Daniel Fried: Armenian Genocide Resolution to damage U.S. interests

PanARMENIAN.Net - "The Administration opposes House Resolution 106," Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Daniel Fried said at a briefing in the U.S. Department of State.



"And we think it would do grave harm, both to U.S.-Turkish relations and to U.S. interests. It would hurt our forces deployed in Iraq, which rely on passage through Turkey. It would do far greater harm than good. It would do nothing to advance Turkish-Armenian reconciliation," he said.



"It is not simply this Administration which opposes this bill, but all former living Secretaries of State have written to Speaker Pelosi in opposition, including: Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher, Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, James Baker, Alexander Haig, George Shultz, Larry Eagleburger. They have all expressed the view that this resolution could, and I quote, "endanger our national security interests in the region, including the safety of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.



"No one, neither the former secretaries nor the Administration denies that a terrible and inexcusable tragedy of mass killings and forced exile befell innocent Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and after. Those are historical facts. Up to a million and a half people were killed or forced into exile. The United States has recognized this. President Bush, like President Clinton before him, has formally recognized it in annual statements on Armenian Remembrance Day on April 24th. So the Administration does not deny anything. We do not deny anything. But we do not believe that this bill would advance either the cause of historical truth or Turkish-Armenian reconciliation or the interests of the United States and we oppose it," he said.



As to Turkey's possible restriction of some sort of access to Iraq, Mr Fried said, "I don't want to discuss a possible Turkish reaction to a bill that I hope doesn't pass, but it is true that the Turkish reaction would be extremely strong. It has been strong when such resolutions have passed before and we have to be mindful of how much we depend and how much our troops and the Iraqi economy depends on shipments from and through Turkey."



The U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee will hold a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution October 10. The House version of the Resolution, H.Res.106, was introduced January 30 by lead author Rep. Adam Schiff. It's supported by 227 Congressmen and 32 Senators.