RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE NOT TO AFFECT PROTOCOLS: BERMAN

news.am
April 19 2010
Armenia

The Chairman of U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman
urged U.S. Congressmen to reject all "morally blind" arguments
disputing the irrefutable fact of Armenian Genocide.

Berman replied to the letter addressed to the Speaker of the U.S.
House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi by a group of his colleagues
lobbying Turkey’s interests, calling them not to include the Armenian
Genocide Resolution in the plenary session agenda in the House of
Representatives, Voice of America reports.

The congressmen assured that the resolution adoption will irreparably
harm the U.S. security, handicap the Armenia-Turkey normalization as
well as clog American products purchase in Turkey.

"I disagree with many points in the letter, but I take particularly
strong exception to the use of the phrase &’so-called ‘Armenian
Genocide Resolution", which casts doubt on the historicity of the
Armenian Genocide. I believe that US-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," Berman’ letter reads.

"In addition, I dispute the argument that passing H. Res. 252 would
derail the Turkish-Armenian protocols. The protocols have been
gathering dust in the Turkish parliament since they were signed in
October, and particularly in light of the preconditions established
by the Turkish leadership, there is little likelihood that they will
be ratified any time soon," Berman says.