ANCA LAUNCHES "COUNTDOWN TO ERDOGAN" CALLING ON OBAMA TO HONOR HIS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE PLEDGE
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.11.2009 13:36 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
today unveiled "Countdown to Erdogan" – a month-long campaign of
grassroots activism aimed at encouraging the U.S. Congress, the media,
and – ultimately – the White House to put America on the right side
of the Armenian Genocide.
Starting on Monday, November 9th, the ANCA website
will launch a new action item every day,
ranging from on-line activism and call-in days to social networking,
coalition-building, community outreach, and hands-on activities – all
aimed at educating and inspiring President Obama, on December 7th,
to tell Prime Minister Erdogan, to his face, that American stands
for a truthful and just resolution of the Armenian Genocide. Each
week will also include at least one action item geared to end the
ongoing genocide in Darfur, as part of the ANCA’s broader commitment
to fostering U.S leadership in ending the cycle of genocide.
The first week of the campaign will address the U.S Senate, the second
the U.S. House, followed by the media on the third week, and then a
final push in the final seven days directly to the White House.
President Obama is set to meet with President Erdogan on December 7th.
On the first day of the campaign, November 9th, activists are urged
to send a free ANCA WebFax to their Senators and encourage them to
cosponsor the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.316, spearheaded
by Senators Robert Menendez and John Ensign. A special Call-in Day
for Senators is set for Thursday, November 12th. "As we all know far
too well, when President Obama met this April in Ankara with Prime
Minister Erdogan, he got it wrong, breaking his clearly and repeatedly
stated promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide," said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian, in a letter to campaign participants. "Even
worse, in the weeks that followed, he compounded his broken pledge by
joining with Turkey in pressuring Armenia, a landlocked and blockaded
country, into accepting a historical "commission" that calls into
question this very crime against humanity. This time, on American
soil, President Obama has a chance to make it right – to honor his
pledge and be, as he stated during the campaign, the President the
American people deserve."
The "Countdown to Erdogan" campaign launch coincides with recent
statements by Prime Minister Erdogan denying both the Armenian
and Darfur genocides. In recent remarks, he asserted that "It’s
not possible for a Muslim to commit genocide." His statements came
in response to international pressure on Turkey to arrest Sudanese
dictator Omar al-Bashir during a scheduled visit, later postponed,
to Ankara. "We are comfortable with the visit of al-Bashir," explained
Erdogan.