LA TIMES: Obama won’t use ‘genocide’ in statement on massacre of Armenians

Original Story: na-obama-genocide25-2009apr25,0,2595139.story

Rep orting from Washington — President Barack Obama will not use the
word "genocide" today when he issues a statement remembering the
slaughter of more than a million Armenians during the last days of the
Ottoman Empire.

On the anniversary of the day in 1915 that marked the beginning of the
atrocities in Turkey, the president instead will ask for an
examination of the past "so that it can be better understood,"
according to a senior administration official.

Obama still stands by the views he has expressed on the subject in the
past, the official said today, speaking in advance of the president’s
statement on condition of anonymity. As a U.S. senator and a
presidential candidate, Obama called for Turkey to acknowledge the
genocide — and promised to do so himself if elected president.

But since moving into the Oval office, Obama has backed away from the
pledge out of concern that a furor over it might disrupt delicate
diplomatic discussions now going on between Armenia and Turkey.

"He has his views, and his views are known," the official said. The
president’s goal is to see Turkey "reckon with the events of 1915,"
the aide said. He added Obama thinks the best way to promote that is
with the diplomatically crafted statement being issued today.

The decision over how to handle the April 24 remembrance date is a
politically difficult one for the president. Turkish officials did not
ask Obama to stay away from the question of genocide, the official
said, but the president is acutely aware of and interested in the
state of talks between the two countries.

Today’s commemoration date falls two days after Turkey and Armenia
announced movement in ongoing talks to ease relations between their
two countries. Relations have been strained for decades.

The Turkish foreign ministry said Wednesday that the two sides have
come up with a framework for continued talks but provided few details
on how, exactly, it might work. They have made "tangible progress"
toward mutual understanding and come up with a "road map" for how to
proceed, according to the statement.

Still, the measure is considered the first breakthrough in talks in
more than a decade.

Since Obama took office, Armenian Americans and human rights activists
have been asking him to make good on the campaign promise to declare
the mass killing a genocide. Advocates hoped the declaration would
come today.

But Obama signaled he might take a different route during a trip to
Turkey earlier this month, when he refrained from using the word
"genocide" to describe the killings. In a joint press conference with
Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Obama said he hadn’t changed his mind
about the historical record but still declined to use the word when
asked by a reporter about his position.

"I’m not interested in the U.S. tilting these negotiations one way or
another while they are having a useful discussion," Obama said in
early April.

Obama’s administration has a lot riding on U.S. relations with Turkey,
a key U.S. ally in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turkish leaders have
historically opposed measures such as the Armenian Genocide resolution
now pending before Congress. Offending Turkey could put U.S. supply
routes to Iraq and Afghanistan in danger.

Ankara is also an influential player on a host of other critical
issues on the Obama agenda, including Middle East peace and Iran.

cparsons@latimes.com