Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: anca@anca.org
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE
March 30, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA SEEKS ADOPTION OF DARFUR ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

— Launches New ANCA WebFax Campaign in support of
Decisive U.S. Action to Stop Genocide in Sudan

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
has joined the growing coalition seeking decisive U.S. action to
stop the ongoing Genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

In an action alert circulated to more than 50,000 activists in
every U.S. state, the ANCA called on Armenian Americans to work for
the adoption of Congressional resolutions in favor of the
appointment of a Presidential Special envoy to Sudan and the
imposition of sanctions against the Sudanese Government.

Known as the Darfur Accountability Act of 2005 (S.495), the
measure, introduced on March 2nd by Senators Jon Corzine (D-NJ) and
Sam Brownback (R-KS), calls for a new UN security Council
resolution with sanctions, an extension of the current arms embargo
to cover the Government of Sudan, and as well as the freezing of
assets of those responsible for genocide and war crimes in Darfur.
The Special Presidential Envoy for Sudan would work with all
parties and the international community to stop the genocide in
Darfur and help craft a comprehensive peace plan.

The ANCA WebFax letter reminds legislators that, “The international
community watched as Turkey massacred over 1.5 million Armenian
civilians and drove hundreds of thousands more into the desert to
die during World War I. After this first genocide of the 20th
Century, the nations of the world pledged to prevent such
atrocities in the future. And yet, over 6 million Jews and
millions of others were exterminated by the Nazis during World War
II. The world community again vowed to stop future atrocities,
proclaiming, ‘Never again.’ And yet again, over 1.7 million
Cambodians were killed under Pol Pot’s repressive regime in the
1970’s, and less than 20 years later after that, 800,000 Tutsi
civilians were slaughtered in Rwanda in 1994. I urge you to take
action to end this cycle and move us to finally realize the call –
‘Never Again.'”

Joining Senators Corzine and Brownback in cosponsoring the Darfur
Accountability Act in the Senate are Evan Bayh (D-IN), Barbara
Boxer (D-CA), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Susan Collins
(R-ME), Mark Dayton (D-MD), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Christopher Dodd
(D-CT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russell Feingold (D-WI), John Kerry
(D-MA), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Frank Lautenberg
(D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Patty Murray
(D-WA), Benjamin Nelson (R-NE), and Jim Talent (R-MO).

Similar legislation was introduced in the House on March 17th by
New Jersey Democrat Donald Payne and have 11 cosponsors including
Representatives Michael Capuano (D-MA), John Conyers (D-MI), Tom
Lantos (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Gregory Meeks (D-CA), Joseph
Pitts (R-PA), Charles Rangel (D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Thomas
Tancredo (R-CO), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS).

Following the introduction of the Darfur Accountability Act,
Illinois Senator Richard Durbin spoke in the support of the
measure, citing a state’s inherent responsibility to stop genocide:
“‘Genocide’ is a word this is rarely used in human history,”
explained Sen. Durbin. “There have been genocides against the
Armenian people and the Jewish people during the Holocaust, perhaps
in Pol Pot’s times in Cambodia, and other times we can point to.
Rarely do we use the word. It is a word that is freighted with
responsibility. You cannot just say there is genocide in some part
of the world and isn’t that a shame. We signed a genocide treaty
that said once we detect a genocide, we go to international
organizations – the United States does – and demand action. So
using the word “genocide,” as the Bush administration has done, is
a good thing because it prods us to do something, but it is a
challenge that we must meet on something this timely and
important.”

The escalation of Congressional efforts regarding the Darfur
Genocide coincides with an expanded Sudanese government effort to
deny its role in the ongoing tragedy. In a March 22nd front page
Washington Post article, Sudan’s First Vice-President Ali Uthman
Muhammad Taha argued that, “his government had received an unfair
share of the blame for the war in Darfur.” The Washington Post
article, which presented highlights from an interview with the
First Vice-President continued: “We do understand and appreciate
people having sympathy with the victims of Darfur,” said Taha, 57,
who called the situation a ‘sad chapter’ in Sudan’s history. But he
added: “This was not genocide, but an unfortunate internal
conflict… that has nothing to do with ethnic cleansing. We urge
people to see the difference between the innocents caught in the
middle and the rebels who are escalating their claims to gain
sympathy.”

“Genocide denial – of past atrocities or ongoing massacres – only
serves to encourage perpetrators – emboldening them with the
knowledge that their crimes can be committed with impunity,” said
Hamparian. “As Armenian Americans, we are reminded by the Sudanese
government’s efforts to blame the victims – like its hollow claims
of self-defense – of the Turkish government’s campaign – now in its
ninth decade, to escape responsibility for the Armenian Genocide.”

Express your support for the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act of
2005 by sending a free ANCA WebFax to Congress from the ANCA
website Additional information about the Darfur
Genocide can be found at:

Africa Action

Save Darfur

From: Baghdasarian