Genocide vote riles ally Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey, a key supply route to U.S. troops in Iraq, recalled its ambassador to Washington on Thursday and warned of serious repercussions if Congress labels the killing of Armenians by Turks a century ago as genocide.
Ordered after the House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed the genocide measure Wednesday, the summons of the ambassador for consultations was a further sign of the deteriorating relations between two longtime allies and the potential for new turmoil in an already troubled region.
Egeman Bagis, an aide to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told Turkish media that Turkey -- a conduit for many of the supplies shipped to American bases in both Iraq and Afghanistan -- might have to "cut logistical support to the U.S."
Analysts also have speculated the resolution could make Turkey more inclined to send troops into northern Iraq to hunt Turkish Kurd rebels, a move opposed by the U.S. because it would disrupt one of the few relatively stable and peaceful Iraqi areas.
"There are steps that we will take," Erdogan said without elaboration. It also wasn't clear if he meant his government would act immediately or wait to see what happens to the resolution in Congress.
He declined to answer questions about whether Turkey might shut down Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, a major cargo hub for U.S. and allied military forces. Turkey's Mediterranean port of Iskenderun also is used to ferry goods to American troops.
The measure before Congress is just a nonbinding resolution without the force of law, but the debate has incensed Turkey's government.
The relationship between the two NATO allies has stumbled in the past. They hit a low in 2003, when Turkey's parliament refused to allow U.S. forces to use their country as a staging ground for the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
But while the threat of repercussions against the U.S. is appealing for many Turks, the country's leaders know such a move could hurt Turkey's standing as a reliable ally of the West and its ambitions to be a mediator on the international stage.
The Bush administration, which is lobbying strongly in hopes of persuading Congress to reject the resolution, stressed the need for good relations with Turkey.
About 70 percent of U.S. air cargo headed for Iraq goes through Turkey, as does about one-third of the fuel used by the U.S. military there.
But one suburban congressman, Mark Kirk of the 10th District, spoke on the House floor in favor of the genocide vote.
"One of the ways to stop genocide in the future is to recognize genocide when it has happened in the past," he said.
"The greatest thing about the United States is not that we are wealthy, but that we stand behind our values," Kirk said. "Standing up for the individual and recognizing genocide is who we are at the core of being Americans. We stand on the principle that you cannot kill somebody because of their religion."
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I. Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying the killings didn't come from a coordinated campaign but rather during unrest accompanying the Ottoman Empire's collapse.
The administration will now try to pressure Democratic leaders in Congress not to schedule a vote, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated they were committed to going forward.
"Why do it now? Because there's never a good time and all of us in the Democratic leadership have supported" it, she said.
Turkish officials said the House had no business to get involved in writing history.
"It is not possible to accept such an accusation of a crime which was never committed by the Turkish nation," Turkey's government said after the committee adopted the measure.