Lawmakers delay push for House vote on Armenian genocide measure

By Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 25, 2007

If I were Turkey I would not hail this delay as success but only that it bought some time. The world now knows more than before about the Armenian Genocide and that the only argument Turkey has in order to delay it consists of threats. No nation worth its salt accepts threats least of all America.

WASHINGTON -- Sponsors of a congressional resolution to recognize the Armenian genocide said today that they would delay their drive to bring the measure before the House for a vote, amid waning support for the measure sparked by concerns that it could harm relations with Turkey, a key U.S. ally.

[...]

The resolution's chief sponsors said in a letter today to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) that they would still press for passage of the long-debated measure.

"We believe that a large majority of our colleagues want to support a resolution recognizing the genocide on the House floor and that they will do so, provided the timing is more favorable," the sponsors, Reps. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), Anna G. Eshoo (D-Menlo Park) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) said in the letter.

[...]

The resolution has been strongly opposed by the Bush administration, which warned it could offend Turkey. After the committee vote, the administration and Turkey, aided by high-paid, well-connected lobbyists, stepped up their efforts to persuade the House to shelve the measure, which calls on the president to "accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide."

[...]

The resolution's sponsors said they would continue to work for consideration of the measure "sometime later this year, or in 2008."

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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.