Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
PRESS RELEASE
: July 31, 2007
Contact: Haig Hovsepian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
ANC-WR Joins Los Angeles Community for Darfur Vigil
Los Angeles, CA – On July 26, 2007 the Armenian National Committee – Western
Region (ANC-WR) joined with fellow concerned members of the Los Angeles
community for a vigil outside the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate. The vigil,
organized by local groups including Jewish World Watch and the Olympic Dream
for Darfur and the Save Darfur coalition, sought to draw attention to the
close relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the central
government in Khartoum, Sudan.
The event, taking place during lunch hour in downtown Los Angeles, drew
nearly 100 individuals who urged China to use its relationship with Khartoum
to help end the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan and promote
peace in the region. ANC-WR Community Relations Director Haig Hovsepian
joined several community representatives in addressing those gathered.
Hovsepian noted that at the outset of the Armenian Genocide which began
under the cover of World War One the United States was neutral towards
Ottoman Turkey and the US diplomatic delegations throughout the empire were
crucial to letting the world know about the genocide as it occurred.
"Today, China stands at a crossroads. It has a choice to make. Will it go
down in history as a country that remained silent in its relationship with
Sudan and emboldened the perpetrators of genocide? Or will it follow in the
footsteps of US Ambassador Henry Morgenthau who confronted the genocidal
leadership of Turkey in 1915 to use its relationship with Khartoum to put an
end to the genocide in Darfur today?" remarked Hovsepian.
China is a major consumer of Sudanese oil, the revenues from which the
Sudanese government uses to pay for arms some of which are also purchased
from China. These arms have been linked to Janjaweed militia and other
forces complicit in the genocide occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan.
Furthermore, China has blocked or weakened UN Security Council resolutions
addressing the genocide in Darfur and against Khartoum.
Mary Ashdjian, an ANC activist from Glendale attended the vigil with fellow
activist Nairie Mirzayan.
"When there is an opportunity for a powerful nation to take a stand against
genocide, it is their responsibility to do so whether it happened yesterday,
today or tomorrow. As Armenian Americans, we especially know how important
this is," said Ashdjian.
The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the
Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated
organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.