Rice warned U.S. House on Armenian Genocide billMarch 14, 2007 - 20:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Rice and Gates write joint letter to U.S. House warning on the Armenian bill U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have written a joint letter to the U.S. House of Representatives warning of possible serious consequences to the passage of the Armenian Genocide bill, reports Hurriyet. According to reports, the letter, which carries the signatures of both Gates and Rice, was sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader John Boehner, and Tom Lantos, the head of the House Foreign Relations Committee. Rice and Gates warn in their letter that Turkish-American relations could be deeply harmed by the passage of the bill, and that U.S. interests will also be damaged. The Armenian bill was presented to the House at the end of January, and it is still not known exactly when it will stand for debate and possible approval. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. Armenia-Azerbaijan: Turkey wants deal after “positive developments” Turkey hopes “positive developments” in negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan will lead to an agreement. Police try to impede Armenian Church head’s access to war memorial Police tried to stop the supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II, from visiting a war memorial. Greece says ready to help as Armenia fights flooding consequences Greece is ready to assist Armenia in combatting the consequences of deadly floods in the country’s north. |