Armenia genocide measure to advance

By Mark Felsenthal
Reuters
Sunday, October 14, 2007; 6:04 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top Democrat in the U.S. House of
Representatives said on Sunday she intends to press ahead on a
resolution calling the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks
genocide, despite White House concerns it will damage relations with
Turkey, a supporter of the Iraq war.

"I said if it passed the committee that we would bring it to the
floor," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC television’s "This Week."

A congressional committee on Wednesday approved the Armenian
resolution, sponsored by a California lawmaker whose district has a
large Armenian-American constituency.

The full House is due to vote on the strictly symbolic measure by mid-November.

President George W. Bush has adamantly opposed the resolution, warning
that it would interfere with Turkey’s support for U.S. troops in Iraq
and harm relations with an important ally.

"We regret that Speaker Pelosi is intent on bringing this resolution
for a vote despite the strong concerns expressed by foreign policy and
defense experts," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said in Crawford,
Texas where Bush is spending the weekend at his ranch.

"We continue to strongly to oppose this resolution which may do grave
harm to U.S.-Turkish relations and to U.S. interests in Europe and the
Middle East," he said.

Pelosi, of California, said her determination to bring the measure to
a vote has not wavered despite Bush’s warnings that it would pose
problems for the U.S. effort in Iraq.

"Some of the things that are harmful to our troops relate to values,"
Pelosi said. "I think that our troops are well-served when we declare
who we are as a country and increase the respect that people have for
us as a nation."

The issue is highly sensitive in Turkey, where it is a crime to
describe those events as genocide. Turkey recalled its ambassador to
the United States for consultations after the House committee vote.

Turkey’s military chief has said ties between the United States and
Turkey would "never be the same again" if Congress approves the
resolution.

Congressional Republicans urged Pelosi to block the measure from
coming to a vote by the full House.

"Bringing this bill to the floor may be the most irresponsible thing
I’ve seen this new Congress do this year," House Minority Leader Jim
Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said on "Fox News Sunday."

One of the Bush administration’s fears is that the resolution could
weaken U.S. influence as it urges Turkey to refrain from any major
military operations in Northern Iraq.

The Turkish government is planning to seek parliamentary approval for
military operations against a militant group, the Kurdistan Workers
Party, based in the mountains of northern Iraq.

(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan in Crawford, Texas)

Source: le/2007/10/14/AR2007101400533.html

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress