Armenian genocide resolution renewed
01/31/07
Fresno Bee
By Michael Doyle / Bee Washington Bureau
Supporters hope reshaped Congress can vault over White House opposition.
WASHINGTON — Armenian-Americans are putting their hopes in a new Democratic Congress.
So are some Republicans.
On Tuesday, lawmakers and their politically active Armenian-American allies introduced the latest version of an Armenian genocide resolution. After years of trying, they now think they can prevail over the Bush administration's strong opposition.
"I'm very hopeful that this time we'll be able to do this," said Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa.
Under the aged and watchful eyes of two genocide survivors — one of them said to be 100 years old — Radanovich helped reintroduce a resolution that will incite controversy even though it lacks the force of law.
Joined by three other House members, one Republican and two Democrats, Radanovich is sponsoring what's being called the "affirmation of the United States record on the Armenian Genocide." Essentially, the 10-page resolution puts the House on the side of Armenians and many historians who have studied the period between 1915 and 1923.
Some 1.5 million Armenians were killed as part of a policy of extermination conducted during the final days of the Ottoman Empire, the resolution asserts. The nonbinding resolution further calls upon President Bush to use the word "genocide" in his annual April message commemorating the horrific events.
Bush and preceding presidents, attentive to the concerns of Turkey and the State Department, have delicately avoided using the term genocide when referring to Armenia. Diplomatically, it's a sensitive issue. The last U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, appears to have been forced from his post after he gave a public speech affirming there was a genocide.
"Armenian Americans have attempted to extricate and isolate their history from the complex circumstances in which their ancestors were embroiled," the Turkish Embassy declared in a statement. "In so doing, they describe a world populated only by white-hatted heroes and black-hatted villains."
Turkey dismisses as "grossly erroneous" the claim that 1.5 million Armenians were killed. A member of NATO now hoping to join the European Union, Turkey enjoys its own Capitol Hill clout with the assistance of well-placed lobbyists, including one-time Congress member Bob Livingston.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, is the Armenian genocide resolution's chief sponsor since his party took control of the House.
"I do think we have the best opportunity in a decade to succeed," Schiff said, "but no one should be under the illusion that this will be easy."
Radanovich was the chief sponsor under Republican control, but had the rug pulled out from underneath him by GOP leaders. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert first promised to let Radanovich bring an earlier Armenian genocide resolution to the House floor, then reversed himself at the last minute after receiving a call from the White House.
Current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as a rank-and-file member in previous years, was a supporter of the genocide resolution.
"We've got a speaker now who we think is receptive," said Paul Jamushian, an activist who splits his time between Fresno and the East Coast. "We've always had the votes."
Lawmakers acknowledged Tuesday that they had not yet received a commitment from Pelosi, although they predicted she will face White House pressure before April.
"Make no mistake," Radanovich said. "The speaker will get a call from the president."
Resolution authors say they expect to rally at least 140 House co-sponsors.
The new chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, voted for a genocide resolution the last time it appeared, although in previous years he opposed it.
The reporter can be reached at mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com or (202) 383-0006.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
Fresno Bee
By Michael Doyle / Bee Washington Bureau
Supporters hope reshaped Congress can vault over White House opposition.
WASHINGTON — Armenian-Americans are putting their hopes in a new Democratic Congress.
So are some Republicans.
On Tuesday, lawmakers and their politically active Armenian-American allies introduced the latest version of an Armenian genocide resolution. After years of trying, they now think they can prevail over the Bush administration's strong opposition.
"I'm very hopeful that this time we'll be able to do this," said Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa.
Under the aged and watchful eyes of two genocide survivors — one of them said to be 100 years old — Radanovich helped reintroduce a resolution that will incite controversy even though it lacks the force of law.
Joined by three other House members, one Republican and two Democrats, Radanovich is sponsoring what's being called the "affirmation of the United States record on the Armenian Genocide." Essentially, the 10-page resolution puts the House on the side of Armenians and many historians who have studied the period between 1915 and 1923.
Some 1.5 million Armenians were killed as part of a policy of extermination conducted during the final days of the Ottoman Empire, the resolution asserts. The nonbinding resolution further calls upon President Bush to use the word "genocide" in his annual April message commemorating the horrific events.
Bush and preceding presidents, attentive to the concerns of Turkey and the State Department, have delicately avoided using the term genocide when referring to Armenia. Diplomatically, it's a sensitive issue. The last U.S. ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, appears to have been forced from his post after he gave a public speech affirming there was a genocide.
"Armenian Americans have attempted to extricate and isolate their history from the complex circumstances in which their ancestors were embroiled," the Turkish Embassy declared in a statement. "In so doing, they describe a world populated only by white-hatted heroes and black-hatted villains."
Turkey dismisses as "grossly erroneous" the claim that 1.5 million Armenians were killed. A member of NATO now hoping to join the European Union, Turkey enjoys its own Capitol Hill clout with the assistance of well-placed lobbyists, including one-time Congress member Bob Livingston.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, is the Armenian genocide resolution's chief sponsor since his party took control of the House.
"I do think we have the best opportunity in a decade to succeed," Schiff said, "but no one should be under the illusion that this will be easy."
Radanovich was the chief sponsor under Republican control, but had the rug pulled out from underneath him by GOP leaders. Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert first promised to let Radanovich bring an earlier Armenian genocide resolution to the House floor, then reversed himself at the last minute after receiving a call from the White House.
Current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as a rank-and-file member in previous years, was a supporter of the genocide resolution.
"We've got a speaker now who we think is receptive," said Paul Jamushian, an activist who splits his time between Fresno and the East Coast. "We've always had the votes."
Lawmakers acknowledged Tuesday that they had not yet received a commitment from Pelosi, although they predicted she will face White House pressure before April.
"Make no mistake," Radanovich said. "The speaker will get a call from the president."
Resolution authors say they expect to rally at least 140 House co-sponsors.
The new chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, voted for a genocide resolution the last time it appeared, although in previous years he opposed it.
The reporter can be reached at mdoyle@mcclatchydc.com or (202) 383-0006.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 9:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home