Turkey warns US over genocide claims

TURKEY has warned the Obama administration of negative diplomatic consequences if it does not impede a US resolution branding the First World War killing of Armenians as genocide.

Foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday that Turkey, a Muslim ally of the US, would assess what measures it would take, adding that the issue was a matter of "honour" for his country.

A US congressional committee approved the measure late on Thursday. The 23-22 vote sends the measure to the full House of Representatives, where prospects for passage are uncertain. Minutes after the vote, Turkey withdrew its ambassador to the United States.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks about the time of the First World War, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those killed were victims of civil war.

President Barack Obama's administration had been silent about the resolution until shortly before the vote, when it said it opposed its passage. Turkey wants stronger action to block the resolution.

The measure was approved at a time when the US is expected to press Turkey to back sanctions against Iran to be approved in the UN Security Council.