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KURDISH, GREEK, AND ARMENIAN AMERICANS CALL FOR U.S. INQUIRY INTO TURKISH AIRSTRIKE
asbarez
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Victims of the Turkish airstrike
Community Groups ask Congressional Leaders to Press for Administration
Investigation of the Use of U.S. Arms in Attack that Killed 35 Kurdish
Boys and Young Men
WASHINGTON~WKurdish, Hellenic and Armenian American leaders joined
together Tuesday in calling upon key Congressional leaders to demand
that the Obama Administration investigate whether Turkey violated U.S.
arms export laws by using American-supplied weaponry in a December 28,
2011, airstrike that killed 35 Kurdish boys and young men along the
Turkey-Iraq border.
In a January 10 letter addressed to the bipartisan leaderships of
the Congressional committee~Rs overseeing the State Department and
Pentagon, the American Hellenic Institute, American Kurdish Information
Network, Armenian National Committee of America, Kurdish Human Rights
Watch, and Kurdish National Congress of North America called upon
the eight chairpersons and ranking members of these panels to request
that the Obama Administration officially investigate this potential
violation of U.S. law.
In their joint letter, the signatories noted that: ~Spress accounts,
in the Associated Press, Economist, Boston Globe, Radio Free Europe,
and elsewhere, have reported that this attack was conducted by
U.S.-supplied F-16s, guided by aerial drone intelligence.~T
They stressed that: ~SIn light of these widely reported accounts
indicating the possible use of U.S. arms ~V and in the context of both
the horrendous human costs of this particular attack and the history
of Turkey~Rs having long used its military arsenal against civilian
populations ~V we call upon you to request that the Administration
investigate this matter. We also ask that you request that the
Administration submit an immediate public report to Congress on any
potential violations of U.S. law in connection with these killings.~T
The letter was addressed to John Kerry, chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations; Richard Lugar, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee; Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services
Committee; John McCain, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services
Committee; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee; Howard Berman, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee; Buck McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee;
and Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee
The complete text of the letter is provided below.
Dear Senators Kerry, Lugar, Levin and McCain and Representatives
Ros-Lehtinen, Berman, McKeon and Smith:
We are writing to ask you ~V as the legislators with primary oversight
responsibility for the Department of State and the Pentagon ~V to call
upon the Obama Administration to investigate and publicly report to
Congress regarding Turkey~Rs compliance with the Arms Export Control
Act of 1976 and other relevant U.S. laws, in regard to the December
28, 2011 Turkish airstrike that killed as many as 35 innocent Kurdish
boys and young men along Turkey~Rs border with the Kurdistan Regional
Government of Iraq.
As you have likely seen, press accounts, in the Associated Press,
Economist, Boston Globe, Radio Free Europe, and elsewhere, have
reported that this attack was conducted by U.S.-supplied F-16s,
guided by aerial drone intelligence. In light of these widely
reported accounts indicating the possible use of U.S. arms ~V and in
the context of both the horrendous human costs of this particular
attack and the history of Turkey~Rs having long used its military
arsenal against civilian populations ~V we call upon you to request
that the Administration investigate this matter. We also ask that you
request that the Administration submit an immediate public report to
Congress on any potential violations of U.S. law in connection with
these killings.
Thank you for your leadership on human rights and for all your service
in government promoting U.S. interests and advancing American values
in the international arena.
Sincerely,
Nick Larigakis President American Hellenic Institute
Kani Xulam Executive Director American Kurdish Information Network
Aram Hamparian Executive Director Armenian National Committee of
America
Dr. Pary Karadaghi President Kurdish Human Rights Watch
Dr. Kamal Artin President Kurdish National Congress of North America
From: Baghdasarian
asbarez
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Victims of the Turkish airstrike
Community Groups ask Congressional Leaders to Press for Administration
Investigation of the Use of U.S. Arms in Attack that Killed 35 Kurdish
Boys and Young Men
WASHINGTON~WKurdish, Hellenic and Armenian American leaders joined
together Tuesday in calling upon key Congressional leaders to demand
that the Obama Administration investigate whether Turkey violated U.S.
arms export laws by using American-supplied weaponry in a December 28,
2011, airstrike that killed 35 Kurdish boys and young men along the
Turkey-Iraq border.
In a January 10 letter addressed to the bipartisan leaderships of
the Congressional committee~Rs overseeing the State Department and
Pentagon, the American Hellenic Institute, American Kurdish Information
Network, Armenian National Committee of America, Kurdish Human Rights
Watch, and Kurdish National Congress of North America called upon
the eight chairpersons and ranking members of these panels to request
that the Obama Administration officially investigate this potential
violation of U.S. law.
In their joint letter, the signatories noted that: ~Spress accounts,
in the Associated Press, Economist, Boston Globe, Radio Free Europe,
and elsewhere, have reported that this attack was conducted by
U.S.-supplied F-16s, guided by aerial drone intelligence.~T
They stressed that: ~SIn light of these widely reported accounts
indicating the possible use of U.S. arms ~V and in the context of both
the horrendous human costs of this particular attack and the history
of Turkey~Rs having long used its military arsenal against civilian
populations ~V we call upon you to request that the Administration
investigate this matter. We also ask that you request that the
Administration submit an immediate public report to Congress on any
potential violations of U.S. law in connection with these killings.~T
The letter was addressed to John Kerry, chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations; Richard Lugar, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee; Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services
Committee; John McCain, Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services
Committee; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee; Howard Berman, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee; Buck McKeon, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee;
and Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee
The complete text of the letter is provided below.
Dear Senators Kerry, Lugar, Levin and McCain and Representatives
Ros-Lehtinen, Berman, McKeon and Smith:
We are writing to ask you ~V as the legislators with primary oversight
responsibility for the Department of State and the Pentagon ~V to call
upon the Obama Administration to investigate and publicly report to
Congress regarding Turkey~Rs compliance with the Arms Export Control
Act of 1976 and other relevant U.S. laws, in regard to the December
28, 2011 Turkish airstrike that killed as many as 35 innocent Kurdish
boys and young men along Turkey~Rs border with the Kurdistan Regional
Government of Iraq.
As you have likely seen, press accounts, in the Associated Press,
Economist, Boston Globe, Radio Free Europe, and elsewhere, have
reported that this attack was conducted by U.S.-supplied F-16s,
guided by aerial drone intelligence. In light of these widely
reported accounts indicating the possible use of U.S. arms ~V and in
the context of both the horrendous human costs of this particular
attack and the history of Turkey~Rs having long used its military
arsenal against civilian populations ~V we call upon you to request
that the Administration investigate this matter. We also ask that you
request that the Administration submit an immediate public report to
Congress on any potential violations of U.S. law in connection with
these killings.
Thank you for your leadership on human rights and for all your service
in government promoting U.S. interests and advancing American values
in the international arena.
Sincerely,
Nick Larigakis President American Hellenic Institute
Kani Xulam Executive Director American Kurdish Information Network
Aram Hamparian Executive Director Armenian National Committee of
America
Dr. Pary Karadaghi President Kurdish Human Rights Watch
Dr. Kamal Artin President Kurdish National Congress of North America
From: Baghdasarian