US News
House panel approves Armenian genocide bill (Roundup)
Oct 10, 2007, 22:46 GMT
U.S. President George W. The Bush administration made a late push to defeat the resolution. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates have privately met with lawmakers to urge them to drop the measure, and spoke to reporters hours before the vote. EPA/CHIP SOMODEVILLA / POOL
Washington - A US congressional panel approved a resolution on Wednesday calling the slaughter of more than 1 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire 'genocide,' a move President George W Bush warned could jeopardize US-Turkish relations.
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs voted 27-21 in favour of the bill sure to anger Turkey, and despite Bush's strong opposition over concerns its will undermine US policies in the Middle East and the war effort in Iraq, where US troops depend on the shipment of equipment and supplies through Turkey.
'This resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings and its passage would do great harm to our relations with a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror,' Bush said.
'We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915,' Bush said.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top US lawmaker, plans on bringing the resolution for a full vote before the House of Representatives, but no date has been set, a spokesman from her office said. The Senate is considering a similar resolution to label as genocide the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923.
The Bush administration made a late push to defeat the resolution. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates have privately met with lawmakers to urge them to drop the measure, and spoke to reporters hours before the vote.
The bill also comes as the United States seeks to prevent Turkey from taking military action in Iraq against Kurdish rebels responsible for a recent ambush on a convoy that left 13 Turkish soldiers dead.
'The passage of this resolution at this time would, indeed, be very problematic for everything that we're trying to do in the Middle East because we are very dependent on a good Turkish strategic ally,' Rice said.
Gates said the bill would undermine the US war effort in Iraq because Turkey is a transit point for most of the military equipment and supplies shipped into Iraq.
'Access to airfields and to the roads and so on in Turkey would be very much put at risk if this resolution passes and the Turks react as strongly as we believe they will,' Gates said.
About 70 per cent of air cargo into Iraq and 30 per cent of the fuel used by the US military goes through Turkey, Gates said.
The bill has enjoyed broad support in the House. Lawmakers believe the United States has an obligation to speak truthfully and condemn acts against humanity.
'The sad truth is that the modern government of Turkey refuses to come to terms with this genocide,' Representative Christopher Smith, a Republican from New Jersey said. 'The Turkish government consistently and aggressively refuses to acknowledge the Armenian genocide.'
Representative Robert Wexler said there is no dispute that the massacre was one of the 'darkest chapters' of the last century but said a resolution labelling genocide could complicate the reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia.
'I strongly believe this resolution will further divide these two nations and these two peoples ... and will inflame a region of the world already under great duress.'
Bush telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last Friday to express his strong opposition to the bill. At the same time, Bush administration officials have emphasized that their opposition to the bill does not deny the tragedy of the mass murders.
'This was not to ignore what was a really terrible situation,' Rice said. 'And we recognize the feelings of those who want to express their concern and their disdain for what happened many years ago.'
The Turkish government has warned the resolution could have negative consequences for relations between Washington and Ankara and took out a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post last week.
Democratic Representative Tom Lantos, the chairman of the committee, said he will soon propose a second resolution reaffirming the US-Turkish alliance and friendship.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
'Let me
say, the photo of Bush looks like he thought he farted but surprise suprise George. That's what happens to bad people.'
Classy and insightful.
no, that's his expression trying to figure out the difference between an Armenian and a Turk
He thought it was just a fart. It turned out to be the motherload.
The motherload? It looks more like he just shat his brain out. All two cells of it.
Re; sick of idiots--------This article is so stupid, Bush shitting his pants is all there is to say. May not be classy, but on the other hand, I'm not a Bush follower. Bush followers are clueless and have no scruples.
...put my foot in your ass.
Yeah, boys, knock yourselves out. You can't get a war defunding resolution, passed a 230 billion dollar farm bill without any revenue to back it up, and another 50 billion on cake and ice cream earmarks.
Congress is like a relative who brings something to yuo as a present, you don't want to begin with, then borrows it and expects you to pay for it, when he breaks it.
God, compared to these wankers, I'd take a carload of Bush's.
makes you the loser SP4. I can't believe, even a moron like you, would say that. Your brains are in the back of your pants.
I guess the question that comes to my mind is, WHY? Everyone that is familiar with that part of history knows it was what we call today a genocide. To what possible purpose would passing a bill 92 years later declaring it to be what we already know it was, be of any use to the US or to Turkey? And who in our American society is still alive and remembers this event from 1915 so vividly that they still have issues with it?
I have to side with the Bush administration on this. This is a stupid move on the part of the Democrats. The only possible profit I could see the Democrats getting out of this is they can put the US and Bush Administration at odds with one more country in the world, as if we needed any more help in that area.
to: THAT
A slight correction sir. SP4 scraped his brains out of georgies' shorts, after this picture was taken.
as we can all see bush has only one fan
and we know who that is don't we.
with NSK completely!! And if some of the posters here think they are giving Democrats an intelligent name with all this garbage talking, think again!!
Both Republicans and Democrats signed onto this ...
We've seen your criticism of the Dems (rightly so) ... But what do you have to say about the Republicans who favored this?
Or, does your criticism only go in one direction?
For the sake of historical precision ;the armenian genocide was carried out during the ottoman empire .Befor Turkey became a republic .I still wonder why any turkish government not only acknowledged the event .No sensible soul would ever blame contemporary Turks for the genocide .There is no such thing as inherited guilt .So why denying the event ?
excellent point, tonny.
I like the threats by the Turks - very classy. That's nice - wipe out over a million people and then threaten anyone who attempts to accurately portray this historical horror. Seems like acknowledging historical genocide is only appropriate when it suits your own selfish interests. How pathetic.
yours, SP4!!!
This is just a ploy by traitors in our government, democrat and republican, to drive a wedge between US and our allies. I see no other reason for our government to waste time labeling historical events. Come on, these guys are a bunch of morons who know nothing about the issues that they vote on anyway.
page: 1
Let meOct 11th, 2007 - 00:04:02
say, the photo of Bush looks like he thought he farted but surprise suprise George. That's what happens to bad people.
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