HOUSE SPEAKER NOW UNSURE IF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MOTION WILL REACH A VOTE
By Carl Hulse
The New York Times
Oct 18 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that
she was reconsidering her pledge to force a vote on a resolution
condemning as genocide the mass killing of Armenians starting in 1915,
as President Bush intensified his push to derail the legislation.
Representative Alcee L. Hastings of Florida, left, an opponent of the
Armenian proposal, conferring with three other House Democrats, some
of whom also expressed doubts: from left, Robert Wexler of Florida,
and John Tanner and Steve Cohen, both of Tennessee.
"Whether it will come up or not and what the action will be remains
to be seen," Ms. Pelosi said in light of the decline in support
for the proposal, which, though nonbinding, has angered Turkey and
raised fears that the Turkish government could reduce its strategic
cooperation with the United States.
The comments by the speaker, a key supporter of the measure, added
to growing evidence that modern-day pragmatism was overwhelming
supporters’ demands that the House render a historical verdict on
the killings of the Armenians by Ottoman Turks.
Mr. Bush, who as a candidate in 2000 criticized what he called a
"genocidal campaign" against the Armenians, said lawmakers had better
things to do than be caught up in the past, pursuing legislation that
has unsettled an important ally.
"With all these pressing responsibilities, one thing Congress should
not be doing is sorting out the historical record of the Ottoman
Empire," Mr. Bush said. "Congress has more important work to do than
antagonizing a democratic ally in the Muslim world, especially one
that is providing vital support for our military every day."
Backers of the resolution said they would push ahead despite mounting
opposition and try to rally support for the declaration, which they
said was essential to deter future genocide and protect America’s
credibility in speaking out against brutality in places like Darfur
and Myanmar.
It also was not lost on them that Mr. Bush was willing to risk
upsetting China by honoring the Dalai Lama in a ceremony in the Capitol
Rotunda in an expression of support for democracy and human rights.
"As we take this principled moral stand in defiance of the Chinese
government, we must similarly be willing to speak out on the Armenian
genocide," said a statement issued by the six chief sponsors of the
House resolution. "If we as a nation are to be a moral leader around
the world, we must have the courage to recognize genocide whenever
and wherever it occurs."
One of those sponsors, Representative Adam B. Schiff, Democrat
of California, acknowledged that the resolution had split Jewish
lawmakers, with some backing the resolution and others pointing to
the risk to Israel should Turkey’s role as a stabilizing force in the
region be diminished. He said it would be tragic if Israel’s security
became a rationale for not recognizing a case of genocide.
"There is no nexus, but Turkey would like to make one," he said.
A group of House Democrats pointed more to Turkey’s continuing
cooperation in the war in Iraq in urging Ms. Pelosi to refrain from
scheduling any vote on the proposal, which they said would not pass
in the current environment.
"I’ve got the compassion for the people, the Armenians that are
fighting for their ancestors," said Representative Steve Cohen,
a Tennessee Democrat who visited Iraq this month. "But these are
real-life situations, and sometimes your heart has to give in to your
head and do what makes sense for your country."
Other lawmakers questioned whether it was wise for Congress to pass
judgment on the behavior of other nations when it had yet to weigh
in on some of its own, like the treatment of American Indians in the
settlement of the continent.
"All the time when we won, it was a victory, and when they won, it was
a massacre," Representative Alcee L. Hastings, a Florida Democrat who
opposes the genocide resolution, said of the Indians. "Yet they were
the ones being chased all the way across the country, and no one has
ever apologized to them."
Congress occasionally embarks on delicate historical issues with
foreign policy implications. It did so this year when it approved
a resolution calling for Japan to acknowledge using women from
occupied territories as sex slaves during World War II. The vote
angered Japanese officials, but their objections failed to persuade
the House to drop the matter.
Armenian-Americans saw parallels in the vote on the Japanese issue
and the Armenian proposal, and they urged the House to move ahead.
"It is shameful and hypocritical that the Bush administration would
cede our moral authority in condemning genocide, thereby becoming an
enabler in Turkey’s worldwide multimillion-dollar campaign of genocide
denial," said a statement from the Armenian National Committee of
America, which painted Turkey as an unreliable ally.
But opponents of the resolution said that if Turkey should be lost
as a partner, any effort to bring the war in Iraq to a close could
be greatly complicated.
"This is not about Turkey, pro-Turkey or anti-Armenia, or vice versa,"
said Representative John Tanner, Democrat of Tennessee. "From my
perspective, it is about the United States being able to bring a
swift – hopefully – resolution to this conflict in Iraq."
Mr. Schiff, who had appeared close to expecting House approval of the
resolution after an initial victory in the Foreign Affairs Committee
last week, seemed resigned that it now might not prevail in light
of the push from the administration, Turkey’s government, lobbyists
retained by Turkey and worried lawmakers.
"We have the truth on our side," Mr. Schiff said, "but the truth
doesn’t always win."
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