Washington Post
March 5 2010
No plans for House to vote on Armenian genocide resolution, aide says
There is no current plan for the House to vote on a resolution
branding as genocide the World War I-era massacre of Armenians by
Turkish forces, a Democratic leadership aide said Friday.
The Obama administration has an understanding with U.S. congressional
leaders that the measure will go no further in Congress, a senior U.S.
official said later.
"We believe it will stop where it is now," the official told
reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee narrowly approved Thursday a
nonbinding resolution labeling the killings as genocide, prompting
Turkey to recall its ambassador from Washington.
The Obama administration had urged the committee to put off the vote,
saying that it could hurt ties with a NATO ally.
The leadership aide said Friday, "There are no plans to schedule [a
vote on the House floor] at this point."
Another Democratic aide added that advocates of the largely symbolic
measure would have to show caucus leaders that they have the votes to
pass it before it would be come to the floor.
Both aides also spoke on the condition that they not be named.
Armenian-Americans are an important constituency in states such as
California and New Jersey, and as senators, President Obama, Vice
President Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton all
called on the Bush White House to condemn the killings as genocide.
But Turkey has angrily denounced the resolution and Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan warned of possible damage to relations with the United
States.
The resolution has 137 co-sponsors, not close to the majority of 217
votes that would be needed to pass.