HOUSE PANEL APPROVES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
By Desmond Butler
The Associated Press
March 4, 2010, 3:06PM
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BuzzFacebookStumbleU ponWASHINGTON – A congressional panel has approved
a resolution declaring the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks
around the time of World War I was genocide.
In Turkey, the government said it was recalling its ambassador from
Washington in response.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed the resolution with a
23-22 vote Thursday, even though the Obama administration had urged
Congress not to offend Turkey by approving it.
The resolution now goes to the full House, where prospects for passage
are uncertain.
Turkey, a NATO ally with a crucial role for U.S. interests in the
Middle East and Afghanistan, has warned that the resolution’s approval
could jeopardize U.S-Turkish cooperation and set back negotiations
aimed at opening the border between Turkey and Armenia.
Armenian American groups have for decades sought congressional
affirmation of the killings as genocide.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further
information. AP’s earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Obama administration is urging a House panel not
to offend Turkey by declaring that the Ottoman-era killing of Armenians
was genocide. But the committee chairman pressed ahead Thursday.
The administration stepped in despite a campaign promise by President
Barack Obama to brand as genocide the killing of as many as 1.5
million Armenians by Ottoman Turks. The vote by the congressional
committee could alienate Turkey, which plays an important role for
U.S. interests in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement that Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton had spoken with Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Howard Berman on Wednesday – the eve of the scheduled vote –
and indicated that "further Congressional action could impede progress
on normalization of relations" between Turkey and Armenia.
Hammer would not specify whether Clinton urged Berman to cancel
Thursday’s hearing or to vote against the resolution.
Still, Berman on Thursday urged fellow members of the committee to
approve the resolution. The committee appeared likely to endorse it,
sending it to the full House, where its prospects are uncertain.
"The Turks say passing this resolution could have terrible consequences
for our bilateral relationship, and indeed perhaps there will be
some consequences," Berman said. "But I believe that Turkey values
its relations with the United States at least as much as we value
our relations with Turkey."
The United States relies on Turkey as a key supply route for U.S.
troops in Iraq and Turkey’s 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.
Hammer said Obama called President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday to
express his appreciation for Turkey’s efforts to normalize relations
with Armenia.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs suggested the administration
was trying to buy time for Turkey’s parliament to act. In October,
Turkey and Armenia signed an agreement to normalize relations, but
Turkey has yet to ratify it.
"Our focus is on continuing to make progress on an issue that has,
for almost 100 years, divided two countries," Gibbs said. "Through some
very tough diplomatic work by Secretary Clinton, we’ve made progress.
We’re on the cusp of normalization."
The Foreign Affairs Committee approved a similar genocide measure in
2007, but it was not brought to the House floor for a vote following
intensive pressure by then President George W. Bush.
Following the 2007 committee vote, Turkey promptly 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
intensive lobbying by top Bush administration officials, the resolution
was not considered by the full House.
On Thursday, a Turkish official suggested his country could again
recall its ambassador if the congressional panel approves the
resolution.
"All options are on the table," the government official said, speaking
on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
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 have for decades 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 says the toll has been inflated
and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest, not genocide.
In April, Obama broke a campaign promise to brand the killings
genocide in an annual White House statement on the day marking Armenian
remembrance, although he said his personal views had not changed.
___
Associated Press writer Suzan Frazer in Ankara, Turkey, contributed
to this report.