Zaman, Turkey
April 24 2004

Kerry Plays Politics: Recognizes ‘So-Called Armenian Genocide’

November inches ever nearer, which means election year politics have
come into full swing. The Democratic Party’s Presidential candidate,
Senator John Kerry, claimed that 1.5 million Armenians were the
victims of genocide during the Ottoman Era.

Kerry issued a statement for April 24, which is the day Armenians
accept as a remembrance day for ‘so-called genocide’. Kerry said:
“April 24 marks the 89th anniversary of the start of the Armenian
genocide. The Former Ottoman Empire’s rulers killed or exiled 1.5
million Armenian women, men and children with a systematic cleansing
policy. Americans of Armenian origin keep this tragedy alive in our
minds and they remind us to undertake the responsibility to guarantee
such dreadful events never take place again.”

Kerry also pointed out that he has been an important supporter of
Armenian issues for a long time. He said that he was among the
senators who requested that U.S. President George W. Bush push Turkey
to lift its embargo on Armenia.

04.24.2004
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Washington, D.C.