Moscow News (Russia)
October 12, 2007
U.S. LAWMAKERS BACK ARMENIAN ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL
by Jitendra Joshi Agence France Presse
U.S. lawmakers defied strident warnings by President George W.Bush
and Turkey by voting Wednesday to label the Ottoman Empire’sWorld War
I massacre of Armenians as "genocide."
To cheers and applause from emotional Armenians, includingelderly
wheelchair-bound survivors, the House of RepresentativesForeign
Affairs Committee voted for the resolution by 27 votes to21.
Bush and top lieutenants earlier were unusually blunt inattacking the
non-binding resolution, warning that it would triggerTurkish
reprisals and undermine US efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan andthe Middle
East.
The vote "may do grave harm to U.S.-Turkish relations and toUS
interests in Europe and the Middle East," State Departmentspokesman
Sean McCormack said.
"Nor will it improve Turkish-Armenian relations or
advancereconciliation among Turks and Armenians over the terrible
eventsof 1915," he said.
The measure is likely to be sent on to a vote in the
fullDemocratic-led House, where a majority has already signed on to
theresolution. A parallel measure is in the Senate pipeline.
Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly ofAmerica,
lauded "a historic day" after the committee’s vote.
"It is long past time for the US government to acknowledge andaffirm
this horrible chapter of history – the first genocide of the20th
century and a part of history that we must never forget," hesaid.
The text says the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians wasa
"genocide" that should be acknowledged fully in U.S. foreignpolicy
towards Turkey, along with "the consequences of the failureto realize
a just resolution."
While the American-Armenian community celebrated, TurkishPresident
Abdullah Gul denounced the vote as "unacceptable" andaccused the
House members of sacrificing US interests to "pettygames of domestic
politics."
Turkey’s ambassador to Washington, Nabi Sensoy, told AFP thevote was
"very disappointing" and called on House Speaker NancyPelosi to
refrain from bringing it to a full vote.
Sensoy, who has personally lobbied more than 100 House membersagainst
the resolution, added that "those who said it won’t do anyharm, we
will have to wait and see."
Bush said the resolution would do "great harm" to ties withTurkey, a
Muslim-majority member of NATO whose territory is acrucial transit
point for US supplies bound for Iraq andAfghanistan.
According to the Armenians, 1.5 million of their kinsmen werekilled
from 1915 to 1923 under an Ottoman Empire campaign ofdeportation and
murder that later encouraged Nazi leader AdolfHitler’s Holocaust
against the Jews.
Rejecting the genocide label, Turkey argues that 250,000 to500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strifewhen
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatoliaduring the
war.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense SecretaryRobert Gates
also denounced the measure before the hearing, afterveiled threats
from Ankara that US access to a sprawling air basein southern Turkey
could be denied.
But despite the warnings, the resolution’s backers warned theissue
could not be ignored as they drew parallels to the Holocaustand the
present-day bloodshed in the Sudanese region of Darfur.
"We’ve been told the timing is bad," Democratic House memberGary
Ackerman said in an emotional hearing that lasted nearly fourhours.
"But the timing was bad for the Armenian people in 1915."
Republican Representative Christopher Smith said theresolution was
not a slight on modern Turkey, adding: "Friendsdon’t let friends
commit crimes against humanity."
Republican lawmaker Dan Burton, however, said passage of thegenocide
resolution could endanger U.S. troops in Iraq andAfghanistan.
"We’re in the middle of two wars. We have troops out there whoare at
risk. And we’re talking about kicking an ally in the teeth.It is
crazy."
Gates said that about 70 percent of all Iraq-bound U.S. aircargo, 95
percent of tough new mine-resistant vehicles andone-third of the
military’s fuel transit through Turkey.
US commanders "believe, clearly, that access to airfields andto the
roads and so on in Turkey would be very much put at risk ifthis
resolution passes and the Turks react as strongly as webelieve they
will," he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress