PRESIDENT GUL TELEPHONES US' OBAMA
President Abdullah Gul yesterday telephoned his US counterpart Barack Obama ahead of a key House committee vote set for today on a resolution to recognize the incidents of 1915 as a "genocide." The two reportedly exchanged views on bilateral and regional issues. /Milliyet/
TURKEY CONTINUES PRESSURE ON US GOVT TO COUNTER "GENOCIDE" RESOLUTION
Ahead of today's US House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee vote on a resolution to officially recognize the so-called Armenian "genocide" claims, parliamentary delegations yesterday continued efforts to block its passage amid warnings from top Turkish officials that if it goes through, it could harm relations between Turkey and the US as well as derail the ongoing Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. Speaking to reporters in Washington, Murat Mercan, the head of Parliament's Foreign Relations Commission, said that they were continuing to hold talks with US congressmen to convince them to defeat the resolution. However, Mercan said it seems more likely that the resolution will pass the committee, adding that they would keep working to stop it coming to a full House vote. Stating that Turkish-US ties are currently at a peak, Mercan yesterday also told a conference at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that passage of the resolution would damage relations between the two close allies. Istanbul Deputy and former Ambassador to Washington Ambassador Sukru Elekdag, also in the US capital, warned of fallout from the resolution, saying that it would have an unavoidable negative impact on Turkish-US cooperation. The Obama administration, which Ankara called on to show more efforts to block the resolution, kept its silence until yesterday. Observers claimed the US' "strategic silence" was meant to force Turkey to ratify rapprochement protocols with Armenia, which the two countries signed late last year towards normalized relations. Commenting on the administration's failure to take action against the resolution so far, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, "Turkey expects the US administration to give necessary messages on the resolution. Taking a decision that would disturb a country like Turkey, which does a great deal to promote peace and stability both regionally and globally, would be extremely unreasonable. We hope the committee members don't make a mistake." In related news, in a letter to fellow congressmen, Ed Whitfield, a co-chair of the House of Representatives' Turkish Friendship Group, said passage of the resolution would harm the future of relations with Turkey, stressing the importance of continued cooperation with Turkey on a number issues of common concern such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism. "President Obama paid his first overseas visit to Turkey [after taking office last year], and this shows how important Turkey is for the US," he said, also warning that passage of the resolution would ruin the already delicate normalization process between Turkey and Armenia. /Sabah/
WASHINGTON PLEDGES CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR TURKISH-ARMENIAN RAPPROCHEMENT TALKS
The US government highly values bold steps taken by Turkish and Armenian leaders towards normalized relation and will continue to encourage both countries to move forward, not look backward, US Assistant Secretary of State Philip J. Crowley said yesterday. "We have supported the current process that we hope will result in normalized relations between Turkey and Armenia," Crowley told reporters. "We haven't changed our view, but we continue to engage at a high level with both countries and to encourage them to see it implemented on both sides. We continue to encourage both sides. We understand how difficult this is, how emotional this is. There's not a common understanding of what happened 90 years ago, but we value the courageous steps that both leaders have taken, and we just continue to encourage both countries to move forward, not look backward." Asked about a vote set for today by a key House committee on an Armenian "genocide" resolution, Crowley said the US administration understands how everyone feels about the issue. On Monday, Turkey asked the Obama administration to push against the resolution and warned its NATO ally that relations would be damaged if the House Foreign Affairs Committee passes it. /Sabah/
DAVUTOGLU CALLS QUARTET, ROAD MAP IRRELEVANT FOR MIDEAST PEACE
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu yesterday called for a clear timeframe for a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying it is time to reach the end of the road, not for a new indefinite roadmap. Davutoglu, on a two-day visit to regional powerhouse Egypt, urged Arab countries to act in consensus to facilitate settlement efforts and help unity among Palestinian groups, warning that the Mideast can't afford to lose more time. He addressed a foreign ministerial meeting of the Arab League yesterday. Speaking at meetings with Egyptian journalists and intellectuals, Davutoglu said the Mideast Quartet - made up of senior representatives from the US, Russia, the EU and the UN - are no longer relevant in efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. /Today's Zaman/
ANTALYA HOSTS INTL MEETING ON PREVENTING WILDFIRES
A seminar on wildfire management for the Southeastern-Europe and South Caucasus regions, organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), started on Tuesday in Antalya. The three-day seminar for fire protection agency personnel from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Russia and Turkey will focus on enhancing national capacities and international cooperation to prevent wildfires. /Hurriyet Daily News/
ERDOGAN: "THE RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE CAN PROMOTE OUR DEMOCRATIC INITIATIVE"
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday attended a ceremony marking the anniversary of the Religious Affairs Directorate and the 2010 Year of the Koran. Speaking at the ceremony, Erdogan touched on the government's democratic expansion initiative and asked all Turkish institutions, non-governmental organizations, intellectuals and the directorate to take an active role in the process. He added that the directorate could do a good job explaining the initiative. He also said that efforts are underway to produce Korans in different languages and dialects. /Star/
CAGLAYAN TO ATTEND ECONOMIC/TRADE COMMITTEE MEETING IN LONDON
Accompanied by a large business delegarion, Foreign Trade Minister Zafer Caglayan will attend a Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting set to begin on March 18 in London. Yuksel Akca, chief commercial counselor at the Turkish Embassy in London, said that both Turkish and British foreign ministers would attend the meeting. /Today's Zaman/