Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email anca@anca.org
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
PALLONE URGES U.N. TO STAND UP AGAINST TURKEY’S DENIALS
Unless the United Nations takes a stand against
Turkey’s denial, its value to the international
community is greatly undermined.
— Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
WASHINGTON, DC – In remarks delivered yesterday on the floor of the
U.S. House of Representatives, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-
Chairman Frank Pallone (R-MI) sharply criticized the United Nations
for caving in to Turkey’s pressure to block a long-awaited exhibit
on the Rwanda Genocide because one of its display panels included a
reference to the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
The New Jersey legislator stressed, in his remarks to his House
colleagues, that, "As a representative of the international
community, the United Nations must be the leading voice against
genocide. That includes all genocides, including the Armenian
Genocide. Unless the United Nations takes a stand against Turkey’s
denial, its value to the international community is greatly
undermined." Speaking to the dangerous precedent set by genocide
denial, he noted that, "Turkey’s policy of denying the Armenian
genocide gives cover to those who perpetrate genocide everywhere.
If the cycle is to end, there must be accountability for genocide."
The controversy surrounding Turkey’s objections to the Rwanda
exhibit, which had been organized by the Aegis Trust, has been
covered extensively in the international media, and was the subject
of a powerful New York Times editorial criticizing the United
Nations for caving in to Turkey’s objections.
The ANCA, on April 11th, called upon the United Nations to reject
Turkey’s historically unfounded and patently immoral objections,
and to reverse its recent decision to close the Rwanda Genocide
exhibit. In a letter addressed to Kiyotaka Akasaka, Under-
Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, ANCA
Chairman Ken Hachkian expressed the "Armenian American community’s
profound disappointment over [the] decision to allow the Turkish
government to delay – and quite possibly cancel – a United Nations
exhibit intended to help ensure that the lessons of the Rwanda
Genocide are used to help prevent future genocides."
The full text of Congressman Pallone’s remarks is provided below.
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Remarks by Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
April 19, 2007
UNITED NATIONS MUST BE LEADING VOICE AGAINST GENOCIDE
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am strongly disappointed that United
Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has given in to Turkey’s
demands and cancelled an exhibit commemorating the 13th anniversary
of the Rwanda genocide.
Turkey, as usual, was offended by references in the exhibit to the
Armenian genocide in Turkey during World War I.
As a representative of the international community, the United
Nations must be the leading voice against genocide. That includes
all genocides, including the Armenian genocide. Unless the United
Nations takes a stand against Turkey’s denial, its value to the
international community is greatly undermined.
As the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian genocide approaches,
Turkey’s recent behavior is yet another example of why it is so
important for Congress to reaffirm the Armenian genocide by passing
H. Res. 106. Over the past year, Turkey has pulled out of NATO
exercises after France affirmed the Armenian genocide. They have
threatened U.S. troops in Iraq if the U.S. reaffirms the Armenian
genocide. And now they are preventing the U.N. from honoring the
victims of the Rwandan genocide. Their denial has no limits.
The United States must never allow crimes against humanity to pass
without remembrance and condemnation. As a society, we cannot
effectively work to end crimes against humanity without recognizing
those that have previously occurred.
Far too many times we have seen the horrible consequences of
ignoring genocide. Even after unprecedented humanitarian efforts by
Americans, the Armenian genocide had become the "forgotten
genocide," and in 1939 Adolf Hitler exclaimed to his generals to
have no mercy by stating, and I quote, "who, after all, speaks
today of the annihilation of the Armenians?
In 1994 world leaders witnessed the Hutu leaders of Rwanda kill
800,000 Rwandans, and did nothing. Today we sit idly by as militias
massacre innocent citizens in Darfur; and, again, world leaders do
virtually nothing. There are lessons to be learned by history.
Unfortunately, Turkey has undermined the intent of the U.N. exhibit
to help teach the lessons of genocide inaction.
Turkey’s policy of denying the Armenian genocide gives cover to
those who perpetrate genocide everywhere. If the cycle is to end,
there must be accountability for genocide. Genocide denial is the
last stage of genocide.
Mr. Speaker, when will today’s world leaders stop letting Turkey
deny its past? It is bad enough for Turkey to threaten and
prosecute its own citizens for discussing these crimes, but to
threaten to retaliate against countries that acknowledge the
Armenian genocide is appalling and unacceptable. As a global
community we must collectively stand for historical truth and
recognize the worst humanitarian crimes that we have seen.
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