TURKISH SPEAKER WRITES TO FOREIGN PARLIAMENTS ABOUT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE
Anatolia news agency
7 Sep 05
Ankara, 7 September: Turkish parliament [Speaker] Bulent Arinc
sent letters to his counterparts in 16 countries which has adopted
resolutions on the so-called Armenian genocide allegations.
In the letters he sent to the Speakers of parliaments of Switzerland,
Poland, Slovakia, Lebanon, Canada, Argentina, Germany, Belgium, France,
the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Uruguay, Sweden, Russian Federation
and Venezuela, Arinc said: “We have nothing to hide or be ashamed in
our history.”
He expressed sorrow and disappointment about adoption of resolutions
accusing Turkey of carrying out a genocide, and said: “It is
unacceptable that the history be used as a tool for political
intentions that can cause prejudice against Turkey and Turkish nation.”
“Turkey has always argued that disputable chapters of history should
be assessed by historians, and therefore, has opened its archives
to all researchers. Recently, Turkey has proposed Armenia to form a
group composed by Turkish and Armenian historians who can examine
developments and incidents happened in 1915 within the related
archives. Turkey also proposed that this group should make public
the results of its researches,” indicated Arinc.
Arinc stated that national parliaments were not the places where
decisions on historical events can be taken, and added that parliaments
should in fact exert efforts to create and improve atmosphere of
friendship and cooperation among countries and peoples.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEORGIAN PRESIDENT VOWS TO END “ISOLATION” OF ETHNIC ARMENIAN REGION
Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
7 Sep 05
[Presenter] President Saakashvili has returned to Tbilisi after a visit
to the village of Gandza in Ninotsminda District of the [southern
Georgian] Samtskhe-Javakheti province. The president attended the
opening ceremony of a new school in the village. The construction of
the school, named after the Armenian poet Vahan Teryan, started three
months ago. [Passage omitted: Saakashvili chatting with schoolchildren]
[Saakashvili] This region was almost completely forgotten, it was
ridden with problems, and now you can see how many things have changed
in a short time. Education facilities are being built. This school is
the best, but other schools are being repaired too. The construction
of roads has begun in Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda. The facades of
buildings are being repainted, just like in Tbilisi.
Now we are going to enrol 100 [local] young people in the school of
[public] administration of Georgia so they can be employed in various
state agencies later. The region’s best new people should be employed
throughout Georgia in order to end its isolation.
Also, as we have promised [changes tack] Russian troops, 2,000 Russian
soldiers are getting their food supplies here. Our army needs a lot
more calories. About 20,000 servicemen of our armed forces will be
getting all their [food] supplies from Javakheti.

AZERI YOUTH ACTIVISTS STOP HUNGER STRIKE
Assa-Irada, Baku
6 Sep 05
Baku, 6 September: Members of the Yeni Fikir [New Thought] youth
movement stopped their hunger strike today, the movement’s deputy
chairman, Said Nuriyev, told Assa-Irada news agency. He explained
the decision with preparations for the opposition’s next rally.
The movement’s [four] members went on hunger strike on 31 August to
demand that their [jailed] leader Ruslan Basirli be released. Basirli
is facing charges of collaborating with Armenian special services.

AGENTS PROVOCATEURS
by Khadija Ismayilova
Transitions Online, Czech Republic
Sept 7 2005
The Azeri opposition alleges the government has trying to bribe its
members to act as agents provocateurs. From EurasiaNet.
With two months of campaigning remaining before Azerbaijan’s
parliamentary election, President Ilham Aliev’s administration appears
to be on a collision course with the country’s leading opposition
parties.
The country’s opposition has come under increasing pressure in
recent weeks. Several opposition and youth group activists have been
arrested – some of them accused of planning action aimed at undermining
political stability. Meanwhile, a lawsuit filed by the Popular Front
Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) against the Ministry of National Security
for allegedly attempting to orchestrate the ouster of party leader
Ali Kerimli suggests that what is already a contentious campaign
atmosphere could become explosive.
