[Congressional Record: April 27, 2004 (House)]
[Page H2400]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr27ap04-149]

The Armenian Genocide

Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, a few remarks on the Armenian genocide. My
Armenian-American friends and neighbors in Los Angeles have asked me
to speak tonight as a tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide.
As you know, in April 1915, approximately 1.5 million Armenians were
systematically killed in an organized fashion by the Ottoman
government. Ample documentation of these facts exist; yet today,
almost 9 decades later, the government of the modern state of Turkey
still fails to acknowledge the fact of the Armenian genocide.
Turkey’s failure to acknowledge the truth is a burden on the alliance
between our two nations. I would say to our President, it should be
called as it is, a crime of genocide. So I call upon the President of
the United States to uphold the commitment he made back when he was
running for President and put the United States of America on record
acknowledging the Armenian genocide.

COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

______

HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

of california

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, today we commemorate the 89th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide, a painful chapter in world history when the
international community stood silent as Armenian villages were purged
and systematically destroyed. Between the years of 1915 and 1923,
close to one and half million Armenians were killed while hundreds of
thousands of others were mercilessly deported, exiled, and uprooted
from their homes. Although the atrocities were documented by the
United States and others, the information was never acted upon. Sadly,
even today, the issue remains buried. After 89 years, the victims and
their descendants deserve better. No longer should their suffering go
unnoticed or unmourned. Recognition of the Armenian Genocide is long
overdue. It is time for the United States to make a concerted effort
to overcome the historical denial that genocide took place, and put an
end to the harmful isolation of Armenia that tragically continues. We
must identify ways to facilitate the lifting of the blockade against
Armenia and encourage a peaceful resolution of the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabagh. We must help Armenia continue to flourish as a
burgeoning democracy, extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR)
status to strengthen her economy, and stand ready to help maintain her
military strength. Let us resolve ourselves to ensure that the coming
year will be one that brings full recognition of the genocide that
took place, and peace to the region and the memory of those who
perished.

[Congressional Record: April 27, 2004 (House)]
[Page H2397-H2398]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr27ap04-138]

{time} 1945

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE 89TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Burgess). Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) is recognized for 5
minutes. Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the one and a
half million Armenians who perished in the Armenian genocide that
began 89 years ago on April 24, 1915. I consider this a sacred
obligation, to ensure that future generations of Americans remember
the first genocide of the 20th century and to ensure that the men,
women and children who perished at the hands of the Ottoman Empire are
not lost to history. We have always recognized the transience of
memory. It is why we set aside holidays and build monuments to honor
our heroes and the events that have shaped our societies. The stone
and concrete of a memorial serve to freeze history and to preserve it
for those who will follow. The written word cannot be burned when it
is etched into rock. Time is the ally of those who would deny or
change history. Such has it been with the government of Turkey and the
Armenian genocide. Although the genocide was perpetrated by modern
Turkey’s predecessor, generations of Turkish leaders have steadfastly
denied that the genocide ever took place, despite overwhelming
evidence to the contrary. Time is on their side. The generation of
Armenians with direct memory of the genocide is gone. Their children
are aging. Much of the rest of the world has moved on, reluctant to
dredge up unpleasant memories and risk the ire of modern Turkey. For
those of us who care deeply about the issue, we must redouble our
efforts to ensure that our Nation, which has championed liberty and
human rights throughout its history, is not complicit in Ankara’s
effort to obfuscate what happened between 1915 and 1923. Worse still,
by tacitly siding with those who would deny the Armenian genocide, we
have rendered hollow our commitment to never again let genocide occur.
Among historians there is no dispute that what happened to the
Armenian people was genocide. Thousands of pages of documents sit in
our National Archives. Newspapers of the day were replete with stories
about the murder of Armenians. Appeal to Turkey to stop massacres
headlined the New York Times on April 28, 1915, just as the killing
began. On October 7 of that year, the Times reported that 800,000
Armenians had been slain in cold blood in Asia Minor. In mid-December
of 1915, the Times spoke of a million Armenians killed or in exile.
Prominent citizens of the day, including America’s ambassador to the
Ottoman Empire, Henry Morgenthau, and Britain’s Lord Bryce reported on
the massacres in great detail. Morgenthau was appalled at what he
would later call the sadistic orgies of rape, torture, and
murder. Lord Bryce, a former British ambassador to the United States,
worked to raise awareness of and money for the victims of what he
called the most colossal crime in the history of the world. In October
1915, the Rockefeller Foundation contributed $30,000, a sum worth more
than half a million dollars today, to a relief fund for Armenia.
Others, too, reacted in horror to what Ambassador Morgenthau called,
for lack of a specific term, race murder. In the early 1930s, 10 years
after the genocide, a young Polish attorney named Raphael Lemkin, who
had read of the genocide as a child, tried to get European statesmen
to criminalize the destruction of ethnic and religious groups. He was
dismissed as an alarmist. A few years later, when Hitler invaded
Poland, Lemkin lost 49 members of his family in the Holocaust. Lemkin
escaped, first to Sweden, where he documented the horrors going on in
Nazi-occupied Europe and then to the United States, where he worked
for the Allied war effort. He resolved to create a word to convey the
mass atrocities being committed by the Germans. In 1944, while working
for the U.S. War Department, he coined the term “genocide,” citing
the slaughter of Armenians three decades earlier. In 1948, in the
shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi
Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide. It confirms that genocide

