SCHIFF TO RE-INTRODUCE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
By Dan Abendschein

Pasadena Star-News

March 3 2009
CA

Despite strong opposition from Turkey, a Southern California
congressman is vowing to introduce another bill blaming the Ottoman
Empire for the Armenian genocide of 1915.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of Pasadena said he would introduce
the bill later this month. He said he believes President Obama will
support it.

"He has a track record of supporting the recognition of the genocide,"
said Schiff. "I am very hopeful that he will support the bill."

Schiff previously introduced the bill in the fall of 2007 and initially
found a lot of support for it.

Strong opposition from Turkish lobbying groups, former government
officials, and the Bush administration helped derail the bill, with 21
legislators who agreed to support the legislation changing course. It
never made it out of the House of Representatives.

Turkey, a strong U.S. ally, regards the issue as an affront to its
national identity.

The Bush administration argued that the bill would be extremely
damaging to relations with Turkey, a major military and political ally.

Schiff noted that Obama had spoken in support of the bill while in
the Senate, and said on the campaign trail that he was in favor of
the bill.

The bill would first face the challenge of getting through the House
and Senate, something which Schiff said was not guaranteed.

"I’m not taking anything for granted," Schiff said.