WASHINGTON — Yielding to fierce diplomatic and political pressure, congressional sponsors of an Armenian genocide resolution abruptly put off a vote on the measure Thursday and defused a mounting confrontation with Turkey that was threatening to hamper the U.S. war effort in Iraq.
The decision, a swift reversal for the long-debated resolution, disappointed supporters who two weeks ago were optimistic that the House would approve it. "We're not going to bring it up until we're confident we have the votes to pass it," said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), who introduced the measure. "It's going to take some time."
The action extricated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) from the clash between a powerful constituency in California and an important U.S. military ally.
As the measure approached a vote, the Turkish government warned that the resolution's passage could lead to a rupture in relations and disrupt U.S. military operations in Iraq. Most of the supplies headed to U.S. forces in Iraq are flown through Turkey. The issue also came up as the United States was imploring Turkey not to send forces into northern Iraq to curb Kurdish rebel attacks.
Republican opponents welcomed the delay and blamed Pelosi for a miscalculation on an important foreign policy matter. "Fortunately, the right decision was made before this debacle turned into a full-blown national security crisis," said Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).
The resolution's backers once counted a majority of the House as sponsors. When it cleared the House Foreign Affairs Committee two weeks ago, Pelosi pledged to bring it to the floor.
"When it passed out of Foreign Affairs, I thought it was finally going to happen," said Rep. George Radanovich (R-Mariposa), a sponsor of the resolution, which calls on the president to "accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide."
But support began to ebb as President Bush and Turkey escalated their warnings and the situation in northern Iraq deteriorated. Two dozen representatives have withdrawn their support, raising doubts about whether it could pass.
Supporters said that Pelosi remained committed to the measure and that they had no choice but to bow to political reality. "If this were to come up to the floor today, it would be too close to call," said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks).
