Reuters, UK
April 24 2010
Obama calls 1915 Armenia massacre an atrocity
(Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Saturday marked the World War
One-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces, calling it one of the
worst atrocities of the 20th century, but avoiding any mention of
"genocide."
Turkey objects to the killings being labeled "genocide" and Turkish
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Obama’s remarks took into
consideration "the sensitivities" of his country. But a U.S.-based
Armenian group said it was disappointed in Obama.
"On this solemn day of remembrance, we pause to recall that 95 years
ago one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century began. In that
dark moment of history, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or
marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire," Obama
said in a statement issued by the White House.
His remarks came as Armenia marked the 95th anniversary of the World
War One killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks, and against a backdrop
of failed peace with Turkey and fresh saber rattling with enemy
Azerbaijan.
A deal between Turkey and Armenia to establish diplomatic ties and
reopen their border collapsed on Thursday when Armenia suspended
ratification over Turkish demands that it first make peace with
Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Obama used the term genocide as a presidential candidate, but not
since becoming president in January 2009.
He said the 1915 massacre must not be repeated, but carefully avoided
getting entangled in the debate over whether Turkey was responsible
for genocide against the Armenians.
HOUSE RESOLUTION
Turkey was infuriated in March when a House of Representatives
committee voted on a nonbinding "genocide" resolution over the
killings. The full House has not voted on the measure and it is not
clear whether it could pass.
U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton has said the Obama administration
opposes the House measure.
Obama said that he is "encouraged by the dialogue among Turks and
Armenians, and within Turkey itself, regarding this painful history."
The House panel vote had appeared to jeopardize progress by Armenia
and Turkey to normalize relations, one key to stability in the south
Caucasus, a region crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines to Europe.
Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Washington and has said he will not
return until Ankara gets assurances about the fate of the resolution,
which the Obama administration opposed.
The U.S. aerospace and defense industry — including Lockheed Martin
Corp, Boeing Co, Raytheon Co, United Technologies Corp and Northrop
Grumman Corp — opposed the measure and warned in March that it could
jeopardize U.S. exports to Turkey, rupture U.S.-Turkish relations and
put American jobs at risk.
In a statement carried by state news agency Anatolian, Turkish Prime
Minister Tayyip Erdogan said, "President Obama made a speech taking
into consideration the sensitivities of Turkey. … The speech by
Obama shows the sensitivity of the current U.S. administration about
this issue."
But Turkey’s Foreign Ministry in a separate statement said, "We are
sorry to see such a statement, which has a one-sided political view,
and which contains mistakes. The biggest enemy of historical facts is
the revision of memory. No country should impose on others its views
of history."
The Armenian National Committee of America expressed disappointment
that Obama did not call the event a genocide.
"Sadly, for the U.S. and worldwide efforts to end the cycle of
genocide, he made the wrong choice, allowing Turkey to tighten its
gag-rule on American genocide policy," ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian
said in a statement.
Obama said he has "consistently" stated his own view of what occurred
in 1915. "And my view of that history has not changed," he said. He
added that it is in everyone’s interest to reach "a full, frank and
just acknowledgment of the facts."
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, editing by Stacey Joyce)
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