[[Page H2398]]

is a crime under international law and defines genocide as actions
committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or
religious group. The United States, under President Truman, was the
first Nation to sign the convention. Last year marked the 15th
anniversary of President Reagan’s signing of the Genocide Convention
Implementation Act. Just over a year ago, I introduced H.R. 193 with
my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich), with the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), with the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Knollenberg), and other Members of this House. This
resolution reaffirms the support of the Congress for the genocide
convention and commemorates the anniversary of our becoming a party to
this landmark legislation. On May 21 of last year, we achieved a huge
victory when we passed the genocide resolution by a very strong
bipartisan vote. This should be an easy resolution for all of us now
to support on the House floor. Genocide is the most abhorrent crime
known to humankind; and unfortunately, it still exists. Exactly 10
years ago, before the cameras of the world, Rwanda’s majority Hutus
exterminated over 500,000 Tutsi in just over 3 months’ time, mostly
with machetes and homemade axes. The reason that we have not yet
succeeded in passing this resolution on the House floor is simple. The
government of Turkey refuses to acknowledge the genocide and the
strongest Nation on Earth fears their reaction if we do. All over the
globe–from South Africa, to Argentina, to the former Yugoslavia,
governments have set up truth commissions and other bodies to
investigate atrocities. Nowhere has this process been more extensive
than in Germany, which has engaged in decades of soul-searching and
good works that have not only restored the nation’s standing, but also
its moral authority. I call upon the government of Turkey and our own
government to do the same. When the burden of the past is lifted, then
the future is brighter. As long as Ankara engages in prevarication,
equivocation and evasion, Turkey will exist under a cloud–not because
of its past, but because of its refusal to address that past. And as
long as we fail to do our duty in this country, in this Congress, we
do not live up to our great name and our great heritage. I also call
upon the distinguished Speaker of the House to allow us to vote on the
Genocide Resolution. One hundred ten of my colleagues have cosponsored
this resolution and I expect that it would pass overwhelmingly if
given the chance, but we must do it soon, for with each year the
events of 1915-1923 recede a bit more into the dark of history. Time,
Mr. Speaker, is not on our side. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
for 1 additional minute. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair cannot
recognize that unanimous consent request. The gentleman’s time has
expired.

[Congressional Record: April 27, 2004 (Extensions)]
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ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

