6 March 2010 / ,
A US congressional committee approved a resolution condemning the 1915 slaughter of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide, rejecting a last-minute Obama administration effort to derail it and putting a chill on relations with Turkey.
The House panel’s resolution, approved on a 23-22 vote, faces an uncertain future in Congress. But it nonetheless could damage US relations with Turkey, a vital ally in the Middle East and Central Asia. Within minutes of the vote, Ankara said it was recalling its ambassador from Washington for consultations. Turkey took the same step in 2007, when the committee passed a similar resolution. Thursday’s vote also raised concerns for big US defense firms including Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., Raytheon Co., United Technologies Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. Turkey is involved in several weapons projects with such companies.