Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has criticized the US for using the “Armenian Genocide” Bill to pressure Turkey into withholding its condemnation of the US operation in Felluce (Fallujah). Gul said the US is implying that if Turkey refers to the events in Fallujah as genocide, they will approve the Armenian bill. “This would be blackmail,” said Gul and such things are not even the issue.
At a reception for Gul’s Hungarian counterpart, Ferenc Somogyi, in Ankara yesterday, Gul discussed reports that the US is using the ‘Armenian Genocide’ Bill against Turkey to suppress its criticism of the Fallujah operation. Gul said: “Of course, everything should be evaluated in context. Using excessive force there [in Fallujah] and disregarding civilians are a separate issue. Turkey’s attitude concerning the developments is very clear and the reaction of the public is also clear. Turkey is not the only one to react; the entire world has reacted. There are even demonstrations in Morocco for the first time. These are the requirements of open society, but saying ‘if you call it genocide, we will do this’ becomes extortion. Such things are unacceptable, and genocide is a completely separate issue, the legal definition is different.” The Minister also sent a message to the opposition regarding its reaction to the issue. He said when the operation in Fallujah first fell apart, there was no reaction from the opposition party or the politicians; however, they are the first to react and criticize now particularly about him.
Dealing with Turkey’s expectations on December 17 European Union (EU) summit, The Foreign Minister has been busy setting Turkey’s expectations for the European Union Summit on December 17th and says there is no alternative but for the EU to open full membership negotiations with Turkey, adding that everyone knows it. He also clarified that there was no reason for a negative attitude about the decision to be made at the December 17th EU Summit. Furthermore, Gul said that if Turkey satisfies the full membership obligations and its responsibilities, it will become a full member of the EU at the proper time.
In response to a question about the appointment of the anti-Turkey French Finance and Economy Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, to lead the Union of Public Movement (UMP) currently in office, Gul emphasized that French President Jacques Chirac has the power in foreign policy issues. The Turkish Foreign Minister urged EU leaders to honor its pact and mentioned that Turkey already has special status within the EU and more.
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