WASHINGTON POST: OBAMA IN A BIND OVER ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VOTE

ArmInfo
2010-03-01 14:06:00

Arminfo. President Barack Obama is in a bind as a House committee
prepares to vote on a resolution that would recognize the World War
I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide, American
analyst Desmond Butler says in an article published in Washington Post.

While a White House candidate, then-Sen. Obama said he believed the
killings were genocide. A congressional resolution to that effect
could alienate Turkey, a NATO ally and traditional friend of the
United States that is crucial to America’s foreign policy goals.

Past administrations have defeated similar resolutions through public
cajoling about national security interests and with behind-the-scenes
lobbying.

So far, however, the Obama administration has taken no public position
on the measure, set for a vote Thursday by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee. Aides to senior lawmakers on the committee say there has
been no pressure against the resolution from the White House. The
administration was informed ahead of time that the committee would
be scheduling the vote, according to Lynn Weil, spokeswoman for the
committee’s chairman, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif.

Turkey long has made clear that the issue could affect relations with
the U.S.

In 2007, when the House Armed Services Committee passed such a
resolution, Turkey recalled its ambassador, and U.S. officials feared
the Turks might cut off American access to a Turkish air base essential
to operations in Iraq. After lobbying by Bush administration officials,
the resolution was not considered by the full House.

A positive vote by Berman’s committee would send the resolution to
the full House.

The U.S. still wants Turkey’s support for its operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan. It also is pressing Turkey, which holds a rotating seat
in the U.N. Security Council, to support penalties against Iran,
Turkey’s neighbor.

The committee is strongly pro-Israel, and prospects for passage could
be affected by rising tensions between Turkey and Israel, as well
as Turkey’s relatively warm relationship with Iran. In the past,
Turkey and Israel had friendlier relations, and Israel had quietly
lobbied against the resolution.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who introduced the resolution for
consideration, said he sees more favorable conditions than in
2007."Last time we had President Bush calling lawmakers at their
homes to

"Our interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just
acknowledgment of the facts," said White House spokesman Mike Hammer,
when asked about the resolution. "We continue to believe that the
best way to advance that goal is for the Armenian and Turkish people
to address the facts of the past as a part of their ongoing efforts
to normalize relations."

Hammer would not elaborate on the administration’s position on the
resolution.

Turkey’s ambassador to Washington, Namik Tan, said the Turkish public
may view the administration’s silence on the resolution as pressure
to ratify the agreement with Armenia.

"This could definitely complicate the process," he said. "The greatest
lobbyist in Washington is the administration. We have not seen them
around enough on this."oppose the resolution," he said.