WPOST: DOES NONBINDING ARMENIAN RESOLUTION MATTER?

New Anatolian, Turkey
March 6 2007

The New Anatolian / Ankara

A resolution alleging a so-called Armenian genocide expected to
face a vote next month in the U.S. House of Representatives has the
potential to "explode U.S. relations with Turkey," argued Washington
Post columnist Jackson Diehl yesterday.

Assessing the possible impact of a vote on the nonbinding House
resolution describing a "genocide" in the Ottoman Empire beginning
in 1915, the Post columnist asked whether a nonbinding congressional
resolution — one having no legislative effect, unlike measures in
some other countries — really matters.

"The Armenian genocide resolution sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff
does matter, logically or not," Diehl stated, underlining that the
consequences of passage could be deadly serious.

Diehl argued that one of the most important consequences would be
a military restriction on the U.S. capacities in the Middle East,
stating,"Turkey’s powerful military has been hinting that U.S. access
to the Incirlik air base, which plays a key role in the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, could be restricted."

Telling how Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul spent several days
in Washington last month lobbying against the resolution, Diehl stated
that Gul faced powerful opposition in "the well-organized and affluent
Armenian American community, 1.4 million strong, and some powerful
friends — including the new House speaker, Nancy Pelosi."

Diehl characterized the debate in Washington on the Armenian resolution
as "a bizarre mix of frivolity and moral seriousness, of constituent
pandering, far-flung history and front-line foreign policy," stating
that there is also the painful struggle of a deeply nationalist society
in Turkey to come to terms with its past, and in the process become
more of the Western democracy it wants to be.

Speculating on the odds the resolution will be passed, Diehl stated,
"If Pelosi allows the resolution to be brought up, as she has
reportedly pledged to do, it will probably pass."

"Imagine the 435 members of the House, many of whom still don’t know
the difference between Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis, solemnly weighing
whether Schiff’s version of events 92 years ago in northeastern Turkey
deserves congressional endorsement."

Diehl cited that Gul warned that a nationalist tidal wave could sweep
Turkey and force the government to downgrade its cooperation with the
United States, which needs Turkey’s help this year to stabilize Iraq
and contain Iran.

Diehl stated, "No wonder the Bush administration as well as even
Democratic-leaning foreign policy experts, such as Clinton-era
ambassador Mark Parris, are trying to stop the resolution."

Diehl stated that maybe Congress has no business debating Turkish
history, and maybe it is doing so for the wrong reasons.

"Yet if Turkey is to become the stable, Western-oriented democracy
that it aspires to be, its politicians will have to learn, at least,
to react the way everyone else does to nonbinding House resolutions:
that is, with a shrug," he concluded.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress