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ANCA Chairman Calls on Pres. Bush to Speak with Moral Clarity on Ar

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  • ANCA Chairman Calls on Pres. Bush to Speak with Moral Clarity on Ar

    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

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    May 3, 2005
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
    Tel: (202) 775-1918


    ANCA CHAIRMAN CALLS ON PRESIDENT BUSH TO
    SPEAK WITH MORAL CLARITY ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

    "The time has come, Mr. President, for our government to end
    all forms of complicity in Turkey's morally bankrupt campaign
    of genocide denial." -- ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian

    WASHINGTON, DC ~V Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
    Chairman Ken Hachikian expressed disappointment today with
    President Bush's April 24th statement, asking for a meeting to
    discuss this matter and the range of issues of concern to the
    Armenian American community.

    While thanking President Bush for standing with Armenians in
    "remembering the tragic events of April 24th," Hachikian expressed
    concern that the President, again, retreated from his February,
    2000 campaign pledge to properly commemorate the Armenian Genocide.
    "Your refusal to honor this pledge, and the ongoing opposition of
    your Administration to Armenian Genocide legislation before
    Congress, in our view, represent failures of American moral
    leadership, and reflect a flawed and shortsighted approach to our
    nation's long-term interest in peace and stability in the Caucasus
    and Middle East," explained Hachikian.

    Commenting on the President's indirect reference to the Turkish
    Armenian Reconciliation Commission, Hachikian noted that, "The only
    sound basis for improved Armenian-Turkish relations remains
    Turkey's open acknowledgement of its genocidal crime and full
    acceptance of its responsibilities to the Armenian nation. In this
    regard, we are reminded of how Germany came to terms with the
    Holocaust and, more recently, of the comprehensive report prepared
    by the Israeli government setting the material damage to the Jewish
    people during the Holocaust at between $240 billion to $330
    billion."

    Hachikian concluded the May 3rd letter, urging President Bush to
    "to speak with moral clarity on the Armenian Genocide, to support
    Armenian Genocide legislation that will come before Congress, to
    pressure the Turkish government to acknowledge the truth, and to
    use the full influence of your office to work toward a just
    resolution - including full reparations and restitution - of this
    crime against the Armenian people."

    The full text of the letter follows.

    #####

    ANCA Letter to President George W. Bush

    May 3, 2005

    President George W. Bush
    The White House
    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
    Washington, DC 20500

    Dear Mr. President:

    I am writing, on behalf of Armenian Americans throughout the United
    States, to thank you for joining with our community in remembering
    the tragic events of April 24th, but also to express our profound
    disappointment with the content of your remarks on the day of this
    solemn remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.

    We remain deeply troubled by your retreat from your promise, made
    in February 2000, to properly recognize the genocidal campaign
    against the Armenian people. By not using the proper term -
    genocide - your message failed to accurately communicate the moral,
    historical, and legal meaning of the crime committed against the
    Armenian people. Your refusal to honor this pledge, and the ongoing
    opposition of your Administration to Armenian Genocide legislation
    before Congress, in our view, represent failures of American moral
    leadership, and reflect a flawed and shortsighted approach to our
    nation's long-term interest in peace and stability in the Caucasus
    and Middle East.

    While we welcome your statement about looking forward to a
    promising future for Armenia, we must point out that Armenia's
    future should not have to be built under threat from Turkey - an
    unrepentant perpetrator of genocide against the Armenian people.
    Very simply, the Republic of Armenia cannot be secure as long as
    Turkey continues to deny its crime against the Armenian nation.

    We are troubled, as well, by your support for attempts, along the
    lines of the widely discredited Turkish Armenian Reconciliation
    Commission, that promote an artificial reconciliation, one with
    neither truth nor justice. Sadly, your mention of an anonymously
    authored report, which was not written by, but only facilitated
    through, the International Center for Transitional Justice, lends
    credence to those seeking to derail progress toward Genocide
    recognition, while abetting those who want to help Turkey avoid the
    modern-day consequences of this crime. The only sound basis for
    improved Armenian-Turkish relations remains Turkey's open
    acknowledgement of its genocidal crime and full acceptance of its
    responsibilities to the Armenian nation. In this regard, we are
    reminded of how Germany came to terms with the Holocaust and, more
    recently, of the comprehensive report prepared by the Israeli
    government setting the material damage to the Jewish people during
    the Holocaust at between $240 billion to $330 billion.

    The time has come, Mr. President, for our government to end all
    forms of complicity in Turkey's morally bankrupt campaign of
    genocide denial. As such, we respectfully call upon you to speak
    with moral clarity on the Armenian Genocide, to support Armenian
    Genocide legislation that will come before Congress, to pressure
    the Turkish government to acknowledge the truth, and to use the
    full influence of your office to work toward a just resolution -
    including full reparations and restitution - of this crime against
    the Armenian people. Given your emphasis on morality and speaking
    the truth, how can you possibly do otherwise?

    In closing, I would like to note that we continue to pay special
    attention to your Administration's response to the historically
    accurate description of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S.
    Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans. If history has taught
    us anything, it is that those who speak the truth should be
    encouraged, not silenced.

    We would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you to discuss
    this matter and address the full range of issues of concern to
    Armenian Americans.

    Sincerely yours,

    [signed]

    Kenneth V. Hachikian
    Chairman
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