GEOFFREY ROBERTSON (QUEEN’S COUNSEL) URGES GREAT BRITAIN TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ArmInfo.
2009-12-17 16:45:00

ArmInfo. On 14th December 2009, Geoffrey Robertson QC, in a meeting
organised by the British Armenian All Party Parliamentary Group,
developed the conclusions of his Legal Opinion into the Armenian
Genocide and the present Labour government’s ten-year campaign to
mislead parliament on this foreign policy and ethical issue. This
administration has continued to maintain that it has examined the issue
when it had not, that it sought expert opinion when none was sought,
and advances arguments for its policy that are demolished in the Legal
Opinion, the British Embassy in Armenia reports. The publication ,
entitled "Was there an Armenian Genocide" has been sent to Cabinet
Ministers , Parliamentarians ( in both Houses of Parliament), Diplomats
, Historians , Scholars , the Media , the Think-Thank organisations ,
the Lords Spiritual and the "Judiciary" .

This was a momentous occasion for the cause of Armenian Genocide
Recognition in the British Parliament as Geoffrey Robertson QC`s "
Legal Opinion " regarding the Armenian Genocide and with reference
to Foreign and Commonwealth Office Documents, which showed "how
British Ministers , Parliamentarians and People have been misled by
the Government"

Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan ,in his introductory Address, emphasized
the importance of this Report which proves the reluctance of the
British Government to recognize the Armenian Genocide "not because
of lack of proof but merely because of political inexpediency" and
affirmed the determination of the Armenian Government who ," although
engaged in the recent normalization of Armenian-Turkish Relations ,
will not sacrifice the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian
Genocide ".He said that " recognition by Turkey will continue to be
an objective for all Armenians and this cannot and should not hinder
building relations between the two countries"

In 2008, the Armenian Legal Initiative Group ( ALIG) set-up a Fund and
commissioned Mr Geoffrey Robertson QC to reach its own independent
conclusions on all legal and factual issues regarding the Armenian
Genocide .Mr Robertson advised that an application should be made
to obtain and extract all the important and secret policy documents
which have informed the UK government`s position .

Mr Robertson’s Legal Opinion published by Doughty Street Chambers
will serve as a case study of how easily government policy can be
manipulated by a Foreign Office that has abandoned the "ethical
dimension " in favour of what it thinks will be commercial and
diplomatic advantage . Of the 40 Senior Jurists who have received
the "Legal Opinion" and are Members of both Houses of Parliament
(including three Cabinet Ministers) not one came to challenge it .

Today we can legitimately claim that the British Government has failed
to rise to the challenge of defending its policy of collusion with
the Turkish State`s Denial of its criminal past.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress