BUSH SAYS WORLD MUST NEVER FORGET

ArmRadio.am
25.04.2006 11:33

In his annual April 24th commemoration statement, President Bush
described the “mass killings” and “exile” of 1.5 million Armenians
noting that this was a “tragedy for all humanity and one that we and
the world must never forget.”

The statement was delivered following strongly worded letters from
more than 200 House and Senate leaders last week, asking the President
to properly acknowledge the genocide in his annual statement.

“Today, we remember one of the horrible tragedies of the 20th century –
the mass killings and forced exile of as many as 1.5 million Armenians
in the final days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. This was a tragedy
for all humanity and one that we and the world must never forget.

We mourn this terrible chapter of history and recognize that it remains
a source of pain for people in Armenia and for all those who believe in
freedom, tolerance, and the dignity and value of every human life. It
is a credit to the human spirit and generations of Armenians who live
in Armenia, America, and around the globe that they have overcome
this suffering and proudly preserved their centuries-old culture,
traditions, and religion,” President Bush said.

Bush’s statement, as in years past, encourages dialogue between Turks
and Armenians and states that “The analysis by the International Center
for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), while not the final word, has made a
significant contribution toward deepening our understanding of these
Events.” The ICTJ report, issued in 2003, reached the conclusion that:
“The Events, viewed collectively, can thus be said to include all of
the elements of the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention,
and legal scholars as well as historians, politicians, journalists
and other people would be justified in continuing to so describe
them.” The President’s reference to ICTJ serves as an implicit
acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.

In his statement, the President also says that the US applauds
Armenia’s democratic reforms and seeks to help bolster Armenia’s
security and deepen its inclusion in the Euro-Atlantic community. The
President also encouraged a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, adding “We remain committed to securing a peaceful and
lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and hope the
leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take bold steps to achieve
this goal.”