US CONGRESS PRESSES AHEAD WITH ARMENIA ‘GENOCIDE’ VOTE
Agence France Presse
March 4 2010
The US Congress ignored Thursday fierce opposition from Turkey and
the White House as it was set to vote on branding the killing of
Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I a "genocide."
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the House Foreign Affairs
Committee not to go ahead with the vote on the non-binding resolution
for fear it might harm reconciliation moves between Armenia and Turkey.
The resolution calls on President Barack Obama to ensure that US
foreign policy reflects an understanding of the "genocide" and to
label the mass killings as such in his annual statement on the issue.
It is fiercely opposed by Turkey, a Muslim majority nation that is
a key ally of the United States, and Ankara has warned that if it
passes there will be serious repercussions for bilateral relations.
If the committee passes the resolution it could go forward to a full
vote in the House of Representatives — a similar attempt was blocked
in 2007 by president George W. Bush’s administration.
The spokesman for the White House National Security Council, Mike
Hammer, said in a statement that Clinton had called committee chairman
Howard Berman on Wednesday to try to persuade him to shelve the vote.
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters the
United States was committed to promoting a "fair, frank and just
acknowledgement of the facts related to the historical events of 1915."
But he said of the resolution: "We are concerned about its potential
impact on relations with the affected countries."
"We do think that the normalization process is the proper mechanism
within which to address these issues. We continue to work very,
very hard on this."
Turkey’s foreign ministry warned that Turkey-Armenia reconciliation
efforts could be damaged by a vote on the non-binding measure.
Washington is a firm supporter of a tentative process between Turkey
and Armenia to normalize bilateral ties and overcome decades of
hostility. The two countries signed a deal in October to establish
diplomatic relations and open their border.
The United States traditionally has condemned the 1915-1918 mass
killings of Armenians, but always has refrained from dubbing them a
"genocide," wary not to strain relations with Turkey, a NATO member
and a key ally in the Middle East.
Obama pledged during his election campaign that he would recognize
the events as genocide, but disappointed Armenian-American supporters
when he refrained from using the term in his message last year to
commemorate the killings.
Obama spoke on Wednesday with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, "and
expressed appreciation for his and Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip)
Erdogan’s efforts on normalization of relations between Turkey
and Armenia, and pressed for rapid ratification of the protocols,"
Hammer said.
Gul had called Obama to discuss "issues concerning bilateral ties and
regional affairs," a presidential aide told AFP, without elaborating.
Meanwhile Berman, in his opening remarks at a hearing Thursday to
discuss the resolution, called Turkey a "vital and, in most respects,
a loyal ally of the United States in a volatile region."
Nevertheless he said, "nothing justifies Turkey?s turning a blind eye
to the reality of the Armenian genocide," the Democratic chairman said.
"At some point, every nation must come to terms with its own history.
And that is all we ask of Turkey," he said, urging his fellow lawmakers
to support the legislation.