SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CALLS UPON CONGRESS TO ADVANCE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

armradio.am
02.11.2007 11:46

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted by unanimous vote a
resolution calling upon the Speaker of the US House of Representatives,
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-08), to continue to support and
immediately schedule a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H. Res. 106).

"It is time for our government to speak with moral clarity on the
historical record of the Armenian Genocide rather than be bullied by
Turkey’s brazen threats," said Haig Baghdassarian, a representative
of the Bay Area Armenian National Committee who attended the Board
of Supervisors meeting. "The Board of Supervisors vote demonstrates
the support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution by the people of
San Francisco."

San Francisco residents and elected officials, who have frequently been
at the forefront of human rights issues, have consistently supported
efforts for just policies regarding the Armenian Genocide. In 1997,
the voters of San Francisco approved the sale of Mount Davidson Cross
to Armenian-American organizations, which maintain the property
for public use and as a memorial for the victims of the Armenian
Genocide. The civic leadership in San Francisco supported these
efforts and fought attempts by genocide deniers to prevent the sale
of the Cross to Armenian-Americans, who also conducted a lengthy,
unsuccessful, legal battle to remove the memorial plaque. In September,
the plaque was stolen, and has not yet been replaced.

Mayor Gavin Newsom has consistently communicated his support for
H. Res. 106 to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Representative Tom
Lantos, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

President Peskin introduced the San Francisco measure to support San
Francisco’s Congressional members in their effort to promote a just
US policy regarding the Armenian Genocide. Calling upon the Speaker
to schedule a full vote on the bill, the San Francisco resolution
states "the proper recognition of the crime of genocide and other
crimes against humanity should never be sacrificed for perceived
political benefits."