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International Herald Tribune, France
Jan 31 2007
U.S. ambassador to Turkey: Bush administration will oppose Armenian
genocide resolution
The Associated PressPublished: January 31, 2007
ISTANBUL, Turkey: The U.S. ambassador to Turkey said Wednesday that
the Bush administration would actively oppose a resolution to
recognize the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians at the end of World War
I as genocide.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers introduced the resolution at a
press conference on Tuesday. The Bush administration has warned that
even congressional debate on the topic could damage relations with
Turkey, a NATO member with close ties to the United States.
"The Administration will be actively involved with Congress to oppose
this resolution," U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson said in a
statement e-mailed to news organizations in Turkey. "The Bush
Administration's position on this issue has not changed."
In keeping with traditional U.S. policy, Wilson's statement referred
to the killings as "tragic events that took place at the end of the
Ottoman Empire," not as genocide.
Turkey has adamantly denied that its predecessor state, the Ottoman
government, caused the Armenian deaths in a planned genocide. The
Turkish government has said the death toll is inflated, and that
Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the
disarray surrounding the empire's collapse.
Despite strong Turkish opposition, however, an increasing number of
governments are recognizing the killings as genocide.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, and other lead sponsors
of the resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives, say they have
commitments from more than 150 other members who wanted to add their
names as co-sponsors after the legislation's introduction.
That would be a strong show of support in the 435-member body.
The resolution's supporters say that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who
has expressed her support, is likely to come under pressure from the
Bush administration to keep the House from voting.
Jan 31 2007
U.S. ambassador to Turkey: Bush administration will oppose Armenian
genocide resolution
The Associated PressPublished: January 31, 2007
ISTANBUL, Turkey: The U.S. ambassador to Turkey said Wednesday that
the Bush administration would actively oppose a resolution to
recognize the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians at the end of World War
I as genocide.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers introduced the resolution at a
press conference on Tuesday. The Bush administration has warned that
even congressional debate on the topic could damage relations with
Turkey, a NATO member with close ties to the United States.
"The Administration will be actively involved with Congress to oppose
this resolution," U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson said in a
statement e-mailed to news organizations in Turkey. "The Bush
Administration's position on this issue has not changed."
In keeping with traditional U.S. policy, Wilson's statement referred
to the killings as "tragic events that took place at the end of the
Ottoman Empire," not as genocide.
Turkey has adamantly denied that its predecessor state, the Ottoman
government, caused the Armenian deaths in a planned genocide. The
Turkish government has said the death toll is inflated, and that
Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest during the
disarray surrounding the empire's collapse.
Despite strong Turkish opposition, however, an increasing number of
governments are recognizing the killings as genocide.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat from California, and other lead sponsors
of the resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives, say they have
commitments from more than 150 other members who wanted to add their
names as co-sponsors after the legislation's introduction.
That would be a strong show of support in the 435-member body.
The resolution's supporters say that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who
has expressed her support, is likely to come under pressure from the
Bush administration to keep the House from voting.