______

HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

of indiana

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solemn memorial to the
estimated 1.5 million men, women, and children who lost their lives
during the Armenian Genocide. As in the past, I am pleased to join so
many distinguished House colleagues on both sides of the aisle in
ensuring that the horrors wrought upon the Armenian people are never
repeated.
On April 24, 1915, over 200 religious, political, and intellectual
leaders of the Armenian community were brutally executed by the Turkish
government in Istanbul. Over the course of the next 8 years, this war
of ethnic genocide against the Armenian community in the Ottoman Empire
took the lives of over half the world’s Armenian population.
Sadly, there are some people who still deny the very existence of
this period which saw the institutionalized slaughter of the Armenian
people and dismantling of Armenian culture. To those who would question
these events, I point to the numerous reports contained in the U.S.
National Archives detailing the process that systematically decimated
the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. However, old records are
too easily forgotten–and dismissed. That is why we come together every
year at this time: to remember in words what some may wish to file away
in archives. This genocide did take place, and these lives were taken.
That memory must keep us forever vigilant in our efforts to prevent
these atrocities from ever happening again.
I am proud to note that Armenian immigrants found, in the United
States, a country where their culture could take root and thrive. Most
Armenians in America are children or grandchildren of the survivors,
although there are still survivors among us. In my district in
Northwest Indiana, a vibrant Armenian-American community has developed
and strong ties to Armenia continue to flourish. My predecessor in the
House, the late Adam Benjamin, was of Armenian heritage, and his
distinguished service in the House serves as an example to the entire
Northwest Indiana community. Over the years, members of the Armenian-
American community throughout the United States have contributed
millions of dollars and countless hours of their time to various
Armenian causes. Of particular note are Mrs. Vicki Hovanessian and her
husband, Dr. Raffy Hovanessian, residents of Indiana’s First
Congressional District, who have continually worked to improve the
quality of life in Armenia, as well as in Northwest Indiana. Three
other Armenian-American families in my congressional district, Dr. Aram
and Mrs. Seta Semerdjian, Dr. Heratch and Mrs. Sonya Doumanian, and Dr.
Ara and Mrs. Rosy Yeretsian, have also contributed greatly toward
charitable works in the United States and Armenia. Their efforts,
together with hundreds of other members of the Armenian-American
community, have helped to finance several important projects in
Armenia, including the construction of new schools, a mammography
clinic, and a crucial roadway connecting Armenia to Nagorno Karabagh.
In the House, I have tried to assist the efforts of my Armenian-
American constituency by continually supporting foreign aid to Armenia.
This past year, with my support, Armenia received $84 million in U.S.
aid to assist economic and military development. In addition, on April
16, 2004, I joined several of my colleagues in signing the letter to
President Bush urging him to honor his pledge to recognize the Armenian
Genocide.
The Armenian people have a long and proud history. In the fourth
century, they became the first nation to embrace Christianity. During
World War I, the Ottoman Empire was ruled by an organization known as
the Young Turk Committee, which allied with Germany. Amid fighting in
the Ottoman Empire’s eastern Anatolian provinces, the historic
heartland of the Christian Armenians, Ottoman authorities ordered the
deportation and execution of all Armenians in the region. By the end of
1923, virtually the entire Armenian population of Anatolia and western
Armenia had either been killed or deported.
While it is important to keep the lessons of history in mind, we must
also remain committed to protecting Armenia from new and more hostile
aggressors. In the last decade, thousands of lives have been lost and
more than a million people displaced in the struggle between Armenia
and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabagh. Even now, as we rise to
commemorate the accomplishments of the Armenian people and mourn the
tragedies they have suffered, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and other countries
continue to engage in a debilitating blockade of this free nation.
Consistently, I have testified before the Foreign Operations
Appropriations Subcommittee on the important issue of bringing peace to
a troubled area of the world. I continued my support for maintaining
the level of funding for the Southern Caucasus region of the
Independent States (IS), and of Armenia in particular. In addition, on
February 26, 2004, I joined several of my colleagues in sending a
letter to President Bush urging nim to ensure parity in military
assistance between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives Joe
Knollenberg and Frank Pallone, for organizing this special order to
commemorate the 89th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Their
efforts will not only help bring needed attention to this tragic period
in world history, but also serve to remind us of our duty to protect
basic human rights and freedoms around the world.

