Kerry says he’ll recognize alleged Armenian genocide

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
03 September 2004

‘I assure you I will continue struggling against the denial of Armenian
genocide as president. My administration will label April 24, 2005,
as the 90th anniversary of this violent act,’ says Kerry

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

U.S. Democrat candidate for the upcoming presidential elections,
John Kerry, has said his administration will label the 1915-1918
events as genocide of Armenians by Turks if he becomes U.S. president.

Other previous U.S. presidential candidates had made promises to
recognize the alleged genocide, but what differs Kerry from other
candidates is his active support in the U.S. Senate for the recognition
of the alleged killings, a news report on the private NTV television
Web site said yesterday.

Kerry sent a letter to a music festival in Massachusetts organized
by an Armenian association in the United States, namely, the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

“I assure you I will continue struggling against the denial of Armenian
genocide as president. My administration will label April 24, 2005,
as the 90th anniversary of this violent act, and will work for this
crime against humanity to be used to prevent future genocides,”
the Web-site quoted the letter as saying.

Kerry’s remarks caused uneasiness in Ankara, NTV said.

ANCA, known for its hard-line opposition of Turkey and staunch position
for recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide, declared support
for John Kerry at the beginning of this month.

“For Armenian-Americans the clear choice is John Kerry,” said Ken
Hachikian, chairman of the hard-line ANCA group. “Senator Kerry has
been a friend of the Armenian-American community for over 20 years,
with a proven track record of fighting hard for issues of concern to
Armenian-Americans across the nation,” he added.

Armenians claim 1.5 million of their ancestors were killed between 1915
and 1918 as part of a genocide campaign at the hands of the former
Ottoman Empire. Turkey categorically denies the claims, saying the
death toll was inflated and that the deaths occurred as the Ottoman
Empire was trying to quell civil unrest.

Parliaments of 15 countries, including France, have labelled the
20th-century events as genocide, but the United States has so far
refrained from doing so, thanks largely to past administrations’
efforts. A resolution calling for the recognition of the alleged
genocide was shelved at the last minute in 2000 after the then
President Bill Clinton intervened.