."

[Aratta-Kingdom]

U.S. tells turkey 'you are eight with us, or against us'...the turks say 'Why Israel can, but Iran cannot have NUKE'---and they use the Armenian Genocide issue to score points against each other.

 

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ERDOGAN: WHY ISRAEL CAN, BUT IRAN CANNOT HAVE NUKE?

 

news.am

March 17 2010

Armenia

 

Turkish Primer Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded the world to

observe Iran's rights for nuclear technology development, calling

the rumors on Islamic Republic's attempts to design nuke groundless,

MIGnews informs.

 

Speaking on BBC channel before his meeting with British Premier Gordon

Brown in London, Erdogan made wonder why countries like Israel do

not come across with world community challenges debarred to produce

nuclear weapon, while Tehran experiences such claims.

 

"I think that Iran has the natural right to use nuke energy for

civilian purposes," he said. According to him, the countries having

nuke should not talk to other states saying: "Oh, you should not

produce nuclear weapon," he added.

 

"Say Israel. It has the nuclear weapon. Why should other states caution

Israel on use of nuke potential, but allow themselves to behave that

way towards Iran?" he protested.

[Yervant1]

IS US STATE DEPARTMENT TAKING ORDERS FOR ITS COUNTRY REPORTS?

 

Tert.am

16:06 ~U 18.03.10

 

There is nothing new in the way the US pursues its policy towards

other states, New Times Party leader Aram Karapetyan said at a press

conference today, referring to a recent State Department report

on Armenia.

 

"The world powers have always pursued such a policy: they call you

and if you do not go, they beat you so that you come. They beat you

and you come, and when they see you have come very close they push

you back a little. There is nothing new in that," said Karapetyan.

 

Karapetyan noted that he doesn't recall a time when the US wrote a

positve report on a country. In his words, most of those reports are

made to order.

 

"They give money, the report is written; they give money, the report

is not written [meaning, those paying decide whether and how a report

is written]," explained the New Times Party leader.

[MosJan]

 

WHO WILL WIN-OBAMA OR CONGRESS?

• http://www.armtown.com/img/photo/a1p_en_20101221_2010122131.jpgThe ARF welcomes the attempt to put the Armenian Genocide Resolution up for a vote in the U.S. Congress once again. "There is a real chance for the U.S. Congress to recognize the Armenian Genocide in this period. The latest events, particularly Turkey's relations with the U.S. and Israel and the Armenian-Turkish process have had an impact on moods," ARF faction secretary Artyusha Shahbazyan told "A1+". According to him, U.S. President Barack Obama, the U.S. administration and the Department of State wish to assure that they will do everything possible to prevent the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution in Congress, but the Congress is very resolute. Mr. Shahbazyan says he doesn't know the fate of the Armenian Genocide Resolution this time. "There is pressure and threats during those processes. I think today the Turks are in a rather critical situation, but it is impossible to make absolute predictions in politics." Republican MP Galust Sahakyan wasn't able to predict developments in the U.S. Congress. "The fact that the resolution is constantly discussed is already promising. I think the U.S. administration is not against recognition of the Armenian Genocide and there are simply discrepancies between the Congress and the government for political motives." In a couple of hours it will be clear whether the Armenian Genocide Resolution 252 will be included in the agenda of the plenary session of the U.S. House of Representatives or not. Share |

[MosJan]

 

Key leaders of Armenian Caucus urge support for H.Res.252 adoption

December 21, 2010 - 20:33 AMT http://media.panarmenian.net/static/images/frontend/sep_circle.gif 16:33 GMTPanARMENIAN.Net - Key leaders of the Armenian Caucus, led by Congressman Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Ed Royce (R-Calif.), circulated a bipartisan “Dear Colleague” letter in the U.S. Congress urging support for the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.252, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

 

The ANCA is working closely with several hundred Congressional offices and the House leadership in seeking a vote on this human rights measure on December 21.