Rep. Schiff: Turkey argues it succeeded in Genocide denial

PanARMENIAN.Net - "I think the Turkish lobby has regrettably earned their money. They were successful in a campaign that was persuasion and coercion. Unfortunately it was aided and abetted by our own State Department," said Rep. Adam Schiff, the leading author of the Armenian Genocide resolution.



Schiff said it is hard to say when he will try again.



"We want to make sure that when the measure is brought to the floor we're confident the votes are there," he said. "I think the worse thing would be that you take it up and you're not successful, and Turkey argues that it's a denial of the genocide," he said, The Associated Press reports.



The four leading Democratic sponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106) have called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to adopt a revised schedule for the consideration of this human rights legislation by the House of Representatives, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).



In a letter sent to Speaker Pelosi, lead author Adam Schiff (D-CA), Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) stressed that, in asking for this delay, "we believe that a large majority of our colleagues want to support a resolution recognizing the genocide on the House floor and that they will do so, provided the timing is more favorable." The letter goes on to note that they will continue to work with Speaker Pelosi's staff and the House Foreign Affairs Committee staff to bring up the resolution "sometime later this year or in 2008."



October 10, with a vote 27 to 21 the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106, which was introduced by Representative Adam Schiff January 30, 2007.