Turkish Daily News
Dec 19 2008
APOLOGY A STEP TO ‘COMING TO GRIPS WITH GENOCIDE,’ ARMENIAN GROUP SAYS
A leading U.S. Armenian group late Wednesday said a move by a group of
Turkish intellectuals to collectively apologize for World War I-era
killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire effectively meant the
beginning of a process that would lead to Turkey facing "its genocidal
past."
"An irreversible trend has commenced in Turkey. Over 12,000 people in
Turkey want history to be recorded truthfully, having already signed
the Internet-based petition apologizing for what they call the ‘great
catastrophe’ that befell the Armenians of Ottoman Turkey in 1915,"
said Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of
America, or AAA.
"This public apology is a first step in that direction and will
inevitably lead to Turkey coming to grips with its genocidal past,"
Ardouny said, according to an AAA statement.
However, Cengiz Aktar, widely considered the mastermind behind the
petition, told the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review that the
purpose of the petition was not about genocide. "Let anyone say what
they will, this is not a campaign about the genocide debate." "This is
about private individuals, citizens, acting according to the voice of
their conscience, and apologizing for the last 90 years this topic was
not even discussed," said Aktar, a Bahcesehir University
academic. Pointing out that the topic had always been a taboo, but
still so far 13,500 signatories have broken it, he said. "It has never
been discussed like this before. Next time it comes up, everybody
should take into account the 13,500 people who feel this way."
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear Wednesday he would
not join the apology effort, and said, "I personally do not support
this campaign. If there was a crime, then those who committed it can
offer an apology. My nation, my country has no such issue."
More than 60 former ambassadors, other diplomats and some lawmakers
have also denounced the apology campaign.
Despite this, Ardouny said, "Momentum is building and support
continues to increase dramatically. Within a few hours of the
apology’s release, over 2,500 people added their signatures and made
encouraging comments."
He said U.S. President-elect Barack Obama pledged to recognize the
Armenian killings as genocide if elected president.
Turkey has warned that any such recognition by the United States will
hurt bilateral relations in a major and lasting way.
[HH] New leader at House
In another development, the Armenian caucus in the U.S. House of
Representatives, a powerful lobby of pro-Armenian lawmakers, has
selected Mark Kirk, a Republican from Illinois, as its next Republican
co-chair.
Kirk will replace Joe Knollenberg, a Republican from Michigan, who
lost the Nov. 4 congressional election in his district to his
Democratic rival.
Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey, continues to be the
Armenian caucus’ Democratic co-chair.
"After 20 years of working with the Armenian-American community to
advance U.S.-Armenia issues, I am honored and excited to serve
alongside congressman Pallone as co-chair of the Caucus on Armenian
Issues," Kirk said.
"The Caucus on Armenian Issues is well-known for its work to
strengthen the U.S.-Armenia relationship and recognize the Armenian
genocide," he said.
Pro-Armenian lawmakers are expected to introduce a fresh resolution
calling for U.S. recognition of the Armenian killings as genocide
shortly after the new Congress takes office Jan. 6
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
