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ARMENIAN 'GENOCIDE' BILL TO TEST US-TURKISH TIES AGAIN
Hurriyet
Feb 9 2010
Turkey
A fresh Armenian "genocide" resolution to be taken up by
a U.S. congressional panel early next month could once again put
Turkey's relationship with the United States into jeopardy.
Howard Berman, the powerful Democratic chairman of the House of
Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, said Feb. 5 that he
intends to call a committee vote on the resolution March 4.
The resolution would call on President Barack Obama to ensure that
U.S. policy formally refers to the World War I-era killings of
Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire as "genocide"
and to use that term when he delivers his annual message on the issue
in April - something Obama avoided doing last year.
If the resolution is endorsed by the committee, it will next head
toward a House floor vote. The same panel passed similar bills in 2000,
2005 and 2007, but the measures never came to a floor vote. In all
three cases, the administrations of former presidents Bill Clinton
and George W. Bush strongly lobbied against the resolutions.
Although such congressional bills are non-binding, Turkey has
been warning that any formal U.S. "genocide" recognition, either
by Congress or the administration, would cause a major and lasting
deterioration of relations with the United States. Turkish diplomats
are now emphasizing that this policy remains in place.
Armenians welcome vote move
Armenian-American groups hailed Berman's decision to hold a vote. "We
want to thank chairman Berman for his vision and strength in taking
this bold step to send the clear message to Turkey that the United
States Congress will not be complicit in their immoral efforts to
deny truth and justice for the Armenian genocide," said Ken Hachikian,
chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America.
"On behalf of the entire Armenian-American community, we welcome
chairman Berman's announcement. We appreciate the chairman's continued
commitment to this important human-rights legislation," said Bryan
Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America.
The "genocide" recognition bill, H.R. 252, currently has more than 130
cosponsors in the 435-member House of Representatives. Obama views
Turkey as a key ally whose help is needed to solve confrontations
from Iran to Afghanistan.
Obama, who as a candidate referred to the killings as genocide, last
April used the Armenian term for "atrocity" in his first presidential
address on the issue, angering U.S. Armenians.
Faltering reconciliation process
The U.S. president instead fully supported a Turkey-Armenia
reconciliation process, saying that he would refrain from moves
jeopardizing this process.
In October, Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed a
set of agreements under which Ankara and Yerevan would set up
normal diplomatic relations and reopen their land border. But the
normalization process is now faltering.
The Turkey-Armenia accord needs to be ratified by the parliaments
of the two neighboring countries before implementation, and there
is no indication of when either nation might bring the deal to its
parliaments.
One root of the problem is the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Turkey's close friend and ally.
Turkey first wants to see progress toward a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict before opening its border with Armenia. And
the Armenians are hinting at no sign of this.
Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly Armenian-populated enclave inside
Azerbaijan, and parts of Azerbaijan proper have been under Armenian
occupation since a war in the early 1990s. As a result of this war,
Turkey has refused to set up normal diplomatic relations with Yerevan
and has been keeping its land border with Armenia closed since 1993.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Hurriyet
Feb 9 2010
Turkey
A fresh Armenian "genocide" resolution to be taken up by
a U.S. congressional panel early next month could once again put
Turkey's relationship with the United States into jeopardy.
Howard Berman, the powerful Democratic chairman of the House of
Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, said Feb. 5 that he
intends to call a committee vote on the resolution March 4.
The resolution would call on President Barack Obama to ensure that
U.S. policy formally refers to the World War I-era killings of
Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire as "genocide"
and to use that term when he delivers his annual message on the issue
in April - something Obama avoided doing last year.
If the resolution is endorsed by the committee, it will next head
toward a House floor vote. The same panel passed similar bills in 2000,
2005 and 2007, but the measures never came to a floor vote. In all
three cases, the administrations of former presidents Bill Clinton
and George W. Bush strongly lobbied against the resolutions.
Although such congressional bills are non-binding, Turkey has
been warning that any formal U.S. "genocide" recognition, either
by Congress or the administration, would cause a major and lasting
deterioration of relations with the United States. Turkish diplomats
are now emphasizing that this policy remains in place.
Armenians welcome vote move
Armenian-American groups hailed Berman's decision to hold a vote. "We
want to thank chairman Berman for his vision and strength in taking
this bold step to send the clear message to Turkey that the United
States Congress will not be complicit in their immoral efforts to
deny truth and justice for the Armenian genocide," said Ken Hachikian,
chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America.
"On behalf of the entire Armenian-American community, we welcome
chairman Berman's announcement. We appreciate the chairman's continued
commitment to this important human-rights legislation," said Bryan
Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America.
The "genocide" recognition bill, H.R. 252, currently has more than 130
cosponsors in the 435-member House of Representatives. Obama views
Turkey as a key ally whose help is needed to solve confrontations
from Iran to Afghanistan.
Obama, who as a candidate referred to the killings as genocide, last
April used the Armenian term for "atrocity" in his first presidential
address on the issue, angering U.S. Armenians.
Faltering reconciliation process
The U.S. president instead fully supported a Turkey-Armenia
reconciliation process, saying that he would refrain from moves
jeopardizing this process.
In October, Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers signed a
set of agreements under which Ankara and Yerevan would set up
normal diplomatic relations and reopen their land border. But the
normalization process is now faltering.
The Turkey-Armenia accord needs to be ratified by the parliaments
of the two neighboring countries before implementation, and there
is no indication of when either nation might bring the deal to its
parliaments.
One root of the problem is the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Turkey's close friend and ally.
Turkey first wants to see progress toward a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict before opening its border with Armenia. And
the Armenians are hinting at no sign of this.
Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly Armenian-populated enclave inside
Azerbaijan, and parts of Azerbaijan proper have been under Armenian
occupation since a war in the early 1990s. As a result of this war,
Turkey has refused to set up normal diplomatic relations with Yerevan
and has been keeping its land border with Armenia closed since 1993.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress