Senator Joseph Biden, the senior Democrat serving on the Foreign Relations Committee and a respected voice on international affairs, has cosponsored the Armenian Genocide Resolution, S.Res.320, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). Along with the announcement last week that Senator Susan Collins will cosponsor the measure, this brings the total number of Senators supporting the resolution to twenty-two. "I am pleased to be a cosponsor of Senate Resolution 320, regarding the Armenian Genocide. It is my hope that by remembering the extent of this tragedy, we will double our efforts to prevent it from happening to others today and in the future," said Senator Collins. The measure was introduced in November of last year by Senators John Ensign (R- NV) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). "We are encouraged to see the growing support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution among senior Senators, including a number of potential 2008 presidential candidates - such as Senators Allen, Kerry, Biden, and Feingold," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. Senator Ensign is the Vice Chairman of the Republican Steering Committee, the group that shapes the Senate Republican legislative agenda. Senator Durbin is the Democratic Whip, the second most senior position among Senate Democrats. Additional cosponsors include George Allen (R-VA); Joe Biden (D-DE); Barbara Boxer (D-CA); Lincoln Chafee (R-RI); Norm Coleman (R-MN); Susan Collins; Russell Feingold (D-WI) and others. The Senate measure is similar to a resolution, H.Res.316, introduced this June in the U.S. House by Reps. George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co- Chairmen Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI). This measure has 145 cosponsors and was overwhelmingly adopted, along with a second Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Con.Res.195, by the
International Relations Committee on September 15th. The resolution calls upon the President "to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide." The resolution includes thirty detailed findings from past U.S. hearings, resolutions and Presidential statements on the Armenian Genocide from 1916 through the present, as well as references to statements by international bodies and organizations. The Senate resolution has been referred to the Foreign Relations Committee for consideration