Turkey to recall US envoy following 'genocide' bill

WASHINGTON – NATO-member Turkey announced that it will recall its ambassador to the US for consultations after a congressional panel voted Thursday to label as "genocide" the World War One-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces, despite pressure from the Obama administration and Ankara to drop the matter.

In a statement, Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan also said he was seriously concerned that the non-binding resolution would harm Turkish-US ties and efforts by Muslim Turkey and Christian Armenia to bury a century of hostility.

"We condemn this bill that blames the Turkish nation for a crime it did not commit. Our Washington ambassador was invited to Ankara tonight for consultations," Erdogan said in a statement posted on his office's website.

"We are seriously concerned that this bill approved by the committee, despite all our warnings, will harm Turkey-US ties and efforts to normalize Turkey-Armenia relations."

Armenia called the vote a boost for human rights.

"We highly appreciate the decision," Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told Reuters.

"This is further proof of the devotion of the American people to universal human values and is an important step towards the prevention of crimes against humanity," he said.

The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-22 to approve the non-binding resolution, clearing it for consideration by the full House. But it was unclear whether the measure will get a floor vote.

It calls on President Barack Obama to ensure US policy formally refers to the massacre as genocide, putting him in a tight spot.

Turkish MPs protest against vote in Washington (Photo: AP)

On the one side is NATO ally Turkey, which rejects calling the events genocide. On the other side is an important US Armenian-American constituency and their backers in Congress ahead of congressional elections in November.

Turkey had warned its ties with the United States would be damaged and Ankara's efforts to normalize relations with Armenia could be harmed if the resolution were approved.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, a fellow Democrat, on Wednesday to argue the measure could harm efforts to normalize Turkish-Armenian relations, the White House said.

Turkey and Armenia signed a protocol last year to normalize relations but it has yet to pass through the parliament of either country. Obama called Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday to urge quick ratification, the White House said.

Despite Clinton's appeal, Berman went ahead with a committee debate and a vote. He said Turkey was a "vital" ally but "nothing justifies Turkey's turning a blind eye to the reality of the Armenian genocide."

Muslim Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman forces 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.

Congressional opponents expressed concern about harming ties with Turkey, whose help the United States needs to solve confrontations from Iraq to Iran and Afghanistan. 

In 2007, Ankara recalled its ambassador after a US panel approved a similar bill. Then-President George W. Bush warned against passage and the measure never came to a vote on the House floor.

The ambassador returned to his post after one week.