ARMENIAN RESOLUTION SUPPORT IS ERODING
By Michael Doyle
Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX
McClatchy Newspapers
Oct 17 2007
WASHINGTON — Rep. Wally Herger supported an Armenian genocide
resolution until Monday. Then he changed his mind.
The California Republican isn’t alone. Amid intense lobbying, 17 House
members have withdrawn their support for the genocide resolution
approved last week by a key House committee. The flips are coming
faster, with seven lawmakers withdrawing their support Monday, and
it could put the resolution at risk.
"All of a sudden this is heating up," Herger said Tuesday, "and so
you start to wonder, is this a wise thing to be doing now?"
The formal number of genocide resolution co-sponsors has dropped to
218, potentially a slim majority in a House with 432 voting members and
three vacancies. More lawmakers could switch positions in coming days.
"I suspect there will be others," said Rep. Allen Boyd, a Florida
Democrat who withdrew his support Monday.
The resolution approved last Wednesday by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee declares that "the Armenian genocide was conceived and
carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923." The nonbinding
resolution further avers that "1,500,000 men, women, and children
were killed."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hasn’t yet scheduled a floor vote, although
she says she will.
President Bush called Pelosi on Tuesday to ask her not to call for
a House vote on the resolution.
"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," Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said.
But even the 218 co-sponsors may overstate support for the
resolution. One co-sponsor still listed Tuesday died in April. One
is a Puerto Rico delegate whose vote won’t count if it affects the
final outcome.
The resolution is symbolic, needing neither Senate approval nor the
president’s signature. Nonetheless, it has ignited a diplomatic crisis.
The Turkish government considers the resolution a historically
inaccurate insult, contending that "hundreds of thousands" of Turks
and Armenians died in a complicated war. To protest the House committee
action, Turkey temporarily withdrew its ambassador to the U.S.
The government of Turkey has reported paying $300,000 a month for
lobbyists.
Pentagon officials warn that deteriorating relations could undermine
the U.S. occupation of Iraq, which depends heavily on Incirlik Air
Base in Turkey for supplies.
Boyd said he signed up to back the resolution June 28, before the
international controversy escalated. Last week, during a visit to
Baghdad, he was swayed by Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces
in Iraq.
"He was pretty adamant that the resolution would harm our interests
in the Middle East," Boyd said.
The lawmakers withdrawing support come from both parties.
None come from regions with large Armenian-American constituencies.
This report includes material from The Associated Press.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
