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Rep. Ron Klein Reaffirms Support for Armenian Genocide Resolution

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  • Rep. Ron Klein Reaffirms Support for Armenian Genocide Resolution

    PRESS RELEASE
    Date: January 28, 2008
    Armenian National Committee of S. Florida
    931 NE 48th Street, Oakland Park, FL 33334
    Contact: Albert Mazmanian
    Tel: 561-628-8982

    CONGRESSMAN RON KLEIN REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
    RESOLUTION

    West Palm Beach, FL- Activists from the Armenian National
    Committee of South Florida (ANC of S. FL) and ANCA Eastern Region
    Executive Director, Karine Birazian met earlier this month with
    Congressman Ron Klein (D-FL-22) and District Director Felicia
    Goldstein in West Palm Beach, Florida. The purpose of the meeting
    was to thank him for his instrumental vote in the House Foreign
    Affairs Committee this past October on the Armenian Genocide
    Resolution.

    "We are very grateful to Congressman Klein for his principled stand
    on genocide recognition. We look forward to continuing to build a
    relationship with him and his staff," commented local constituent
    and ANC activist Hasmig Eskandarian.

    During the thirty-minute meeting, Eskandarian, ANC of S. Florida
    Chairman Albert Mazmanian, former Florida activist Nora Keomurjian,
    and Birazian thanked Congressman Klein for his support of H. Res.
    106 which he insisted he stands firm on. The meeting also provided
    an opportunity to give further insight on other Armenian related
    issues that the ANCA pursues, including aid to Armenia, military
    parity, and self -determination for Nagorno Karabagh.

    During the House Foreign Affairs Committee mark-up on the Armenian
    Genocide Resolution on October 10th, Klein was one of 27
    Representatives who voted in favor of the resolution. In his
    powerful remarks to the Committee Klein commented:

    "¦ And it wasn't so much of just teaching the Holocaust, but
    teaching of what happens when man's inhumanity is allowed to fester
    over a period of time, and the result was the Holocaust and other
    genocides that have occurred before and after. And I think the
    reason that I believe it is important that this historical event is
    acknowledged and understood is what the survivors of the Holocaust
    use as their two-word phrase: Never again. Never again¦"
    (Congressman's Klein full statement can be read below).

    Congressman Klein, first term Democrat, has been proudly been
    serving the Boca Raton community since 1992, first in the Florida
    House of Representatives, and later the State Senate. One of his
    proudest achievements was the passage of the Holocaust Education
    Act, which mandated the teaching about the lessons of the Holocaust
    in all of Florida's public schools. Currently Klein serves on the
    House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Committee on
    Financial Services. Congressman Klein has been active in promoting
    Darfur legislation on Divestment this Congress and currently has an
    "A" on the Darfur Score Cards a project organized by the Genocide
    Intervention Network.

    The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest
    and most influential Armenian American grassroots political
    organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
    chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
    organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
    concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
    issues.
    ####

    Photo Caption:
    Left to Right: ANC activist and constituent Hasmig Eskandarian,
    Congressman Ron Klein, ANCA ER Director Karine Birazian, ANC
    activist Nora Keomurjian, and ANC of S. Florida Chair Albert
    Mazmanian

    TEXT OF REP. KLEIN'S STATEMENT ON H. RES. 106 DURING HOUSE FOREIGN
    AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MARKUP ON OCTOBER 10, 2007

    I think many of us in this room are students of history. We
    studied history. Many people in this room lived the history that
    we're discussing in this resolution today.

    But my experience has been through the study of the Holocaust.
    And in Florida, where I was in state legislature, I worked with
    many people in the community, including a number of Armenian
    residents, to require teaching the Holocaust in our public schools.

    And it wasn't so much of just teaching the Holocaust, but
    teaching of what happens when man's inhumanity is allowed to fester
    over a period of time, and the result was the Holocaust and other
    genocides that have occurred before and after.

    And I think the reason that I believe it is important that this
    historical event is acknowledged and understood is what the
    survivors of the Holocaust use as their two-word phrase: Never
    again. Never again.

    And I know the people that survived the Armenian genocide, the
    families, and other situations since that time also believed never
    again, but yet we live in a world today that we continue to allow
    these things to exist.

    The more we can learn from our past, the more we can educate
    our children, our adults, our grandparents, the more we can learn
    >From these experiences in our country and around the world, and we
    can be a beacon along with other countries of high moral values and
    understanding that this is unacceptable on so many levels, the
    better we will be and the better our children will be and future
    generations will be. And it's going to take vigilance to do that.

    I also understand the importance of the Turkish relationship
    with the United States and with our allies in the Middle East. And
    I can't speculate what is going to happen. I don't think any of us
    can do that. We've heard signals, we've heard expressions.

    I would only hope that we who recognize -- and I think this
    entire Congress and most of the United States recognizes that the
    Turkish country, the Turkish government of today, is a very
    important ally of the United States. They provide support for our
    military, they work with us in intelligence, and they're friends of
    our friends in the Middle East.

    We need to continue to have that relationship with them, and
    hopefully this will not provide any long-term disruption, hopefully
    not even any short-term, because they need us and we need them.

    And I stand ready to do what we need to do to make sure that
    Turkey understands that message. This is an historical situation
    that took place in a different time, in a different government. But
    there still needs to be a historical recognition and
    acknowledgement.

    My friends who came forward and asked me to support this
    Armenian population in my community said: "This is not about
    reparations; this is not about restitution. This is about an
    historical acknowledgement."

    I take them at their words for that; that this is not going to
    open up some future discussion about that. But the point is that
    this is an important moment in time that we recognize what did
    happen. There was loss of life. There was terrible inhumanity. And,
    for that reason, I will support this resolution today.

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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