At a 22 August news conference, Ramiz Tagiev, a former political
prisoner and advisor to Kerimli, alleged that Security Ministry
agents offered him $1,000 to foment discord within Kerimli’s PFPA. If
party infighting culminated in Kerimli’s ouster as leader, Security
Ministry officials indicated that they would pay him a bonus, Tagiev
said at the news conference. “I was promised full support, money
for recruiting people inside the party and all benefits, after the
successful completion of the operation,” he said.
According to Tagiev, ministry agents told him that the 3 August arrest
of Ruslan Bashirli, leader of Yeni Fikir, a youth group with ties to
the PFPA, was among the “provocations” planned against the opposition
party. Bashirli was imprisoned on charges of attempting to stage a
coup with the help of the Armenian special services. After Bashirli’s
arrest, violent pickets took place for several days outside the PFPA’s
headquarters. Baku police have since faced criticism for doing little
to prevent the attacks.
Tagiev’s accusations do not target the government alone. The PFPA
advisor claims that Igbal Agazade, leader of the opposition Umid
Party, invited him to meet with two Security Ministry agents,
identified as Ilgar Agaev and Elchin Guliev, to discuss the plan.
Agazade, released from prison in 2005 for allegedly helping to incite
the riots that followed President Aliev’s October 2003 election,
has since denied any collaboration with the Security Ministry,
attributing the accusation down to a PFPA bias against his party.
Appearing at the news conference with Tagiev, Kerimli stated that
he had been informed about the actions planned against the PFPA, and
had, therefore, told party members not to respond to the attacks on
PFPA headquarters that followed Bashirli’s arrest. “It is a flagrant
illegality and violation of the law by the country’s special services,”
Kerimli said. “Instead of fighting threats to national security,
the ministry is involved in a dirty struggle against the nation.”
Commenting on the charges, ministry spokesperson Arif Babaev called
Tagiev’s allegations “nonsense.” The fact that the Tagiev-Kerimli
news conference coincided with a visit to Azerbaijan by Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe President Rene van der Linden was
not accidental, Babaev argued. “They [the opposition] always prepare
some ‘provocations’ for such guests,” Babaev said. The PFPA has since
filed a lawsuit against the ministry in Sabayil District Court in Baku.
Some human-rights activists support Tagiev’s charge that the
government is attempting to interfere in the election process.
Isakhan Ashurov, chairman of the Independent Lawyers League and a
member of the opposition Musavat Party, told EurasiaNet that Elchin
Guliev came to his office in June 2005 to arrest Pirali Orujev, a
Musavat activist, on charges of allegedly planning a terrorist act
against Bakhram Shukurov, an appeals court judge and president of
the pro-government Azad Azerbaijan television station.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) strongly
condemned the attacks on the PFPA headquarters, which took place amid a
breakdown in OSCE-sponsored talks between the government and opposition
parties on ways to foster a peaceful campaign environment. Like the
Council of Europe, the OSCE has put strong pressure on President
Aliev to hold free and fair parliamentary elections, scheduled for
6 November.
At a 1 September news conference in Baku, the Council of Europe’s
special representative to Azerbaijan, Mats Lindberg, expressed
optimism for a free and fair vote, noting that, aside from delays in
issuing identity cards and voter cards, the registration of candidates
appeared to be going largely according to plan. “No one has been denied
registration, and it seems that this process will finish according
to schedule,” Lindberg said, the news agency Bilik Dunyasi reported.
Nonetheless, opposition members and activists continue to be harassed
and arrested. In recent weeks, scores of young members of the PFPA,
Musavat and Democratic Party of Azerbaijan have been arrested for
disseminating leaflets urging people to check that their names are
correctly listed on official voter lists. Individual activists in
the regions, particularly the autonomous republic of Nakhichivan,
have been arrested on a variety of minor charges, and in May 2005,
Almaz Gulieva, a British national and the niece of the exiled chairman
of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, Rasul Guliev, was arrested at
Baku airport on suspicion of carrying a gun.
Of late, opposition rallies have been held with little interference
by authorities. Attendance at the latest demonstration, on 27 August,
was estimated at about 15,000, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS
reported. “The last opposition rally gathered even more people than
the opposition had in their rally before the [Ruslan] Bashirli case,”
noted Hikmet Hajizade, head of the Far-Center.
