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UK House of Lords holds debate on Armenian Genocide
June 18, 2011 - 12:07 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - On June 16, a debate entitled "what is the timetable
for the (British) Government for recognizing the Armenian Genocide"
presented by Baroness Shreela Flather took place in the UK House of
Lords.
As Mrs. Odette Bazil, the co-founder and Executive Secretary of
British-Armenian All Party Parliamentary Group, Chair of the Anahit
Association and the Chiltern Armenian Society, told PanARMENIAN.Net
the Chamber was at full capacity and, responding on behalf of the
British Government was Lord Howell of Guilford, Minister of State at
Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Baroness Flather said: "I have just returned from Armenia where I have
visited the Armenian Genocide museum which, compared to the Holocaust
Museum, was no less upsetting, shocking and dreadful... The time is
now for us to recognize this crime against humanity.'
Supporting Baroness Flather's Question were: Lord Avebury, who said:
"would it not help Turkey's bid to join the European Union if Turkish
politicians acknowledged the crimes of their ancestors?" and Baroness
Cox: `... there is a serious risk in Turkey of prosecution for
journalists and writers who use the term Armenian Genocide .. much
educational material for schools has been produced by Turkey denying
the Armenian Genocide .. is such censorship acceptable for a nation
that hopes to join the European Union.'
As expected, Lord Howell's answer was a slightly modified replica of
all the misleading, denialistic, unacceptable and biased responses to
the same question that have been given by all consecutive FCO
Ministers during the past 20 years: initially they said "there was NO
genocide" , then the wording was changed to : "these were deplorable
massacres and Armenians have our sympathy", a year later their
response was: "we cannot find the unequivocal proof of that genocide -
in one word - show us the smoking gun", soon this was followed by:
"our advise is that two neighbor countries must find ways to come to
terms with their past and communicate with each other" and now: " we
must not intervene in the affairs of two neighbor countries and must
not comment on the detailed internal affairs between them . The best
way forward is for Turkey and Armenia, which have initialed detailed
protocols, to work to sort this out.'
June 18, 2011 - 12:07 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - On June 16, a debate entitled "what is the timetable
for the (British) Government for recognizing the Armenian Genocide"
presented by Baroness Shreela Flather took place in the UK House of
Lords.
As Mrs. Odette Bazil, the co-founder and Executive Secretary of
British-Armenian All Party Parliamentary Group, Chair of the Anahit
Association and the Chiltern Armenian Society, told PanARMENIAN.Net
the Chamber was at full capacity and, responding on behalf of the
British Government was Lord Howell of Guilford, Minister of State at
Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Baroness Flather said: "I have just returned from Armenia where I have
visited the Armenian Genocide museum which, compared to the Holocaust
Museum, was no less upsetting, shocking and dreadful... The time is
now for us to recognize this crime against humanity.'
Supporting Baroness Flather's Question were: Lord Avebury, who said:
"would it not help Turkey's bid to join the European Union if Turkish
politicians acknowledged the crimes of their ancestors?" and Baroness
Cox: `... there is a serious risk in Turkey of prosecution for
journalists and writers who use the term Armenian Genocide .. much
educational material for schools has been produced by Turkey denying
the Armenian Genocide .. is such censorship acceptable for a nation
that hopes to join the European Union.'
As expected, Lord Howell's answer was a slightly modified replica of
all the misleading, denialistic, unacceptable and biased responses to
the same question that have been given by all consecutive FCO
Ministers during the past 20 years: initially they said "there was NO
genocide" , then the wording was changed to : "these were deplorable
massacres and Armenians have our sympathy", a year later their
response was: "we cannot find the unequivocal proof of that genocide -
in one word - show us the smoking gun", soon this was followed by:
"our advise is that two neighbor countries must find ways to come to
terms with their past and communicate with each other" and now: " we
must not intervene in the affairs of two neighbor countries and must
not comment on the detailed internal affairs between them . The best
way forward is for Turkey and Armenia, which have initialed detailed
protocols, to work to sort this out.'