US DELAYS ARMENIA ‘GENOCIDE’ VOTE

Story from BBC NEWS:
americas/7063502.stm
Published: 2007/10/26 10:45:58 GMT

Supporters of a resolution in the US Congress to label as genocide
the mass killing of Armenians in Turkey after 1915 have called for
it to be delayed.

The four main sponsors of the vote said they still believed a majority
of their colleagues would support it, but only if the "timing is
more favourable".

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she respected their decision to
postpone.

Turkey recalled its envoy over the vote and President George W Bush
warned it could damage ties with the US ally.

READ THE RESOLUTION

Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may
need Adobe Reader

The four Democrat co-sponsors of the resolution – Adam Schiff, Brad
Sherman, Anna Eshoo and Frank Pallone – said they planned to table
it again later this year or in 2008.

The vote had seemed ready for consideration by the House of
Representatives after it was passed by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee earlier this month.

Turkey, an important regional operational hub for the US military,
accepts many Armenians died during World War One, but denies they
were victims of systematic genocide.

Analysts say Ankara could deny American access to Incirlik airbase,
or other supply lines crucial to US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan,
in response to the passage of such a vote.