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ANCA: Reps Eshoo, Sweeney Urge House to Call a Vote on Genocide Rez

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  • ANCA: Reps Eshoo, Sweeney Urge House to Call a Vote on Genocide Rez

    Armenian National Committee of America
    888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
    Washington, DC 20006
    Tel: (202) 775-1918
    Fax: (202) 775-5648
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Internet: www.anca.org

    PRESS RELEASE
    September 20, 2004
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
    Tel: (202) 775-1918


    REPS. ESHOO AND SWEENEY URGE HOUSE COLLEAGUES
    TO CALL FOR A VOTE ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

    -- Support Continues to Grow for Congressional Letter to Speaker
    Hastert in Support of the Schiff Amendment and H.Res.193

    WASHINGTON, DC - New York Republican John Sweeney and California
    Democrat Anna Eshoo have joined together in the effort to encourage
    their Congressional colleagues to cosign a letter to Speaker
    Hastert urging him to maintain the Schiff amendment in the House
    Foreign aid bill and schedule a vote on the Genocide Resolution,
    reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The
    letter currently has over 60 signatories and support continues to
    grow in the days leading up to the House and Senate conference to
    finalize the FY 2005 foreign aid bill.

    In a letter to House Members, Reps. Eshoo and Sweeney, both of
    Armenian descent, explained:

    "Under the Ottoman Empire, nearly two million Armenians who were
    living in Eastern Anatolia were deported from their homes. Of the
    two million deportees, only 500,000 survived this ordeal. The
    historical record is clear. From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire
    succeeded in systematically eliminating the Armenians from their
    historical homeland where they had lived for over two thousand
    years. H.Res.193 reaffirmed our nation's commitment to the noble
    aims of the Genocide Convention, and urges the American people to
    learn from the lessons of past genocides in order to help prevent
    future crimes against humanity."

    The complete text of the Eshoo-Sweeney letter follows.

    The Schiff Amendment, spearheaded by California Democrat Adam
    Schiff, was unanimously adopted by the House in a voice vote,
    during discussions of the FY 2005 foreign aid bill. The
    legislation would bar the Turkish government from using U.S.
    foreign aid funds for lobbying against the Genocide resolution.
    Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and
    Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) immediately denounced the measure in
    a harshly worded press release placed on the front page of the
    House Speaker's website, citing concerns about its effects on U.S.-
    Turkey relations and pledging to remove the language from the final
    foreign aid bill.

    Following the Speaker's announced opposition to the measure, more
    than a dozen national grassroots Armenian American organizations
    cosigned a letter to the House leader, voicing the community's
    unequivocal opposition to efforts to reverse the Schiff Amendment
    to the fiscal year 2005 Foreign Operations bill, and expressing the
    community's "great dismay with your public statement against
    holding a vote on the Genocide Resolution, H.Res.193." The
    organizations that signed the community-wide letter were the ANCA,
    the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church - Eastern and Western
    U.S., the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church - Eastern and
    Western U.S., the Armenian Missionary Association of America, and
    the Apostolic Exarchate for Armenian Catholics, as well as the
    Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Democratic Liberal
    (Ramgavar) Party, United Armenian Fund, Armenian Relief Society,
    Armenian Bar Association, National Organization of Republican
    Armenians, Armenian Youth Federation, Homenetmen - Armenian General
    Athletic Union, and Hamazkayn Armenian Cultural and Educational
    Association.

    Reps. George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and
    Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
    Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) introduced the Genocide resolution
    (H.Res.193) in April, 2003. The legislation (H.Res.193) was
    unanimously adopted by the House Judiciary Committee in May of that
    year and currently has 111 cosponsors. Similar legislation in the
    Senate (S.Res.164) has over 40 cosponsors.

    #####

    Text of Sweeney-Eshoo Letter to House Colleagues
    In Support of the Radanovich-Pallone-Schiff Letter to Speaker
    Hastert

    Congress of the United States
    Washington, DC 20515

    September 15, 2004

    Help Honor the Victims of the Armenian Genocide

    "It is generally not known in the world that, in the years
    preceding 1916, there was a concerted effort made to eliminate all
    the Armenian people, probably one of the greatest tragedies that
    ever befell any group. And there weren't any Nurenberg trials." -
    President Jimmy Carter

    Dear Colleague:

    As Armenian descendents, we respectfully request you to join us in
    signing the attached letter to Speaker Hastert in support of the
    Schiff amendment to the FY2005 Foreign Operations Appropriations
    bill, and H.Res.193, the Genocide Resolution.

    As you may know, the Schiff amendment was passed in July,
    prohibiting the government of Turkey from using U.S. foreign aid to
    lobby against H.Res.193, legislation officially recognizing the
    Armenian Genocide. Following the adoption of this amendment,
    Speaker Hastert issued a statement announcing his intention to keep
    H.Res.193 off the floor, legislation which has already been
    cosponsored by 100 of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

    Both H.Res.193, and its companion measure in the Senate, S.Res.164,
    enjoy broad, bipartisan backing and the support of a broad-based
    coalition of over 100 human and civil rights organizations,
    including the National Council of Churches, American Values, Union
    of Orthodox Rabbis, NAACP, National Council of La Raza,
    International Campaign for Tibet, Sons of Italy, and all major
    Armenian American groups.

    Under the Ottoman Empire, nearly two million Armenians who were
    living in Eastern Anatolia were deported from their homes. Of the
    two million deportees, only 500,000 survived this ordeal. The
    historical record is clear. From 1915 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire
    succeeded in systematically eliminating the Armenians from their
    historical homeland where they had lived for over two thousand
    years. H.Res.193 reaffirmed our nation's commitment to the noble
    aims of the Genocide Convention, and urges the American people to
    learn from the lessons of past genocides in order to help prevent
    future crimes against humanity.

    As we watch violence all too familiar unfold in the African nation
    of Sudan, we urge you to join us in asking the Speaker to give us
    the chance to act by bringing the Genocide Resolution to the floor
    for a vote. We hope that you will join us in this significant
    endeavor. To sign this letter, or to receive more information, you
    can contact Tim Bergreen in Representative Schiff's office at
    [email protected], or at 5-4176.

    Sincerely,

    [signed]
    Anna Eshoo
    Member of Congress

    [signed]
    John E. Sweeney
    Member of Congress

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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