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Today's Zaman, Turkey
April 2 2011
As April 24 looms, Sarksyan asks Obama to use the g-word
02 April 2011, Saturday / TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan has disclosed that he has asked US
President Barack Obama to use the term genocide to describe the
killings of Anatolian Armenians during World War I ahead of `Armenian
Genocide Remembrance Day.'
`Naturally, our desire has always been and is that in his annual
address the president of the United States makes a very explicit
evaluation and utters the word genocide,' Sarksyan was quoted as
saying in online English-language Armenian news reports on Friday, as
he expressed hope that Obama would use the politically sensitive term
in his next public statement on the anniversary of the killings to be
marked on April 24.
His remarks came on Thursday said at a joint news conference with
visiting Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey. `I have spoken out on
more than one occasion and can now say that in the past I have
personally asked the US president to utter that word,' he said.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), however,
Sarksyan indicated on Friday that he thinks Obama may once more stop
short of calling the killings genocide in his upcoming address.
`The best moment is when your desire matches reality. Let's hope that
this will be the case this time. But if this doesn't happen, we should
not have reason to be upset and must instead fight for that,' he said
in response to a question from RFE/RL.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were either sent to their
deaths or slaughtered in eastern Anatolia at the hands of Ottoman
Turks in 1915, an accusation that Turkey vehemently rejects. Turkey
says both sides suffered tragic losses in a state of war during World
War I.
In Paris, a bill proposing a punishment for anyone who denies the
Armenian genocide returned to the agenda again.
The French Parliament recognized the so-called Armenian genocide in
2001, which resulted in short-lived tension between France and Turkey.
In 2006 the French National Assembly adopted a bill proposing a
punishment for anyone who denies the Armenian genocide. However, it
has to be passed by the Senate in order to be enforced.
As a result of efforts by a group of Socialists, the bill will be
debated at the Senate's plenary session on May 4, the Anatolia news
agency reported on Thursday.
From: A. Papazian
April 2 2011
As April 24 looms, Sarksyan asks Obama to use the g-word
02 April 2011, Saturday / TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan has disclosed that he has asked US
President Barack Obama to use the term genocide to describe the
killings of Anatolian Armenians during World War I ahead of `Armenian
Genocide Remembrance Day.'
`Naturally, our desire has always been and is that in his annual
address the president of the United States makes a very explicit
evaluation and utters the word genocide,' Sarksyan was quoted as
saying in online English-language Armenian news reports on Friday, as
he expressed hope that Obama would use the politically sensitive term
in his next public statement on the anniversary of the killings to be
marked on April 24.
His remarks came on Thursday said at a joint news conference with
visiting Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey. `I have spoken out on
more than one occasion and can now say that in the past I have
personally asked the US president to utter that word,' he said.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), however,
Sarksyan indicated on Friday that he thinks Obama may once more stop
short of calling the killings genocide in his upcoming address.
`The best moment is when your desire matches reality. Let's hope that
this will be the case this time. But if this doesn't happen, we should
not have reason to be upset and must instead fight for that,' he said
in response to a question from RFE/RL.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million Armenians were either sent to their
deaths or slaughtered in eastern Anatolia at the hands of Ottoman
Turks in 1915, an accusation that Turkey vehemently rejects. Turkey
says both sides suffered tragic losses in a state of war during World
War I.
In Paris, a bill proposing a punishment for anyone who denies the
Armenian genocide returned to the agenda again.
The French Parliament recognized the so-called Armenian genocide in
2001, which resulted in short-lived tension between France and Turkey.
In 2006 the French National Assembly adopted a bill proposing a
punishment for anyone who denies the Armenian genocide. However, it
has to be passed by the Senate in order to be enforced.
As a result of efforts by a group of Socialists, the bill will be
debated at the Senate's plenary session on May 4, the Anatolia news
agency reported on Thursday.
From: A. Papazian