Agence France Presse — English
October 11, 2007 Thursday

White House disappointed by Armenian "genocide" bill

The White House said Thursday it was "disappointed" with a vote in
the US Congress labeling the Ottoman Empire’s World War I massacre of
Armenians a "genocide."

"Certainly we are disappointed in the vote that occurred yesterday,"
said Scott Stanzel, a spokesman for US President George W. Bush,
speaking about the vote in the House Committee of Foreign Affairs on
Wednesday.

"We understand the feelings that poeple have about the tragic
suffering of the Armenian people, and the president, as we’ve noted,
has recognized that through presidential messages," he said.

But Stanzel added that the US leader is concerned that the vote could
strain relations with key ally Turkey, which has taken umbrage at the
congressional move.

"Turkey is playing a critical role in the war on terror and this
action is problematic for everything we’re trying to do in the Middle
East and would cause great harm to our efforts," Stanzel said.

Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House national security
council, said the president had marshaled his top aides, including
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert
Gates, in a lobbying effort to halt the legislation.

"The President has made phone calls on this, Secretary Rice, other
administration officials have made phone calls and had meetings with
members of Congress, and we’ll continue to do that as long as this
resolution is still out there," he said.