Turkish FM threatens U.S. with deterioration of bilateral relations

PanARMENIAN.Net - The second day of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul's visit to Washington DC was marked yesterday by talks on the Armenian Genocide bill that was presented to the U.S. House of Representatives last week. Speaking at Washington's National Press Club, Gul noted that the Armenian bill represented a serious threat to relations between Turkey and the U.S., saying, "If it is passed, it will have a shock effect on our relations." During yesterday's meeting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured Gul that the current administration is working to prevent the passage of the Armenian bill. During his talk at the Press Club, which was entitled "Turkey and the U.S.: Allies in the past and into the future," Gul made some of the following comments, "We have no difficulty facing our own history. These events took place during a time of war. At the same time period, we lost 3 million people. Acceptance of the Armenian bill would have a serious effect on our bilateral relations. Let's not forget that we have been a long-time ally of the U.S., and will be such in the future. The Armenian bill should not be allowed to take Turkish-American relations hostage. It should not be politicized," reports Hurriyet.