40 U.S. LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE ‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’ RESOLUTION
NaharNet, Lebanon
March 18 2015
by Naharnet Newsdesk
U.S. lawmakers introduced a resolution Wednesday urging President
Barack Obama to recognize mass killings of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire as “genocide,” a move sure to anger Turkey ahead of
the tragedy’s 100th anniversary.
The bipartisan Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice resolution was
sponsored by more than 40 members of the House of Representatives.
It would urge Obama to help stabilize and improve Armenian-Turkish
ties “based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgment of
the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a
fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime
against humanity.”
Armenia says an estimated 1.5 million people were killed by Ottoman
forces in 1915 in what it calls a genocide.
Modern Turkey has always rejected the term, putting the toll at
500,000 and blaming their deaths on war and starvation.
Adam Schiff, a lead sponsor of the bill and the top Democrat on the
House Intelligence Committee, said the Armenians “were deliberately
murdered in the first genocide of the 20th Century — these facts
are indisputable.”
“Denial of the Armenian Genocide undermines foundations for durable
peace and security, making future atrocities more likely,” added
Congressman Robert Dold, a Republican sponsor.
“As the greatest force for human dignity in the world, the United
States has an obligation to send an unequivocal message that we will
never forget those that were lost, nor shall we tolerate any country
that hides behind bully tactics to shroud violations of human rights.”
Schiff had sponsored a similar resolution in 2007 that did not get
a vote, with then-president George W. Bush opposed to the bill.
House Speaker John Boehner has not indicated whether he will bring
the latest bill to the floor, but a person close to the process told
AFP that “we plan to continue to build support and push for a vote.”
The Armenian National Committee of America welcomed the resolution’s
introduction as a way of “promoting regional peace, protecting Armenia,
and preventing future atrocities.”
Around 20 nations, including France and Russia, recognize the killings
as genocide.