HOUSE COMMITTEE SHELVES AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA RESOLUTIONS
Honolulu Civil Beat, Hawaii
Feb 13 2014
Despite testimony six-to-one in support, Hawaii Rep. Mark Takai had
to shelve two House resolutions today that he and Rep. Rida Cabanilla
introduced at the behest of the Azerbaijan ambassador.
Dozens of people from around the mainland submitted the same
boilerplate statement calling on the Veterans, Military and
International Affairs Committee, which Takai chairs, to pass House
Resolution 9.
The legislation urges President Obama to strengthen his
administration's efforts to facilitate a political settlement to
the decades-old Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. But
critics say the language in the reso rewrites the history between
the neighboring nations.
Roughly 20 people submitted testimony against the resolution, compared
to some 120 for it. There were 256 pages of testimony in all, quite a
bit for a mere resolution that doesn't carry the full weight of a law.
Regardless the interest, a majority of the committee couldn't get
behind it.
The committee deferred HR 9 and House Resolution 13, which recognizes
the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy. The language in HR 13
drew similar opposition from Armenian-Americans and others who felt
it was rewriting history.
http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/post/76503739576/house-committee-shelves-azerbaijan-armenia-resolutions
Honolulu Civil Beat, Hawaii
Feb 13 2014
Despite testimony six-to-one in support, Hawaii Rep. Mark Takai had
to shelve two House resolutions today that he and Rep. Rida Cabanilla
introduced at the behest of the Azerbaijan ambassador.
Dozens of people from around the mainland submitted the same
boilerplate statement calling on the Veterans, Military and
International Affairs Committee, which Takai chairs, to pass House
Resolution 9.
The legislation urges President Obama to strengthen his
administration's efforts to facilitate a political settlement to
the decades-old Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. But
critics say the language in the reso rewrites the history between
the neighboring nations.
Roughly 20 people submitted testimony against the resolution, compared
to some 120 for it. There were 256 pages of testimony in all, quite a
bit for a mere resolution that doesn't carry the full weight of a law.
Regardless the interest, a majority of the committee couldn't get
behind it.
The committee deferred HR 9 and House Resolution 13, which recognizes
the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly tragedy. The language in HR 13
drew similar opposition from Armenian-Americans and others who felt
it was rewriting history.
http://hawaii.news.blogs.civilbeat.com/post/76503739576/house-committee-shelves-azerbaijan-armenia-resolutions