Valley Sun, CA
Feb 15 2007
Schiff, Dreier Back Genocide Resolution
Both local congressional members are supporting a call for the United
States to give official recognition to the Armenian genocide of 1915.
Congressman Adam Schiff of Glendale, who represents a large number of
Armenian-Americans in his district, has become the point man in the
effort to get official recognition for the deaths which began in
1915, and were blamed on the Ottoman Empire.
This year he has a record number of co-sponsors, some 150, including
the leader of the Republican delegation from California, David
Dreier.
In the past, the Republican Congressional leadership has bottled up
the matter, to avoid putting President George Bush on the spot with
U.S ally Turkey. This year, with Democrats in control of both houses,
the likelihood of success is greater.
Schiff was joined at a news conference by the original co-sponsors of
the resolution Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), George Radanovich
(R-CA) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Genocide survivors Mrs. Rose
Baboyan and Mrs. Sirarpi Khoyan, who recently turned 100 years old.
"The United States has a compelling historical and moral reason to
recognize the Armenian Genocide, which cost a million and a half
people their lives," said Schiff. "But we also have a powerful
contemporary reason as well – how can we take effective action
against the genocide in Darfur if we lack the will to condemn
genocide whenever and wherever it occurs? With the new leadership in
Congress, I am hopeful we can finally get this resolution passed."
"The Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the Armenian Genocide"
resolution has bipartisan support from of over 150 members of the
House of Representatives. It calls on the president to "ensure that
the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
understanding" of the "Armenian Genocide" and to "accurately
characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000
Armenians as genocide."
The resolution also has the support of the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA), the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA),
and US-Armenia Public Affairs Committee (USAPAC).
A total of 38 Republican members have signed on as co-sponsors,
including Dreier, and 39 members of the House delegation from
California.
– Charles Cooper