Fresno Bee (California)
October 17, 2007 Wednesday
FINAL EDITION

Genocide resolution hits snag;
Doubts build as 17 backers withdraw support.

by Michael Doyle Bee Washington Bureau

Amid intense lobbying pressure, 17 House members have withdrawn their
support for a resolution that calls the killings of Armenians nearly
a century ago by Ottoman Turks a genocide.

A key House committee approved the resolution last week. But
defections are increasing, with seven lawmakers withdrawing their
support Monday — and that puts the resolution’s future in question.

"All of a sudden this is heating up," said Chico Republican Wally
Herger, one of the lawmakers who changed his position. "And so you
start to wonder, is this a wise thing to be doing now?"

Turkey has denounced the resolution. And administration officials,
worried about losing a key ally in the Iraq war, also oppose it.

The formal number of genocide resolution co-sponsors has dropped to
218, potentially a slim majority in a House with 432 voting members,
taking three vacancies into account. But 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 Oct. 10 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 non-binding
resolution further avers that "1,500,000 men, women, and children
were killed."

President Bush called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday to ask
her not to call for a House vote on the resolution, The Associated
Press reported. Pelosi has not yet scheduled a floor vote, although
she says she will.

"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, noting
that Bush initiated the phone call.

One key question is whether the vote will be put off if public
support falls further, however.

Even the 218 co-sponsors listed Tuesday 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.

A third co-sponsor, Rep. Jane Harman, D-Los Angeles, argues that now
is "the wrong time" to bring up the measure. It’s not clear what she
will do when it comes up for a vote.

The lawmakers withdrawing support come from both parties and all
regions of the country. None come from regions with large
Armenian-American constituencies.

Some, like Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., declined Tuesday to explain
their change of heart. Others, like Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark.,
acknowledge they simply learned more since their original endorsement
decision.

"The closer we’ve come to a vote, the more informed I’ve become,"
said Ross, who withdrew his support Monday.

Besides Herger, however, all of the other eight House members whose
districts include portions of the Central Valley remain as
co-sponsors. Tens of thousands of Armenian-Americans live in the
region.

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
United States. Simultaneously, the Turkish parliament is expected
this week to brush aside Bush administration concerns and approve a
military strike against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq.

"It’s a lot of saber-rattling on the part of Turkey," said Rep.
George Radanovich, R-Mariposa.

Still, Pentagon officials warn that deteriorating relations could
undermine the U.S. occupation of Iraq, which depends heavily on
Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base for supplies. Bush and his top cabinet and
Pentagon officials have been making personal calls.

"The White House is putting on a full-court press," said resolution
supporter Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced.

So is the government of Turkey, which has reported paying $300,000 a
month for lobbyists. A Congressional Caucus on Turkey, co-led by Rep.
Robert Wexler, D-Fla., is increasingly vocal although still much
smaller than the 156-member Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.

With so many members, the Armenian caucus could easily rally
co-sponsors for a resolution "presented as not having any downside,"
Boyd said. He signed up on June 28, before the international
controversy escalated. Last week, during a visit to Baghdad, Boyd 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.

One of Pelosi’s top lieutenants and the chair of the House defense
appropriations subcommittee, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., will be urging
today that the resolution be dropped.

Herger, though, said he hadn’t heard directly from lobbyists. Rather,
he said he simply came to the conclusion by following media accounts
that "now is not the time to be going after Turkey."