Gul wrote to Bush to warn against consequences of H.Res.106 passage

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's president has written to U.S. President George W. Bush warning of the damage to bilateral ties if Congress passes the Armenian Genocide resolution, H.Res.106.



Congress's Foreign Affairs Committee is expected to back the resolution on Wednesday and speaker Nancy Pelosi, a known supporter of the Armenian cause, could then decide to bring it to the House floor for a vote.



The Bush administration is opposed to the bill, but Congress is now dominated by its Democratic opponents.



"In his letter our president thanked President Bush for his efforts (to stop the bill) and drew attention to the problems it would create in bilateral relations if it is accepted," President Abdullah Gul's office said in a statement. It did not provide further information.



Turkish media have said U.S. firms could also be blocked from winning defense and other contracts if the bill passes.



The bill comes at a delicate time for Turkey-U.S. relations. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was on Tuesday considering whether to allow a cross-border incursion into northern Iraq to strike Kurdish rebels there after 15 Turkish soldiers were killed in attacks in recent days.



Washington has urged Turkey not to send troops into mainly Kurdish northern Iraq for fear of destabilizing the country's most peaceful region, Reuters reports.