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03/27/2006
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1) Schwarzenegger Urged to Help Bring Genocide Legislation to Vote
2) Turkish Lobbyist Attacks Armenian Americans
3) Kocharian-Aliyev Meeting Could Be Held in May
4) Thousands Protest against Turkey~Rs Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul
1) Schwarzenegger Urged to Help Bring Genocide Legislation to Vote
(LOS ANGELES)–The Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of California,
consisting of various Armenian organizations, sent a letter Friday to
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger requesting that he push the US House
and Senate leadership to vote on the pending Armenian Genocide Resolutions.
The letter praised Schwarzenegger’s demonstrated commitment to the Armenian
community and support of Genocide recognition. Schwarzenegger’s list of
accomplishments includes designating April 24 as a day of remembrance for the
Armenian genocide and calling on Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide.
“We ask you to openly call upon the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to schedule votes on the
Armenian genocide legislation currently before their chambers of Congress,”
reads the letter.
The full text of the letter can be found below:
Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:
We are writing, as the collective leadership of the Armenian American
community of California, to respectfully request that you urge the leadership
of U.S. House and Senate to bring legislation reaffirming the Armenian
Genocide
to a vote in their respective chambers.
Last year, the 700,000 Armenian Americans living in the State of California
were heartened by your Executive Proclamation designating April 24 as a day of
remembrance for the Armenian Genocide. We also deeply appreciate your
signature
on SB 424, the “Days of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide” bill introduced
by Sen. Charles Poochigian. Along with all people of good conscience, we
recall
with great pride your remarks on April 21, 2005 noting that you are “proud to
represent the people of the State of California in recognizing the historical
persecution of the Armenian people and join with them in urging Turkey to
acknowledge the fact of the Armenian Genocide.”
Your principled stand holds great meaning for our community. Furthermore, we
are inspired by your refusal to bow to pressure from the Turkish government
that wants you compromise your commitment to proper U.S. commemoration and
Turkish acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. In taking this firm moral
stand, you are helping to break the cycle of genocide, a horrific century-long
history of mass slaughter and denial that has, all too often, been fueled by
the silence and inaction of the international community.
In this noble spirit – and in the great tradition of California Governors who
have served as national leaders in the cause of Armenian Genocide
recognition –
we ask you to openly call upon the Speaker of the House of Representatives
Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to schedule votes on the
Armenian Genocide legislation currently before their chambers of Congress.
We look forward to working with you hand in hand on this issue of shared
concern. Please accept our appreciation for your friendship and support for
our community.
Respectfully,
Western Diocese of the Armenian Church North America, Western Prelacy of the
Armenian of Apostolic Church, St. Gregory Armenian Catholic Church, Armenian
Evangelical Union of North America, ARF “Dashnagtsutyun” of Western USA,
Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization, SD Hunchakian of Western USA,
Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Society of Los Angeles, Armenian
Youth Association of California
2) Turkish Lobbyist Attacks Armenian Americans
WASHINGTON, DC–Turkey~Rs top Washington, DC lobbyist, former Louisiana
Congressman Bob Livingston, in perhaps his most strident attack to date, has
accused Armenian Americans of seeking to impose a ~Styranny of the minority~T by
urging Congress to adopt human rights legislation concerning the Armenian
genocide, according to documents obtained this week by the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
~SIt~Rs truly the height of hypocrisy for a paid foreign agent for Turkey–a
government that violates the rights of its citizens on a wholesale basis–to
try to diminish the role that American citizens play in the formulation of our
nation~Rs foreign policy,~T said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. ~SBut,
apparently, in the ~QAlice in Wonderland~R world of Bob Livingston, other
nations
dictate US policy, genocides remain unpunished, and foreign lobbyists get to
silence American voters. He would do well to spend more time encouraging his
Turkish clients to learn about democracy, and less time seeking to abridge the
democratic rights of Americans here at home.~T
In letters sent to Congressional offices last September, prior to the House
International Relations Committee~Rs consideration of Armenian genocide
legislation, Livingston escalated his rhetoric to unprecedented levels,
arguing, in his capacity as a paid agent of a foreign government, that he
believed the measure ~Scater[s] to a small minority of citizens promoting the
narrow goals of the minority at the expense of America~Rs broader interest.~T
He
went on, in an example of overstatement rare even by Washington, DC standards,
to contend that Armenian genocide legislation ~Sis the truest expression of the
tyranny of the minority.~T The panel rejected Livingston~Rs attack, voting
40 to
7 to approve the legislation.
In July of last year, CongressWatch, a division of Public Citizen, released a
49-page report highlighting ethical concerns about the Livingston Group~Rs
lobbying efforts for the Turkish Government.
The report details the efforts by Livingston, to secure a ~S$1 billion
supplemental appropriation for Turkey… despite that country~Rs refusal to
allow US troops to use its soil as a staging area for the Iraq invasion. He
also helped kill an amendment that would have formally recognized the Armenian
genocide that occurred between 1915 and 1923.~T The Livingston Group has
received over $10 million in payments from Turkey. To read this entire report,
visit:
3 ) Kocharian-Aliyev Meeting Could Be Held in May
BAKU (Armenpress)–Novruz Mamedov, Head of the Azeri Presidential
Administration’s International Relations Department, said that the next
meeting
of the Armenian and Azeri presidents may take place in May of 2006.
