NEW DRAFT OF "ARMENIAN RESOLUTION" APPEARS IN THE US CONGRESS

PanARMENIAN.Net - The draft resolution presupposes official recognition of the genocide of Armenians during 1915-1923 and calls the leadership of today's Turkey to assume responsibility for the crime committed by the Young Turkish government of Ottoman Empire. In the document it is fixes that Ankara will have a right to rely on Washington's support in the issue of Turkey's EU membership only in case Turkey recognizes and condemns Armenian genocide. Besides that, the document calls official Ankara to make concrete steps for normalization of relations with Armenia and Armenian people.

This is the third real attempt to achieve recognition of Armenian genocide. In 2000 Armenian lobbyists were just a few steps away from success. At that time pro-Armenian congressmen managed to collect necessary number of votes for the positive decision of the issue in the House of Representatives, but the speaker of the House simply removed the discussion of draft resolution from the agenda. The second draft was put in circulation in 2003 on the occasion of the anniversary of UN Convention on the prevention of genocides. Armenian genocide was casually mentioned together with the Holocaust and the massacre in Rwanda. The 2003 draft resolution failed just because the word combination "Armenian genocide" was mentioned there. Adam Schiff's draft is much more concrete and strict and this allows pessimists to think that its passage will be even more problematic. So, what do the Armenian lobbyists count on in this case?

Times change and a situation may be formed when the tactics of State Department in the relations with Turkey will make diplomats seek for new mechanisms of influence on Ankara. It is important to snatch the roght moment when the administration will agree to sanction passage of "Armenian resolution" or will be concentrated on the settlement of other important issues and will not resist the efforts of Armenian lobbyists. This is why the leadership of the "Armenian group" of Congress try to always have a resolution and to put it on the agenda when there is a good opportunity for that. Adam Schiff not long ago started collecting signatures under a petition on the consideration of the issue in the House of Representatives. In only two days he managed to collect 80 signatures. The signature collecting process is still underway. In order to succeed it is necessary to collect signatures of at least 1/3rd of House members, that is to say, it is necessary to collect 142 signatures. Interestingly, there are about the same number of people in the "Armenian group". But the thing is that not all the pro-Armenian congressmen agree with Schiff's initiative. Two layers have formed in the group. In the first layer are the congressmen who are faithful to their promise to promote settlement of issues important for the Armenian community of US. The second layer consists of congressmen who are yet not ready to take part in initiatives connected with Karabakh and genocide. However, they accurately vote for example for the increase of financial aid to Armenia. It should be mentioned that there is a tendency of enlargement of the first layer at the cost of the second one.

Recently, another draft resolution has been introduced in the US Congress. It is the "Bill on integration and open railroads of South Caucasus", again initiated by the "Armenian group" and interesting for Armenia. The bill prohibits administrations and state structures in the Caucasus to promote projects for constructing railroads passing by Armenia. The bill first of all concerns Kars - Akhalkalaki project but can also tell upon the doubtful Kazvin-Resht-Astara railroad construction project. The reasoning of the authors of the bill is quite clear and is in the interest of United States. Stability in the South Caucasus region will be impossible if one of the countries of the region strives for transport isolation of the neighboring country. The Kars - Akhalkalaki project is just one of those aimed at isolating Armenia. If the bill is passed the initiators of the project will not be able to count on American credits. It is worth mentioning that the government of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey planned to turn to American donors for financial aid.

Another bill of this type was considered in the Congress in the past. It prohibited the administration to support energetic projects isolating Armenia. At that time bill was not passed because Washington was interested in the rapid start of Baku-Tbilisi-Jeyhan oil pipeline project. Now things are different. The Armenian lobby of USA mobilizes forces to achieve passage of two pro-Armenian bills in the Capitol.