‘Αρμενική γενοκτονία’ αποφάσισε Επιτροπή της Γερουσίας-ΗΠΑ…

Για πρώτη φορά τα τελευταία 25 χρόνια και παρά τη λυσσώδη αντίδραση του τουρκικού λόμπι, συνεπικουρούμενο από τον Λευκό Οίκο που δεν ήθελε να διαταράξει τις ήδη βεβαρυμμένες σχέσεις με την Άγκυρα, η πανίσχυρη Επιτροπή Εξωτερικών Σχέσεων της Γερουσίας πέρασε απόφαση στην οποία αναγνωρίζεται η αρμενική γενοκτονία…

Η απόφαση καλεί τη Γερουσία να τιμήσει τη μνήμη αυτού του εγκλήματος και ενθαρρύνει τον πρόεδρο των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών, να διασφαλίσει ότι η αμερικανική εξωτερική πολιτική θα συμβαδίζει με αυτή την πραγματικότητα. Πρόκειται σαφώς για μια απόφαση που θα προκαλέσει σοβαρούς – περαιτέρω – τριγμούς στις σχέσεις Άγκυρας και Ουάσιγκτον.

Σε ανακοίνωση που εξέδωσε η Αρμενική Εθνική Επιτροπή της Αμερικής (ANCA: Armenian National Committee of America), αναφέρεται ότι η απόφαση επιβεβαιώνει τη δέσμευση των ΗΠΑ απέναντι στην αλήθεια και αποτελεί σοβαρό πλήγμα στην πολιτική άρνησης της γενοκτονίας από την πλευρά της Τουρκίας.

Παράλληλα, συνεχίζει η ανακοίνωση, η απόφαση στέλνει σαφές μήνυμα στον πρόεδρο των ΗΠΑ να τερματίσει την συνέργεια με την απόπειρα συγκάλυψης από την πλευρά της Άγκυρας. Η ανακοίνωση ευχαριστεί τον πρόεδρο της επιτροπής, Δημοκρατικό Γερουσιαστή Ρόμπερτ Μενέντεζ (Νιου Τζέρσεϊ), που πέτυχε την υπερψήφιση της απόφασης, με ψήφους 12 υπέρ και 5 εναντίον, ενώ απείχε ένας Γερουσιαστής.

Ειχε προηγηθεί συνομιλία τηλεφωνική του Νταβούτογλου με τον Τζον Κέρι, χωρίς όμως αποτέλεσμα, με τον Τούρκο υπουργό Εξωτερικών αν δηλώνει, ότι δεν αναμένει κάποια κίνηση από την πλευρά της κυβέρνησης Ομπάμα, στη γραμμή της απόφασης της Επιτροπής…

Πηγή

‘Armenian genocide’ bill passes U.S. Senate Committee with 12 votes 
Tolga Tanış / WASHINGTON

Bob Menendez (D) is one of the two senators who co-sponsored the latest ‘Armenian genocide’ resolution. Photo: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

An “Armenian genocide” resolution has passed the U.S. Senate's Foreign Relations Committee on April 10 by bipartisan voice.
Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, and Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, had presented the bill last week.

“Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, during which 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turkey ... To honor the survivors and the memory of those lost, and to lead globally on human rights, the United States should finally join the European Union and 11 of our NATO allies in officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide,” Kirk had said.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their forebears were killed in 1915 and 1916 by the forces of Ottoman Empire.

Turkey disputes the figure, arguing that only 500,000 died, and denies this was genocide, ascribing the toll to fighting and starvation during World War I.

“This resolution reaffirms in the strongest terms that we will always remember this tragedy and honor the memory of innocent Armenian men, women and children who were killed and expelled from their homeland. The Armenian Genocide must be taught, recognized, and commemorated to prevent the re-occurrence of similar atrocities from ever happening again,” Menendez had argued.

Having passed the 18-member committee with 12 ayes and 5 nays, the bill will now come to a 100-member floor vote. The first article of the bill calls "to remember and observe the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2014."

Although U.S. President Barack Obama is against the passage of such a bill, an expert on Turkey told daily Hürriyet that the recent turbulence in Washington-Ankara bilateral relations might affect the administration's expected efforts to stop the bill.

Moroever, some new faces in the administration, like U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN Samantha Power and National Security Advisor Susan Rice, can tip the balance with their track record of supporting pro-Armenian bills.

Last week, four U.S. Congressmen also introduced a resolution calling on President Obama to encourage a Turkish-Armenian relationship based on Turkey’s acknowledgement that the 1915-16 killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces constituted genocide.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry late April 9 discussing the recent Armenian draft resolutions. “We don’t have a negative expectation [for the outcome of the draft resolutions],” Davutoğlu told reporters in Ankara on April 10.

Hürriyet Daily

Foreign Minister Davutoğlu discusses Armenian resolution with Kerry

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu speaks to reporters prior his departure to Japan, in Ankara's Esenboğa airport. AA Photo

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry late April 9, discussing the recent Armenian draft resolutions that were submitted to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

“We don’t have a negative expectation [for the outcome of the draft resolution],” Davutoğlu told reporters in Ankara on April 10, adding that the two had also discussed developments in Syria and Egypt.

The Turkish government is taking measures against “initiatives that will bother Turkey. We hope they will not take such an attitude,” he also said.

Last week, four U.S. Congressmen introduced a resolution calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to encourage a Turkish-Armenian relationship based on Turkey’s acknowledgement that the 1915-16 killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces constituted genocide. The move was paralleled by a resolution introduced to the U.S. Senate by Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez and Senator Mark Kirk.

Hürriyet Daily