CST Robert Pearson, the new U.S. ambassador to Turkey, hoped to focus on the warm Turkish-American relationship when he presented his credentials to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. He hardly expected to face criticism for the actions of a congressional subcommittee that took sides last week in the touchy issue of the disputed Armenian genocide. The House International Relations subcommittee on human rights passed a resolution on Thursday that recognized the killings of about 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey from 1915 to 1923 as genocide.
Turkey denies there was any attempt to deliberately wipe out the Turkish-Armenian population.
Turkish news reports said Mr. Sezer reiterated Turkey's anger over the resolution in his meeting with Mr. Pearson. The reports did not reveal the president's exact words, but they could have been blunt, considering what Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said publicly. The resolution, which goes to the full committee, calls on President Clinton to condemn Turkey for the killings, but the administration opposes the measure because it could damage U.S.-Turkish relations. Turkish news reports quoted Mr. Pearson as praising Turkey when he visited the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern, secular Turkish state. If you have any related information or suggestions, please email them.