Ed Whitfield: “I rise today to oppose a nonbinding resolution that will have serious negative consequences to our national security. H.…”

“I rise today to oppose a nonbinding resolution that will have serious negative consequences to our national security. H. Res. 106, the Armenian Genocide resolution, is a dangerously short-sighted and controversial resolution that is being marked up in the Foreign Affairs Committee today. This resolution will jeopardize our relationship with a strong NATO ally, Turkey, and hinder our ability to combat the global war on terror. This resolution makes assertions about facts that historians to this date still debate. I might add that every living former Secretary of State, both Democrat and Republican, recently sent a letter to the Speaker stating that passage of this resolution would ``strain our relations with Turkey, endanger our national security interests, including the safety of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.'' I would also point out that in today's Washington Post in an editorial, it said that ``passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution would be dangerous and grossly irresponsible.'' I hope the Foreign Affairs Committee today will reject this resolution.”