Turkey, frustrated by a French National Assembly vote this week to criminalize denial of the Armenian Genocide, may have a major headache on the same issue if the Democrats score a victory in the U.S. Congress in next month’s elections. Last Thursday’s vote in the French parliament was a victory for Armenian groups and their supporters, but the top-prize country for the Armenians has always been and will always be the United States, says Turkish Daily News.
The newspaper observer says that President George W. Bush’s administration, like earlier administrations, so far has consistently declined to use the term Genocide in official remarks in an effort to avoid alienating Turkey. But Congress has always been Turkey’s weaker side. With the Republican Party, which currently holds clear majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, in shambles, political analysts agree it is highly likely that the Democrats will win a majority in the House in November, for the first time since the 1994 elections. A Democratic triumph in the House or the Senate will mean major problems for Turkey in its efforts to stop genocide recognition. In the event of a Democratic victory in the House, pro-Armenian lawmakers will definitely force legislation for the Armenian Genocide recognition shortly after the new Congress takes office in January. U.S. Armenians accuse the Republican Bush of failing to keep his earlier pledge for Genocide recognition and backed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, a strong supporter of the Armenian cause in the Senate, in the 2004 elections.
