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JEWISH GROUPS LOBBY AGAINST 'ARMENIAN RESOLUTION' IN US CONGRESS
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 27 2007
In a letter addressing influential members of the U.S. Congress,
including head of the House of Representatives' Foreign Relations
Committee Tom Lantos, the US-based Jewish groups demanded that
voting on congressional resolutions urging the U.S. administration
to recognize an alleged genocide of Armenians be delayed.
The letter was jointly signed by B'nai B'rith International, the
Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish
Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA).
The letter included an annex -- a letter signed by the Turkish Jewish
Community -- which said maintenance of good relations between Turkey
and Israel and among Turkey, the US and Israel were crucial at a time
when the US faces troubles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Two separate resolutions are pending at the US Senate and the House
of Representatives, urging the administration to recognize the World
war I era killings of Anatolian Armenians as genocide.
Turkey has warned that passage of the resolutions in the US Congress
would seriously harm relations with Washington and impair cooperation
in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US administration has said it was opposed
to the resolution, yet the congressional process is an independent one.
In his message for April 24, which Armenians claim marks the
anniversary of the beginning of a so-called systematic genocide
campaign at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire, US President George
W. Bush remained adhered to the administration policy of not referring
to the incidents as genocide.
"Each year on this day, we pause to remember the victims of one of the
greatest tragedies of the 20th century, when as many as 1.5 million
Armenians lost their lives in the final years of the Ottoman Empire,
many of them victims of mass killings and forced exile," Bush said.
Turkey categorically rejects the Armenian claims and says as many
Turks were killed when the Armenians took up arms against the Ottoman
Empire in collaboration with the invading Russian army.
Bush, in his message, also called for the normalization of ties
between Turkey and Armenia:
"Today, we remember the past and also look forward to a brighter
future. We commend the individuals in Armenia and Turkey who are
working to normalize the relationship between their two countries. A
sincere and open examination of the historic events of the late-Ottoman
period is an essential part of this process. The United States
supports and encourages those in both countries who are working to
build a shared understanding of history as a basis for a more hopeful
future," he said.
The Bush administration dismissed its former ambassador in Yerevan last
year after he violated the US policy and called the events "genocide."
Ambassador John Evans was insistent on his stance when he spoke at
the National Press Club in Washington and said Turkey should accept
"historical facts." He also claimed that Turkey's efforts had played
a role in the abrupt termination of his duty as the US ambassador
in Yerevan.
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 27 2007
In a letter addressing influential members of the U.S. Congress,
including head of the House of Representatives' Foreign Relations
Committee Tom Lantos, the US-based Jewish groups demanded that
voting on congressional resolutions urging the U.S. administration
to recognize an alleged genocide of Armenians be delayed.
The letter was jointly signed by B'nai B'rith International, the
Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish
Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA).
The letter included an annex -- a letter signed by the Turkish Jewish
Community -- which said maintenance of good relations between Turkey
and Israel and among Turkey, the US and Israel were crucial at a time
when the US faces troubles in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Two separate resolutions are pending at the US Senate and the House
of Representatives, urging the administration to recognize the World
war I era killings of Anatolian Armenians as genocide.
Turkey has warned that passage of the resolutions in the US Congress
would seriously harm relations with Washington and impair cooperation
in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US administration has said it was opposed
to the resolution, yet the congressional process is an independent one.
In his message for April 24, which Armenians claim marks the
anniversary of the beginning of a so-called systematic genocide
campaign at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire, US President George
W. Bush remained adhered to the administration policy of not referring
to the incidents as genocide.
"Each year on this day, we pause to remember the victims of one of the
greatest tragedies of the 20th century, when as many as 1.5 million
Armenians lost their lives in the final years of the Ottoman Empire,
many of them victims of mass killings and forced exile," Bush said.
Turkey categorically rejects the Armenian claims and says as many
Turks were killed when the Armenians took up arms against the Ottoman
Empire in collaboration with the invading Russian army.
Bush, in his message, also called for the normalization of ties
between Turkey and Armenia:
"Today, we remember the past and also look forward to a brighter
future. We commend the individuals in Armenia and Turkey who are
working to normalize the relationship between their two countries. A
sincere and open examination of the historic events of the late-Ottoman
period is an essential part of this process. The United States
supports and encourages those in both countries who are working to
build a shared understanding of history as a basis for a more hopeful
future," he said.
The Bush administration dismissed its former ambassador in Yerevan last
year after he violated the US policy and called the events "genocide."
Ambassador John Evans was insistent on his stance when he spoke at
the National Press Club in Washington and said Turkey should accept
"historical facts." He also claimed that Turkey's efforts had played
a role in the abrupt termination of his duty as the US ambassador
in Yerevan.