TURKEY PAYS OVER $3 MILLION A YEAR TO JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS IN U.S. FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.10.2008 17:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) revealed that 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, ANCA Communications
Director Elizabeth Chouljian told PanARMENIAN.Net.

"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 opinion," 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 payroll since
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 Communications, Inc. is one of four public relations firms
currently representing the Government of Turkey, including DLA Piper,
Fleishman Hilliard, and the Gephardt Group, who together receive
over $3 million a year for their services. Neusner Communications
is currently paid $8,500 a month by the Embassy of the Republic of
Turkey. Leading the campaign to clean up Turkey’s image in the United
States are former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and House
Majority Leader Dick Armey. Former House Appropriations Committee
Chairman Bob Livingston ended his eight-year, $13 million lobbying
stint with Turkey earlier this year, after which he picked up a
lucrative $2.4 million contract with Lybia.