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
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PRESS RELEASE
March 24, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

TURKISH LOBBYIST ATTACKS ARMENIAN AMERICANS

— Former Congressman Bob Livingston Accuses Armenian American
Community of Seeking to Impose “Tyranny of the Minority”

WASHINGTON, DC – Turkey’s top Washington, DC lobbyist, former
Louisiana Congressman Bob Livingston, in perhaps his most strident
attack to date, has accused Armenian Americans of seeking to impose
a “tyranny of the minority” by urging the Congress to adopt human
rights legislation concerning the Armenian Genocide, according to
documents obtained this week by the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).

“It’s truly the height of hypocrisy for a paid foreign agent for
Turkey – a government that violates the rights of its citizens on a
wholesale basis – to try to diminish the role that American
citizens play in the formulation of our nation’s foreign policy,”
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “But, apparently, in
the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ world of Bob Livingston, other nations
dictate U.S. policy, genocides remain unpunished, and foreign
lobbyists get to silence American voters. He would do well to
spend more time encouraging his Turkish clients to learn about
democracy, and less time seeking to abridge the democratic rights
of Americans here at home.”

In letters sent to Congressional offices last September, prior to
the House International Relations Committee’s consideration of
Armenian Genocide legislation, Livingston, escalated his rhetoric
to unprecedented levels, arguing, in his capacity as a paid agent
of a foreign government, that he believed the measure “cater[s] to
a small minority of citizens promoting the narrow goals of the
minority at the expense of America’s broader interest.” He went
on, in an example of overstatement rare even by Washington, DC
standards, to contend that Armenian Genocide legislation “is the
truest expression of the tyranny of the minority.” The panel
rejected Livingston’s attack, voting 40 to 7 to approve the
legislation.

In July of last year, CongressWatch, an arm of Public Citizen,
released a 49-page report highlighting ethical concerns about the
Livingston Group’s lobbying efforts for the Turkish Government.
The report details the efforts by Livingston, to secure a “$1
billion supplemental appropriation for Turkey. . . despite that
country’s refusal to allow U.S. troops to use its soil as a staging
area for the Iraq invasion. He also helped kill an amendment that
would have formally recognized the Armenian Genocide that occurred
between 1915 and 1923.” The Livingston Group has received over $10
million in payments from Turkey. To read this entire report, visit:
veDoor.pdf

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