[Congressional Record: April 27, 2004 (Extensions)]
[Page E667-E668]
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[DOCID:cr27ap04-50]

COMMEMORATING THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

______

HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

of new york

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, and the representative of a large and
vibrant community of Armenian Americans, I rise today to join my
colleagues in the sad commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.
Today, we continue the crusade to ensure that this tragedy is never
forgotten. This 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is an
emotional time. The loss of life experienced by so many families is
devastating. But, in the face of the systematic slaughter of 1.5
million people, the Armenian community has persevered with a vision of
life and freedom.
Armenian Americans are representative of the resolve, bravery, and
strength of spirit that is so characteristic of Armenians around the
world. That strength carried them through humanity’s worst: Upheaval
from a homeland of 3,000 years, massacre of kin, and deportation to
foreign lands. That same strength gathers Armenians around the world to
make certain that this tragedy is never forgotten.
Without recognition and remembrance, this atrocity remains a threat
to nations around the world. I’ve often quoted philosopher George
Santayana who said: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned
to repeat it.” And to remember, we must first acknowledge what it is–
Genocide.
Tragically, more than 1.5 million Armenians were systematically
murdered at the hands of the Young Turks. More than 500,000 were
deported. It was brutal. It was deliberate. It was an organized
campaign and it lasted more than 8 years. We must make certain that we
remember.
Now, we must ensure that the world recognizes that Armenian people
have remembered, and they have survived and thrived.
Out of the crumbling Soviet Union, the Republic of Armenia was born,
and independence was gained. But, independence has not ended the
struggle.
To this day, the Turkish government denies that genocide of the
Armenian people occurred and denies its own responsibility for the
deaths of 1.5 million people.
In response to this revisionist history, the Republic of France
passed legislation that set the moral standard for the international
community. The French National Assembly unanimously passed a bill that
officially recognizes the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey
during and after WWI as genocide.
Several nations have since joined in the belief that history should
beset straight. Canada, Argentina, Belgium, Lebanon, The Vatican,
Uruguay, the European parliament, Russia, Greece, Sweden and France,
have authored declarations or decisions confirming that the genocide
occurred. As a country, we must join these nations in recognition of
this atrocity.

[[Page E668]]

I am proud to join more than 100 of my colleagues in cosponsoring H.
Res. 193, which emphasizes the importance of remembering and learning
from past crimes against humanity. We must demand that the United
States officially acknowledge the forced exile and annihilation of 1.5
million people as genocide.
Denying the horrors of those years merely condones the behavior in
other places as was evidenced in Rwanda, Indonesia, Burundi, Sri Lanka,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Iraq. Silence may have been the
signal to perpetrators of these atrocities that they could commit
genocide, deny it, and get away with it.
As Americans, the reminder of targeted violence and mass slaughter is
still raw. We lost nearly 3,000 people on September 11. I cannot
imagine the world trying to say that this did not occur. The loss of
1.5 million people is a global tragedy.
A peaceful and stable South Caucasus region is clearly in the U.S.
national interest. Recognizing the genocide must be a strategy for this
goal in an increasingly uncertain region. One of the most important
ways in which we an honor the memory of the Armenian victims of the
past is to help modern Armenia build a secure and prosperous future.
The United States has a unique history of aid to Armenia, being among
the first to recognize that need, and the first to help. I am pleased
with the U.S. involvement in the emphasis of private sector
development, regionally focused programs, people-to-people linkages and
the development of a civil society.
I recently joined many of my colleagues in requesting funding for
Armenia including for Foreign Military Financing, for Economic Support
Funds, and for assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia has made impressive progress in rebuilding a society and a
nation in the face of dramatic obstacles. I will continue to take a
strong stand in support of Armenia’s commitment to democracy, the rule
of law, and a market economy–I am proud to stand with Armenia in doing
so. But there is more to be done. Conflict persists in the Nagorno-
Karabakh region.
Congress has provided funding for confidence building in that region,
and I will continue my support of that funding and the move toward a
brighter future for Armenia. But in building our future, we must not
forget our past. That is why I strongly support the efforts of the
Armenian community in the construction of the Armenian Genocide
Memorial and Museum. Because so many Armenians have spoken of the
destruction, they have made certain that we remember.
Nothing we can do or say will bring those who perished back to life,
but we can imbue their memories with everlasting meaning by teaching
the lessons of the Armenian genocide to the next generation and help
Armenia build its future.

