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Schiff Presses Clinton On Misrepresenting Armenian Genocide

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  • Schiff Presses Clinton On Misrepresenting Armenian Genocide

    SCHIFF PRESSES CLINTON ON MISREPRESENTING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

    http://asbarez.com/101259/schiff-presses-clinton-on-misrepresenting-armenian-genocide-2/

    Clinton speaks at House sub-committee hearing on Wednesday

    WASHINGTON-In response to a question by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
    regarding her recent statements misrepresenting the Armenian Genocide
    as a 'historical debate,' Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on
    Wednesday avoided proper reference to the genocide, instead arguing
    that the "terrible events" should be a matter of discussion between
    Turkey and Armenia alone.

    In his question at House Appropriations Sub-Committee on Foreign
    Operations, Rep. Schiff referenced the U.S. record of affirming the
    Armenian Genocide, citing a document submitted to the International
    Court of Justice in 1951 clearly referencing the Armenian Genocide,
    President Ronald Reagan's affirmation of the Armenian Genocide in
    1981 and Secretary Clinton's own statements as Senator properly
    characterizing those crimes.

    "The Armenian Genocide is a crime against all humanity, requiring
    international justice, not a bilateral conflict between nations
    needing mediation," stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

    "According to her morally and factually flawed logic, America and
    the international community should have remained silent in the
    face of the Holocaust and other genocides, in Rwanda and elsewhere,
    leaving it to the perpetrators and victims of these crimes to come to
    a common understanding of their past. It's truly a sad spectacle to
    see Secretary Clinton pressured by Turkey to dance around the truth
    and play word games with genocide."

    Both Representatives Jesse Jackson (D-IL) and Steve Rothman (D-NJ)
    associated themselves with Rep. Schiff's statement and inquiry during
    the hearing.

    Earlier this week, more than 60 Members of the House of Representatives
    sent a letter to Secretary Clinton, asking her to renounce her recent
    public mischaracterization of the Armenian Genocide. In that letter,
    Members stated that the "historically inaccurate description of the
    Armenian Genocide as an open question, in addition to the offense
    it represents to Armenian Americans and other victims of genocide,
    provides American encouragement to the Republic of Turkey in its
    shameful campaign of denial."

    Read the Congressional letter to Clinton.

    Below are excerpts from the transcript of Schiff's questions and
    Secretary Clinton's responses from the hearing:

    SCHIFF: And I want to join my colleagues in thanking you for your
    extraordinary service to the country at a time when the Middle East
    is in turmoil, we have the succession going on in North Korea, new
    challenges from Iran, rising leadership from China. Having your steady
    hand at the tiller of the ship of state is a great comfort to all
    of us. We were enormously proud of the very strong remarks you made
    on the Syrian crisis, and the well-deserved criticism you leveled at
    Russia and China for their complicity in the ongoing violence.

    But set against this stellar record of achievement are some actions
    that were taken by you and the administration with regard to the
    Armenian genocide that are of great concern. I can't begin to express
    in mere words how much anguish has been caused in the Armenian-American
    community and among human rights activists about recent statements
    at a State Department Town Hall that you made.

    In 1951, while the experience of the Holocaust was still tragically
    fresh, the United States issued this statement at the International
    Court of Justice. It was the statement of the United States government
    on the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, and
    it said, " ... the Roman persecution of the Christians, the Turkish
    massacres of Armenians, the extermination of millions of Jews and
    Poles by the Nazis are outstanding examples of the crime of genocide."

    Again, in the 1980s President Reagan recognized the Armenian genocide,
    as did the Congress. And as recently as just a few years ago, both
    you as senator and our president as senator, spoke unequivocally of
    the Armenian genocide.

    Your comments were very powerful. " ... the horrible events perpetrated
    by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians constitute a clear case of
    genocide." you said. "Our common morality and our nation's credibility
    as a voice for human rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian
    genocide be recognized and remembered by the Congress and the president
    of the United States."

    But last month you made some very different statements, and said, " ...

    I think it's fair to say that this has always been viewed, and I think
    properly so, as a matter of historical debate and conclusions, rather
    than political. And I think that this is the right posture for the
    U.S. government to be in, because whatever the terrible event might
    be, or the high emotions that it represents, to try to use government
    power to resolve historical issues I think opens a door that is very
    dangerous to go through.

    This is, tragically, very much the line of the Turkish government. And
    many in the Armenian community are wondering how we could go from such
    a powerful position in the state senate, such a powerful position
    that we took decades ago before the International Court of Justice,
    the powerful voice that President Reagan brought to this issue,
    to where we were last month.

    And I want to ask you, is there any question that you have that the
    facts of that tragic period between 1915 and 1923 constitute genocide?

    Do you have any different view on the subject now than you did as a
    state - as a U.S. senator?

    CLINTON: Well, Congressman, you know, you quoted something that I said
    in response to a question about France trying to criminalize speech
    about this terrible event in history. And I do think criminalizing
    speech is a dangerous path to go down. And in fact, as I understand
    it, the French courts just declared that law unconstitutional under
    the French constitution.

    So let me be very clear. The United States recognizes the events of
    1915 as one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. And every
    April 24th the president honors the victims and expresses American
    solidarity with the Armenian people.

    And the president has said in his Remembrance Day statements that the
    achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts
    of what happened is in everyone's interest.

    He's also said that the best way to advance that goal is for the
    Armenian and Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a
    part of their effort to move forward.

    And President Obama, like presidents before him, strongly supports the
    efforts of Turkey and Armenia to normalize their bilateral relations.

    So we believe that this is a position that fully reflects the terrible
    events of 1915 but also is aimed at trying to create a climate in
    which these two peoples and nations can move forward together.

    SCHIFF: I - I'm sorry to interrupt but I - I'm gonna run out of time.

    And - and no one is quarreling with a position against criminalizing
    speech in this country. No one is advocating that.

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