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Manoyan is optimistic about HR 106's chances

HR106 has effectively disappeared from public attention since it’s approval by a foreign affairs committee met with aggressive resistence by bodies concern over how passing the resolution would damage US-Turkish relations.

The resolution was passed at the House Foreign Affairs Committee with vote of 27-21 on October 10th. The US Congressmen who had supported the adoption of HR106, had requested that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi not call a vote on the resolution because of concerns over its possible failure. “We suppose the majority of our colleagues support the resolution and, will no doubt vote for it in a more favorable situation,” says the letter of the initiative group to Pelosi.

Manoyan says the suspension of the further vote over the resolution was mainly conditioned by pressure from the White House “that forced the co-sponsors of the resolution to delay its discussion”.

“Turkey’s blackmail of the US was quite strong and the US yielded to it, but the American Armenian community plans to make stronger efforts to convince the Congressmen to support the resolution,” Manoyan said during a Wednesday press conference.

According to Manoyan 210 congresspersons support HR106; however, the number necessary to include the resolution in the agenda for a vote is 218. (The US Congress closes its session at the end of this month.)

Throughout the years the issue of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide has been a guarantee to gain votes of the American Armenian community for US presidential candidates. US presidential candidates, including George W. Bush, have promised the American Armenian community to recognize the Armenian Genocide in case of being elected. However, none has realized his promise...

The Armenian-American Political Action Committee (ARMENPAC, www.armenpac.org) has prepared questionnaires on the Armenian Genocide issue to be sent to candidates seeking their parties’ nomination for next November’s presidential election.

ARMENPAC Executive Director Jason P. Capizzi has stated that it is time “to find out where our future leaders stand on the issues most important to our community.”

The 2008 ARMENPAC Presidential Candidate Questionnaire will ask candidates to clearly indicate their position on affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, U.S.-Armenia trade relations, Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s position toward Armenia and the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

According to Manoyan, a survey has been held in Turkey over the recognition of the Armenian Genocide this year in which only seven percent of the respondents opted for recognition.

Manoyan says, though, that the number is encouraging, as just a few years ago not even seven percent of Turks would have had courage to express such support to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. This, he believes, is the result of the Armenian organizations efforts for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in different countries: “as people in Turkey have begun to show interest in the realities of that period and get themselves acquainted with the real history.”