____________________

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

April 28, 2004

Contact: Armen Carapetian 818.500.1918

ANC Events and Initiatives – From California, Nevada, Arizona, Montana,
Idaho and other States – Draw Record Numbers of Armenian Americans Voters
Who Call For U.S. Recognition of the Armenian Genocide

ANC Communicates Genocide Recognition with CNN, The Los Angeles Times and
Major Media Outlets

California: Thousands of Armenian Americans attended a solemn ceremony in
the shadow of the Armenian Genocide Monument and were joined by Members of
Congress, State Legislators, the Co-Chairman of the Kerry Presidential
Campaign, and local public officials.

Nevada: Hundreds of Armenian Americans attended a commemoration ceremony
with keynote speaker U.S. Senator John Ensign, author of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution in the Senate.

Arizona: Over 250 Armenian Americans in Phoenix joined together at Wesley
Bolin Plaza, home of an Armenian Genocide Monument, to mark the 89th
anniversary of the first genocide of the 20th century.

Montana: The State of Montana became the 32nd U.S. state to recognize the
Armenian Genocide. This initiative was spearheaded by the ANC of Montana.

Idaho: The State of Idaho became the 33rd U.S. state to recognize the
Armenian Genocide as Republican Governor Dirk Kempthorne, issued a
proclamation citing April 24th `Idaho Day of Remembrance of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915-1923.’ This initiative was spearheaded by the ANC of
Idaho.

ANC-Professional Network: In cooperation with the ARF Shant Student
Association and the Armenian Youth Federation, ANC-PN organized a `Rally
Against Genocide Denial.’ The event was attended by over 1,000 youth and
included a presentation by popular radio host David Barsamian.

MAJOR EVENT: The rock band System of a Down dedicated its April 24th
performance to the remembrance of the Armenian Genocide and raised funds for
the ANCA in DC. Tickets for the concert were sold out in seven minutes.

INTERNET INITIATIVE: Over 10,000 Armenian-Americans from the Western United
States sent messages to their Members of Congress through the ANCA website
Action Alert system –

ANCA GENOCIDE PREVENTION POSTCARD CAMPAIGN: In a massive grassroots drive,
over ten thousand ANC supporters signed postcards urging Congressional
leaders to schedule a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolutions pending in
the House (H.Res. 193) and Senate (S.Res.164).

Central California/Fresno ANC Chapter: Local leaders joined together to
raise the Armenian Flag above City Hall to honor the martyrs of 1915.

San Francisco/Bay Area ANC Chapter: Secured Armenian Genocide resolutions
from four cities and counties, showed an Armenian Genocide film at the S.F.
Public Library and helped lead a Genocide commemoration event featuring the
Speaker Pro Tempore of the California State Assembly, Leland Yee.

City of Los Angeles: Seven Members of the Los Angeles City Council joined
ANC leaders at a solemn ceremony held to mark the Armenian Genocide. A
resolution was unanimously passed by the City Council to honor the martyrs
of 1915 and register opposition to efforts to deny this crime against
humanity.

Burbank ANC Chapter: Worked with local civic and political leaders to have
the Burbank City Council pass a proclamation commemorating the Armenian
Genocide.

East San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles ANC Chapters: Hosted a forum
featuring Aram Sarafian, a Major in the U.S. Army and an ANC activist.
Sarafian focused his remarks on the need for Armenian Americans to engage
the American political process in the effort to secure full U.S. recognition
of the Armenian Genocide.

La Crescenta ANC Chapter: Organized an educational event on Armenian history
and the Armenian Genocide at the Historical Society of Crescenta Valley Town
Council with Professor Levon Marashlian of Glendale Community College.

Pasadena ANC Chapter: Over four hundred Armenian Americans joined the Mayor
of Pasadena and Congressman Adam Schiff in commemorating the Armenian
Genocide at an event held at the Pasadena Armenian Center.

San Diego ANC Chapter: Will be hosting an academic conference on Genocide
Denial on May 8, 2004 at U.C. San Diego.

San Fernando Valley and Glendale ANC Chapters: In cooperation with the
American Red Cross, each ANC chapter hosted a successful blood drive. The
blood of the Armenian American community will be used to save lives.

San Gabriel Valley/Montebello ANC: Hosted a vigil in the shadow of the
Genocide Monument. The event included the participation of Congresswomen
Hilda Solis and Grace Napolitano.

South Bay/Torrance ANC Chapter: Worked with Rolling Hills Estates Councilman
Frank Zerunyan to have the City Council pass a resolution commemorating the
Armenian Genocide.

