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OBAMA REPEATS CALL FOR RECOGNITION OF ARMENIA MASSACRE
Global Times
April 24 2013
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday repeated a call for recognition
of the massacre of 1 million to 1.5 million Armenians at the hands
of Ottoman Turks in 1915.
Despite his past promises, the president again shunned the word of
genocide in his latest observance of what he called "one of the worst
atrocities of the 20th century."
"Ninety-eight years ago, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or
marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire,"
he said in a written statement.
"We pause to reflect on the lives extinguished and remember the
unspeakable suffering that occurred," he noted. "We also remind
ourselves of our commitment to ensure that such dark chapters of
history are not repeated."
"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915,
and my view has not changed," he added. "A full, frank and just
acknowledgement of the facts is in all of our interests."
The Turkish government has denied the genocide allegations, calling
the perished victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown
as the 600-year-old Ottoman Empire collapsed before modern Turkey
was born in 1923.
According to Armenian historians, several hundred Armenian
intellectuals were arrested overnight by the Ottoman Empire on April
24, 1915, most of whom were executed summarily while others were sent
into exile.
Mass deportation of Armenians followed from the eastern regions of
Turkey, and an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed from 1915
to 1923, historians say.
More than 20 countries and 43 US states have officially recognized
the Armenian genocide.
In his past statements to mark the occasion, Obama never delivered
on his 2008 campaign pledge to label the massacre as a genocide,
mindful not to anger a key NATO ally in a volatile region.
He again used Meds Yeghern, an Armenian term, to describe the first
mass killings in the 20th century.
"Today we stand with Armenians everywhere in recalling the horror of
the Meds Yeghern, honoring the memory of those lost, and affirming
our enduring commitment to the people of Armenia," he said.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/777433.shtml
Global Times
April 24 2013
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday repeated a call for recognition
of the massacre of 1 million to 1.5 million Armenians at the hands
of Ottoman Turks in 1915.
Despite his past promises, the president again shunned the word of
genocide in his latest observance of what he called "one of the worst
atrocities of the 20th century."
"Ninety-eight years ago, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or
marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire,"
he said in a written statement.
"We pause to reflect on the lives extinguished and remember the
unspeakable suffering that occurred," he noted. "We also remind
ourselves of our commitment to ensure that such dark chapters of
history are not repeated."
"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915,
and my view has not changed," he added. "A full, frank and just
acknowledgement of the facts is in all of our interests."
The Turkish government has denied the genocide allegations, calling
the perished victims of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown
as the 600-year-old Ottoman Empire collapsed before modern Turkey
was born in 1923.
According to Armenian historians, several hundred Armenian
intellectuals were arrested overnight by the Ottoman Empire on April
24, 1915, most of whom were executed summarily while others were sent
into exile.
Mass deportation of Armenians followed from the eastern regions of
Turkey, and an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed from 1915
to 1923, historians say.
More than 20 countries and 43 US states have officially recognized
the Armenian genocide.
In his past statements to mark the occasion, Obama never delivered
on his 2008 campaign pledge to label the massacre as a genocide,
mindful not to anger a key NATO ally in a volatile region.
He again used Meds Yeghern, an Armenian term, to describe the first
mass killings in the 20th century.
"Today we stand with Armenians everywhere in recalling the horror of
the Meds Yeghern, honoring the memory of those lost, and affirming
our enduring commitment to the people of Armenia," he said.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/777433.shtml