TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER TOLD MADELEINE ALBRIGHT THAT HE IS DISTURBED BY THE "ARMENIAN MASSACRE" BILL

PanARMENIAN.Net - 14.09.2000, MEDIAMAX, YEREVAN. At the meeting with US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in New York Foreign Minister of Turkey Ismail Cem told her that he is disturbed too by the so-called "Armenian massacre" bill waiting at the US Congress.

Today perspectives of the possible recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 will be discussed in US Congress.

Anatolian News Agency quoted Cem as saying: "Turkey is a great state. Such resolutions may be adopted everywhere. As a great state, however, Turkey is not very affected by that. Still, I regret that our embassy in Washington had to spend so much time and effort on this."

Cem pointed out that in the past, efforts to promote the so-called "Armenian massacre" were made by Armenians living outside Armenia. However, he noted, the Armenian government itself had become seriously involved in these efforts during the past eight months. Cem also said that President Clinton told President Sezer at their meeting that he is trying to prevent pro-Armenian initiatives by the United States.

"We have talked with the Turks about the question of the killing of 1 million Armenians in Turkey in 1915", declared the Secretary of State of the USA Madeleine Albright in the radio program "Interview on The Diane Rehm Show" on June 20. "President Clinton and I discussed this question with the authorities of Turkey in November 1999, during the OSCE Summit in Istanbul. Moreover, when I met most recently with Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ismail Cem I tried to get them to look at the history of what happened with Armenia. This theme, in fact, is very much a part of our discussion with the Turkish side", - noted Albright. --0--