PRESS RELEASE
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
CONTACT: Andrew Souvall or Jennifer Cannata
Te: (202) 225-4671

September 15, 2005

HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION LEGISLATION

Pallone Calls On Speaker Hastert To Allow Floor Vote This Year
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), co-chairman
of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and one of the lead
authors of legislation that recognizes the Armenian Genocide, praised
the House International Relations Committee for approving the
legislation and encouraged House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to
allow a vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives this
year.

The New Jersey congressman introduced H.R. 316 in June with
U.S. Reps. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), co-chairman of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George Radanovich
(R-CA).

The resolution calls on the president to ensure that the foreign
policy of the U.S. reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity
concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing and
genocide documented in the U.S. record relating to the Armenian
Genocide.

“Today the House International Relations Committee moved this Congress
one step closer to finally recognizing the atrocious acts inflicted by
the Ottoman Turks on the Armenian people,” Pallone said.

“It is now up to Speaker Hastert to realize the importance of this
legislation, and finally allow a floor vote,” Pallone said. “I
continue to believe that if the entire House has an opportunity to
vote on recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the truth will win out and
American recognition will finally occur.”

Pallone and his colleagues have worked for years to have the
U.S. Congress join the likes of Canada, France, Italy, Poland and
Sweden in acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.

“If America is going to live up to the standards we set for ourselves,
and continue to lead the world in affirming human rights everywhere,
we need to stand up and recognize the tragic events that began in 1915
for what they were—the systematic elimination of a people,” Pallone
continued. “The fact of the Armenian Genocide is not in dispute; the
only step left is to reject the deniers.

“It takes humanity to overcome the ignorance that spurs the evil
crimes of Genocide, and it’s time the U.S. government recognizes these
actions for what they were so that we can prevent such atrocities from
occurring again,” Pallone said. “The healing process cannot actually
begin until recognition takes place, and that’s why passage of this
resolution is so important.”

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