National: ANCA-WR pushed a record number of Members of Congress to urge
President Bush to use the term `genocide’ in his April 24th message. Over
190 House and Senate members joined the effort.

California: With the full support of the Central California/Fresno ANC
chapter – California State Senator Chuck Poochigian urged and secured an
`Armenian Genocide’ statement from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Local Los Angeles Events: ANCA-WR Staff spoke at a record number of events
to educate the public about the Armenian Genocide – talks were delivered at
Cal State LA, Cal Poly Pomona, Bank of America Culture Day, Pasadena School
District, Calabasas High School, Homenentmen Scouts, All-Armenian Student
Association Candle Light Vigil at University of California, Riverside,
Glendale High School Armenian Genocide Remembrance Assembly, Chamlian
Armenian School in La Crescenta, California, Los Angeles County Department
of Social Services Welfare Office Staff on `Trauma of the Armenian
Genocide,’ Camp Shining Light participants, and at many other venues.

City Proclamations: The ANC worked with local city leaders in California to
pass Armenian Genocide Resolutions in Irvine, Oakland, Downey, Rolling Hills
Estates, among many other municipalities.

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.

####

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

April 28, 2004

Contact: Armen Carapetian 818.500.1918

Co-Chairman of Kerry Presidential Campaign Praises ANC for Genocide
Recognition Efforts

Los Angeles, CA – Antonio Villaraigosa, the national co-chairman of the John
Kerry Presidential Campaign, read Senator Kerry’s April 24th statement
before thousands of Armenian-Americans at an event sponsored by the Armenian
National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR). The gathering
occurred in the shadow of the Armenian Genocide Monument in Montebello,
California on April 24, 2004.

`The City of Los Angeles will never forget the Armenian Genocide and I,
along with the Armenian National Committee, will do whatever I can to honor
the memory of the 1.5 million martyrs,’ said Councilmember Antonio
Villaraigosa. `In the ten years that I have served in public office, the
Armenian National Committee has consistently been the leading advocate of
issues relating to the Armenian-American community, and I have always valued
the close relationship we share.’

`We want to thank Senator Kerry for his April 24th Armenian Genocide
Statement and Councilman Villaraigosa for sharing this message with our
community,’ stated ANCA-WR Chairman Raffi Hamparian. `Councilman
Villaraigosa understands our long struggle for justice,’ he added.

Villaraigosa participated in an ANCA-WR sponsored Armenian Genocide program
held at Los Angeles City Hall on April 23, 2004. The Councilman spoke to
Armenian-American leaders at that solemn commemoration and then joined his
colleague and event sponsor Councilman Eric Garcetti in passing a resolution
affirming the historical facts of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution
emphasized the need to challenge those who deny crimes against humanity like
the Armenian Genocide.

Villaraigosa is the former Speaker of the California State Assembly and now
serves as a member of the Los Angeles City Council.

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.

####

UEFA.com, Europe
April 29 2004

Hakobyan tames Turkmenistan

Armenia 1-0 Turkmenistan

Ara Hakobyan underlined his prolific reputation with a 67th-minute
goal to give Armenia victory in their first ever meeting with
Turkmenistan.

Hakobyan goal
Armenia dominated throughout in Yerevan against their fellow former
Soviet republic. Hakobyan, who scored an astonishing 45 goals for FC
Banants in last year’s Armenian Premier League leaving him in the
current top five in the ESM Golden Shoe rankings, hit the post twice
before finally scoring.

Coach happy
Home coach Mikhaj Stoichita and his counterpart Rahim Kurbamamedov
both took the chance to give young players a run-out with one eye on
their forthcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns. Stoichita,
whose side meet the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Romania,
Finland. F.Y.R. Macedonia and Andorra in Group 1, said: “I am
satisfied with our display. We were looking the stronger team
throughout the match and could have scored many times. I was able to
see some young players in action.”

Armenia credited
Kurbamamedov, whose team have opened their World Cup campaign with
wins against Sri Lanka and Indonesia in a group also containing Saudi
Arabia, said: “Of course I do not like the result, but the Armenians
deserved this win.”

