Turkish MPs To Lobby Against Armenian Genocide Bill

Turkish legislators are to travel to Washington to lobby members of the U.S. Congress against a draft resolution recognizing the mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as genocide, parliamentary sources said Thursday. Three separate delegations, including members of the ruling Justice and Development Party and the main opposition Republican People's Party, will visit Washington in late February and in March to seek support against the resolution, expected to be debated at the House of Representatives in April. The Democratic-controlled Congress is widely expected to back the draft, even though the White House is opposed to it, wary over the impact on relations with a key Muslim ally and a NATO member. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said after a visit to Washington this month that passing the draft would "poison" ties and "spoil everything" between the two countries.