February 15, 2007 - 18:24 AMT
Turkish General called on Turks in U.S. to counteract Armenian Genocide resolution
"I have a complaint about Turks in U.S.," said in Washington General Yasar Buyukanit of the Turkish Armed Forces, reports Hurriyet newspaper. He addressed the Turkish community last night, chiding them for not enough action in working for Turkey's interests. General Buyukanit called on Turks in the diaspora to work harder in the face of the ongoing push by the Armenian diaspora to have the Armenian Genocide bill passed in the U.S. Congress. Said Buyukanit, "Whatever happens from now afterwards is linked to you. Don't the people living outside the Turkish Republic have to come together and work harder to protect Turkey's national interests? Now I would like to address a complaint I have about you. If the voice of the Turks living in the diaspora would only rise as high as the others in the diaspora, the Armenians' claims of genocide would not have come out this way, nor would Turks have to face what they do now. Yes, please excuse me, but I have a complaint about you. The Turkish Republic would be that much stronger if people would gather to support the country's interests, rather than working against them."