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Wednesday, March 10, 2010    

Turkey signs off on $1.6 billion deal with Boeing despite House vote

WASHINGTON — Turkey has approved the purchase of U.S. passenger jets despite a House vote that blamed Ankara for the genocide of Armenians during World War I.   

The state-owned Turkish Airlines has concluded an order for 20 passenger jets from the U.S. firm Boeing. Under the $1.6 billion deal, Turkish Airlines would receive 20 advanced 737 airplanes, including 10 737-800s and 10 737-900ER aircraft. The 737-900ER would mark the latest 737 family member to join the Turkish fleet.

"The 737-800 is the backbone of the Turkish Airlines fleet and proves its value on a daily basis offering unmatched levels of efficiency and reliability," Boeing vice president Marlin Dailey said.


Also In This Edition

The March 8 statement came four days after the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to endorse a resolution on the Armenian genocide. After the 23-22 vote, Ankara threatened to impose sanctions on aerospace and defense cooperation with Washington, Middle East Newsline reported.

Boeing has been a leading aerospace contractor in Turkey. The company has been prime contractor in the supply of four airborne early-warning aircraft to the Turkish Air Force.

Earlier, U.S. aerospace lobbyists warned that the House vote could derail plans for major contracts in Turkey. They said Ankara was expected to order $11 billion in defense and aerospace platforms from the United States in 2010.

"Critical national security, economic and diplomatic relations with our ally Turkey are threatened," Marion Blakey, president of the Aerospace Industries Association, said.

But the Turkish lobby in the United States did not expect the Armenian genocide resolution to win approval on the House floor. Lobbyists pointed out that the non-binding resolution was passed in the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2000, 2005 and 2007, but blocked from reaching the House floor through heavy pressure by the White House.

"The resolution has passed the panel vote with the narrowest possible margin and has no political credibility [in Congress]," American-Turkish Council president James Holmes, a former U.S. ambassador, told the Turkish daily Hurriyet. "Those who were in favor did so purely from a local political perspective."



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