Malaysia Sun
March 6 2010

Obama to block vote on Turkish killing of Armenians

Malaysia Sun
Saturday 6th March, 2010

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has said that the Obama
administration will `work very hard’ to prevent a congressional bill
being passed, which describes the World War One killing of Armenians
by Turkey as genocide.

On Thursday, a congressional panel approved the resolution, making way
for a vote by the House.

The White House does not want this, however, as Turkey is a strong
ally of the US in their involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the
country is an essential part in the route of oil from the Middle East
to western markets.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned that if such a bill
were passed it would certainly damage US-Turkey relations.

The resolution – approved by 23 votes to 22 by the committee – calls
on President Barack Obama to ensure US foreign policy reflects an
understanding of the "genocide" and to label the killings of Armenians
as such.

The same committee tried to pass a similar bill two years ago, but
this was also blocked by then-president George W. Bush.

During his 2008 campaign Obama had said he would declare the killings
of Armenians a genocide, and while Mrs. Clinton acknowledged the
change in position, she insisted that circumstances had `changed in
very significant ways’.

The Prime Minister of Turkey admitted that atrocities were committed,
but maintains that it was part of the effects of war, and holds that
no systematic effort was made to kill Christian Armenians.

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