The White House said Thursday it was "disappointed" with a vote in the US Congress labelling the Ottoman Empire's World War I massacre of Armenians a "genocide." "Certainly we are disappointed in the vote that occurred yesterday," said Scott Stanzel, a spokesman for US President George W. Bush, speaking about the vote in the House Committee of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
"We understand the feelings that poeple have about the tragic suffering of the Armenian people, and the president, as we've noted, has recognised that through presidential messages," he said. But Stanzel added that the US leader is concerned that the vote could strain relations with key ally Turkey, which has taken umbrage at the congressional move.
"Turkey is playing a critical role in the war on terror and this action is problematic for everything we're trying to do in the Middle East and would cause great harm to our efforts," Stanzel said. Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House national security council, said the president had marshalled his top aides, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defence Secretary Robert Gates, in a lobbying effort to halt the legislation.