BERMAN SLAMS EFFORT TO BLOCK U.S. HOUSE VOTED ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Yerkir
14.04.2010 15:04
Yerevan

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Howard Berman, Chairman of the powerful House
Foreign Affairs Committee, today denounced efforts by his Colleagues in
the Turkish Caucus to question the historical truth of the Armenian
Genocide, rejecting the flawed national security and economic
arguments put forth by these legislators to block the adoption of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.252) by the full U.S. House of
Representatives, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).

"Chairman Berman expertly takes apart each Turkish Caucus excuse
to delay, derail, and ultimately defeat the Armenian Genocide
Resolution," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We look
to the House leadership, first and foremost Speaker Pelosi and Majority
Leader Hoyer, to follow Chairman Berman’s lead in both scheduling this
genocide-prevention measure for a vote and in working energetically
with their colleagues to secure its adoption."

In a strongly worded response to a Congressional Turkish Caucus letter
urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to block floor consideration
of the measure, Chairman Berman took "strong exception" to their
references to the "so-called Armenian Genocide Resolution," stating
that the assertion, "flies in the face of the overwhelming weight of
unimpeachable historical evidence and the virtually unanimous opinion
of genocide scholars."

Chairman Berman also rejected the flawed national security arguments
against the Armenian Genocide Resolution, stating, "I believe that
U.S.-Turkish security relations are founded on mutual interests and
that Turkey is not about to discard the immense benefits it derives
from bilateral security relations for the sake of ‘punishing’
the US for a non-binding resolution, however much it may resent
that resolution." He went on to argue that the Turkish response to
the passage of previous genocide legislation has been "limited and
short-lived, at most."

The Chairman also disputed the effect of Congressional Genocide
affirmation on Turkey-Armenia relations, arguing that the
Turkey-Armenia Protocols "have been gathering dust in the Turkish
parliament" due to Turkish preconditions on the process.

The Chairman’s letter coincides with bilateral meetings held between
President Barack Obama and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, and
also between the Armenian President and Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. Both foreign leaders are in Washington DC as part
of a major multilateral Nuclear Summit. At a presentation at George
Mason University’s Center for Global Islamic Studies, Prime Minister
Erdogan once again denied the Armenian Genocide and encouraged the
U.S. Congress not to adopt Armenian Genocide legislation. Meanwhile,
across town, at a ceremony honoring President Woodrow Wilson,
celebrated for his commitment to ensuring that the core territorial
and security elements of Armenia’s historic viability be restored,
Armenian President Serzh Sargisyan made reference to "Wilsonian
Armenia" and stressed that the Turkey-Armenia protocols could not
be used to question the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide.