Difficult Without The Pentagon

BY ZEYNEP GURCANLI
STAR- Columnist Zeynep Gurcanli comments on allegations of a so-called Armenian genocide and the stance of both Turkey and the US towards these. A summary of her column is as follows:
The tension between Turkey and the US due to our Parliament’s rejection of US troop deployments has started to bear fruit – rotten fruit. A new resolution on the so-called Armenian genocide has been presented to the US Congress through the pressure of the Armenian lobby. What’s more, this time the Armenians are following a clever strategy. Past resolutions covered the Armenian genocide alone, but this new one denounces all genocides worldwide, throughout history, including the Armenian allegations. Of course the resolution mentions the ‘Armenian genocide’ clearly and explicitly. The sections which interest Turkey are in the sixth and seventh paragraphs.
Besides the Holocaust and genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, the ‘Armenian genocide’ is mentioned in the sixth paragraph. The seventh paragraph remarks that in spite of the worldwide consensus against genocide, ‘genocides are still being denied.’ This remark is meant to refer to Turkey diplomatically without directly naming it. The pretext for passage of this resolution has been found: it is supposed to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the UN Convention on Preventing and Punishing Genocide, ratified by the US Congress in 1987.
A previous ‘Armenian genocide’ bill brought before the US Congress in the fall of 2000 was stopped by a letter written by then US President Bill Clinton to the House speaker and by last-minute intervention by the US Defense Department. However, the situation has since changed. The Jewish lobby on which we have long depended is holding its tongue this time, because the bill prominently condemns the Holocaust. In addition, the US State Department, which still considers Turkey a valued friend, lobbied to stop the US House Judiciary Committee from considering the resolution but failed in this effort.
However, we shouldn’t forget that the US State Department was also unable to halt the previous resolution. At that time, the US Defense Department saved its ‘reliable ally’ Turkey from the Armenian resolution. It told congressmen about the pricey weapons which Turkey buys from the US and added that crossing Ankara wasn’t a good idea. It also stated that Ankara shared common interests with the US in such complex regions as the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus.
However, the idea that Turkey and the US share common interests in the region was completely trounced by our rejection of the US troop deployments. Thus, it seems Turkey will be denied the Pentagon’s support just when it needs it the most. Clearly, things will be difficult this time without the Pentagon.

SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION