PRESIDENT BUSH INTENSIFIES HIS PUSH TO DERAIL H.RES.106 ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ArmInfo.
2007-10-18 12:14:00

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that she was reconsidering
her pledge to force a vote on a resolution condemning as genocide
the mass killing of Armenians starting in 1915, as President Bush
intensified his push to derail the legislation, New York Times reports.

Whether it will come up or not and what the action will be remains
to be seen," Ms. Pelosi said in light of the decline in support
for the proposal, which, though nonbinding, has angered Turkey and
raised fears that the Turkish government could reduce its strategic
cooperation with the United States.

The comments by the speaker, a key supporter of the measure, added
to growing evidence that modern-day pragmatism was overwhelming
supporters’ demands that the House render a historical verdict on
the killings of the Armenians by Ottoman Turks. Mr. Bush, who as a
candidate in 2000 criticized what he called a "genocidal campaign"
against the Armenians, said lawmakers had better things to do than
be caught up in the past, pursuing legislation that has unsettled an
important ally.

"With all these pressing responsibilities, one thing Congress should
not be doing is sorting out the historical record of the Ottoman
Empire," Mr. Bush said. "Congress has more important work to do than
antagonizing a democratic ally in the Muslim world, especially one
that is providing vital support for our military every day."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress