THAT’S DEBATABLE: RESOLUTION OR RELATIONSHIP?
Daily Pilot
Oct 11 2007
A House committee approved a bill Wednesday recognizing the mass
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 as genocide. Turkish
officials warn the U.S. that if Congress approves this resolution,
Turkey may cut logistic support for U.S. troops in Iraq. Where do
you stand on this resolution and why?
Clearly a huge number of innocent Armenian civilians were slaughtered
in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. That should be admitted, and
that chapter should be closed. Had the Turks been less disruptive of
our Iraqi strategy to begin with, we might be more concerned about
their sensitivity to admitting to the atrocities of the past. The
Turks are America’s friends, but the truth is the truth, bottom line.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher
R-Newport Beach
These sorts of diplomatic issues are never black-and-white. It is clear
the government of Turkey is ignoring a well-documented genocide that
occurred almost 100 years ago. It is also clear Turkey is a key NATO
ally and friend of the United States. While I believe it is important
that nations confess the sins of their past, it is also important
for the United States to have allies in that region of the world. I
will support this resolution because denying that these events even
occurred is simply and emphatically wrong.
Honesty must form the basis of any genuine relationship, whether
between people or nations. The victims of this genocide deserve to have
their suffering acknowledged; they deserve an apology much like the
apology the United States gave to Japanese-Americans for the forced
internments of World War II. We’re asking that Turkey recognize the
events of 1915 as Genocide, while acknowledging that these events
occurred a long time ago by an undemocratic government that in no way
reflects Turkish society and culture today. This should not affect
our ongoing relationship with Turkey’s modern, Democratic government.
Rep. John Campbell
R-Newport Beach
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress