Bruce Fein, an attorney for the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, claims question of whether there was a genocide shud be decided by scholars not

Armenian ‘genocide’ debate reignites
By Michael Gleeson
Posted: 03/11/09 07:54 PM [ET]

Bruce Fein, an attorney for the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, claims that the question of whether there was a genocide should be decided by scholars, not members of Congress: “If you ask 80 to 90 percent of the people in Congress to explain to you the details of what happened, they would not be able to. And these are the people who are going to decide whether what happened was genocide?”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is poised to reintroduce a highly controversial resolution that seeks to condemn the Armenian “genocide” of 1915-1917.

The introduction of the measure, expected to happen within a month, will reignite a fierce debate in Congress.

Schiff’s renewed push comes in the wake of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s recent visit to Turkey and President Obama’s planned trip there next month.

Turkey has lobbied intensely against Schiff’s resolution, disputing the characterization of the killings of Armenians more than 90 years ago as a “genocide.”

Both Clinton and Obama have previously indicated support for Schiff’s companion measure, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

Turkey Foreign Minister Ali Babacan expressed concern last weekend that Obama would urge Congress to label the massacre as a genocide, pointing out the president has made that promise five times.

Babacan urged the U.S. “not to interfere in the dispute.”

House Democratic leaders last Congress vowed to vote on the Schiff measure, but after the Bush administration rallied against it on national-security grounds, the resolution never made it to the floor.

As the debate heated up, 25 House lawmakers who initially co-sponsored Schiff’s measure formally withdrew their support.

President Bush, along with many lawmakers, said that labeling the event a genocide would harm American relations with Turkey, which has provided some support to the U.S. in the war in Iraq.

There is little agreement between the Turks and the Armenians on what actually happened in 1915. What the two sides can agree on is this: Starting in 1915, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire — not modern-day Turkey — the Ottomans killed Armenians. The reasons for the killings, as well as the number of people who died, are all hotly contested questions. Schiff’s measure claims that 1.5 million Armenians perished.

Turkey, a key U.S. ally, has hired powerful lobbying firms to push its case to lawmakers.

Interest groups aligned with Turkey, including the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, argue that what Congress is engaged in is revisionist history, a matter not fit for the legislature.

Bruce Fein, an attorney for the Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, claims that the question of whether there was a genocide should be decided by scholars, not members of Congress: “If you ask 80 to 90 percent of the people in Congress to explain to you the details of what happened, they would not be able to. And these are the people who are going to decide whether what happened was genocide?”

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), a member of the Turkish Caucus and opponent of the Schiff’s resolution, said, “The critical and longstanding relationship between the United States and Turkey is as essential as ever.”

Wexler added, “We all deeply mourn and pay respect to the horrific tragedy and loss of life that occurred at the beginning of the 20th century, but we must not compromise the safety and security of our troops abroad today.”

Another opponent of the Schiff resolution, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), said that she does not acknowledge that there was a genocide.

Bernice Johnson, who circulated a Feb. 25 “Dear Colleague” letter about Schiff’s measure, was asked, “Do you acknowledge that there was a genocide?”

Bernice Johnson initially responded, “I don’t acknowledge, I was not around.”

Pressed further on whether she acknowledges the genocide, Bernice Johnson said, “No, I don’t.”

Reacting to Bernice Johnson’s statements, Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee on America, said, “I am saddened to hear that a member of Congress would say this.”

The International Association of Genocide Scholars, an organization that studies genocide in North America and Europe, said in an open letter dated June 15, 2005, that “there may be differing interpretations of genocide — how and why the Armenian genocide happened, but to deny its factual and moral reality as genocide is not to engage in scholarship but in propaganda.”

Leading the charge for the recognition of the genocide is Schiff, who represents one of the largest Armenian-American communities in the U.S. He argues that moving forward with this resolution is essential to restoring America’s moral credibility.

“We are trying to stop genocide in Darfur. We are trying to prevent other genocides from happening in the future, and we undermine our credibility and leadership on this issue when we show an unwillingness to recognize genocides that have taken place for the mere reason that it would offend an ally,” Schiff said.

Schiff said that not recognizing all instances of genocide opens the U.S. up to the argument that “we will only recognize genocide when it is being perpetrated by a weak nation like the Sudan.”

He added that he is lobbying the Obama administration to back his resolution.

Beyond the International Association of Genocide Scholars, numerous other groups and organizations have also passed resolutions acknowledging the Armenian genocide, including the European Parliament, 20 national governments and 42 state governments.

Do you think Congress should pass the Armenian genocide legislation? Comment here at The Hill's Blog Briefing Room.
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Sources at Department of Justice are amused at contrary positions regard to alleged GENOCIDE in Sri Lanka now, and the GENOCIDE that took place in 1915 in Turkey, where lobbyist for Turkey are working hard to prevent any announcements.