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US-BASED ARMENIAN LOBBY STEPS UP 'GENOCIDE' RECOGNITION EFFORTS
Hurriyet
May 20 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL - Four more U.S. congressmen have lent their support
to a resolution accepting the 1915 incidents as "genocide," an
American-Armenian group said Wednesday, as the Armenian diaspora
steps up its efforts for the recognition of the bill.
Congressmen Bruce Braley, Peter Defazio, Bobby Rush and John Yarmouth
extended their support to the "genocide resolution," bringing the
total number of the co-sponsors from both parties in the House of
Representatives to 125, the Armenian Assembly of America, or AAA,
said in a statement.
Armenian lobby organizations, disappointed by U.S. President Barack
Obama's decision to refrain from recognizing the 1915 incidents as
"genocide" in his annual April 24 statement, have increased efforts
to have their claims regarding the 1915 incidents recognized by the
U.S. Congress.
"Reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide will not be sidelined in
the 111th Congress," AAA Executive Director Bryan Ardouny said in
the statement.
"The Assembly will continue to educate Members of Congress on the
importance of H. Res. 252 and, through its activists across the
nation, energize the community on the local level to contact their
Representatives directly," he added.
The bill, titled, "The Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the Armenian
Genocide," was introduced by four congressmen in March.
Turkey has warned that the introduction of the resolution could harm
both efforts to improve ties with Armenia and bilateral relations
with the United States.
U.S. lawmakers almost passed a similar resolution two years ago, but
congressional leaders did not bring it up for a vote after intense
pressure from then-President George W. Bush and top members of his
administration.
The issue is highly sensitive for Turkey as well as Armenia. In the
1915 incidents, around 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks,
died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed
by Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.
However Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5
million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in
1915. The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet in accepting
Turkey's proposal of forming a commission to investigate the claims.
Hurriyet
May 20 2009
Turkey
ISTANBUL - Four more U.S. congressmen have lent their support
to a resolution accepting the 1915 incidents as "genocide," an
American-Armenian group said Wednesday, as the Armenian diaspora
steps up its efforts for the recognition of the bill.
Congressmen Bruce Braley, Peter Defazio, Bobby Rush and John Yarmouth
extended their support to the "genocide resolution," bringing the
total number of the co-sponsors from both parties in the House of
Representatives to 125, the Armenian Assembly of America, or AAA,
said in a statement.
Armenian lobby organizations, disappointed by U.S. President Barack
Obama's decision to refrain from recognizing the 1915 incidents as
"genocide" in his annual April 24 statement, have increased efforts
to have their claims regarding the 1915 incidents recognized by the
U.S. Congress.
"Reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide will not be sidelined in
the 111th Congress," AAA Executive Director Bryan Ardouny said in
the statement.
"The Assembly will continue to educate Members of Congress on the
importance of H. Res. 252 and, through its activists across the
nation, energize the community on the local level to contact their
Representatives directly," he added.
The bill, titled, "The Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the Armenian
Genocide," was introduced by four congressmen in March.
Turkey has warned that the introduction of the resolution could harm
both efforts to improve ties with Armenia and bilateral relations
with the United States.
U.S. lawmakers almost passed a similar resolution two years ago, but
congressional leaders did not bring it up for a vote after intense
pressure from then-President George W. Bush and top members of his
administration.
The issue is highly sensitive for Turkey as well as Armenia. In the
1915 incidents, around 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks,
died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed
by Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.
However Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5
million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in
1915. The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet in accepting
Turkey's proposal of forming a commission to investigate the claims.