Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. anca@anca.org
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
November 5, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA WELCOMES DARFUR MOVEMENT’S CALL ON PRESIDENT
OBAMA TO OPPOSE AL-BASHIR’S VISIT TO TURKEY

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
voiced the Armenian American community’s strong support for a human
rights statement, issued earlier today by a coalition of anti-
Darfur Genocide groups, calling upon the Obama-Biden Administration
to protest the upcoming state visit to Turkey of Sudan’s President,
indicted war-criminal Omar al-Bashir.

The four organizations joining together in making this declaration,
the Center for American Progress, Enough!, Save Darfur, and
Genocide Intervention Network, referencing al-Bashir’s upcoming
visits to Ankara and Cairo, stressed the importance of President
Obama and Secretary of State Clinton engaging in personal
diplomacy at the highest level to ensure that a wanted war
criminal does not continue to travel with impunity to the
capitals of key U.S. allies. The failure to do so, they noted,
would "send a powerful message that the Administration isn’t
serious about implementing the Sudan strategy it just
announced."

"We want to thank each of these organizations for their work in
demanding clear and determined American leadership in ending the
Darfur Genocide," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
ANCA. "There is today, sadly, no more striking example of how the
brutal cycle of genocide and denial feeds upon itself than the
growing diplomatic and military relationship between Turkey and
Sudan."

Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir is scheduled to visit Turkey next
week to attend a summit of the Organization of the Islamic
Conference (OIC.) Turkish officials announced yesterday that they
would not act on an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest
warrant issued against al-Bashir for war crimes.

The Ankara and Khartoum regimes have grown markedly closer over the
past two years, with Turkey continuing to supply lethal weaponry to
Sudan and increased trade between two the countries. To read three
ANCA memos on the Turkey-Sudan relationship, visit:

Why is Turkey Selling Weapons to Sudan?
February 25, 2009
509.pdf

Commentary on the Turkey-Sudan Axis of Genocide
February 23, 2009
309.pdf

Turkey and Sudan
February 18, 2009
809.pdf

The full text of the joint statement is provided below.

#####

Center for American Progress
Enough!
Save Darfur
Genocide Intervention Network

For Immediate Release
November 12, 2009

Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
eread@enoughproject.org

Andrea Clarke, 202.460.6756
andrea@savedarfur.org

Mame Annan-Brown, 202.483.2701
annan-brown@genocideintervention.net

President Bashir Tests New Obama Policy on Sudan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the news that President Omar al-Bashir
plans to travel to Turkey and Egypt in the coming days,
President Obama faces the first test of his recently announced
Sudan policy.

The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress, the Save
Darfur Coalition, and the Genocide Intervention Network jointly
released the following statement in reaction:

If President Obama and Secretary Clinton are unwilling to
engage in personal diplomacy at the highest level to ensure
that a wanted war criminal does not continue to travel with
impunity to the capitals of key U.S. allies, it will send a
powerful message that the administration isn’t serious about
implementing the Sudan strategy it just announced.

John Norris, Executive Director of the Enough Project, noted, "For
Turkey, a member of NATO and an aspiring member of the European
Union, to welcome President Bashir is frankly baffling. If Turkey
is truly committed to the values that would make membership of the
European Union possible, it should quickly make clear that
President Bashir is absolutely unwelcome."

Jerry Fowler, President of the Save Darfur Coalition, added,
"President Bashir’s travel is a test of the administration’s
resolve on Sudan. If the President and Secretary of State let it
happen without objection, Khartoum will get the message that the
newly stated commitment to multilateral leadership is hollow. And
for Turkey, it’s an opportunity to align itself with the E.U., most
Latin American countries, and the emerging practice in sub-Saharan
Africa: Convey to Bashir that he shouldn’t come unless he wants to
risk arrest upon landing."

Sam Bell, Executive Director of Genocide Intervention Network,
added, "Given the depth and breadth of U.S. engagement with Egypt,
it is striking that the situation in Sudan – and Bashir’s status as
a war criminal – don’t appear t be part of the recent conversation
among senior officials. How can the administration expect to
effectively implement its new plan if it doesn’t make Sudan a top
priority?"

####

About the coalition: The Save Darfur Coalition – an alliance of
more than 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights
organizations – raises public awareness about the ongoing
genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to the
atrocities that threaten the lives of people throughout the
Darfur region. The coalition’s member organizations represent
130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political
affiliations united together to help the people of Darfur. For
more information on the coalition, please visit

Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end
genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough
focuses on crises in Sudan, Chad, eastern Congo, northern
Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. Enough’s strategy papers and
briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy
recommendations based on a "3P" crisis response strategy:
promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and
punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with
concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent,
mitigate, and resolve these crises. Visit

About Genocide Intervention Network – Genocide Intervention
Network is working to build the first permanent anti-genocide
constituency, mobilizing the political will to stop genocide
when it occurs.

Accessible online at , Genocide
Intervention Network empowers individuals with the tools to
stop genocide. Visit