CLINTON EVADES QUESTION ON CLAIMS OF GENOCIDE IN SENATE
Hurriyet
Jan 15 2009
Turkey
WASHINGTON – Testifying at her confirmation hearing during a Senate
panel Tuesday, Hillary Clinton, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama’s
nominee for secretary of state, declined to qualify the 1915 incidents
as "genocide", when asked by a pro-Armenian senator how the new
administration would describe the incidents.
Clinton was outlining the upcoming Obama administration’s foreign
policy priorities and principles at the hearing of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee. She needs the Senate’s approval to take up her
new job. Obama will take over the presidency next Tuesday.
Recalling that Clinton and Obama had both pledged to recognize the
incidents as "genocide" when they were rivals in the presidential
election campaign, pro-Armenian Senator Robert Menendez asked Hillary
if the new administration would consider "genocide" recognition.
"I know the positions you have taken as a senator, and I applaud
them. I hope that they will not change drastically as you move to
secretary of state," said Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey. He also
asked about the new administration’s policy on Cyprus’ reunification.
"Senator, we will be looking very closely at those and other
challenging issues with the eye of moving forward and being effective
in responding to these very legitimate concerns," Clinton replied,
declining to comment more.
Cautious position Although Hillary qualified Menendez’ questions as
"very legitimate concerns," she did not say that the 1915 incidents
were "genocide." Analysts viewed Clinton’s response as a deferral of
assuming a formal position on this sensitive matter.
U.S. Armenians hope that at a time when Obama, Clinton and Vice
President-elect Joe Biden have all already supported their case before
November’s presidential election, they will this time win a formal
U.S. "genocide" recognition during the new Democratic administration’s
term. Ankara has made it clear that formal U.S. "genocide" recognition
would hurt bilateral ties in a major and lasting way.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
