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HOUSE MAY SNUB OBAMA, LABEL KILLINGS AS GENOCIDE
by Desmond Butler (AP)
The Star-Ledger
STATE/ROP EDITION
December 19, 2010 Sunday
Newark, New Jersey
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 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 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.
Armenian-American groups have sought congressional affirmation of
the killings as genocide for decades.
"We continue to look to the House Democratic leadership to schedule a
vote allowing a bipartisan majority to vote for the Armenian Genocide
Resolution," Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian
National Committee of America, said Friday in a statement.
Opponents of the treaty, including the Turkish government, have begun
ramping up their lobbying as it became clear that a vote might be in
the works shortly before Democrats hand over leadership of the House
to Republicans next month.
From: A. Papazian
by Desmond Butler (AP)
The Star-Ledger
STATE/ROP EDITION
December 19, 2010 Sunday
Newark, New Jersey
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 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 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.
Armenian-American groups have sought congressional affirmation of
the killings as genocide for decades.
"We continue to look to the House Democratic leadership to schedule a
vote allowing a bipartisan majority to vote for the Armenian Genocide
Resolution," Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian
National Committee of America, said Friday in a statement.
Opponents of the treaty, including the Turkish government, have begun
ramping up their lobbying as it became clear that a vote might be in
the works shortly before Democrats hand over leadership of the House
to Republicans next month.
From: A. Papazian