New York Times
October 16, 2007
Key Democrats Oppose Armenian Bill
By REUTERS
Filed at 6:39 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Key Democrats in the U.S. House of
Representatives on Tuesday joined Republicans to warn that a
resolution calling the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks
genocide could harm U.S. strategic interests.
But despite the rebuff, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California
Democrat, did not back away from plans to hold a full House vote
sometime this year.
Pelosi also came under more pressure from President George W. Bush,
who had publicly criticized the resolution last week before it passed
a House committee. Bush telephoned Pelosi on Tuesday and asked her not
to bring the resolution to the House floor, her office said.
"The president and the speaker exchanged candid views on the subject
and the speaker explained the strong bipartisan support in the House
for the resolution," a Pelosi spokesman said.
The nonbinding, largely symbolic resolution passed the House Foreign
Affairs Committee on Thursday despite opposition from the White House,
Pentagon and former secretaries of state from both parties. It
infuriated NATO ally Turkey, which hinted it might halt logistic
support to U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan if the bill
passes.
Turkey calls the resolution insulting and rejects the Armenian
position, backed by many Western historians, that up to 1.5 million
Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during World
War One. Turkey has recalled its ambassador for consultations over the
matter.
Democrats, including Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a longtime
member of Pelosi’s inner circle, urged her not to bring the proposal
to the floor and Republicans called the resolution another
"irresponsible" foray into foreign policy.
When she traveled to Syria in April, Pelosi drew withering criticism
for visiting a country the State Department accuses of sponsoring
terrorism. The Armenian resolution prompted criticism from analysts
and editorial writers, too.
"I’ve known about their position for a long time," Pelosi said when
asked whether the resistance from Murtha and another leading Democrat
on defense matters, Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton, would cause her to
reconsider.
The resolution was introduced earlier this year by Democratic Rep.
Adam Schiff, a Californian with a strong Armenian-American presence in
his district.
SIMILAR PROPOSALS
Armenian-Americans have been pushing for passage of similar proposals
for years. Ronald Reagan, a Californian, was the only president to
publicly call the killings genocide. Others have avoided the term out
of concern for Turkey’s sensitivities.
Murtha’s office announced he would join other Democrats at a news
conference on Wednesday to explain why they opposed a vote on the
resolution. Through a spokesman, Murtha stressed the importance of
Turkey’s role in U.S. Middle East efforts.
"From my discussions with our military commanders and foreign policy
experts, I believe that this resolution could harm our relations with
Turkey and therefore our strategic interests in the region," Murtha
said.
The United States is highly dependent on Turkey’s Incirlik air base.
About 70 percent of the U.S. military air cargo into Iraq transits
that base, according to the Defense Department.
House aides said Murtha had written to Pelosi in February arguing
against bringing the resolution to the floor.
Skelton, Armed Services Committee chairman, last week added another
concern — that the resolution could hinder a U.S. pullout from Iraq,
a goal of many Democrats including Pelosi.
The Pentagon said on Tuesday it was drafting plans to bring supplies
into Iraq and Afghanistan from other locations, but it would be more
costly than supplying through Turkey.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, reacted
angrily to suggestions that the resolution was part of a Democratic
plan to pressure Bush on Iraq by sowing tensions with Turkey, saying
there was "zero truth in that."
The Wall Street Journal editorial page suggested Pelosi might be
seeking to "take down" U.S. policy in Iraq with the Armenian genocide
resolution. Some analysts said Congress was shooting itself in the
foot with the bill.
(Additional reporting by Kristin Roberts and Randall Mikkelsen)
Source: -turkey-usa-armenia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin