Turkish Press
April 25 2005
Press Review
Milliyet:
NOT SAYING `GENOCIDE,’ BUSH PRAISES PROPOSAL FOR JOINT PROBE INTO
ARMENIAN `CALAMITY’
In his annual April 24 speech on the Armenian issue, US President
George W. Bush followed tradition and again did not use the word
`genocide’ to describe what happened in 1915, but he did praise
Turkey’s call for a joint probe into the events. `We remember the
forced exile and mass killings of as many as 1.5 million Armenians
during the last days of the Ottoman Empire,’ said Bush yesterday.
`This terrible event is what many Armenian people have come to call
the `Great Calamity.’ I join my fellow Americans and Armenian people
around the world in expressing my deepest condolences for this
horrible loss of life. Today, as we commemorate the 90th anniversary
of this human tragedy and reflect on the suffering of the Armenian
people, we also look toward a promising future for an independent
Armenian state. … We call on the government of Armenia to advance
democratic freedoms that will further advance the aspirations of the
Armenian people. We remain committed to a lasting and peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.’ Bush further stated,
`We also seek a deeper partnership with Armenia that includes
security cooperation and is rooted in the shared values of democratic
and market economic freedoms. I applaud individuals in Armenia and
Turkey who have sought to examine the historical events of the early
20th century with honesty and sensitivity. We look to a future of
freedom, peace, and prosperity in Armenia and Turkey and hope that
[Turkish] Prime Minister Erdogan’s recent proposal for a joint
Turkish-Armenian commission can help advance these processes. … On
this solemn day of remembrance, I send my best wishes and expressions
of solidarity to Armenian people around the world.’ In related news,
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared April 24 as a day
of remembrance for the so-called genocide. /Milliyet/