[JURIST] Representatives in the US House have begun to pull back support for a resolution [HR 106 materials; text] labeling as genocide the World War I-era killings of over one million Armenians by Turkish soldiers [ANCA backgrounder; Turkish DC Embassy backgrounder], with nearly a dozen members of Congress changing their position on the vote since Monday, the New York Times reported Wednesday. US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that the House will vote on the resolution [JURIST report], with Senate Majority Leader Steny Hoyer expressing a belief that the bill would pass without difficulty. However, members of the House have now indicated that their support for the bill has waned due to warnings from Turkey that the passage of the bill would affect relations between the US and Turkey.

The resolution was approved by the House Foreign Relations Committee [JURIST report] last week and will go to a vote before the full House. On Sunday, Turkish General and commander of the Turkish Armed Forces Yasar Buyukanit [official profile] warned that US-Turkish ties will be permanently damaged if the House passes the resolution [JURIST report]. Last Wednesday, US President George W. Bush expressed disappointment [press briefing] over the committee decision and urged the full House not to approve the resolution out of concern that it could alienate Turkey, a key US supporter in the war on terror. The New York Times has more.

2:52 PM ET – US Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) said Wednesday that he expects a House vote on the resolution would fail and urged House leadership to reconsider [press release] putting the resolution to a vote on the House floor. AP has more.