Fresno Bee (California)
September 16, 2005, Friday FINAL EDITION
House might make history Armenian genocide measures pass by wide
margins.
by Michael Doyle Bee Washington Bureau
DA
History returned with a vengeance Thursday as a House committee
approved the latest versions of an Armenian genocide resolution.
With San Joaquin Valley lawmakers and residents looking on
approvingly, the House International Relations Committee approved the
two politically charged Armenian measures by wide margins. It’s the
first time in five years the panel has taken up the resolutions that
incite international controversy.
“I think it’s great,” said Mariposa Republican George Radanovich,
lead author of one of the two Armenian genocide measures. “This is a
good message to send to Turkey.”
But with the Bush administration strongly opposed, and the government
of Turkey lumbering out its big lobbying guns, the Armenian genocide
resolutions still face an uncertain future.
“These resolutions could undermine efforts to rebuild a partnership
between the United States and Turkey in pursuit of America’s broad
national security interests,” Assistant Secretary of State Matthew
Reynolds cautioned in a letter Thursday.
The White House and congressional Republican leaders can still veto
the Armenian genocide measures in several ways. House Speaker Dennis
Hastert can simply refuse to let them reach the House floor, as he
did in October 2000 to block an earlier Radanovich effort.
Conceivably, Republican leaders could also bring them up under a
procedure that would require a two-thirds vote to pass.
“As it stands now, it’s tough,” Radanovich conceded.
Both resolutions would put the House of Representatives on record as
affirming that the Ottoman Empire engaged in attempted genocide
between 1915 and 1923. Countless Armenians died; Turkish officials
now estimate hundreds of thousands perished in a wider war, while
Armenians contend as many as 1.5 million were killed in a targeted
campaign.
Approved by a 40-7 margin, Radanovich’s resolution spells out in 11
pages the evidence demonstrating why the 1915-23 catastrophe deserves
the name genocide. This characterization is the fundamental purpose
of the resolution, which would not have the force of law even if
passed by the House.
The committee also approved by a 35-11 vote a related resolution
authored by Pasadena Democrat Adam Schiff, which goes on to urge the
Turkish government to acknowledge that a genocide occurred.
“This is a step toward righting an historical injustice,” Schiff
said.
Turkish officials and their allies retort that history is ambiguous,
with Turkish Ambassador Faruk Logoglu urging lawmakers in a letter
Thursday to “not let our as-yet unreconciled views of a specific era
dictate our present or our future.” The Turkish government has
proposed that a joint study commission with historians from both
countries examine the evidence.
“I’m afraid the resolution will perpetuate a standoff,” Florida
Democrat Robert Wexler said. “It is time for all parties to place a
greater emphasis on bringing Armenian and Turkish groups together.”
Schiff and Radanovich both represent districts with sizable Armenian
American populations, where politically active constituents have long
pressed the genocide resolutions. Merced Democrat Dennis Cardoza, a
member of the International Relations Committee, also supported the
resolutions that were a deeply personal issue for some in the packed
hearing room.
Part-time Fresno resident Paul Jamushian, for one, described himself
as a “genocide son.”
His mother was slashed and left for dead at age 4, he said, and his
father was smuggled to safety dressed as a little girl. Now retired,
and alternating his time between Washington and Fresno, Jamushian
listened avidly to the debate that started midmorning and, after a
break, carried on into the afternoon.
“I’m a very strong believer in this, because of what happened to my
family,” Jamushian said.