Armenian genocide resolution circulating this week in Washington
18 January 2007
The New Anatolian / Washington with agencies
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A draft resolution seeking recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide is likely to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives this week, while a top U.S. diplomat in Ankara says the Bush administration will oppose the draft.
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson told daily Sabah that President George W. Bush would strongly oppose any resolution on the so-called Armenian genocide, adding that he would also warn members of U.S. Congress against the possible negative outcomes of such a move.
"The Bush administration cannot guarantee that the resolution does not get adopted, but I think President Bush would strongly oppose such a resolution, just as President Clinton did in the past," Wilson said. "The administration will do everything to prevent that resolution from coming to the Congress floor."
With Democrats taking control of the U.S. Congress following their election victory late last year, prospects have increased that lawmakers will approve a resolution recognizing the World War I-era forced deportation and deaths of Armenians as genocide.
Democratic Congressmen Adam Schiff and Frank Pallone, joined by Republican Congressmen George Radanovich and Joe Knollenberg, have recently prepared a draft resolution, expecting more than 150 members of the House of Representatives to back the draft.
If accepted on the committee level, the draft will then be submitted to the floor of the House for general approval. The powerful Armenian lobby is pushing to have a vote occur prior to April 24, which they recognize as a day marking the "genocide."
Nancy Pelosi, the new Democratic speaker of the House, has in the past voiced her support for such a resolution.
The Bush administration fears that even congressional debate on the genocide claims could damage relations with Turkey, a moderate Muslim nation that is a NATO member and an important strategic ally.
In Washington, Armenian-American groups have been pressing for years for a resolution on the genocide issue. The House of Representatives' International Relations Committee last year endorsed two resolutions classifying the killings as genocide. But the House leadership, controlled by Bush's Republican Party, prevented a vote by the full chamber.
The genocide claim was the key issue as the Senate considered the ambassadorial nomination of Hoagland to replace John Evans, who reportedly had his tour of duty cut short because, in a social setting, he referred to the killings as genocide.
Senator Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, blocked the nomination over Hoagland's refusal to use the word genocide at his confirmation hearing in June. With Democrats taking over the Senate, it will be even more difficult now for the Bush administration to circumvent Menendez's objections.
Turkey strongly opposes the claims that its predecessor state, the Ottoman government, caused the Armenian deaths in a planned genocide. The Turkish government has said the toll is wildly inflated and that Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the empire's collapse and the World War I conditions. Ankara's proposal to Yerevan to set up a joint commission of historians to study events of 1915 is still awaiting a positive response from the Armenian side.
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.
The New Anatolian / Washington with agencies
Font Size: default medium large
A draft resolution seeking recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide is likely to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives this week, while a top U.S. diplomat in Ankara says the Bush administration will oppose the draft.
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson told daily Sabah that President George W. Bush would strongly oppose any resolution on the so-called Armenian genocide, adding that he would also warn members of U.S. Congress against the possible negative outcomes of such a move.
"The Bush administration cannot guarantee that the resolution does not get adopted, but I think President Bush would strongly oppose such a resolution, just as President Clinton did in the past," Wilson said. "The administration will do everything to prevent that resolution from coming to the Congress floor."
With Democrats taking control of the U.S. Congress following their election victory late last year, prospects have increased that lawmakers will approve a resolution recognizing the World War I-era forced deportation and deaths of Armenians as genocide.
Democratic Congressmen Adam Schiff and Frank Pallone, joined by Republican Congressmen George Radanovich and Joe Knollenberg, have recently prepared a draft resolution, expecting more than 150 members of the House of Representatives to back the draft.
If accepted on the committee level, the draft will then be submitted to the floor of the House for general approval. The powerful Armenian lobby is pushing to have a vote occur prior to April 24, which they recognize as a day marking the "genocide."
Nancy Pelosi, the new Democratic speaker of the House, has in the past voiced her support for such a resolution.
The Bush administration fears that even congressional debate on the genocide claims could damage relations with Turkey, a moderate Muslim nation that is a NATO member and an important strategic ally.
In Washington, Armenian-American groups have been pressing for years for a resolution on the genocide issue. The House of Representatives' International Relations Committee last year endorsed two resolutions classifying the killings as genocide. But the House leadership, controlled by Bush's Republican Party, prevented a vote by the full chamber.
The genocide claim was the key issue as the Senate considered the ambassadorial nomination of Hoagland to replace John Evans, who reportedly had his tour of duty cut short because, in a social setting, he referred to the killings as genocide.
Senator Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, blocked the nomination over Hoagland's refusal to use the word genocide at his confirmation hearing in June. With Democrats taking over the Senate, it will be even more difficult now for the Bush administration to circumvent Menendez's objections.
Turkey strongly opposes the claims that its predecessor state, the Ottoman government, caused the Armenian deaths in a planned genocide. The Turkish government has said the toll is wildly inflated and that Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the empire's collapse and the World War I conditions. Ankara's proposal to Yerevan to set up a joint commission of historians to study events of 1915 is still awaiting a positive response from the Armenian side.
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 1:55 PM
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