U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE POWELL DOESN'T APPROVE THE RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY MARYLAND STATE

PanARMENIAN.Net - YEREVAN, March 24. /Mediamax/. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a letter to deputies in Maryland state who have been taking up a resolution on Genocide on Armenians, and said that the U.S. administration did not approve such resolutions.

In his letter Powell said that such initiatives affected foreign policy of the U.S. State Department, Turkish Zaman paper reported. Powell stressed that the issue was not among duties of the local assemblies.

Quoting observers in Washington D.C. Zaman reported that Powell's letter was a sign of that the U.S.' new administration would continue to follow support given by former President Bill Clinton to Turkey.

The California State Senate unanimously approved on March 22 Joint Resolution 5 Designating April 24 as "Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide". No reports on official Washington's negative reaction to this decision have appeared in the press so far. --0--