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US President Barack Obama meets Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara - Source: Reuters -
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A US resolution that branded as genocide the killing of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I will seriously damage
US-Turkish relations, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said.
NATO member Turkey, an ally crucial to US interests in Iraq, Iran,
Afghanistan and the Middle East, has expressed its outrage at
Thursday's non-binding vote in the Foreign Affairs committee of the
US House of Representatives and recalled its envoy to the United
States for consultations.
"The decision of the Foreign Affairs Committee will not hurt
Turkey, but it will greatly harm bilateral relations, interests and
vision. Turkey will not be the one who loses," said Erdogan,
speaking at a summit of Turkish businessmen.
The Obama administration made a last-minute appeal against the
resolution and has vowed to stop the vote, which was broadcast live
on Turkish television, from going further in Congress.
Turkey has said the resolution could jeopardise a fragile drive by
Turkey and Armenia to end a century of hostilities and lead to
further instability in the south Caucasus, a region crisscrossed by
oil and gas pipelines to Europe.
Turkey's ambassador to the United States told journalists upon his
return on Saturday it was unclear when he would head back to
Washington following his talks with the president, prime minister
and foreign minister.
"I will return when the time is right ... We will have to wait and
see," Namik Tan said.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was quoted in a media report as
saying that the consultations could last a long time.
The resolution urges Obama to use the term genocide when he
delivers his annual message on the Armenian massacres in
April.
Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted
to genocide - a term employed by many Western historians and some
foreign parliaments.
Some analysts fear the vote may alienate Turkey at a time when
there are concerns that its warmer ties with Syria, Iran and
Russia, could herald a shift away from its traditional Western
allies.
Commentators had said the bill could affect Washington's use of the
Incirlik air base in southeast Turkey.
Incirlik is vital in logistical support for US troops serving in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
Turkey is a transit route for US troops going to and from Iraq, and
the country has 1,700 non-combat troops in Afghanistan.
Ankara has also played a key role in Obama's strategy to get
Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together in fighting al Qaeda and
Taliban militants in their borders and has hosted high-level talks
between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
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