TURKEY HIRES FORMER BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TO FIGHT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION

armradio.am
22.10.2008 10:23

The Turkish Government has hired former Bush Administration official,
Noam Neusner, to harness Jewish American support for a pro-Turkey
agenda in Congress, with defeat of the Armenian Genocide Resolution as
his top priority, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).

"If Turkey had a credible case to make to the Jewish American community
– which has grown weary of Ankara’s pressure to deny the Armenian
Genocide – it wouldn’t need to be spending this kind of money in a
misguided attempt to manipulate Jewish American pinion," said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Sadly, it seems that for $8,500
a month from a foreign government, Neusner Communications is putting
at risk the well-deserved reputation of the Jewish American community
as a powerful opponent of all genocides and a defender of universal
human rights."

This revelation came as part of a September 30, 2008, mandatory
U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) Foreign Agent Registration
Act filings by Neusner Communications, LLC, a Washington, DC public
relations firm that has been on the Turkish Government payrollsince
September, 2007. The initial registration document submitted by the
firm cites "policy goals" including "U.S. Jewish efforts to promote
a pro-Turkey agenda in the U.S. Congress."

Neusner Communications LLC is tasked to ensure "regular emails and
phone calls to Jewish leaders highlighting Turkey’s relationship
with Israel" and facilitating the "creation of working relationships
between U.S.-based Jewish and Turkish community groups."

Neusner’s filings reveal that the first order of business for the
public relations firm was, in September and October of last year, to
contact top Jewish-American organizations regarding pending Armenian
Genocide legislation, H.Res.106. Beginning with a phone conversation
with AIPAC Director of National Affairs and Development Jon Missner on
September 17th, Neusner personally contacted groups, including JINSA,
the American Jewish Congress, Anti-Defamation League, B’nai B’rith,
Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, and the Jewish
Council for Public Affairs some 23 times over the next four weeks
regarding H.Res.106. The House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted the
Armenian Genocide Resolution on October 11th by a vote of 27 to 21.

The U.S. DOJ filings note subsequent emails by Neusner with the ADL’s
Director of Government and National Affairs Jess Hordes regarding "ADL
action on HR 106," and ADL Director "Abe Foxman’s visit to Turkey"
in May, 2008. Neusner continued to hold meetings with AIPAC’s Jon
Missner and National Political Director Rob Bassin regarding the
Armenian Genocide Resolution, including one on November 29th. Seven
months later, Neusner held a follow up meeting with Missner and AIPAC
Director of Research and Information Rafi Danziger to discuss "Turkish
concerns about Armenian issue; lack of support on the Hill from Jewish
orgs." The meeting came just one day after the House Foreign Affairs
Committee held a two- hour hearing on the South Caucasus region,
with specific focus on Turkey’s ongoing blockade of Armenia. In total,
in the span of one year, Neusner Communications contacted or met with
Jewish American groups at least 100 times – 32 times specifically to
discuss Armenian Genocide legislation or Armenian American concerns.

Neusner is well-known to Jewish American leaders, having served
as President Bush’s liaison to the U.S. Jewish community from 2002
through 2005, in addition to his capacity as Special Assistant to the
President for Economic Speechwriting. Neusner’s DOJ filingsindicate
that he was hired by the "Embassy of the Republic of Turkey through
DiNovo Strategies and Fleishman Hilliard." DiNovo Strategies partner
Jay Footlik served as Clinton Administration liaison to Jewish
Americans and to European and Mediterranean groups, including the
Armenian American community.