The recent arrest of Merab Jibutia, a Georgian citizen identified by
the Azeri government as one of the alleged Armenian agents working
with Bashirli, has further aroused PFPA suspicions. On 26 August,
Azeri border guards arrested Jibutia crossing into Azerbaijan from
Georgia, allegedly to “meet with Bashirli and clarify the situation,”
according to a statement issued by the prosecutor-general’s office.
Fuad Mustafayev, deputy chairman of the Popular Front, argued that
the prosecutor’s statement was flawed: “Why would a person declared
by the Azeri government to be an Armenian spy come to Azerbaijan?
Where would he meet Bashirli? In jail? The authorities have stirred
up trouble, and now . . . are sinking into the lie more and more.”
International organizations have not responded to charges of government
provocation against the opposition. Rather, their focus remains on
encouraging authorities to hold an above-board vote. Said Lindberg:
“We very much hope and expect that the [November parliamentary]
election will be free and fair and that the presidential instruction
in this regard will be implemented in full.”
Khadija Ismayilova is a freelance journalist based in Baku. This is
a partner-post from EurasiaNet.

WASHINGTON MEETINGS CONTINUE
National Assembly of RA (press release), Armenia
Sept 7 2005
The Cities of USA and Armenia to Cooperate
At the meeting of the leadership of US “Sister Cities International”
international organization and NA President Artur Baghdasaryan issues
of cooperation development between the cities and regions of Armenia
and USA were discussed. During the meeting an agreement was reached
to organize a joint international conference in Yerevan in spring
in 2006, in which representatives and responsible persons of USA
will participate.
As the Director of the membership of the organization and on Affairs of
Inter-state Relations thinks the establishment of regional relations
will give good and perspective opportunities of the development of
social-economic, educational, cultural and other spheres for the
cities of Armenia.
“Habitat for Humanity” Organization and National Assembly to Continue
the Cooperation
During the meeting of the Vice President of “Habitat for Humanity”
organization and Director of Europe and Asia Department and NA
President Artur Baghdasaryan issues related to the assistance of
providing the vulnerable families with flats with the project of
“Habitat for Humanity” organization were discussed.
The joint program carried out recently by the National Assembly and
“Habitat for Humanity” organization in the village Kharberd of Ararat
marz was highlighted. It will be continued in the future in Maralik
and Gyumri towns. An agreement was reached to expand the cooperation
on assisting the vulnerable families with house construction.
A New Armenian Church to Be Built in Washington
NA President Artur Baghdasaryan visited St. Mary Armenian Apostolic
Church in Washington.
During the Church Council issues pertaining to the activity of
Washington diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church were discussed,
in particular the construction of the church worth about 8m USD being
built in future in the capital of USA was highlighted. The construction
will be started next year.
Meeting at RA Embassy
At the Armenian Embassy in the USA Artur Baghdasaryan, NA President,
met with the representatives of the Armenian community. During the
meeting-reception, which attended a great number of American Armenians,
issues of political, social-economic developments taking place in
Armenia and Armenia-Diaspora were discussed. During the meeting Artur
Baghdasaryan answered the numerous questions of those present.
The Young Blind Students to Be Trained in USA
Within the framework of the visit a meeting with Peter de Mayo,
President of US “Transparency International” Blinds’ Association
was held. The problems of cooperation with the Association of the
Armenian Blinds were discussed, and an agreement was reached on
the issues of training of the Armenian blind young students in USA,
as well as technical assistance and other issues.

Two EBRD-funded Consulting Opportunities in Armenia and Georgia
BISNIS Consulting Update
7 September 2005
Contents
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2.) EBRD – Georgia – Public Administration – Consultancy Services –
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Fax: 202/482-2293
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Billionaire Kerkorian raising stake in GM to 9.5%
After completing stock purchases, his Tracinda Corp. will control 53.8
million shares of the automaker
The Detroit News
Friday, September 2, 2005
By Jeff Green / Bloomberg News
Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian will spend about $463 million to
raise his stake in General Motors Corp. to 9.53 percent in a bet that GM
can end losses that totaled $1.4 billion so far this year.