Mamedov said that unlike the presidents~R previous meeting in Rambouillet, the
forthcoming meeting of the presidents could take place within the framework of
an international event, reported Azerbaijan~Rs ANS TV channel.
4) Thousands Protest against Turkey~Rs Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul
BEVERLY HILLS–The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) led a demonstration of over
4,000 Armenian Americans Friday outside the Beverly Hills Hotel during a
speech
given by Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, a key figure in the Turkish
state~Rs campaign to deny the Armenian genocide.
The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR), the
AYF-Western Region, both dioceses of the Armenian church, all Armenian
political parties, Armenian schools, high school and college Armenian Student
Associations, the Hellenic association, and various other organizations
participated in Friday~Rs protest.
The crowd of protesters marched peacefully and chanted in front of the
Beverly
Hills Hotel, where the Defense Minister spoke at a luncheon hosted by the Los
Angeles World Affairs Council about ~SThe Evolving Security Environment and
Turkey~Rs Strategic Role in Eurasia.~T Among the thousands of participants in
the
protest were Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-27) and Burbank Board of Education
President Paul Krekorian.
Before inviting Congressman Sherman to speak, ANCA-WR Board of Directors
member Raffi Hamparian spoke of the US State Department~Rs failure to live
up to
American values. ~SAt the same time that the US government is condemning
Belarus
for suppressing freedom of expression, the US State Department is preparing to
fire our Ambassador to Armenia for simply telling the truth about the Armenian
genocide,~T said Hamparian.
~SIt is not only those with Armenian heritage who demand that the truth be
recognized. Friends of Turkey should demonstrate that Turkey accept the
Armenian genocide,~T said Congressman Sherman in his remarks to the crowd.
~SWhere will Turkey be among the family of nations if it does not recognize the
truth? I will work in Congress every day until the historical truth of the
Armenian genocide is recognized,~T he concluded.
Congressman Sherman also commented on Turkey~Rs failure to provide access
to US
military bases in Turkey and necessary passage over its land and air space
during the invasion of Iraq three years ago. ~SThe casualties stemming from
today~Rs conflict in Iraq are, to some extent, a direct result of Turkey~Rs
refusal to allow the US-led coalition to open a northern front,~T said
Congressman Sherman.
In his remarks at the luncheon, the Defense Minister addressed the issue of
Turkey~Rs actions during the run-up to the Iraq War. He directly contradicted
the position of his American counterpart, Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld,
who has repeatedly said on national television that Turkey~Rs refusal to allow
US-led coalition forces to open a northern front has significantly contributed
to the strength of the Iraqi insurgency. ~STurkey has supported the US led war
on Iraq from the beginning,~T said the Defense Minister.
He added that ~STurkey promotes good neighborly relations.~T This assertion
also
stands in sharp contrast to the actions of the Turkish government, which, on
one hand, blockades and seeks to isolate Armenia, and on the other, denies the
Armenian genocide and continues to harvest the economic, demographic, and
geopolitical fruits of the genocidal crime it committed against the Armenian
nation nine decades ago.
~SDefense Minister Gonul~Rs remarks are consistent with his government~Rs
campaign to portray a rosy image of itself–despite the facts on the ground.
Increasingly, however, the American public is seeing through these transparent
efforts, and looking instead to Turkey~Rs actual conduct–such as its blockade
of Armenia, abysmal human rights record, attempts to revise history, and, more
broadly, its increasingly antagonistic relationship with the United States,~T
said Hamparian after listening to the Defense Minister~Rs speech.
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul~Rs visit to Southern California, home to the
largest Armenian population in the US, came exactly one month prior to the
91st
anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24th. California, which is
one of
38 states to have recognized the Armenian genocide, last year adopted
legislation permanently designating the week of April 24 as California~Rs week
of remembrance of the Armenian genocide. The effort to enact legislation on
the
Armenian genocide was led by state legislators such as Senators Chuck
Poochigian (R-Fresno) and Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco), and signed into law
by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005. California has also adopted an education
curriculum that includes teaching of the history of the Armenian genocide, and
the Los Angeles Unified School District is among many public school systems in
the state that continue to train its teachers on implementing a curriculum
that
teaches about this crime against humanity.
The Defense Minister~Rs visit also came at an especially sensitive time in
US-Turkey relations. In recent weeks, ~SValley of the Wolves,~T the most
expensive film ever made in Turkey, prompted the US military to issue warnings
to our troops stationed in Turkey due to the film~Rs severely anti-American and
anti-Semitic nature. The film continues to remain a box office hit in theatres
across Turkey and has been publicly praised by many Turkish leaders, including
Prime Minster Erdogan. The popularity of ~SValley of the Wolves~T is not the
only
recent demonstration of anti-Semitic and anti-American sentiment in Turkey.
Last year, Adolf Hilter~Rs ~SMein Kampf~T was a best-seller in the country.
The Defense Minister~Rs speech was repeatedly interrupted by chants coming
from
protesters demonstrating along Sunset Boulevard. Armenian Americans attending
the luncheon, including Glendale Unified School District Board Member Greg
Krikorian, called on the Defense Minister to acknowledge Turkey~Rs past.
However, Defense Minister Gonul said that ~Sthese are Armenian claims, and
there is nothing to acknowledge.~T AYF Chairman Tro Tchekidjian stated at the
conclusion of the protest that ~SWe will never forget what happened in 1915,
and
we will persist in calling for recognition of the Armenian genocide until
Turkey comes to terms with its past.~T
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in
coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout
the
United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively
advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.
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