Washington briefing: Congressional support sought for Genocide resolution as opposition readies

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Friday February 13, 2009

Rep. Adam Schiff during the introduction of the House resolution on the Armenian Genocide in Jan. 2007 with Rep. Frank Pallone behind him. Armenian Reporter

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Washington - In a message to fellow members of Congress, Reps. Adam Schiff (D.-Calif.), George Radanovich (R.-Calif.), Frank Pallone (D.-N.J.) and Mark Kirk (R.-Ill.) are urging them "to re-affirm the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide by cosponsoring a bipartisan resolution" on the subject, according to a February 10 electronic letter made available to the Armenian Reporter.

The letter seeks co-sponsors for the resolution prior to its formal introduction and congressional consideration. In January 2007, when a similar resolution was introduced, it had 160 original co-sponsors.

That resolution gained the support of a majority of House members (more than 218) before the resolution's approval by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in October 2007. But the number of co-sponsors fell to about 200 after defections caused by lobbying by the Bush administration on behalf of the Turkish government.

The administration of President Barack Obama has not yet taken a formal position on the issue. While members of the Senate and throughout the presidential campaign, Mr. Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were supporters of affirmation.

Last week, two members of the Turkish parliament from the ruling party, Suat Kiniklioglu and Cuneyt Yuskel, were in the United States to lobby against the resolution. According to the Jamestown Foundation's translation, the two, having met U.S. officials and Jewish-American leaders, told Zaman newspaper that the "pro-Israel lobby will stay neutral if a genocide resolution is brought to the Congress; in case a resolution passed, Turkey should not hold Israel responsible as such a policy would make the Congress upset; and in order to prevent such genocide resolution, Turkey should open its Armenian border."

Mr. Kiniklioglu also told Azeri Press Agency (APA) on February 9, "if Mrs. Clinton opposes a draft resolution, the Armenian lobby will face with more difficulties to bring a new resolution to the Congress. I can say that Hillary Clinton has a key to this issue."

Meanwhile, Turkish foreign minister Ali Babacan reportedly raised the issue with Vice President Biden when they met during the Munich Security Conference last weekend.