GEORGE BUSH AGAIN FAILED TO SAY "GENOCIDE"
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
April 25 2007
In his annual April 24th statement commemorating the Armenian Genocide,
U.S. President Bush characterized the events that had began on this
date in 1915 as "one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century"
and honored the memory of the 1.5 million "victims of mass killings
and forced exile," but failed to properly acknowledge the incontestable
fact of the Armenian Genocide.
"President Bush’s statement fails to take into account the shameless
campaign of denial and distortion," said Armenian Assembly of America
Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian. "In the memory of our
parents and grandparents, who perished during that time, we will make
sure that the Armenian Genocide is universally affirmed. Despite the
attempts of the deniers of the Genocide, the truth will prevail,"
he continued.
The statement also ignores the political assassination of Hrant Dink,
who was prosecuted under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for
"insulting Turkishness" by speaking the truth. Sadly, Hrant Dink
was murdered in broad daylight and became the latest victim of the
Armenian Genocide and the consequence of its denial.
Prior to the issuance of President Bush’s statement, Congressional
leaders urged him to use the opportunity to reaffirm the United States’
record on the Armenian Genocide. "As U.S. efforts to aid victims
of genocide continue, it is imperative that we pay tribute to the
memory of others, who have suffered, and to never forget the past. By
commemorating the Armenian Genocide, we renew our commitment to prevent
future atrocities and therefore negate the dictum that history is
condemned to repeat itself," wrote Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), co-chairs of the bipartisan Armenian Caucus.
Bush’s statement comes as the deniers continue to use every tactic
imaginable, including the pretext of a "joint commission of historians"
to further delay U.S. recognition. The International Association
of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), whose purpose is to study genocide,
unequivocally affirms the fact of the Armenian Genocide. In
a letter to Congress, the IAGS urges support for H. Res. 106,
the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA),
the lead sponsor of the Armenian Genocide legislation in the House,
told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last month with respect to
a conference of historians – "I don’t think we want to get in the
business of encouraging conferences of historians on the undeniable
facts of the Armenian Genocide." Congressman Schiff also stated that
"rather than urging the Congress to ignore the Armenian Genocide or
urging us in effect to abide by Turkish Section 301 not to offend or
insult Turkishness, I think it’s more productive to be urging Turkey
to recognize the Genocide and work on the relationship between the
U.S. and Turkey so it can survive a clear statement of the truth."