WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Supporters of a congressional resolution that would have declared the Ottoman-era killings of Armenians `` genocide '' dropped their call for a vote on the measure Thursday . Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the resolution 's consequences on the war in Iraq would be `` quite dire . '' The resolution spurred fierce criticism from NATO ally Turkey , where officials acknowledge the killings of Armenians during World War I but vehemently object to the designation `` genocide . '' Turkish leaders threatened to curtail U.S. access to bases vital to supporting the more than 160,000 American troops in Iraq if the measure passed . The Bush administration , which is trying to persuade Turkey not to launch cross-border raids against Kurdish rebels in Iraq , had lobbied aggressively against the resolution as well . Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a House committee Thursday that the resolution 's consequences on the war in Iraq would be `` quite dire . '' The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the resolution earlier this month . But Rep. Rahm Emanuel , the No . 3 Democrat in the House of Representatives , conceded last week that `` the votes are not there '' for the resolution to clear the full House . In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , its major sponsors wrote that the measure would pass `` if the timing is more favorable . '' Pelosi , D-California , had promised to schedule a floor vote if the resolution made it out of committee , but told reporters Thursday that she accepted the sponsors ' request to set the matter aside . Though the sponsors , led by California Democrat Adam Schiff , suggested the measure could be brought back later this year , a senior Democratic leadership aide said the issue is off the table indefinitely . `` This is not going to be taken up until next year at the earliest , '' the aide said . Historians estimate about 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire -- the predecessor of modern Turkey -- during World War I . But Turkey , now a secular and democratic Muslim nation , and masses of its people reject the term genocide , viewing the deaths as part of a war that claimed lives among all peoples in the region . House Minority Leader John Boehner , R-Ohio , said the handling of the issue raises questions about the judgment of Democratic leaders -- `` a pattern that is undermining our national security . '' `` Given Turkey 's importance in the war on terror , the role it plays in the care of our troops on the ground , and their close alliance with us in NATO , attempting to force a vote on this resolution in the first place was just plain reckless , '' Boehner said in a written statement after the news emerged . E-mail to a friend .
House speaker said Thursday she accepts sponsors ' request to set vote aside . The Senate is expected to take up the bill next week and send it back for a final vote. ` genocide '' Administration said resolution would hurt relations with Turkey , a key ally .