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Sat, May 26 2012
US congressional committee approves resolution on Armenian genocide
A resolution calling the World War I -era killing of Armenians genocide has narrowly passed a key committee of the U.S. Congress. Turkey has responded by recalling its ambassador from Washington for consultations.
Over the objections of the Obama administration, the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee (Thursday) passed the nonbinding resolution by a vote of 23 to 22.
The legislation declares that the killing of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire was genocide.
Almost immediately, Turkey's government ordered its ambassador to the United States to return to Ankara for consultations.
U.S. President Barack Obama had made a campaign promise in 2008 to declare the killings genocide. But the U.S. has been working with Turkey and Armenia in their reconciliation efforts, which White House officials say have made progress. The administration urged the committee not to offend Turkey by passing the resolution.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters in San Jose, Costa Rica (Thursday) passage of the resolution could disrupt that reconciliation process.
"Both President Obama and I have made clear, both last year and again this year, that we do not believe any action by the Congress is appropriate, and we oppose it," said Hillary Clinton.
Turkey and Armenia signed an agreement in October to normalize relations, but Turkey's Parliament has yet to ratify it. Shortly before the committee vote, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration prefers to work with the two countries toward reconciliation.
"Through some very tough diplomatic work by Secretary Clinton, we have made progress to the point at which we are on the cusp of normalization," said Gibbs. "The president believes that passage of these protocols in the Turkish parliament will make it that much easier."
Secretary Clinton spoke with the committee chairman, Democrat Howard Berman, on Wednesday and urged him to cancel the hearing or vote against the resolution.
Berman did neither. At Thursday's hearing, he said the U.S.-Turkish relationship would remain strong regardless of the outcome of the committee vote.
"I believe the Turks, however deep their dismay today, fundamentally agree that the U.S.-Turkish alliance is simply too important to get sidetracked by a nonbinding resolution passed by the House of Representatives," said Howard Berman.
Berman and other supporters of the resolution said the U.S. has a moral obligation to speak out against genocide, to prevent it from happening again.
Republican Congressman Dan Burton opposed the resolution, pointing out that a U.S. Air Force base in Turkey is vital to American military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Knowing that we may have to take some kind of military action down the road against maybe even Iran, we need to have as many friends in that part of the world as possible," said Dan Burton.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not said whether the genocide resolution will go to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
The Foreign Affairs Committee approved a similar genocide resolution in 2007. After intensive pressure from then-President George W. Bush, the measure was not brought to the House floor.
Armenians say the killings of as many as 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 were the result of an orchestrated campaign by the Ottoman Turks.
Turkish officials strongly reject the genocide label. They say far fewer Armenians died and that they were killed in a civil war in which Turks also died.
Source: VOANews.com
Over the objections of the Obama administration, the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee (Thursday) passed the nonbinding resolution by a vote of 23 to 22.
The legislation declares that the killing of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire was genocide.
Almost immediately, Turkey's government ordered its ambassador to the United States to return to Ankara for consultations.
U.S. President Barack Obama had made a campaign promise in 2008 to declare the killings genocide. But the U.S. has been working with Turkey and Armenia in their reconciliation efforts, which White House officials say have made progress. The administration urged the committee not to offend Turkey by passing the resolution.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters in San Jose, Costa Rica (Thursday) passage of the resolution could disrupt that reconciliation process.
"Both President Obama and I have made clear, both last year and again this year, that we do not believe any action by the Congress is appropriate, and we oppose it," said Hillary Clinton.
Turkey and Armenia signed an agreement in October to normalize relations, but Turkey's Parliament has yet to ratify it. Shortly before the committee vote, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the administration prefers to work with the two countries toward reconciliation.
"Through some very tough diplomatic work by Secretary Clinton, we have made progress to the point at which we are on the cusp of normalization," said Gibbs. "The president believes that passage of these protocols in the Turkish parliament will make it that much easier."
Secretary Clinton spoke with the committee chairman, Democrat Howard Berman, on Wednesday and urged him to cancel the hearing or vote against the resolution.
Berman did neither. At Thursday's hearing, he said the U.S.-Turkish relationship would remain strong regardless of the outcome of the committee vote.
"I believe the Turks, however deep their dismay today, fundamentally agree that the U.S.-Turkish alliance is simply too important to get sidetracked by a nonbinding resolution passed by the House of Representatives," said Howard Berman.
Berman and other supporters of the resolution said the U.S. has a moral obligation to speak out against genocide, to prevent it from happening again.
Republican Congressman Dan Burton opposed the resolution, pointing out that a U.S. Air Force base in Turkey is vital to American military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Knowing that we may have to take some kind of military action down the road against maybe even Iran, we need to have as many friends in that part of the world as possible," said Dan Burton.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not said whether the genocide resolution will go to the full House of Representatives for a vote.
The Foreign Affairs Committee approved a similar genocide resolution in 2007. After intensive pressure from then-President George W. Bush, the measure was not brought to the House floor.
Armenians say the killings of as many as 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 were the result of an orchestrated campaign by the Ottoman Turks.
Turkish officials strongly reject the genocide label. They say far fewer Armenians died and that they were killed in a civil war in which Turks also died.
Source: VOANews.com
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US holds firm on issue of 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks
Many experts say the resolution by the US house of representatives foreign affairs committee puts president Barack Obama in an awkward position. But many analysts also say that may be a temporary situation, because they don't expect the measure to be taken up by the full House of Representatives.
Was 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks genocide?
Historians agree Armenians were massacred by the Ottoman Empire - what was to become Turkey - during World War 1. But not all agree that it was genocide.
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Armenian genocide row: Turkey's ambassador not yet returning to the US
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Row over US congressional committee proposed resolution on Armenia genocide
Turkey warns of repercussions if resolution is approved, while US president Barack Obama and Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gül discuss ‘bilateral issues’ on eve of vote.
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This means that:
1) Since genocide is accepted as a reality for the Armenians, it will not be possible to discuss whether the 1915 events are genocide or not in the Sub-commission on the Historical Dimension mentioned in the Second Protocol. Therefore, the question arises of what this Sub-commission’s task will be.
In response, it has been expressed that its task will include the discussion of issues like returning back of Armenian properties left behind after the Armenian relocation, giving compensation to descendants of the relocated Armenians, and preserving Armenian monuments, such as churches, in [...]
Read the full comment Turkey. Turkey is not willing to re-examine these issues which have already been resolved with the Treaty of Lausanne.
2) By putting forth that some of the Turkish lands are in fact Armenian, Armenia indirectly claims a right over these territories. In other words, again indirectly, it does not recognize the border between the two countries.
I want to remind you that the main trigger which forced USA to join WWI was the letter sent by German Foreign Minister Zimmerman to Mexico offering support to Mexico to get back the Mexican states Arizona, Texas which had just been annexed by the USA.
Germany's claim on Zudetland and Gdansk just because they were its historical lands caused burst of World War II!
The World history is a history of wars which broke up because of territorial claims of states.
While territorial claims are so important to be reasons of war, it is not possible to understand the indifference of the USA to the Armenian claims as ally.
Armenia and the US have a false conviction that under such a pressure, Turkey will be forced to ratify the protocols.
Adoption of the resolutions in the House of Representatives clearly will damage the US-Turkey relations. Whether it is brought to the House Floor does not change the negative feelings of the Turks against the American politicians including the president.
This will also push Turkey-Armenia relations which have already reached a deadlock to enter into an irreversible path and will harm the normalization process.
Rejection of the protocols by Turkey can even be possible.
This situation could harm Turkey, but will also harm the US and hinder the Turkey-Armenia relations.
I
Every year prior to April 24, the Armenian lobby increases pressure upon the US President over the speech he will deliver. But the difference now compared to the previous years is that the aim of the considered resolution by the Foreign Affairs Commission is to corner Turkey into ratifying the protocols.
However, they are the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia’s decisions which have brought the process to point of zero. Because:
The court stated that the protocols can not be interpreted or applied in a way that would contradict paragraph 11 [...]
Read the full comment of Armenian Declaration of Independence.
Article 11 of the Armenian Declaration of Independence of August 23, 1990 refers to Eastern Anatolia of Turkey as Western Armenia and as such beholds that this area is part of Armenia.
Since the Armenian constitution recognizes as a basis “the fundamental principles of the Armenian statehood in the Declaration of Independence of Armenia”, it likewise accepts the characterization of Eastern Anatolia as Western Armenia and this, albeit indirectly, translates into the advancement of territorial claims.
Additionally paragraph 11 also states that The Republic of Armenia stands in support of the task of achieving international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey and Western Armenia.