Turkey says US understands its sensitivities over the Armenian claims

The claims regarding the 1915 incidents was on the agenda during U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Turkey, Ali Babacan was reported as saying by the Anatolian Agency at a joint press conference after his meeting with Foreign Minister Alejandro Hamed Franco of Paraguay in Ankara.

"I can easily say that the current U.S. administration perceives Turkey's opinion and sensitivity on this matter. We have no difficulties with communication in that sense," he said when asked Turkey's concerns regarding the U.S. president's stance on the issue.

The issue could be solved without any problems and without overshadowing relations between Turkey and US, he added.

Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. Turkey rejects the claims saying that 300,000 Armenians, along with at least as many Turks, died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed by Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.

Turkey has offered to form a joint commission to investigate what happened in 1915 and opened up all official archives, but Armenia has continued to drag its feet on accepting the offer.

"RISK" REMAINS
Babacan said however there was still a "risk" that U.S. President Barack Obama would recognize the incidents as "genocide" in an interview with NTV television channel on Sunday, adding that such a move would only impede efforts to reconcile Turkey and Armenia.

"I still see a risk," Babacan said. "Mr. Obama made the promise five times in a row."

Obama, who is expected to visit Turkey in April, said on several occasions during his election campaign that he would recognize the 1915 incidents as "genocide".

PKK ISSUE
Replying to a question on whether Turkey expressed any demand for the solution of the terrorist PKK organization issue before the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, Babacan said the details of the withdrawal plan were not clear yet, the agency also reported.

Media reports had suggested ahead of Clinton’s Ankara visit that a demand to use Turkish soil as part of its Iraqi withdrawal could be made during her meetings.

"However, there is no connection between the PKK issue and the withdrawal process. Such a connection was expressed neither by us, nor by them. There is a tripartite mechanism in Iraq and sharing of intelligence and coordination of military units continue within this framework," he said.

Turkey, provided with intelligence by the United States, has stepped up its campaign to crackdown on the PKK both inside Turkey and in northern Iraq, after the terror organization increased its attacks on Turkish soldiers, as well as civilians.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, including the EU and the United States.