Armenian National Committee of America
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Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP ATTACKS SCHIFF AMENDMENT
— Speaker, Majority Leader and Majority Whip Seek to
Reverse Legislation Barring Turkey from using U.S. Foreign
Aid to Lobby Against the Genocide Resolution
WASHINGTON, DC – In a front-page statement posted today on the web-
page of the Speaker of the U.S. House, Congressional Republican
leaders, who have for the past eighteen months blocked the progress
of legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide, attacked the
adoption, yesterday, of the Schiff Amendment by the full U.S.
House, reported the Armenian National Committee (ANCA). The
amendment restricts the Turkish government from using U.S. foreign
aid dollars to finance its campaign to defeat the Genocide
Resolution, H.Res.193.
The statement issued by House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL),
Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-TX) and Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO)
states that, “we are strongly opposed to the Schiff Amendment to
the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, and we will insist that
conferees drop that provision in conference. . . Turkey has been a
reliable ally of the United States for decades, and the deep
foundation upon which our mutual economic and security relationship
rests should not be disrupted by this amendment.”
The full text of the statement is provided at the end of the
release. Armenian Americans have the opportunity to express their
disappointment to the authors of this statement by visiting the
ANCA website:
“Speaker Hastert and his colleagues in the House leadership –
having spent the past year and a half trying to kill the Genocide
Resolution – are now trying to subvert the clear will of an
overwhelming bi-partisan majority in support of this human rights
measure,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We find it
deeply offensive that these officials would allow a foreign nation
– particularly one that so blatantly disdains the democratic values
of the American people – to impose its dictates on our Congress.”
Yesterday evening, the U.S. House voted to approve the amendment,
introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA). The measure was passed by a
voice vote and added to the fiscal year 2005 foreign aid bill,
H.R.4818.
The Genocide Resolution, H.Res.193, reaffirms U.S. support for the
Genocide Convention and cites the importance of remembering past
crimes against humanity, including the Armenian Genocide,
Holocaust, Cambodian and Rwandan genocides, in an effort to stop
future atrocities. It faces intense opposition from the Turkish
government, which has enlisted the backing of the White House in
its efforts to press Congressional leaders to block this measure
from being scheduled for a vote of the full House.
#####
Statement of Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay
and Majority Whip Roy Blunt Regarding the Schiff Amendment to the
Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
(Washington D.C.) Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert, House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt
released the following statement regarding House adoption of the
Schiff Amendment to the Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.
“We are strongly opposed to the Schiff Amendment to the Foreign
Operations Appropriations bill, and we will insist that conferees
drop that provision in conference. We have contacted the Bush
Administration, and they have indicated their strong opposition to
the amendment. We have also conveyed our opposition to Chairman
Kolbe and he has assured us that he will insist on it being dropped
in the conference committee.”
“Turkey has been a reliable ally of the United States for decades,
and the deep foundation upon which our mutual economic and security
relationship rests should not be disrupted by this amendment.”
“On its face, the amendment is meaningless. Current U.S. law
already prohibits foreign governments from using American foreign
aid to lobby. But we understand the political motivation behind the
amendment, and for that reason, we will insist that it be dropped.”
“Our relationship with Turkey is too important to us to allow it to
be in any way damaged by a poorly crafted and ultimately
meaningless amendment.”
“Furthermore, we have no intention of scheduling H.Res. 193, as
reported out of the Judiciary Committee in April, during the
remainder of this Congress.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress