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Los Angeles Times: â€œBarack Obama wavers on pledge to declare Armenian genocideâ€

17 March 2009 12:25 (UTC +04:00)

â€President Obama and other top administration officials pledged during the presidential campaign to officially designate the 1915 killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks as genocide. But the administration also has been soliciting Ankara’s help on Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and other security issues amid Turkish warnings that an official U.S. statement would imperil Turkey’s assistance.

Administration officials are considering postponing a presidential statement, citing progress toward a thaw in relations between Turkey and neighboring Armeniaâ€

"At this moment, our focus is on how, moving forward, the United States can help Armenia and Turkey work together to come to terms with the past," said Michael Hammer, a spokesman for the National Security Council. He said the administration was "encouraged" by improvements in relations and believed it was "important that the countries have an open and honest dialogue about the past."
Obama’s visit to Turkey has become risky for the administration, said Mark Parris, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey. "Plopping the president down over there really does raise the stakes," said Parris, now co-director of the Brookings Institution’s program on Turkey. "Now it can’t be overlooked. . . . It could carry costs to his credibility."