Iran: Bush denies Armenian genocide

US President has opposed moves to term the deaths of hundreds of

thousands of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire as 'genocide'.

A US House resolution would ask the president to declare the killings
of as many as 1.5 million Armenians nine decades ago a genocide.

In a statement, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said " Bush has
reiterated his opposition to this resolution," adding that "the
president has described the events as one of the tragedies of the 20th
century, but believes the determination of whether or not the events
constitute a genocide should be a matter for historical inquiry, not
legislation."

Turkey denies that a systematic slaughter of Armenians took place,
saying Armenians and Turks alike were killed in ethnic clashes between
1915 and 1923 after Armenian groups sided with Russia in World War I.

Turkey as a key regional ally for the United States has warned that
the passing of the draft would have defective consequences for the two
countries' relations.

A similar draft to the resolution before Congress was pulled from the
House floor in October 2000 following an intervention by then
president Bill Clinton.

Armenian News Network