PRESS RELEASE
November 14, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
Armenian Assembly of America Recalls Vice President-Elect Biden’s
Historic and Current Contributions Toward Armenian Genocide Recognition
and Prevention
1989 Senate Committee Video, Hrant Dink Legislation, Q&A with New U.S.
Ambassador to Turkey, James Jeffrey, and more
Washington, DC – As Armenian-American groups, and others, continue to
congratulate President-Elect Barack Obama and Vice-President Elect
Joseph Biden, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) recalls key
chapters in Vice President-Elect Biden’s historic and current
contributions toward Armenian Genocide recognition and defense of basic
human rights.
Biden Champions Armenian Genocide Resolution in Senate Judiciary
Committee – See Exclusive Armenian Assembly Video
Throughout his tenure, Senator Biden (D-DE) consistently pressed for
genocide affirmation and prevention. Among the defining moments with
respect to the Armenian Genocide, the October 17, 1989, Senate Judiciary
Committee mark-up of legislation affirming the Armenian Genocide,
remains an outstanding example of Senator Biden’s efforts and tenacity
in this regard.
As Chairman of this influential Committee, Senator Biden successfully
ensured passage of this important human rights legislation (S.J.Res.
212) and in so doing, reinforced the historical truth of the Armenian
Genocide, as reflected by the overwhelming quantity of official U.S.
Department of State records deposited at the U.S. National Archives.
During consideration of
S.J.Res. 212, Biden summarily rejected the assertion by 69 historians
that there was debate as to whether the Armenian Genocide had occurred
and equated it to those that would deny the existence of the Holocaust.
"There are 65[69] historians, just like there were, I could probably dig
up, if I had time, 65[69] historians, idiots, who would argue there was
no Holocaust in World War II." In addition, Chairman Biden squarely
addressed concerns others raised, including interference from the
Republic of Turkey stating: "The fact the Turkish government is offended
by this is of no consequence to the Senator from Delaware. The Turkish
government and other governments are always offended when something
occurs." Senator Biden also recalled the official U.S. diplomatic
record, of which U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau cabled the U.S.
Department of State to alert America to the horrific campaign of race
extermination underway against the Armenian people in 1915.
Biden Presses Administration on Genocide Affirmation and the Need for
Reconciliation during Confirmation Process of Ambassador-Designates to
Armenia and Turkey
As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Vice
President-Elect Biden also repeatedly pressed the George W. Bush
Administration to reaffirm the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide
and also encouraged Turkey to reconcile with its past.
In his questioning of Ambassador James Jeffrey, Biden pointed out that
President Bush has on more than one occasion noted that the analysis of
the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which was
commissioned by the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC),
"marked a significant step" toward reconciliation efforts. Biden then
added that it would be more prudent to build on already existing TARC
recommendations rather than convening a new commission.
Turkey has regularly called for a new commission of historians to
review the Armenian Genocide, as means to avoid coming to terms with
its past and to divert other countries’ attention from its record of
denial; Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan, among others, has made the
point that some would like to keep creating commissions until one
might finally agree with the Turkish position. TARC was a joint
Turkish Armenian Commission, which commissioned and published the ICTJ
legal opinion characterizing the Armenian Genocide as one meeting the
UN definition."
Ambassador Jeffrey had no choice but to recognize that President Bush
had endorsed the ICTJ opinion and TARC recommendations, while also
acknowledging their significance. However, he failed to draw the same
logical inference Ambassador John Evans and so many others have. The
Assembly is releasing Ambassador Jeffrey’s responses to Senator Biden
in full, for the first time.
While the Administration did not revoke its anti-Evans doctrine, which
disallowed State Department personnel from affirming the Armenian
Genocide, Biden and other Members of the Committee received assurances
from the Administration that they did not dispute the historical fact of
the Armenian Genocide. In addition, the notion proposed by Turkey of
creating a new commission to study the past in an attempt to rewrite
history, was put to rest, especially in light of the work of TARC and
the ICTJ report.
Biden Honors Hrant Dink’s Legacy
Eighteen years after chairing the historic Senate Judiciary Committee in
1989, Senator Biden as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, made history again. Upon learning of the assassination of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and the law that crippled free
speech in Turkey, Senator Biden was quick to act. Chairman Biden
spearheaded legislation, S.Res. 65, which honored the legacy of Hrant
Dink and called for the repeal of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code,
which penalized discussion of the Armenian Genocide and created an
environment of hostility and intolerance. This resolution enjoyed
unanimous passage in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where
President-Elect Barack Obama also served as a Subcommittee Chairman.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
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Editor’s Note:
Watch Biden’s remarks during the Senate debate.
ls
Questions and Answers between Sen. Biden and Ambassador Jeffrey
_2008/Biden_Questions_Jeffrey.pdf
1989 Assembly press release and transcript
pdf_2008/Senate_Judiciary_Comm-Debate_on_Gen_Res-1 0-17-89.pdf