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WASHINGTON HOUSE MAY VOTE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEASURE
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
TWO STAR EDITION
December 19, 2010 Sunday
Pennsylvania
The House may vote next week on a measure that could damage U.S.
relations with critical ally Turkey: a resolution declaring the World
War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide.
The vote would be a blow to President Barack Obama by his Democratic
allies. House Democratic leaders had long set aside consideration
of the draft resolution, and the measure was expected to expire as
a new Republican-led House takes office next month.
House aides, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to comment, said Friday that Democratic leaders have been
discussing a possible vote with lawmakers. A spokesman for Speaker
Nancy Pelosi had no immediate comment.
Turkey has said frequently that the resolution would drive a wedge
in its relations with the United States. It sees the measure as a
historical affront. In March after the House Foreign Affairs Committee
endorsed the proposed resolution, Turkey withdrew its ambassador
from Washington.
Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies
that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated
and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
The issue is awkward for Mr. Obama, who pledged as a presidential
candidate to recognize the Armenian deaths as genocide.
The administration reversed course, as Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton acknowledged Thursday.
Turkey, a NATO ally with a pivotal role for U.S. interests in the
Middle East and Afghanistan, has warned that the resolution's approval
could jeopardize U.S-Turkish cooperation and set back negotiations
aimed at opening the border between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey also
currently holds one of the rotating seats in the United Nations'
Security Council that will have to approve sanctions against Iran.
From: A. Papazian
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
TWO STAR EDITION
December 19, 2010 Sunday
Pennsylvania
The House may vote next week on a measure that could damage U.S.
relations with critical ally Turkey: a resolution declaring the World
War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide.
The vote would be a blow to President Barack Obama by his Democratic
allies. House Democratic leaders had long set aside consideration
of the draft resolution, and the measure was expected to expire as
a new Republican-led House takes office next month.
House aides, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not
authorized to comment, said Friday that Democratic leaders have been
discussing a possible vote with lawmakers. A spokesman for Speaker
Nancy Pelosi had no immediate comment.
Turkey has said frequently that the resolution would drive a wedge
in its relations with the United States. It sees the measure as a
historical affront. In March after the House Foreign Affairs Committee
endorsed the proposed resolution, Turkey withdrew its ambassador
from Washington.
Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies
that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated
and those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.
The issue is awkward for Mr. Obama, who pledged as a presidential
candidate to recognize the Armenian deaths as genocide.
The administration reversed course, as Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton acknowledged Thursday.
Turkey, a NATO ally with a pivotal role for U.S. interests in the
Middle East and Afghanistan, has warned that the resolution's approval
could jeopardize U.S-Turkish cooperation and set back negotiations
aimed at opening the border between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey also
currently holds one of the rotating seats in the United Nations'
Security Council that will have to approve sanctions against Iran.
From: A. Papazian