SENATOR MENENDEZ ATTACKED BY TURKISH COALITION OF AMERICA FOR HIS SUPPORT OF JUSTICE FOR CYPRUS AND THE RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Hellenic News of America
9676&lang=US
Jan 30 2009
NY
New York, NY – Senator Menendez, a staunch advocate of the Cyprus
cause and one of the Hellenic American community’s strongest friends
on Capitol Hill, was attacked by the Turkish Coalition of America for
his questions to then-Senator Clinton during the Secretary of State
confirmation hearings.
The Turkish Coalition of America criticized Senator Menendez on their
website for raising questions on the recognition of the Armenian
genocide and the request that Cyprus should be a priority for the
State Department. The Turkish Coalition accused Senator Menendez of
"catering to ethnic politics at home".
The International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus applauds
Senator Menendez’s courage and commitment to human rights and we are
extremely proud that he asked those controversial questions during
the hearings, and, as the world watched, showed his integrity and
his dedication to what is inherently just.
We encourage everyone to send an email to Senator Menendez’s office to
thank him for his consistent support of our community. Our intention
is to overwhelm his office with emails of support and thanks.
Please click on this link to express your thanks:
.cfm
The article as it appears on the website of the Turkish Coalition,
for your information:
"Senator Robert Menendez: Serving Ethnic Politics in Washington
While America is currently engaged in two wars, faces the continued
threat of international terrorism and the possible advent of
nuclear-armed rogue nations, and struggles with an economic crisis
of historical proportions, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) chose to
use his valuable time at the confirmation hearing of newly confirmed
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to pander to the Armenian
and Greek lobbies.
While the world was watching, Senator Menendez asked Senator Clinton
to make it a priority to recognize as "genocide" nearly a century old
events that took place in a foreign state which no longer exists. He
theorized that the United States must pay heed to "history that is
universally recognized so that we can move forward in that respect." A
history lesson to address the deeds of a defunct empire, apparently in
the Senator�s eyes, should be a priority for the new U.S. Secretary
of State to address in confirmation hearings. Never mind that what
Senator Menendez calls "universally recognized" history, is still
strongly debated among scores of scholars and that many historians
of international renown contest the genocide label. If this issue
was indeed universally settled, Great Britain , a country which was a
party to the conflict at hand, would not have repeatedly refused to use
the term genocide to describe the tragic events. If defining whether
a crime constituted genocide was to be entrusted to politicians,
the international community would not have bestowed the authority to
investigate, prosecute and punish such crimes to the International
Court of Justice.
The Senator also stated that the tiny island of Cyprus should be high
on the priority list of the Secretary of State. Voicing support for the
"bi-zonal, bi-communal federation" solution on the island, Senator
Menendez seemed to be ignorant of the fact that this was precisely
what 65 percent of Turkish Cypriots supported in a referendum in
2004, and which 75 percent of Greek Cypriots rejected. Based on his
obvious concern for the well being of ALL Cypriots, we hope that
Senator Menendez will now take the lead in a congressional effort to
lift the inhumane international blockade on the Turkish Cypriots and
provide an incentive for the solution he so desires.
The fact of the matter is that at the dawn of a new US administration,
awaited with great anticipation to be the government of change
around the world and at home, it was politics as usual for Senator
Menendez. As the world was watching, he faithfully continued to cater
to ethnic politics at home. Rather than questioning the Secretary of
State on the countless foreign policy challenges America faces around
the world, he sought her commitment to take sides in a historical
dispute, while making a half-hearted attempt to appease the Greek
American community. The people of New Jersey , including over 30,000
Turkish Americans, deserve better leadership"
–Boundary_(ID_C47s+JY+ZMvMyIV1r eeGRg)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
