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Berman Slams Effort To Block House Vote On Armenian Genocide

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  • Berman Slams Effort To Block House Vote On Armenian Genocide

    BERMAN SLAMS EFFORT TO BLOCK HOUSE VOTE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

    armradio.am
    15.04.2010 13:22

    Howard Berman, Chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs
    Committee, 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 Sargsyan and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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