DESPITE DEFEAT, BUSH ADMINISTRATION DETERMINED TO OPPOSE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
By Ali H. Aslan, Washington
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 13 2006
Matt Bryza, a top-level official from the U.S. State Department,
asserted that the George Bush Administration would strongly oppose
any draft law on the recognition of an Armenian genocide.
However, he added that given the complexity of the new political
environment since the midterm elections, it was hard for them to
precisely foresee any outcome.
Matt Bryza was speaking at the annual convention of the Assembly
of Turkish-American Associations (ATAA) and commented on the
possibility of an Armenian genocide bill introduced to the House of
Representatives, where the Democrats have recently gained control.
He described the new situation as a change in the political reality
and said that it was impossible for the administration to predict
how the new mechanism would operate with regards to the fate of any
proposal for recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Newly ensconced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, promised the
Armenian lobby to support any bill regarding the genocide.
Asked whether President Bush would call Pelosi to ensure that any such
draft would not be put on the agenda, Bryza said that he would make his
own suggestion but was unable to know how the president would proceed.
The Armenian lobby is expected to submit genocide bills to both wings
of Congress following its inauguration.
Meanwhile, in his address at the meeting, Bryza, drew attention to
Russian attempts at being the sole energy supplier to the region and
underlined the importance of Turkish-American strategic cooperation.