News4u-News Desk- A US congressional panel voted Thursday to label as ”genocide” the World War One-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces, despite pressure from the Obama administration and Turkey to drop the matter.
The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-22 to approve the non-binding resolution, clearing it for consideration by the full House. But it was unclear whether the measure will get a floor vote.
It calls on President Barack Obama to ensure US policy formally refers to the massacre as genocide, putting him in a tight spot.
On the one side is NATO ally Turkey, which rejects calling the events genocide. On the other side is an important US Armenian-American constituency and their backers in Congress ahead of Congressional elections in November.
Turkey had warned its ties with the United States would be damaged and Ankara’s efforts to normalize relations with Armenia could be harmed if the resolution were approved.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, a fellow Democrat, to argue the measure could harm efforts to normalize Turkish-Armenian relations.
Turkey and Armenia signed a protocol last year to normalize relations but it has yet to pass through the parliament of either country. Obama called Turkish President Abdullah Gul Thursday to urge quick ratification.
Despite Clinton’s appeal, Berman went ahead with a committee debate and a vote. He said Turkey was a ”vital” ally but ”nothing justifies Turkey’s turning a blind eye to the reality of the Armenian genocide.”
Muslim Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman forces but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted to genocide — a term employed by many Western historians and some foreign parliaments.
Congressional opponents expressed concern about harming ties with Turkey, whose help the United States needs to solve confrontations from Iraq to Iran and Afghanistan.
Turkey pulls envoy after US vote on ‘genocide’ label
A US congressional panel voted to label as ”genocide” the World War One-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces, prompting Turkey to recall its ambassador from Washington.
The vote Thursday triggered an immediate condemnation from Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who recalled Turkey’s ambassador to Washington for consultations.
Erdogan said he worried the measure would harm Turkish-U.S. ties and efforts by Muslim Turkey and Christian Armenia to end a century of hostility.
The vote put Obama in a tight spot between his desire to maintain good relations with Turkey, a Muslim but secular democracy that plays a vital role for US interests from Iran to Afghanistan to the Middle East.
ARMENIA HAILS VOTE
”We highly appreciate the decision,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said. ”This is further proof of the devotion of the American people to universal human values and is an important step towards the prevention of crimes against humanity.”
The price on Turkey’s 2030 benchmark Global Bond did not change after the vote. It remained down 0.44 points in price to 160, yielding 6.465 per cent.
”I don’t think there will be any reaction in the markets unless the political response from Turkey elevates it as an issue,” said A.J. Mediratta, senior managing director at Greylock Capital Management in New York.
”Clearly the US administration didn’t want this to come to a head and I think the Turkish government understands this. If there is a reaction, it will come at the London open tomorrow.”
US President Barack Obama and Turkish President Abdullah Gul
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