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Obama administration seeks to block House vote on Armenian genocide resolution

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A spokesperson for the US State Department said Friday that the Obama administration opposes a vote before the full House of Representatives on a resolution branding the World War I-era killings of Armenians by Turkish forces as genocide. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Crowley said, "that any further congressional action will impede the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia." Even though Turkey has recalled its ambassador to the US, Crowley said that the State Department believes: that the best way for Turkey and Armenia to address their shared past is through their ongoing effort to normalize relations. We have been in contact with Turkish and Armenian officials at the highest levels to urge timely ratification of the protocols, and we look forward to continuing dialogue with them.Crowley noted that the State Department doesn't "think any further congressional action is appropriate."The US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs passed the resolution Thursday by a vote of 23-22, even after Obama administration officials had urged the committee not to hold the vote, fearing that such a resolution could damage relations with Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan condemned the resolution, and the Turkish government pulled its ambassador to the US. A similar resolution was passed by the committee in 2007, but it never reached the House floor.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 06, 2010 (boomark / email).