MADELEINE ALBRIGHT AND MAY LEAD NEW GENOCIDE PREVENTION EFFORT?
YERKIR
14.11.2007 16:42
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – The credibility of former Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen in
leading a newly launched genocide prevention initiative was called
into question, today, by reporters who cited their ongoing efforts to
block Congressional reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.106 /
S.Res.106), reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
"Sadly, the Genocide Prevention Task Force’s worthwhile efforts to
build consensus for an unconditional stand against genocide as a core
U.S. foreign policy priority are undermined right out of the box by
the fact that its leading figures, Madeleine Albright and William
Cohen, are today actively and publicly working to block American
recognition of the Armenian Genocide," stated ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian.
Secretaries Cohen and Albright were keynote speakers at a National
Press Club press conference hosted this morning by the U.S. Holocaust
Museum and Memorial, U.S. Institute for Peace, and American Academy
of Diplomacy, to announce the formation of the Genocide Prevention
Task Force, which the two will co-chair. "There are no absolutes in
this," explained Secretary Cohen, referring to U.S. action against
genocide. "There is an element of pragmatism… I think anyone serving
in public office necessarily has to have a set of balancing factors
to take into account."
Secretary Albright stressed that taking action on genocide is a
difficult decision. "These are issues people have talked about a
long time and they may come out in statements and then, ultimately,
when you’re in the government (as we both have been) and you have to
make very tough decisions, you have to look at the overall picture. I
think we have to admit that.
Otherwise, we’re not going to get off the ground here. These are very,
very hard issues."
"Secretaries Albright and Cohen can’t have it both ways. Either
they stand unconditionally against all genocides all the time, or,
by choosing to only raise their voices when it’s convenient, they
surrender their moral standing on this, the core human rights and
humanitarian issue of our time," commented Hamparian.
Albright was among 8 former Secretaries of State, who sent a letter
to House Speaker Pelosi urging her not to put the resolution on the
House floor.
October 10, with a vote 21 to 27, the House Foreign Affairs Committee
approved the Armenian Genocide resolution, which was introduced by
Rep. Adam Schiff January 30, 2007. However, in October 2007, the four
leading authors called on Speaker Pelosi to adopt a revised schedule
for the consideration of this human rights legislation.