U.S. CONGRESS COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS PASSES RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING GENOCIDE

ARKA
March 5, 2010

YEREVAN, March 5. / ARKA /. Committee on Foreign Affairs of the
U.S. Congress adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

For the adoption of the resolution there were 23 congressmen, and 22
were against it.

The majority that voted in favor of adopting the document of Congress
explained their decision saying that the adoption of the resolution
should serve as a precedent to prevent genocides in the future.

The document, consisting of 30-points document (resolution number 252)
calls upon the U.S. President to undertake efforts to accept decent
decisions on those matters that relate to human rights and freedoms,
ethnic cleansing and the genocide of Armenians.

In Washington, to participate in the discussion of the resolution,
a delegation of the Armenian parliament has been present since March 3.

It is composed of members of the parliamentary faction of the
Republican Party of Armenia Artak Zakarian and Koryun Nahapetyan and
head of the parliamentary faction ARF Vahan Hovhannisyan.

At the meeting there were also the survivors of genocide.

Armenian genocide (1915-1923) was the first genocide committed in
XX century.

Turkey rejects the accusation of massacres and the killing of one
and a half million Armenians during World War I.

As a result of massacres and deportations about 1.5 million people
were killed, 350 thousands of Armenians fled to the Caucasus and Europe
and 150 thousand of the 2 million Armenians were left in Turkey living
there at the beginning of XX century.

The fact of the Armenian genocide is recognized by many countries,
particularly by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, 42 of the 50 U.S.

states, as well as by the parliaments of Greece, Cyprus, Argentina,
Belgium, Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Common House of
Canada, the Seym of Poland and lower house of Italian parliament.