TURKEY WORRIED ABOUT THE GROWING SUPPORT FOR THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
ArmRadio.am
22.06.2007 16:30
Turkey is worried now when the chances of a resolution calling for
the recognition of World War I-era killings of Armenians at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire as genocide being approved in the US
House of Representatives are rising after pro-Armenian groups this
week secured the backing of 200 lawmakers in the 435-member lower
chamber of Congress, the Turkish Daily News reports.
This is a record figure ever obtained by the Armenians and is rapidly
approaching 218, which means a simple majority in the House. In fact
reaching that number would not automatically force House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, to bring the resolution to
a floor vote.
However, the figure of 218 lawmakers supporting the genocide measure’s
passage will mean a psychological threshold. If or when the Armenians
reach that number, Pelosi herself will likely obey the will of the
majority and bring the resolution to a floor vote.
Top Turkish officials, including Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul have
lobbied against the measure’s passage in visits to the US capital since
February, Gul has warned that the resolution’s approval in Congress
could hurt Turkish-US ties beyond repair, including a disruption of
security arrangements.
Turkish officials and their lobbyists are now working to prevent other
lawmakers from backing the genocide bill and urging some House members
to withdraw their signatures from the list of supporters. But so far
such efforts could not stop the Armenians reaching the 200 figure.