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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ROTHMAN LEADS CONGRESSIONAL REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION OF
VICE PRESIDENT’S LETTER TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SURVIVOR

— Vice President Cheney’s April 22nd letter to
Maritza Ohanessian Properly Characterized
the Armenian Genocide as a Genocide

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) was joined
today by twenty-one of his House colleagues in calling on Vice President
Dick Cheney to clarify if his letter to a survivor of the Armenian
Genocide, in which he properly – but uncharacteristically –
described the Armenian Genocide as a genocide, represented a formal
shift in the Administration’s policy, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a letter dated April 22, 2005 and signed by the Vice President,
he honored Maritza Ohanesian of West Hartford, Connecticut as the
oldest living survivor of the Armenian Genocide. In the letter to
the Vice President, the Congressional signers of the Rothman letter
noted that, “We are confident that your letter to Ms. Ohanesian
represented perhaps the greatest birthday gift in her lifetime, a
letter from the Vice-President of the United States of America
using this important language.”

“Armenian Americans value the principled leadership of Congressman
Rothman and express their appreciation to all those who joined with
him in calling for a much needed explanation from the Administration,”
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It would seem that,
in answering the concerns raised by these Members of Congress, the
Vice-President has two choices – to publicly accept responsibility
for his letter, or to personally explain to Mrs. Ohanesian exactly
why it is that he cannot stand by his words.”

Joining Congressman Rothman as signatories to this letter were
Representatives Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Lois Capps (D-CA), Joe Crowley
(D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Barney Frank (D-MA), Patrick Kennedy (D-
RI), Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL), Sander Levin (D-MI), Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), James McGovern (D-MA), Michael
McNulty (D-NY), Richard Neal (D-MA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ),.
George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA),
Mark Souder (R-IN), John Tierney (D-MA), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), and
Peter Visclosky (D-IN).

The full text of the Congressional letter is provided below:

#####

June 15, 2005

Dear Vice-President Cheney,

We were recently pleased to learn that you appear to share the same
views as those of us who recognize the Armenian Genocide and use
that specific phrase to describe the atrocities that took place
between 1915 through 1918 in the Ottoman Empire.

In a letter dated April 22, 2005, you wrote to Ms. Maritza
Ohanesian of West Hartford, Connecticut, to honor her as the oldest
living survivor of the Armenian Genocide. We are confident that
your letter to Ms. Ohanesian represented perhaps the greatest
birthday gift in her lifetime, a letter from the Vice-President of
the United States of America using this important language.

We are hopeful that your use of this critical phrase represents a
long overdue recognition on the part of the Bush administration,
that the horrors perpetrated upon the Armenians by the Ottoman
Empire during World War I, constituted the first genocide of the
20th century.

Please let us know if this is the case.

Sincerely,

[22 Congressional signatures]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress