ANCA CRITICIZES OBAMA FOR HIS UNDERMINING EFFORTS

news.am
March 9 2010
Armenia

After Genocide Resolution was approved by the U.S. House Committee on
Foreign Affairs, Ken Hachikian — the Chairman of Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) sent a letter to U.S. President Barack
Obama.

NEWS.am posts the excerpts:

"I am writing, on behalf of Armenian American voters, friends of the
Armenian American community, and genocide-prevention advocates from
across our nation, to share our profound disappointment over your
recently launched campaign to block Congressional recognition of the
Armenian Genocide.

Your Administration’s efforts to undermine the adoption of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution, coming, as they do, in the wake of
both your broken pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide and your
abandoned promise to &’strongly support’ the Armenian Genocide
Resolution, represent a stark departure from the commitments you
made to the American people during your campaign for office. Rather
than honoring your words, you are, today, using the full force of
your Administration to attempt to block Members of Congress from
doing exactly that which you yourself promised, namely properly
commemorating this crime against humanity.

As you recall, as a U.S. Senator, you sharply criticized President
Bush’s policy of non-recognition and opposition to Congressional
commemoration as &’inexcusable.’

Mr. President, in attempting to enforce Ankara’s gag rule on U.S.

recognition of the Armenian Genocide — both within your Administration
and now in Congress — you have, very sadly, signaled to all the world
that our silence on genocide can be bought in exchange for perceived
geopolitical advantage or compromised under threat from a foreign
power. Your policy is now fully complicit in Turkey’s campaign of
Genocide denial.

I would like to take this opportunity, once again, to encourage you
to honor your as-yet unfulfilled pledge to remain actively engaged
with Armenian American leaders."