THE "NEVER AGAIN" THAT DARE NOT SPEAK ITS NAME
Matt Welch

Reason
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April 6 2009

As anticipated, Barack Obama has broken his campaign promise to
officially recognize the nine-decade-old genocide of Armenians as a
"genocide."

Barack Obama today downplayed his support for a controversial US
Congress resolution accusing Turkey of carrying out a genocide against
the Armenian people in 1915.

Speaking during a visit to Ankara, the US president – who
has previously described the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians as
"genocide" – said he had not changed his view but had been encouraged
by negotiations between Turkey and Armenia on the issue.

Obama told a joint news conference with the Turkish president, Abdullah
Gul, that he did not want to focus on his own views but wanted to be
a partner in efforts between Armenia and Turkey to come to terms with
what happened.

Presidents, once in office, are always "encouraged" by bilateral
progress on the issue. Even if, just one year previous, they say
stuff like this: I also share with Armenian Americans – so many of
whom are descended from genocide survivors – a principled commitment
to commemorating and ending genocide. That starts with acknowledging
the tragic instances of genocide in world history. As a U.S. Senator,
I have stood with the Armenian American community in calling for
Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. Two years ago, I
criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term "genocide"
to describe Turkey’s slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in
1915. I shared with Secretary Rice my firmly held conviction that
the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or
a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an
overwhelming body of historical evidence. The facts are undeniable. An
official policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts
is an untenable policy. As a senator, I strongly support passage of
the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as
President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.