Kerkorian’s Tracinda Corp., GM’s third-largest shareholder, said in a
regulatory filing that it will increase its stake in the world’s biggest
automaker from about 7.2 percent with the purchase of 13.1 million
shares in three private transactions. After the purchases, he will
control 53.8 million of the shares.
Kerkorian, who sparked the biggest one-day jump in GM shares in 40 years
when he first disclosed his ownership in May, is stepping up purchases
after he failed to get as many shares as he hoped in a tender offer in
June. He’s buying the stock just as the sales gains sparked by GM’s
offer of employee discounts to all buyers are starting to wane.
“There’s so many problems there, he’s got to think that he’s got an
answer and that he can influence the company or that they’ll just pay
him to go away,” said Brian Bruce, who helps manage $18 billion in
equity, including GM shares, at PanAgora Asset Management in Boston.
“You’re not buying this because you think management has a good handle
on what they’re doing.”
Los Angeles-based Tracinda purchased 5 million shares on Aug. 26 for
$175 million and is scheduled to complete a purchase of 5.14 million
shares today for $183 million, according to the Securities and Exchange
Commission filing. He will buy another 3 million shares Tuesday for $105
million. Tracinda also entered into a $400 million credit facility with
Bank of America Corp.
Kerkorian paid from $35 to $35.71 per share in private transactions,
Tracinda said. Kerkorian, who controlled 22 million GM shares in early
May, originally offered $31 per share to buy an additional 28 million.
That tender offer expired June 7 with only about 40.7 million shares
purchased.
Kerkorian disclosed the new purchases the same day GM said its August
U.S. sales fell 13 percent, ending two straight months of gains driven
by its employee-discount offer.
The investment comes after GM lost $3 billion building cars and trucks
in the first half of this year as it cut production and paid higher
incentive and marketing costs to clear out unsold inventory. Chief
Executive Rick Wagoner this week said the outlook for 2006 is improving
as new models are expected to increase U.S. sales and material and
health-care costs may fall.
Kerkorian a decade ago launched a failed takeover bid for the former
Chrysler Corp. — now part of DaimlerChrysler AG — and won concessions
that included a representative on the Chrysler board. When he disclosed
that he was buying shares in Detroit-based GM, the news pushed up the
automaker’s stock 18 percent.
Kerkorian has said his investment in GM is “passive,” and on that basis,
GM’s board took a neutral stance on his original purchase. GM
spokeswoman Toni Simonetti said that GM does not comment on the actions
of individual shareholders.
Kerkorian will invest $276 million of his own money and borrow about
$187 million from Bank of America. The loans are unsecured. If the loan
balance exceeds $200 million, Kerkorian will be required to pledge the
GM shares as collateral, according to the filing.
The loan’s terms prevent Tracinda from making hostile transactions or
buying in excess of 10 percent of a company without permission of Bank
of America.
Kerkorian remains the third-largest GM shareholder after State Street
Corp. and Capital Research and Management, according to Bloomberg data.
GM’s large investors, including Capital, Brandes Investment Partners LP
and Southeastern Asset Management Inc., increased their holdings in the
first quarter by a combined 64 million shares as the stock hit a 13-year
low.
GM shares fell $1.22 to $32.07 Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.
Through Wednesday, GM shares had risen 23 percent from the day before
Kerkorian first announced plans to acquire GM stock.

