Posted on 10/11/2007 4:37:51 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today expressed concern over the state of U.S.-Turkey relations, a day after Congress passed a symbolic measure that considers Turkey guilty of waging a genocide campaign against Armenians in World War I.
Despite appeals from President Bush and other top U.S. officials to reject the measure, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday voted 27 to 21 in favor of a nonbinding resolution that characterized the mass killings of some 1.5 million Armenians, which began in 1915, as genocide.
“This is a very sensitive subject for a close ally, an ally that is incredibly important to the United States in terms of our operations in Iraq,” Gates said during a news conference in London with British Secretary of State for Defense Desmond Browne.
Seventy percent of America’s air cargo for the war effort goes through Turkey, along with 30 percent of the fuel. Ninety-five percent of mine-resistant, ambush-protected heavy vehicles being flown into Iraq go through Turkey as well, the secretary said.
In response to the passage of yesterday’s damning resolution, Turkey has threatened to cut off its support of coalition operations in Iraq, a move that has enormous implications for American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines in Iraq and must be taken seriously, Gates said.
During a news conference before the House vote yesterday, President Bush lamented tragic suffering of Armenian victims at the hands of Turks. “(But) this resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings, and its passage would do great harm to our relations with a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror.”
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday joined Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Ryan C. Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, in censuring the symbolic measure on the grounds that it would weaken the U.S. partnership with Turkey.
“The passage of this resolution at this time would indeed be very problematic for everything that we are trying to do in the Middle East, because we are very dependent on a good Turkish strategic ally to help with our efforts,” Rice said.
Today, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman called Turkey’s cooperation with the United States in Operation Iraqi Freedom “very important.”
Asked about the intensifying conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party, known as PKK, Whitman said all elements of the U.S. government are encouraging the two to reach a long-term solution.
The U.S. considers the PKK -- a militant Kurdish nationalist group that operates in northern Iraq and Turkey -- a terrorist organization. As Turkey seeks parliamentary approval for a military incursion across Iraq's borders against the guerrilla group, the Defense Department is encouraging the feuding factions to work through their differences.
There are no plans right now to ratchet up U.S. military force at trouble zones along the Turkish-Iraqi border, Whitman said.
“We are still encouraging both the governments of Turkey and Iraq to work through what is a very challenging issue for both of them,” he said.
Yup, the Dems knew exactly what they were doing with this one. By humiliating Turkey, they hope to cut off a key supply route to both Iraq and Afganistan (the latter, they supposedly still support). This just proves that they will use any means in their arsenal to hurt the US war effort. Words cannot describe the contempt I feel for them. And then they whine that people are questioning their patriotism. Fact is, they don’t have any patriotism to question—they are hostile non-combatants, pure and simple.
Yup, the Dems knew exactly what they were doing with this one. By humiliating Turkey, they hope to cut off a key supply route to both Iraq and Afganistan (the latter, they supposedly still support). This just proves that they will use any means in their arsenal to hurt the US war effort. Words cannot describe the contempt I feel for them. And then they whine that people are questioning their patriotism. Fact is, they don’t have any patriotism to question—they are hostile non-combatants, pure and simple.
If this action by the dimwits doesn't reach the level of treason - what on earth would?
This is a treasonous act deliberately and with great malice perpetrated to harm the war effort and can result in the deaths of many of our troops.
Is there a roll call of who voted which way?
WE need to rise up and be heard loud and clear on this one...This is
Unbelievable.
We MUST not let them get away with it - if we do, what else will they perpetrate against this country and our troops?
When they were hacking off arms in Africa under Clinton admin., that wasn’t genocide, NO Sir. We’ll wait until 102 years to label it that, maybe in 2109 we call that genocide, but then only if at that time it serves the agenda.
I think the full House will vote on the resolution. Hopefully it will not pass.
How do you fight a War on Terror ( Islamofascism), if you are unwilling to note the history of their attacks on the Christian West?
Sursum Corda
i say we might not have the man power but we do have the air superiority to take over the middle east. [ ^ =
Where have the old regulars gone who would have seen this thread for it's importance and vowed to FREEP the foggy bottom creatures and let them know we know what they're up too? To freep the media and demand they cover it for what it is...?
The old names we used to see are pretty much gone to another site - except for a few hardy and brave posters, like SandRat that doesn't give up?
Is there no end to their hatred of George W. Bush and our Country???
I can't believe passions got so heated. I go to ping important FR librarians on something and remember... they're not here anymore.
There will be an eventual reconciliation.
Think my Tagline says it all: Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?
This goes to show the contempt that libs have for what they see as an overly aggressive American imperialism.
They truely don’t believe we are in a war against terror. I’m not debating the merits of the truth of the resolution, but it is a useless piece of paper Resolution that is meant to prevent supplies from effectively getting to our troops.
I don’t see this one as a “left/right” thing. Our local Republican congressman supports the resolution (there are many relatives of people that escaped the Armenian genocide living around the Fresno, CA area), Bob Dole strongly supports it also. It is a simple House resolution recognizing that the genocide happened. Turkey had spent at least $3 million by 1994 lobbying to prevent acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide, with $1.2 million going to Dick Gephardt(D). Turkey needs to acknowledge it happened and move on...this will improve relations with the U.S.. Further reading:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.106: (Text of HR 106)
http://www.armenian-genocide.org/genocidefaq.htm#acknowledged
http://armenianstudies.csufresno.edu/index.htm
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