Democrats torn over Turkey resolution

Senior House Democrats, including House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (Mo.), have begun a campaign to oppose a resolution that would condemn Turkey for the Armenian genocide that occurred during World War I.

Skelton and Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) asked their colleagues on Oct. 11 to sign a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) objecting to the resolution, arguing its passage could harm U.S. security interests in the Middle East. The non-binding resolution would require the president to call the killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians between the years 1915 and 1923 “genocide.” The House Foreign Affairs panel passed the resolution 27-21 on Oct. 10.

“The government of Turkey, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, eight former Secretaries of State, and the three former Secretaries of Defense have warned us that congressional recognition of genocide claims will lead to a review by Turkey of the entire U.S.-Turkey relationship,” Skelton wrote.

“Over half the cargo flown into Iraq and Afghanistan comes through Incirlik Air Base,” the letter continued. “Additionally, the U.S. military’s use of Incirlik Air Base will be an invaluable component to a successful and safe redeployment of our troops when the time comes.” 

Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), longtime human rights supporters, both favor the resolution. Hoyer told reporters on Tuesday that he hoped a vote could take place before Nov. 16, although he said he would confer among other Democrats first.  

“[Democrats] seem more interested in declaring an Armenian genocide than then they are interested in stopping funding for the war. This could almost be Terri Schiavo,” Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) said.      

Skelton and Ortiz are not the only Democrats concerned about the vote. Pelosi ally Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) will hold a press conference with four other Democrats on Wednesday to try and persuade their leadership to keep the legislation from coming to the House floor.

Democratic Reps. Alcee Hastings (Fla.), Robert Wexler (Fla.), Steve Cohen (Tenn.), and John Tanner (Tenn.) will also participate in the news conference

“This happened a long time ago. I don’t know if it was a massacre or a genocide,” said Murtha, who chairs the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee. “But we’ve got to deal with today’s world.”

Murtha said he had discouraged Pelosi from bringing the bill to a vote six months ago.

“Turkey is a valuable ally,” Murtha said, noting he had helped lead the fight against the resolution in 1987 as well. “Thirty percent of our material goes through Turkey.”

Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) on Tuesday also voiced her opposition to the resolution, calling it “highly destabilizing.”

Despite the growing opposition, Pelosi has her allies. Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) strongly backs the bill, a reversal from his prior stance. In 2000, he said that “Saddam Hussein will be the prime beneficiary of this legislation.”

Lantos’s office did not return a call for comment.

Turkish officials have said the resolution would harm relations between Turkey and the United States. Turkey acknowledges that hundreds of thousands of Armenians died as modern Turkey grew out of the crumbling Ottoman Empire, but it contends the killings were part of a civil war and that atrocities were committed on both sides.

On Oct. 11, Turkey recalled its Ambassador Nabi Sensoy in protest and denounced the move as “unacceptable.”

Despite the pushback, Pelosi has indicated she would bring the controversial resolution to the floor. California is home to a significant number of Armenian-Americans, including some who came to the United States after fleeing the World War I-era upheaval.

The House has passed similar resolutions in past decades, and President Ronald Reagan also once referred to the killings as genocide. But President Bill Clinton worked to block an Armenian genocide resolution from passing the House.        

To date, 17 cosponsors withdrawn their support from the bill. They include Reps. Allen Boyd (D-Fla.), Wally Herger (R-Calif.), Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.), Sanford Bishop Jr. (D-Ga.), Marion Berry (D-Ark.) and Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), all of whom withdrew their support on Monday.
House Republicans strongly oppose the bill, and Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said he would be whipping the vote.
“This would have very damaging results for our troops,” Blunt said.

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) echoed Blunt, called the resolution’s timing “irresponsible” and “very, very dangerous for our troops.”

Other Republicans expressed frustration as to why Democrats would choose to bring the measure to the floor.

“This seems like a backdoor way for Pelosi and Lantos to disrupt the Bush administration’s plan for the Middle East,” Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) said.

Mike Soraghan and Jim Snyder contributed to this report.