SPEAKER PELOSI URGES TO PUT AN END TO TURKEY’S "GAG-RULE" ON THE U.S. CONGRESS
PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2008 13:02 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was joined
by more than a dozen of her House and Senate colleagues yesterday in
urging passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, a move described by
legislators on both sides of the aisle as a long overdue of Turkey’s
"gag-rule" on the U.S. Congress and a powerful step toward ending all
forms of U.S. complicity in Turkey’s multi-million dollar campaign
of denial, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"I come to pay respect with some sadness – certainly sadness over
what happened nearly 100 years ago but also sadness that it is long
past time for the President and the Congress to formally recognize
the Armenian Genocide," Speaker Pelosi said.
She then went on to explain the modern day implications of genocide
denial. "Many times people have said to me as we were bringing this
up and since then ‘Why are you doing this? Even if it is genocide, it
happened a long time ago?’ I said ‘I know, but genocide is happening
right here and now on our planet. It happened in Rwanda, and it
is happening in Darfur. And as long as it exists we have to make a
statement about a genocide we know happened – no matter how long ago.’"
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer concurred, sharing with the assembled
Members of Congress and Armenian American community activists,
"Don’t accept the premise at all that this resolution is about what
happened in 1915-1923. Does it recognize it, does it relate to it –
of course. But it is a resolution that says not just to Turks, not
just to the Armenian people, but to all peoples, that we need to
recognize the transgressions of the past – however heinous they may
be and however much we may want to deny them.
Because if we do not, our children will not recognize their
responsibility to never let it happen again."
"Americans don’t like gag rules," said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. "We saw that at this year’s Capitol Hill observance,
and we’re seeing it across Congress, from both sides of the
aisle. Americans don’t appreciate a foreign government dictating our
human rights policy and resent Turkey’s attempts to veto America’s
recognition of the Armenian Genocide."