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UP FRONTThursday 17 March 2016

Kerry to miss deadline on Islamic State genocide question

MATTHEW LEE                    Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to reporters at the State Department in Washington. The                                      as genocide.
AP Diplomatic Writer           Obama administration is nearing a decision on whether to formally declare that Islamic State                                      Reaction to the delay from
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sec-         group atrocities against religious minorities, including Christians, constitute “genocide.” Kerry                                 lawmakers was swift.
retary of State John Kerry     is leaning toward making the determination and could do so as early as next week, when a                                          “This is heartbreaking.
will miss this week’s con-     congressional deadline for action has been set, according to several administration officials.                                    There has been ample time
gressional deadline for de-                                                                                                                                      for analysis. The evidence
ciding whether atrocities                                                                                                                (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)  of ISIS genocide against
by the Islamic State against                                                                                                                                     Christians, Yezidis, and oth-
Christians and other minori-   completed by the congres- as well as Congress, and mination. Earlier this week,                                                   ers is horrifyingly clear,” said
ties in Iraq and Syria should                                                                                                                                    Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who
be designated genocide,        sionally-mandated dead- we expect him to reach a the House passed a non-                                                          authored the bill. “I cannot
the State Department said                                                                                                                                        understand the hesitation
Wednesday.                     line tomorrow. However, decision very soon.”                binding resolution by a                                               by the State Department.”
Department spokesman                                                                                                                                             “There’s absolutely no rea-
Mark Toner said Kerry is       this issue is clearly of the Congress had set a March vote of 393-0 condemning                                                    son for further delay,” said
taking a “measured” ap-                                                                                                                                          Rep. Ed Royce, chairman
proach and while his deci-     utmost importance to him 17 deadline for the deter- Islamic State group actions                                                   of the House Foreign Affairs
sion will come “soon” it will                                                                                                                                    Committee. An executive
not meet Thursday’s dead-                                                                                                                                        branch determination of
line. Other officials said                                                                                                                                       genocide by the Islamic
they expected the deter-                                                                                                                                         State would mark only the
mination could be made                                                                                                                                           second time a U.S. admin-
next week. “He recogniz-                                                                                                                                         istration has reached that
es the seriousness of the                                                                                                                                        conclusion while a conflict
atrocities committed by                                                                                                                                          is ongoing. The first was in
this terrorist group as well                                                                                                                                     2004, when Secretary of
as the importance of this                                                                                                                                        State Colin Powell deter-
issue to its victims and sur-                                                                                                                                    mined that atrocities be-
vivors,” Toner told report-                                                                                                                                      ing committed in Sudan’s
ers. “Given the scope and                                                                                                                                        Darfur region constituted
the breadth of the analysis                                                                                                                                      genocide. Powell reached
he’s contemplating, he will                                                                                                                                      that determination amid
not have a final decision                                                                                                                                        much lobbying from hu-
                                                                                                                                                                 man rights groups but only
Canada to seek UN Security Council seat for 2021-22                                                                                                              after State Department
                                                                                                                                                                 lawyers advised him that
DAVE BRYAN                     in peacekeeping efforts      Council in 2000.               Secretary-General Ban Ki-                                             it would not — contrary
Associated Press               as evidence of a renewed     “It’s time for Canada to       moon’s visit to Canada                                                to legal advice offered to
UNITED NATIONS (AP)            commitment to engage-        step up once again,”           and meeting with Trudeau                                              previous administrations —
— Prime Minister Justin        ment in world affairs.       Trudeau said. Canada will      last month.                                                           obligate the United States
Trudeau said Wednesday         Trudeau, who took office in  compete                        Canada has served six                                                 to take action to stop it.
that Canada will seek a        November,                    with Ireland and Norway        times on the Security Coun-                                           In that case, the lawyers
two-year term on the U.N.      said Canada’s ideals align   for two available seats on     cil since the late 1940s. In                                          decided that the 1948
Security                       with many of those dear      the council.                   2010 it lost a seat to Portu-                                         U.N. Convention against
Council starting in 2021,      to the U.N., including hu-   Trudeau’s announcement         gal, a defeat blamed on a                                             genocide did not require
citing the country’s reset-    man rights, gender equality  at the U.N. in front of about  lackluster attempt by the                                             states to prevent geno-
tling of Syrian refugees       and diversity. Canada last   300 diplomats, staffers and    Conservative government                                               cide from taking place
and a desire to take part      held a seat on the Security  others came after U.N.         then in charge.                                                       outside of their territory.
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