Armenia Solidarity
Nor Serount Cultural Association
c/o The Temple of Peace, King Edward VIIII Ave., Cathays Park, Cardiff
07718982732
[email protected]
The Majority of eligible Members of the UK Parliament have recognized
the 1915 Genocide
This week the number of MPs in the House of Commons who have signed
motions (called Early Day Motions) recognizing the 1915 Genocide of
Armenians and Assyrians has passed 250 this week, representing the
majority of all eligible MPs. Of the 646 MPs , only 495 of them are
eligible to express their own views on these motions, because the other
151 are part of the government or have other roles which preclude their
signatures.
The number of MPs who have signed (254 exactly) did so by signing
motions in 2007 and during this parliamentary year (2009-2010), put by
Dr. Bob Spink MP, an Independent MP, at our request. The current Early
Day Motion (number 287) contains a clause which states:: "This
House….condemns unreservedly denial and denigration of the memory of
the Holocaust, as well as of the 1915 Genocide of Armenians and
Assyrians in Turkey, and the politics of hatred and division which led
to these events" and also "….. and calls on hon. Members to respect
Holocaust Memorial Day and to ensure that the Holocaust, the 1915
Genocide and modern atrocities such as the 1988 Anfal Genocide are never
forgotten"
This UK-wide Recognition of Genocide follows the example of Welsh
MPs in 2006, and 2007, and Scottish and Irish MPs a few weeks ago.
Of the 349 Labour MPs (the party of Government), 225 are eligible
and 150 (two thirds ) have signed.
Also, the majority of all non-Conservative MPs have signed (222
Labour, Liberal Democrat, Irish, Welsh and Scottish Nationalist and
Independent MPs out of 442 total non-conservative voting MPs in
nparliament ) . Most Conservative MPs do not sign such motions without
the permission of their Party, and therefore do not express their own
opinions,
The figure of 635 Voting MPs discounts the 5 Irish Sinn Fein members,
who never took up their seats, not recognizing the authority of
parliament.
Armenia Solidarity Spokesman Eilian Williams said: ". The UK, and
the other countries of the European Union must now accept that Turkey’s
present borders are based on its succesful Genocide of its Armenian and
Assyrian population. The issue of Armenian and Assyrian Churches and
lands which were confiscated by the Turkish State in the 1923 "Law of
Abandoned Properties" should be given a high priority, before any
progress is made on Turkey’s accession to the E.U."