Workday Minnesota, MN
April 29 2004

St. Paul passes ‘INS separation’ ordinance

By Barb Kucera, Workday Minnesota editor – April 28, 2004

ST. PAUL – Saying that St. Paul values all people, the City Council
Wednesday night unanimously approved an ordinance that keeps
responsibility for enforcing immigration law with federal
authorities.

The proposal limits situations in which police and other city workers
can be required to enforce federal immigration laws. A similar
measure was passed last year in Minneapolis and has been approved in
several communities around the country.

`It’s a historic moment for St. Paul,’ Council Member Jay Benanav
said after the 7-0 vote. `This ordinance really recognizes the
diversity and the richness that all immigrant groups have brought to
St. Paul and continue to bring to St. Paul.’

Council Member Pat Harris, author of the ordinance, noted his
Irish-Armenian-German heritage and the fact that his ancestors were
victims of the genocide in Armenia in the early 20th century.

`I’m very proud to do something like this today,’ he said.

St. Paul City Council members and staff listen to testimony on the
immigration ordinance.

Before the vote, several people testified in support of the
ordinance, often referred to as a `city/INS separation ordinance.’
They said the measure was needed, especially in light of intimidation
of immigrants since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the
passage of the Patriot Act, which gives federal authorities vast
powers to arrest and detain people.

Representatives of immigrant Latino, Asian and African communities
said many people are afraid to deal with public workers, especially
police, for fear their legal status will be questioned.

Ilean Her, executive director of the Council on Asian-Pacific
Minnesotans, cited the case of a young Filipino woman, brought to the
Twin Cities as a `mail-order bride.’ Although she became a victim of
domestic violence, `her fear kept her from seeking help,’ Her said.

Through the ordinance, `the city of St. Paul will say there are
certain rights we will protect . . . a right to safety and medical
help when you need it,’ she said.

Hassan Muhammed, vice president of the Minnesota chapter of the
Moslem-American Society and president of the Somali Families and
Youth Association of Minnesota, said many East Africans have a
well-founded fear of law enforcement. In their home countries, `the
police is the military, is the immigration officer,’ he said.

`We can remove that fear through this ordinance,’ he said.

A number of unions supported the proposal, saying it allows police,
firefighters, public health nurses, housing inspectors, librarians
and other city employees to do their jobs and provide city services
without being forced to unnecessarily investigate a resident’s
immigration status.

Shar Knutson, president of the St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly,
AFL-CIO; and Amy Bodnar, a representative of the Service Employees
International Union, both testified in favor of the ordinance.

`Over 30 citizen groups have signed onto this,’ Bodnar noted.

None of the speakers at the public hearing opposed the measure. After
the vote, the ordinance was laid over for final passage at the City
Council meeting on Wednesday, May 5.

Minneapolis Star Tribune , MN
April 29 2004

Strong backing for St. Paul immigration ordinance

Illegal immigrants deserve to feel safe in their communities without
fear that police will report them to the federal government,
according to a unified message sent to the St. Paul City Council on
Wednesday.

Backers of a proposed ordinance that would free St. Paul police from
having to concern themselves with immigration status packed City
Council chambers at a public hearing. Among the speakers were
representatives of unions, religious organizations and a lawyers’
group, and immigrant and civil rights activists.

“The war on terrorism is becoming a war on immigration,” said Howard
Goldman, who represented the Jewish Community Action.

Ilean Her, executive director of the state Council on Asian Pacific
Minnesotans, told of a young Filipino woman who came to the United
States as what she described as a “mail-order bride.”

She was beaten by her husband, who took her passport and forced her
into prostitution, Her told the council. Police were alerted when the
woman sought help at a domestic violence shelter, Her said.

“She did not know she could go to the police,” Her said. “She did not
know they could protect her. … There should not have been this fear
that her immigration status would stop the police from treating her
humanely.”

Council Member Pat Harris, who sponsored the ordinance, got choked up
as he recalled the previous generations of his family who immigrated
from Armenia, Ireland and Germany.

“I’m very proud to do something like this today,” he said, his voice
shaking as he urged the council to support the measure.

The council is scheduled to vote on May 5. Most of the seven council
members have voiced their support, as has Mayor Randy Kelly.

Jackie Crosby

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress