Author: Jalatian Sonya

[Congressional Record: April 26, 2004 (Extensions)]
[Page E645-E646]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr26ap04-12]

COMMEMORATING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

______

HON. CALVIN M. DOOLEY

of california

in the house of representatives

Monday, April 26, 2004

Mr. DOOLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my
colleagues in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.

[[Page E646]]

This terrible human tragedy must not be forgotten. Like the
Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide stands as a tragic example of the
human suffering that results from hatred and intolerance.
The Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923 massacred one and a
half million Armenian people. More than 500,000 Armenians were exiled
from a homeland that their ancestors had occupied for more than 3,000
years. A race of people was nearly eliminated.
It would be an even greater tragedy to forget that the Armenian
Genocide ever happened. To not recognize the horror of such events
almost assures their repetition in the future. Adolf Hitler, in
preparing his genocide plans for the Jews, predicted that no one would
remember the atrocities he was about to unleash. After all, he asked,
“Who remembers the Armenians?”
Our statements today are intended to preserve the memory of the
Armenian loss, and to remind the world that the Turkish government–to
this day–refuses to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. The truth of
this tragedy can never and should never be denied.
And we must also be mindful of the current suffering of the Armenian,
where the Armenian people are still immersed in tragedy and violence.
The unrest between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues in Nagorno-
Karabakh. Thousands of innocent people have already perished in this
dispute, and many more have been displaced and are homeless.
In the face of this difficult situation we have an opportunity for
reconciliation. Now is the time for Armenia and its neighbors to come
together and work toward building relationships that will assure
lasting peace.
Meanwhile, in America, the Armenian-American community continues to
thrive and to provide assistance and solidarity to its countrymen and
women abroad. The Armenian-American community is bound together by
strong generational and family ties, an enduring work ethic and a proud
sense of ethnic heritage. Today we recall the tragedy of their past,
not to replace blame, but to answer a fundamental question, “Who
remembers the Armenians?”
Our commemoration of the Armenian Genocide speaks directly to that,
and I answer, we do.

Times Colonist (Victoria, British Columbia)
April 25, 2004 Sunday Final Edition

Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down

THUMBS UP – To MPs who passed a motion condemning “the Armenian
genocide of 1915.” It may have ruffled a few Turkish feathers and
gone against official Canadian policy, but our elected
representatives must be able to express popular outrage, even if they
can’t change history.

THUMBS UP – To Puretracks.com for allowing Canadians to download the
theme song from Hockey Night in Canada. The playoffs have been pushed
off the Saturday night slot into the afternoon by U.S. television
moguls, but we can still pretend — it’s our game, after all.

THUMBS DOWN – To CBS television for broadcasting photos of Princess
Diana slumped in the car in which she died moments later, after
crashing in a Paris tunnel in 1997. The broadcasting of the pictures
“sickened” her family and outraged people around the world.

THUMBS UP – To German Defence Minister Peter Struck for announcing
German soldiers, male and female, heterosexual and homosexual, will
be able to sleep together in barracks on foreign missions. It’s silly
that armies, like ours, say that even married couples can’t cuddle on
missions — as if that would sap their will to fight.

THUMBS DOWN – To Monrovia Nursery in Azusa, Calif., for exporting
camellias to B.C. nurseries that are suspected of carrying a disease
which is fatal to our precious Garry oaks. And please don’t say that
when they’re all gone there’ll be no more Garry oak meadows to stand
in the way of developments.

THUMBS DOWN – To Tokyo University scientists who have found a way for
female mice to reproduce without the need for male mates. We won’t go
into the revolting details, but as a blow to the ego of males
everywhere, this takes the cheese.

Press & Sun-Bulletin, NY
April 24 2004

Guest Viewpoint: Armenians have not forgotten
BY HAROUT KERJILIAN

“If our children forget this much evil
Let the whole world condemn the Armenian people.”

— Avidis Aharonian

It has been 89 years since the first genocide of the 20th century
took place. The Ottoman Turks and the Young Turks took it upon
themselves to resolve the Armenian question by massacres,
deportations and mass killings of 1.5 million Armenian men, women and
children, including my grandparents, aunts and uncles.

My parents were survivors of this genocide. Arab Bedouins and
Christian missionaries took them in as orphans.

These crimes by humanity against humanity are recorded in archives of
governments around the world and the news media. To this day the
Turkish government denies that the genocide and atrocities took
place. It spends millions of our tax dollars in an attempt to rewrite
its history, by establishing Turkish Studies programs in U.S.
universities under the guise of cultural and educational cooperation.

These programs are nothing more than propaganda tools to try to
change history and discredit the victims and survivors of this
horrendous period.

Hitler used this genocide as a “text book” for the Holocaust. He
said, “After all, who remembers the Armenians?” (This quote appears
on the wall of the American Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.)

Every year on April 24, Armenians around the globe commemorate and
remember the victims of this genocide and wonder why the world,
including the U.S. government, has kept quiet for so long.

The U.S. government refuses to acknowledge this genocide under the
guise of national interest and being an ally with Turkey. Last year
Congress was ready to pass House Resolution 193 to recognize the
genocide but it was taken off the agenda under pressure from the
White House and State Department.

President George W. Bush promised during his campaign that if he were
elected he would support this resolutions and work on getting it
passed. This day we call on the president to keep his word, and call
on Congress to pass the resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide
of 1915.

Unless we acknowledge the past and learn from it, history will repeat
itself. We have seen this happening in the Holocaust and in other
ethnic cleansings in places around the world.

This day, April 24, 2004, we not only remember and commemorate the
victims of this genocide, but we celebrate the survival of the
Armenian people and their accomplishments.

“Go ahead, destroy this race.
Let us say that it is again 1915;
There is war in the world.
Destroy Armenia.
See if you can do it.
Send them from their homes into
the desert.
Let them have neither bread nor
water.
Burn their houses and their
churches.
See if they will not live again.
See if they will not laugh again.
See if you can stop them from
mocking the big ideas of the
world. ”
— William Saroyan

Today, the Armenian community invites all people to a commemoration
service at the memorial park on Conklin Ave. in Binghamton, near the
South Washington Street Bridge. The service begins at 11 a.m.

Kerjilian is a Binghamton resident

Moscow Times
April 23 2004

Boy Set on Fire

MOSCOW (MT) — A 10-year-old Armenian boy was set on fire in an
apparent skinhead attack in the northern city of Kostroma this week,
a news agency reported.

A group of teenagers splashed gasoline over the boy when he left a
grocery store with an 11-year-old friend and set him on fire,
Regions.ru reported. Passersby quickly doused the fire.

The boy was hospitalized with burns to his face and hands, the report
said, without elaborating.

No suspects have been arrested.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th Street, NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
April 22, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

SEN. KERRY CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

— Democratic Presidential Hopeful Outlines Strong History of
Support for Armenian American Concerns in April 24th statement

— Senator’s Record on Armenian Issues Detailed on

WASHINGTON, DC Democratic Presidential hopeful, Sen. John Kerry,
called for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide
today, in a statement issued to Armenian Americans marking the 89th
anniversary of that crime against humanity, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

An outspoken advocate of U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
Senator Kerry stated “I join Armenian Americans and Armenians
worldwide in mourning the victims of the Armenian Genocide and I
call on governments and people everywhere to formally recognize
this tragedy. Only by learning from this dark period of history
and working to prevent future genocides can we truly honor the
memories of those Armenians who suffered so unjustly.” Earlier
this week, Senator Kerry joined 22 of his Senate colleagues calling
on President Bush to “refer to the mass slaughter of Armenians as
genocide in your commemorative statement.” He was amongst the
earliest cosponsors of the Genocide resolution (S.Res.164), which
marks the 15th anniversary of the U.S. implementation of the
Genocide Convention.

“With this most recent statement honoring the victims of the
Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kerry builds on his two decade long record
of support for proper U.S. recognition of this crime against
humanity,” stated Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.) “This election
season, we look forward to ensuring that our community is fully
aware of the Senator’s record on the Armenian Genocide and all
issues of concern to Armenian American voters.”

In the statement, Sen. Kerry outlined his longstanding support for
a broad range of Armenian American concerns. “In 1992, I authored
an amendment to the Freedom Support Act making U.S. aid to
Azerbaijan conditional on it taking steps to end its blockades
against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. I supported the Humanitarian
Aid Corridor Act in 1996, which prohibits U.S. assistance to any
country that restricts the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid to
another country. In 2003, I cosponsored legislation to extend
“permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR) to Armenia. This
January, I joined Senators Barbara Boxer, George Allen, Paul
Sarbanes, Russ Feingold, and Jon Corzine in asking the President to
urge Turkey to lift its embargo of Armenia.”

Senator Kerry’s complete record on Armenian American concerns is
posted on the Armenians For Kerry website:
The website includes previous statements by the Senator and provides
ways for Armenian American supporters to become active in the Kerry
campaign through donations or other volunteer efforts.

The complete text of Sen. Kerry’s statement follows.

#####

Statement by Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry
In Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide

“April 24th marks the 89th anniversary of the beginning of the
Armenian Genocide. Between 1915 and 1923 the rulers of the old
Ottoman Empire killed or deported over 1.5 million Armenian men,
women and children in a systematic policy of ethnic determination.”

“I thank Armenian Americans for their persistence in the struggle
to gain international recognition of this atrocity. By keeping the
memory of this tragedy alive, Armenian Americans remind us all of
our collective responsibility to insure that such horrors are not
repeated. I am proud of my work with the Armenian American
community to gain broader recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
including fighting alongside Senator Robert Dole in 1990 for
designation of April 24 as a national day of remembrance for this
tragedy.”

“I have been an unwavering supporter of many other important
Armenian issues. In 1992, I authored an amendment to the Freedom
Support Act making U.S. aid to Azerbaijan conditional on it taking
steps to end its blockades against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. I
supported the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act in 1996 which prohibits
U.S. assistance to any country that restricts the delivery of U.S.
humanitarian aid to another country. In 2003, I cosponsored
legislation to extend “permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR) to
Armenia. This January, I joined Senators Barbara Boxer, George
Allen, Paul Sarbanes, Russ Feingold, and Jon Corzine in asking the
President to urge Turkey to lift its embargo of Armenia.”

“I join Armenian Americans and Armenians worldwide in mourning the
victims of the Armenian Genocide and I call on governments and
people everywhere to formally recognize this tragedy. Only by
learning from this dark period of history and working to prevent
future genocides can we truly honor the memories of those Armenians
who suffered so unjustly.”

#####

M.F.A.: We Extremely Regretted Erection Of A Monument In Poland Defaming Our
Nation
Anadolu Agency:
4/21/2004

ANKARA – Turkey has expressed its extreme regret over erection of a
monument in yard of a Catholic church in Poland on which it was
written that Turks had committed genocide against Armenians.

Releasing a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on
Wednesday, ”a monument was erected in yard of a Catholic church in
Krakov city of Poland on April 17, 2004. There is an inscription on
the monument writing that Armenians had been exposed to genocide in
Turkey in 1915.”

”Although we have learnt that Polish government rejected the
inscription on the monument, we extremely regretted erection of such a
monument in Poland defaming our nation since we have always supported
Poland in its most difficult periods,” the MFA stressed.

Expressing Turkey’s concerns about a church’s being used as a tool of
an understanding of history based of distorted data, and of obsessions
of some marginal groups, the MFA emphasized, ”all countries should
remember that if all religious faiths and their adherents are purified
from prejudices and feelings of hatred, we can succeed in our efforts
to provide inter-religious dialogue.”

”Otherwise, we will face the jeopardy of inciting intolerance and
giving rise to social turmoil. The current sensitive period entails
everyone, especially religious officials, to be responsible and
careful in all steps to be taken,” the MFA added.

A1 Plus | 22:04:17 | 21-04-2004 | Politics |

OUR LOBSTERS IN DEMAND IN EUROPE

On Wednesday, Armenian-European Economic Policy Center Economic Adviser
Ashot Iskandaryan, said Wednesday Armenia had exported mostly precious
stones to European countries for last years. In 2003, considerable amount of
lobsters costing 1 million 600 thousand USD was sent to EU member countries.

He said goods of 678,1 million USD were exported to the EU countries. This
year commodity turnover rose twice comparing with that of past years.

Canada – AFP

Canada House of Commons recognizes “genocide” in Armenia, rebuffing FM

Wed Apr 21, 8:24 PM ET

OTTAWA (AFP) – Canada’s House of Commons rejected appeals from Foreign
Minister Bill Graham by adopting a resolution to recognize that Turkey,
Canada’s ally in NATO, committed genocide in Armenia in 1915.

The 301-seat House of Commons voted 153 to 68 in favour of the
resolution, thanks to support from many members of the governing Liberal
Party. Several MPs said Graham had asked them to vote down the measure
during closed-door Liberal meetings.

The motion recognized Turkey’s alleged genocide as “a crime against
humanity.”

It has symbolic value and will not define policy.

In the vote, several leading members of the Liberal Party, including
parliamentary secretaries, voted in favour. However, no full cabinet
minister voted against.

Aris Babikian, of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, pointed out
that several key cabinet ministers, including Justice Minister Irwin
Cotler and even Prime Minister Paul Martin, were absent for the vote.

He suggested they were absent because they did not want to vote against
the motion.

However, Babikian said it was a great “moral victory,” which would add
pressure on Turkey to at least recognize the genocide and even apologize
for it.

At a celebration party after Tuesday’s vote, Babikian said he owed this
victory to his grandfather who “lost six brothers and sisters in the
genocide” and “saw his own six-year-old sister burned to death.

US CO-CHAIRMAN WILL KEEP POWERS OF ADVISER ON CASPIAN DIPLOMACY

Azer Tag
April 17, 2004, 15:16:31

As correspondent of AzerTAj informs, on April 16, the US State
Department has disseminated a communiqué on the appointment of
ambassador Steven Mann tothe post of special envoy on Nagorny Karabakh
and to the Eurasian conflicts. Stephen Mann will replace on this post
the co-chairman of the Minsk Group from U.S. Rudolph Perina.

It should be reminded that ambassador Mann since May 2001 is the
adviser of the US President on Caspian diplomacy. As informed the
State Department, Steven Mann will keep this post.

Steven Mann, the native of state Pennsylvania, since 1976 works in the
field of foreign policy. Mann, serving in the US diplomatic
representatives in Moscow, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and other places, in
1992 was one of the first diplomats who have opened the American
embassy in Yerevan. And in 1998-2001s worked as the US ambassador in
Turkmenistan. Ambassador Mann knows Russian and German languages.

Under the message received by correspondent of AzerTAj, after
representation in Prague to other co-chairmen of the Minsk Group,
Steven Mann in the beginning of the next week will make visits to
Armenia and Azerbaijan. During these visits of familiarizing
character, he will visit on April 20, Yerevan, and on 21 –
Baku. Predictably, the new co-chairman will meet presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan.

IS THERE AGRICULTURAL POLICY?

Azat Artsakh–Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
16-04-2004

Member of parliament Edward Aghabekian applied to the government with
the question that his voters are interested according to what
principle the ministry of agriculture grants loans, mortgages, solves
the questions of irrigation, seeds, pesticides. Is there a progressive
development program of agriculture according to which all this is
carried out? As an answer prime minister Anoushavan Danielian noticed
that the question is not formed professionally.

NAIRA HAYRUMIAN.
16-04-2004