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Harper affirms Cdn position on Armenian Genocide

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  • Harper affirms Cdn position on Armenian Genocide

    Harper affirms Cdn position on Armenian Genocide

    globalnational.com

    Wednesday, April 19, 2006

    A member of the Armenian community reads the inscriptions written on
    the memorial dedicated to the 1915 Armenian genocide and reading
    "blessed thou who is turkish", Apr. 18, 2006, barely a week after the
    erection of the monument to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the
    genocide. (PHILIPPE MERLE/AFP/Getty Images)


    Around 2,000 people originate from Turkey with Turkish flags, protest
    against a memorial on the 1915 Armenian genocide which should be
    erected in Lyon, southwestern France, Saturday, March 18, 2006. The
    placard reads "There have never been any Armenian genocide". France
    has recognise the 1915 Armenian genocide in 2001. (AP Photo/Patrick
    Gardin)

    MANITOBA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper affirmed Wednesday his
    belief that 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a 'Genocide' nearly
    a century ago during the First World War.


    ------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
    Global National Online Extras
    » Peter Harris reports
    » Back to globalnational.com
    ------------------------------------------------- ---------------------

    For decades, previous Canadian governments refused to call it
    'genocide' for fear of upsetting Turkey, which is blamed for the
    massacre.

    The killings allegedly took place between 1915 and 1920 when over one
    million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were systematically
    deported at the start of the war.

    Scholars estimate that over the course of five years, nearly 1.5
    million Armenians were massacred during the mass evacuations -- three
    quarters of the two millions Armenians living in the region at the
    time -- and commonly refer to the events as the 'Armenian Genocide'
    or the 'Armenian Holocaust.'

    However, the massacre, and the way they it is described, has been a
    matter of ongoing dispute between parts of the international
    community and modern-day Turkey.

    Turkish authorities have refused to acknowledge the killings as a
    'genocide,' citing the turmoils of life during the First World War as
    the reason behind the deaths -- not state-sponsored mass
    exterminations. Turkey also differ on the number of casualties,
    suggesting that the toll ranges between 200,000 and 600,000, not 1.5
    million, and frequently raises the point that many Turks also died
    during the tumultuous period.

    It is a sensitive issue that, when raised by the Tory Opposition
    during the previous minority government, was quickly defeated by
    reigning Liberals who feared angering the Turkish government by
    labeling the events as a genocide or condemn it as a crime against
    humanity.

    However, during a news conference Wednesday in southern Manitoba,
    Harper affirmed his belief that the Armenians who died during those
    years were in fact, subjects of a genocide.

    Turkey's ambassador to Canada thinks the decision goes too far.

    "Your own citizens of Turkish origin, they are proud Canadians as
    much as you are," said His Excellency Aydemir Erman. "So your own
    House is branding them as the grandchildren of killers."

    To date, 23 countries in the international community officially
    recognize the massacre and accepted its authenticity as a 'genocide,'
    including Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France,
    Germany, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland,
    Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City, and
    Venezuela.

    Thirty-nine of 50 U.S. states also recognize the genocide, although
    there is no official federal recognition.

    © Global National 2006

    Click for video of full report

    http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/st ory.html?id=a5f2efe0-1811-
    4d1c-a6a9-

    --Boundary_ (ID_rO3g0OnzVA1AWAzY8CoY2w)--
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