CONGRESS URGED NOT TO ACT ON ARMENIAN RESOLUTION
AP
March 4, 2010 03:36 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Obama administration is urging Congress to
hold off on a resolution declaring that the Ottoman-era killing of
Armenians was genocide.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee scheduled a vote on the resolution
for Thursday, and appeared likely to endorse it.
ButWhite House spokesman Mike Hammer says on Wednesday Secretary of
State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke with Committee Chairman Howard
Berman and indicated the vote would jeopardize reconciliation talks
between Turkey and Armenia.
The move breaks a campaign promise by President Barack Obama to brand
the killings genocide.
Turkey is a NATO ally important to U.S. interests in the Middle East
and Afghanistan. Turkish officials have warned that the resolution
could jeopardize U.S-Turkish cooperation and set back negotiations
aimed at opening the border between Turkey and Armenia.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further
information. AP’s earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) – A resolution declaring that the Ottoman-era
killing of Armenians was genocide appears likely to be approved by
a congressional committee, a move that could alienate Turkey, a NATO
ally important to U.S. interests in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee was expected to endorse the
resolution Thursday, sending it to the full House, where prospects
for passage are uncertain. Even if the measure does not go beyond the
committee, Turkey warns it could jeopardize U.S-Turkish cooperation
and set back negotiations aimed at opening the border between Turkey
and Armenia.
The United States relies on Turkey as a key supply route for U.S.
troops in Iraq and its troops serve in the U.S.-led coalition forces
in Afghanistan. The United States also is pressing Turkey, which holds
a rotating seat in the U.N. Security Council, to support sanctions
against Iran, Turkey’s neighbor.
The Foreign Affairs Committee approved a similar measure in 2007,
but it was not brought to the House floor for a vote after intensive
pressure from the Bush administration. This time, the Obama
administration has taken no public position.
Following the 2007 committee vote, Turkey promptly recalled its
ambassador, and U.S. officials feared passage by the full House might
prompt the Turks to cut off American access to a Turkish air base
essential to operations in Iraq.
The committee vote could prompt Turkey to recall its ambassador again.
Asked Thursday if his country would call home its envoy if the
measure is approved, a Turkish official said all options were being
considered. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of
the sensitivity of the issue.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says the resolution could damage
Turkish-U.S. ties and undermine reconciliation efforts with Armenia.
"If it passes, then the Obama administration should try to prevent
it from being voted by Congress," Turkey’s state-run Anatolia news
agency quoted the Turkish foreign minister as saying.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will wait to see the result
of the committee vote before deciding whether to bring the resolution
before the full House.
Armenian-American groups for decades have sought congressional
affirmation of the killings as genocide. Historians estimate that
up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around
the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the
first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths
constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and those
killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
In April, Obama broke a campaign promise to brand the killings genocide
in an annual White House statement on the day marking Armenian
remembrance. Obama said that while he had not changed his views,
he did not want to upset promising talks between Turkey and Armenia
on improving relations and opening their border. Turkey sealed the
border in 1993 to protest Armenia’s war with neighboring Azerbaijan.
In October, Turkey and Armenia signed an agreement to normalize
relations, but Turkey has yet to ratify it. As progress toward a
breakthrough between the two countries appears stalled, it may be
harder for the Obama administration to oppose the resolution or
refrain from calling the killings genocide in this year’s statement.