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October 11, 2007

Analysts: US Congressional Resolution on Armenian Genocide is Symbolic
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=19D2C94:A6F02AD83191E160E25E4A1E155E2E4B9574F7DCC14957C0 US House of
Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee Wednesday narrowly passed
non-binding resolution declaring as a genocide the WWI-era killings of
hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Turks The U.S. House of
Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee has narrowly passed a
non-binding resolution declaring as a genocide the World War I-era
killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by Ottoman Turks. VOA's
Margaret Besheer looks at the implications of such a measure.







Members of House Foreign Affairs Committee 10 Oct. 2007From 1915 to
1923, Armenians accuse the Ottoman Turks of killing as many as 1.5
million of their people in systematic deportations and killings in a
push to drive them out of eastern Turkey.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives foreign affairs
committee adopted what is known as a non-binding resolution that
declares those mass killings a genocide.

Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University,
explains that a non-binding resolution is purely symbolic and does not
change U.S. law or policy.

"A non-binding resolution expresses the sentiments or opinion of
Congress," said Allan Lichtman. "It could be one house of Congress or
both houses of Congress, but it does not actually change policy
because it does not have the force of law."

He says non-binding resolutions are not uncommon, especially in
matters where Congress does not want to change policy or does not have
the necessary votes to do so. Lichtman points to a recent example of a
non-binding resolution.

"The House recently passed a non-binding resolution opposing the troop
surge by the Bush administration in Iraq," he said. "That obviously
was very hotly debated and very hotly contested even though it had
nothing to do with stopping the president from putting into effect the
troop surge."

Wednesday's passage by the foreign affairs committee is a first step
to sending the resolution to the entire House of Representatives for a
vote. But even if it passes there, it will still have no legal or
policy implications.

But despite that, the Turkish government has been very vocal about the
resolution, warning that its adoption would severely harm relations
between Ankara and Washington.

The Bush administration also strongly opposed the measure. Some 70
percent of air cargo headed for coalition forces in Iraq passes
through Turkey as does a third of fuel going to coalition forces in
Iraq by road.







Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (r) and Defense Secretary Robert
Gates, 10 Oct 2007Earlier Wednesday, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice said the United States recognizes the tragedy against the
Armenian people, but that passage of such a resolution right now would
not be helpful to U.S.-Turkish relations and U.S. interests in the
region.

"The passage of this resolution would be very destabilizing to our
efforts in the Middle East, very destabilizing to our efforts in Iraq
and Afghanistan, because Turkey, as an important strategic ally, is
very critical in supporting the efforts we are making in these crucial
areas," said Condoleezza Rice.

Non-binding resolutions have no formal penalities against the party
they censure, but their symbolism can be very contentious. In this
case, although the bill is not an indictment of modern Turkey, there
are concerns that a public outcry in that country could lead to Ankara
placing restrictions on vital supply routes through Turkey into Iraq
and Afghanistan, as well as jeopardize U.S. access to a strategic
Turkish air base.


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