Schiff’s genocide bill heads to floor of House

Legislation introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff recognizing the deaths of

1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923 as a genocide was passed by

the House International Relations Committee Thursday, but proponents

say the battle to get the bill to the floor for a vote has just

begun.

Thursday’s bill mark-up was the Armenian Genocide Resolution’s

final hurdle before it can be voted on by the full House of

Representatives.

The committee approved the bill with a bipartisan vote of 36 to

11, Schiff said.

“We are just thrilled,” Schiff said. “It was the first time we had

the support of the chair and a ranking member. We think this will

give us a lot of momentum on the floor.”

But even with Thursday’s victory, lawmakers pushing the resolution

are frank about the uphill battle they face. There’s been no

timetable established for when the resolution might reach the floor

for a vote because legislators anticipate resistance from Republicans

who do not want to offend ally Turkey.

“It was a hill to climb just to get it heard in the committee,”

Schiff said. “But if the committee was any indication, the votes are

there. We just need to get the leadership to commit to the vote.”

Rep. Brad Sherman, who represents a portion of Burbank, was a

member of the committee that passed the resolution. Proponents of the

resolution will now focus on pushing Rep. Tom Delay (R-Texas) to

allow the bill onto the floor for a vote, he said.

“The rumor is that [President Bush] is going to try to say, ‘hey,

we Republicans don’t want this on the floor -- let’s stop it,’”

Sherman said. “It’s peculiar, because our committee is always passing

resolutions favoring democracy. But when it comes to our resolutions

getting fair and democratic treatment, I’m pessimistic.”

National Security Council spokesman Fred Jones could not be

reached for comment Thursday.

The resolution is important for the United States in quest for

democracy throughout the world, Sherman said.

“It’s important because genocide denial sets us up for the next

genocide,” Sherman said. “It was Adolf Hitler who said, before he

killed 6 million of my ethnic group and tens of millions of others,

‘who remembers the Armenians?’

“Genocide denial is the last act of genocide itself. First you

exterminate the people, then you exterminate the people’s memory,

then you exterminate the memory of the extermination.”

In spite of the uphill battle before them, local proponents of the

bill will continue with a phone, e-mail and fax campaigns to members

of Congress, just as they have the past few years, said Armen

Carapetian, director of the Armenian National Committee’s Western

Region.

“This is sort of a David and Goliath-type battle and the little

guy won,” Carapetian said. “Hopefully, that will be carried through

to the full floor vote.”

Carapetian is optimistic that Congress will recognize that

acknowledging the Armenian Genocide is an important issue.

“We know that the only way to prevent genocide from continuing to

happen around the world is to hold those who commit them

responsible,” Carapetian said. “Turkey must be held accountable.

This resolution serves as a first step in pursuing justice and

pressuring Turkey to come to grips with its past.”

* DARLEENE BARRIENTOS covers business and politics. She may be

reached at (818) 637-3215.