Investment Opportunities in Armenia
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08/10/05 – 09/06/05
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export transactions and take advantage of tender opportunities in the
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This issue of BISNIS Trades & Tenders includes opportunities in:
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For more information on the Consulting Sector in the NIS, please contact
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This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for
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ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
09/07/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) EU Envoys Wrangle over Response to Turkey on Cyprus 2) Vandals Target Istanbul Pogrom Photo Exhibit 3) A Day for Darfur: Stop the Genocide, Protect the People 4) Armenian Church Seeks to Sanctify Armenian Genocide Victims 5) Czech Republic beats Armenia in WC Qualifier 1) EU Envoys Wrangle over Response to Turkey on Cyprus BRUSSELS (Reuters)--European Union envoys quarreled on Wednesday over a response to Turkey's refusal to recognize Cyprus or admit Cypriot ships and aircraft, as a Europe-wide poll showed a drop in public support for Ankara's bid. The Cyprus issue is one of the final hurdles to Turkey opening membership talks with the 25-nation bloc on October 3. Countries such as France and Austria, facing strong public pressure to oppose Turkish entry, have rallied behind Nicosia. A pan-European opinion survey conducted in early June and released on Wednesday showed support for Turkish membership had fallen since last year in EU countries and Turkey itself. The study for the German Marshall Fund of the USA showed only 22 percent of voters in nine EU countries believed Turkey's entry would be a good thing, 29 percent said it would be a bad thing--up 9 percent--and 42 percent neither good nor bad. A draft declaration circulated by EU president Britain said Turkey must apply its customs union without discriminating among EU member states and Brussels would review Ankara's implementation of its obligations next year. Cyprus and its supporters were pressing for tougher wording making clear that, if Turkey did not end its blockade of Cypriot shipping and flights by the review date, the EU would suspend or restrict the accession talks, diplomats said. But the main dispute was over when and how the EU should expect Turkey to recognize Cyprus, with Nicosia pressing for it to be linked to the EU accession process rather than to UN efforts to seek a settlement to the division of the island. The draft statement omitted any wording on the issue as British diplomats held private meetings with the Cypriots and others to seek an acceptable formula. Diplomats said it was not clear whether a deal could be reached on Wednesday. Turkish leaders warned last week they would make no more concessions to secure the opening of talks, having met the two conditions EU leaders set last December by bringing key legal reforms into effect and signing a protocol extending their customs union to new EU member states, including Cyprus. Diplomats said the European Union would issue a unilateral declaration in response to Turkey's July 29 statement on Cyprus attached to its signature of the protocol. The EU must still agree unanimously on a negotiating mandate for the talks, giving Cyprus another chance to raise its demands and Turkey's critics an opportunity to insist the EU's ability to absorb such a big candidate country must be a key factor. 2) Vandals Target Istanbul Pogrom Photo Exhibit ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)--A photography exhibit marking the 50th anniversary of anti-Greek riots in Istanbul was taken down on Tuesday, after being vandalized. A group of men calling themselves the 'Alliance for Turkish Struggle' threw eggs and shouted insults the night before, protesting the 50th anniversary commemoration of the pogroms against Turkey's Greek community. The Istanbul Pogrom, also known as the Istanbul Riots, was directed at Istanbul's 80,000-strong Greek minority on September 6-7, 1955. It was orchestrated by the Demokrat Parti-government of Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes. Over a period of nine hours, Istanbul's Greek community came under sustained assault at the hands of an overwhelming Turkish mob, the most significant portion of which was trucked into the city for the event. Between 13 and 16 Greeks and at least one Armenian (including two Orthodox clerics) died during or after the pogrom as a result of beatings and arson attacks. Thirty-two Greeks were severely wounded. In addition, dozens of Greek men and women were raped, and a number of men were forcibly circumcised by the mob. The physical and material damage was considerable and over 4,348 Greek-owned businesses, 110 hotels, 27 pharmacies, 23 schools, 21 factories, and 73 churches, and over a thousand Greek-owned homes were badly damaged or destroyed. Estimates on the economic cost of the damage vary from the 69.5 million Turkish lira quoted by the Turkish government, to the 150 million USD estimated by the World Council of Churches, and to the 500 million USD estimated by the Greek government. The disturbances accelerated a process of emigration that was to lead to the virtual extinction of the Greek minority in Turkey. Numbering 200,000 in 1924, in 2005 the Greek community of Istanbul is estimated to number a mere 1,500 persons. 