Turkey recognizes that the events of 1915 are of great concern to many Armenians. In an effort to put this painful history to rest, it has offered to cooperate fully in a review considered by historians from numerous parties—not just Turkish and Armenia, and has opened its archives. Armenian archives remain closed.

Such resolutions prejudice and damage the objective and truthful study and understanding of the Ottoman Armenian tragedy by accepting only the Armenian side of the story.

Reliable statistics show that slightly less than 600,000 Anatolian Armenians died in the wars of 1912-22, not 1.5 or 2 million, as is often claimed. By no means is 600,000 is a small number. However, Armenians were not the only group to befall such tragedies. Statistics show that 2.5 million Anatolian Muslims, Turks and Kurds died as well. In the area claimed by the Armenians as part of their homeland, more than one million Muslims were killed or died due to the ravages of war. These Muslims, no less than the Armenians, suffered a terrible mortality.

Genocide is the highest crime in human history. Under the 1948 UN Convention, the authority to prosecute and proclaim genocide is reserved for the International Court of Justice and the competent domestic courts of party States—not a legislative body.

This resolution belies bad policy and works against American principles of fairness and justice. Turkey deserves a fair hearing on this issue and is willing to accept the outcome, as made public by Turkish government officials.

US relations with Turkey and the larger Muslim community are at stake in the Resolution. At a time when public opinion of the United States in the Muslim world is disturbingly low, the passage of such a Resolution would bring greater contempt for the United States, inhibiting US relations not only with Turkey, but the broader Muslim world.