Burbank Leader
Published September 17, 2005
Schiff’s genocide bill heads to floor of House
The House International Relations Committee approves Adam Schiff’s
bill recognizing the Armenian Genocide with a 36 to 11 vote.
By Darleene Barrientos, The Leader
WASHINGTON — Legislation introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff recognizing
the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923 as a genocide
was passed by the House International Relations Committee Thursday,
but proponents say the battle to get the bill to the floor for a vote
has just begun.
Thursday’s bill mark-up was the Armenian Genocide Resolution’s final
hurdle before it can be voted on by the full House of Representatives.
The committee approved the bill with a bipartisan vote of 36 to 11,
Schiff said. “We are just thrilled,” Schiff said. “It was the first
time we had the support of the chair and a ranking member. We think
this will give us a lot of momentum on the floor.”
But even with Thursday’s victory, lawmakers pushing the resolution are
frank about the uphill battle they face. There’s been no timetable
established for when the resolution might reach the floor for a vote
because legislators anticipate resistance from Republicans who do not
want to offend ally Turkey.
“It was a hill to climb just to get it heard in the committee,” Schiff
said. “But if the committee was any indication, the votes are
there. We just need to get the leadership to commit to the vote.”
Rep. Brad Sherman, who represents a portion of Burbank, was a member
of the committee that passed the resolution. Proponents of the
resolution will now focus on pushing Rep. Tom Delay (R-Texas) to allow
the bill onto the floor for a vote, he said.
“The rumor is that [President Bush] is going to try to say, ‘hey, we
Republicans don’t want this on the floor — let’s stop it,'” Sherman
said. “It’s peculiar, because our committee is always passing
resolutions favoring democracy. But when it comes to our resolutions
getting fair and democratic treatment, I’m pessimistic.”
National Security Council spokesman Fred Jones could not be reached
for comment Thursday.
The resolution is important for the United States in quest for
democracy throughout the world, Sherman said.
“It’s important because genocide denial sets us up for the next
genocide,” Sherman said. “It was Adolf Hitler who said, before he
killed 6 million of my ethnic group and tens of millions of others,
‘who remembers the Armenians?’ “Genocide denial is the last act of
genocide itself. First you exterminate the people, then you
exterminate the people’s memory, then you exterminate the memory of
the extermination.”
In spite of the uphill battle before them, local proponents of the
bill will continue with a phone, e-mail and fax campaigns to members
of Congress, just as they have the past few years, said Armen
Carapetian, director of the Armenian National Committee’s Western
Region.
“This is sort of a David and Goliath-type battle and the little guy
won,” Carapetian said. “Hopefully, that will be carried through to the
full floor vote.”
Carapetian is optimistic that Congress will recognize that
acknowledging the Armenian Genocide is an important issue.
“We know that the only way to prevent genocide from continuing to
happen around the world is to hold those who commit them responsible,”
Carapetian said. “Turkey must be held accountable.
This resolution serves as a first step in pursuing justice and
pressuring Turkey to come to grips with its past.”
* DARLEENE BARRIENTOS covers business and politics. She may be reached
at (818) 637-3215.