3) A Day for Darfur: Stop the Genocide, Protect the People Help end the Cycle of Genocide that began in 1915 by calling for decisive US action to stop the genocide that is taking place today in the Darfur region of Sudan. When: 12:00 noon, September 8, 2005 Where: Lafayette Park, in front of the White House near the intersection of H & 16th Sts., NW, Washington DC The ANCA has joined with Africa Action, NAACP, National Council of Churches, American Jewish World Service, STAND, Sudan Peace Advocates, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Save Darfur, Sojourners, STAND, Sudan Peace Advocates, TransAfrica Forum, United Methodist Church, and many others in organizing this demonstration on the one year anniversary of the Administration's determination that the state-sponsored crimes in Darfur meet the legal definition of genocide. The purpose of this protest is to voice our disappointment over the lack of decisive U.S. action during the past twelve months and to call upon the President to take every step necessary to ensure an urgent multinational intervention to provide security to the people of Darfur. Questions: Call ANCA (202) 775-1918 or email [email protected] Call Africa Action (202) 546-7861 or visit <; 4) Armenian Church Seeks to Sanctify Armenian Genocide Victims ETCHMIADZIN (Armenpress)--The Armenian Church said it is reviewing canonizing the more than 1.5 millions Armenians who fell victims to a genocide carried out by Turkey at the turn of the twentieth century. A committee tasked with exploring the procedural process met for the first time September 3-6 in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. Their first working session will convene November 8-12, again in Etchmiadzin. 5) Czeck Republic beats Armenia in WC Qualifier OLOMOUC--Jan Polak scored twice to lead the Czech Republic to a 4-1 win over Armenia in their World Cup Group One qualifier. Polak shot the ball from 18 meters, taking a deflection off Armenia defender Sargis Hovsepyan before finding the net. Polak struck five minutes later when his 25-meter drive hit midfielder Choren Dochoyan before scoring. Aston Villa striker Milan Baros made it 3-0 when he swept home Jan Koller's rebound in the 58th minute before Polak notched his second with 14 minutes left. Arat Hakobian pulled a goal back for Armenia in the 85th minute. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
September 6, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LEGISLATION SCHEDULED FOR COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
— May be “Marked-Up” as Early as September 14th
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian Genocide legislation appears set to come
before the influential House International Relations Committee as
early as Wednesday, September 14th, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
According to Congressional sources, Committee Chairman Henry Hyde
(R-IL) is prepared to “mark-up” both Armenian Genocide Resolutions
(H.Res.316 and H.Con.Res.195). During this mark-up session, the
fifty members of the panel will have an opportunity to consider
changes and then to vote to either approve or disapprove each
measure.
“We want to thank Chairman Hyde for his leadership in ensuring that
the members of his Committee have the opportunity to vote on
Armenian Genocide legislation,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. “Along with our local chapters around the nation and
coalition partners here in Washington, DC, we are working hard to
support the efforts of our friends – Congressmen George Radanovich,
Adam Schiff, and Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg and
Frank Pallone – in encouraging the Committee to act favorably on
this legislation.
H.Res.316, which was introduced by Representatives George
Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI),
calls upon the President to ensure U.S. foreign policy reflects
appropriate understanding of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution
includes thirty detailed findings from past U.S. hearings,
resolutions and Presidential statements, as well as references to
statements by international bodies and organizations. As of today,
a bipartisan group of over one hundred and twelve Representatives
have already agreed to cosponsor this measure.
H.Con.Res.195, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff and cosponsored by
over eighty Representatives, was offered following direct
negotiations with House International Relations Committee Chairman
Henry Hyde (R-IL). The Chairman agreed to Committee-level
consideration of Armenian Genocide legislation in return for Rep.
Schiff tabling a planned June 8th Armenian Genocide amendment to
the House Foreign Relations Authorization bill. The agreement
addressed serious concerns on the part of the Administration and
Congressional leaders that the Schiff Amendment – which had strong
prospects of passing – would overshadow the White House meeting,
held that same day, between President Bush and Turkish Prime
Minister Erdogan. This measure, which is in the process of being
amended, reaffirms the Armenian Genocide within the broader context
of regional relationships and addresses Turkey’s efforts to join
the European Union.
The Turkish Ambassador and his lobbyists – including the Livingston
Group – are actively making the rounds to members of the
International Relations Committee, seeking to block any action on
U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide. As part of this
effort, the Livingston Group has been distributing a four-page
genocide-denial document to Congressional offices.