United Press International UPI
Nov 14 2009

Armenians urged to reject peace deal

ANKARA, Turkey, Nov. 14 (UPI) — The leader of an Armenian-American
group is urging Armenians worldwide to reject a reconciliation process
with Turkey.

The process would hinder efforts to win formal U.S. recognition of
World War I-era killings of Armenians as genocide, said Ken Hachikian,
head of the Armenian National Committee of America.

After decades of hostile relations, Turkey and Armenia last month
agreed to establish normal diplomatic relations and reopen their
border lands. The deal still must be ratified by the parliaments of
each country.

More than 1 million Armenians died in forced marches and massacres
during and just after World War I in conflicts with armies of the
Ottoman Empire, Hachikian told an audience in Pasadena, Calif.,
Thursday.

Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, long has denied
genocide is an accurate description of the conflict, Hurriyet Daily
News reported Saturday.

The agreement reached last month would "reduce the Armenian genocide
from a crime against all humanity" to a simple, and unacceptable,
bilateral dispute, Hachikian said.