U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE TO VOTE FOR RESOLUTION CONDEMNING HRANT DINK’S MURDER

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.03.2007 18:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a related development, the Senate’s Foreign
Relations Committee is planning to vote on Wednesday another resolution
condemning Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink’s murder and calling
on Turkey to abolish the notorious Article 301 of the penal code
blamed for restricting freedom of expression and to launch diplomatic,
political and trade ties with Armenia, Turkish Daily News reports.

The publication reminds that legislation was originally planned for
vote on March 6, but the committee’s Republican Senator Richard Lugar
of Indiana, who generally backs Turkey in Congress, objected to the
measure’s language, causing a delay of three weeks. Ankara fears that
a Senate approval of the original text may act as a precedent for
future congressional action. "President George Bush, who has strongly
condemned Dink’s assassination, would like to see Turkey repeal the
penal code’s controversial article and set up good relations with
Armenia. The committee’s Web site announcement said the resolution
on Wednesday would be brought to a vote with amendments but did not
say what the amendments were.

It was not clear whether the "Armenian Genocide" reference would stay
in the text," Turkish Daily News reports.