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COHEN AND ALBRIGHT LEADING NEW GENOCIDE PREVENTION EFFORT
armradio.am
14.11.2007 10:43
The credibility of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen in leading a newly
launched genocide prevention initiative was called into question,
by reporters who cited their ongoing efforts to block Congressional
reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.106 / S.Res.106),
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"Sadly, the Genocide Prevention Task Force's worthwhile efforts to
build consensus for an unconditional stand against genocide as a core
US foreign policy priority are undermined right out of the box by
the fact that its leading figures, Madeleine Albright and William
Cohen, are today actively and publicly working to block American
recognition of the Armenian Genocide," stated ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian.
Secretaries Cohen and Albright were keynote speakers at a National
Press Club press conference hosted by the US Holocaust Museum and
Memorial, US Institute for Peace, and American Academy of Diplomacy,
to announce the formation of the Genocide Prevention Task Force,
which the two will co-chair.
In response to questions raised by Hamparian and reporters from media
outlets including Asbarez, the Armenian Weekly, and the Armenian
Reporter, the two former secretaries were largely evasive,and
consistently used euphemistic language to avoid proper reference to
the Armenian Genocide.
"There are no absolutes in this," explained Secretary Cohen, referring
to US action against genocide. "There is an element of pragmatism... I
think anyone serving in public office necessarilyhas to have a set
of balancing factors to take into account."
Secretary Albright stressed that taking action on genocide is a
difficult decision. "These are issues people have talked about a
long time and they may come out in statements and then, ultimately,
when you're in the government (as we both have been) and you have to
make very tough decisions, you have to look at the overall picture. I
think we have to admit that.
Otherwise, we're not going to get off the ground here. These are very,
very hard issues."
"Secretaries Albright and Cohen can't have it both ways. Either
they stand unconditionally against all genocides all the time, or,
by choosing to only raise their voices when it's convenient, they
surrender their moral standing on this, the core human rights and
humanitarian issue of our time," commented Hamparian.
In a September 25th letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright opposed Congressional
consideration of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106). A
similar letter was sent by former Secretary of Defense William Cohen
on September 7th.
armradio.am
14.11.2007 10:43
The credibility of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen in leading a newly
launched genocide prevention initiative was called into question,
by reporters who cited their ongoing efforts to block Congressional
reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.106 / S.Res.106),
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"Sadly, the Genocide Prevention Task Force's worthwhile efforts to
build consensus for an unconditional stand against genocide as a core
US foreign policy priority are undermined right out of the box by
the fact that its leading figures, Madeleine Albright and William
Cohen, are today actively and publicly working to block American
recognition of the Armenian Genocide," stated ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian.
Secretaries Cohen and Albright were keynote speakers at a National
Press Club press conference hosted by the US Holocaust Museum and
Memorial, US Institute for Peace, and American Academy of Diplomacy,
to announce the formation of the Genocide Prevention Task Force,
which the two will co-chair.
In response to questions raised by Hamparian and reporters from media
outlets including Asbarez, the Armenian Weekly, and the Armenian
Reporter, the two former secretaries were largely evasive,and
consistently used euphemistic language to avoid proper reference to
the Armenian Genocide.
"There are no absolutes in this," explained Secretary Cohen, referring
to US action against genocide. "There is an element of pragmatism... I
think anyone serving in public office necessarilyhas to have a set
of balancing factors to take into account."
Secretary Albright stressed that taking action on genocide is a
difficult decision. "These are issues people have talked about a
long time and they may come out in statements and then, ultimately,
when you're in the government (as we both have been) and you have to
make very tough decisions, you have to look at the overall picture. I
think we have to admit that.
Otherwise, we're not going to get off the ground here. These are very,
very hard issues."
"Secretaries Albright and Cohen can't have it both ways. Either
they stand unconditionally against all genocides all the time, or,
by choosing to only raise their voices when it's convenient, they
surrender their moral standing on this, the core human rights and
humanitarian issue of our time," commented Hamparian.
In a September 25th letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, former
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright opposed Congressional
consideration of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106). A
similar letter was sent by former Secretary of Defense William Cohen
on September 7th.