United Press International / Washington Times
April 26 2005
UPI hears …
Political fissure b/w Schwarzenegger and Bush
An event in the Caucasus 90 years ago reveals a political fissure
between California’s “Governator” Arnold Schwarzenegger and President
George W. Bush. The issue? The deaths of large numbers of Armenians
during World War I in the Ottoman Empire. The Armenians maintain that
up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed in what they label the 20th
century’s first instance of genocide; the Turks contend that it was
not official state policy and that the number of deaths was about
300,000, counter-claiming that great numbers of Turks also died.
While 16 nations and the Vatican officially recognize the “Armenian
Genocide,” no formal resolution recognizing the massacre as genocide
has been passed by the U.S. government. Two days ago Schwarzenegger
released a statement proclaiming April 24, 2005, “a ‘Day of
Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.'” Bush has avoided using the
epithet, leading to criticism by the Armenian Assembly of America,
publicizing a letter the candidate wrote to them in 2000 commenting,
“Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies
comprehension” which added, “If elected president I would ensure that
our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian
people.” Perhaps influencing the “Terminator’s” proclamation is the
fact that the Armenian Embassy in Canada estimates that 1 million
ethnic Armenians in the United States, more than half of whom live in
California, according to media accounts.