By Mark Felsenthal
October 14, 2007
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat in the U.S. House
of Representatives said on Sunday she intends to press ahead
on a resolution calling the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks genocide, despite White House concerns it will damage
relations with Turkey, a supporter of the Iraq war.
"I said if it passed the committee that we would bring
it to the floor," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told ABC
television's "This Week."
A congressional committee on Wednesday approved the Armenian
resolution, sponsored by a California lawmaker whose district
has a large Armenian-American constituency.
The full House is due to vote on the strictly symbolic measure
by mid-November.
President George W. Bush has adamantly opposed the resolution,
warning that it would interfere with Turkey's support for U.S.
troops in Iraq and harm relations with an important ally.
"We regret that Speaker Pelosi is intent on bringing
this resolution for a vote despite the strong concerns expressed
by foreign policy and defense experts," White House spokesman
Tony Fratto said in Crawford, Texas where Bush is spending
the weekend at his ranch.
"We continue to strongly to oppose this resolution which
may do grave harm to U.S.-Turkish relations and to U.S. interests
in Europe and the Middle East," he said.
Pelosi, of California, said her determination to bring the
measure to a vote has not wavered despite Bush's warnings that
it would pose problems for the U.S. effort in Iraq.
"Some of the things that are harmful to our troops relate
to values," Pelosi said. "I think that our troops
are well-served when we declare who we are as a country and
increase the respect that people have for us as a nation."
The issue is highly sensitive in Turkey, where it is a crime
to describe those events as genocide. Turkey recalled its ambassador
to the United States for consultations after the House committee
vote.
Turkey's military chief has said ties between the United States
and Turkey would "never be the same again" if Congress
approves the resolution.
Congressional Republicans urged Pelosi to block the measure
from coming to a vote by the full House.
"Bringing this bill to the floor may be the most irresponsible
thing I've seen this new Congress do this year," House
Minority Leader Jim Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said on "Fox
News Sunday."
One of the Bush administration's fears is that the resolution
could weaken U.S. influence as it urges Turkey to refrain from
any major military operations in Northern Iraq.
The Turkish government is planning to seek parliamentary approval
for military operations against a militant group, the Kurdistan
Workers Party, based in the mountains of northern Iraq.
(Additional reporting by Caren Bohan in Crawford, Texas)
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