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Harut Sassounian Reveals Real John Kerry

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  • Harut Sassounian Reveals Real John Kerry

    HARUT SASSOUNIAN REVEALS REAL JOHN KERRY

    13:01, 6 February, 2013

    YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: California Courier publisher
    and editor Harut Sassounian noted American Armenian community is
    disappointed by some statements delivered by Sen. Kerry. Armenpress
    represents the article completely.

    " Some weeks ago, when Sen. John Kerry's name was first mentioned as a
    possible successor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, I cautioned
    Armenians not to get overly excited just because "a good friend"
    of the Armenian community could assume such an influential post.

    Unfortunately, it did not take long to discover that my words of
    caution were fully justified. Despite his 30-year-record of support for
    Armenian issues, Sen. Kerry proved last week, right before assuming
    his new position, that even such a close "friend" could reverse his
    long-held views, disappointing the Armenian-American community.

    Regrettably, Sen. Kerry turned out to be no different than Pres.

    Obama, Vice President Biden, and former Secretary of State Hillary
    Clinton. As US Senators and presidential candidates, they all made
    lavish promises in seeking the backing of Armenian-American voters,
    and completely ignored them after assuming office.

    While some may argue that Armenians should only blame themselves
    for trusting dishonest politicians, I believe all voters have the
    right to expect elected officials to keep their promises. Otherwise,
    lying to the public becomes an acceptable practice with no prospect
    of replacing deceitful officials with honest ones.

    Sen. Kerry experienced an overnight transformation last week, when
    for the first time in his political career, he shied away from using
    the term "Armenian Genocide." In the past, Sen. Kerry had strongly
    criticized Presidents and Secretaries of State for not acknowledging
    the Armenian Genocide. Ironically, he now refuses to practice what
    he preached for so many years!

    Sen. Kerry proved that he is not the man he used to be, when responding
    to written questions on Armenian issues submitted by Senators Robert
    Menendez (Dem.-NJ) and Barbara Boxer (Dem.-CA), after his confirmation
    hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    When asked for his views on the Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kerry
    shamefully repeated the euphemisms used by Pres. Obama in his annual
    April 24 statements. The nominee for Secretary of State, after using
    the term "Armenian Genocide" throughout his long Senate career, all
    of sudden shied away from that term and employed every other word in
    the English dictionary, except genocide. This is what he stated:

    "The U.S. government clearly acknowledges and mourns as historical
    fact that 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their
    deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. These events resulted
    in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, and the United
    States recognizes that they remain a great source of pain for the
    people of Armenia and of Armenian descent as they do for all of us
    who share basic universal values. The President honors the victims
    every April 24th on Remembrance Day, so that we never forget this
    dark chapter in history."

    In a follow-up question reminding him of his own sponsorship for
    legislation to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kerry ducked
    the issue by insisting that he would "represent the policies of the
    President and Administration faithfully."

    Sen. Kerry's response to questions on the Armenian-Turkish Protocols
    were just as disappointing. He insisted that he would continue to
    support the failed efforts of Pres. Obama and Secretary of State
    Clinton, pressuring Armenia and Turkey to ratify the Protocols. Four
    years ago, in a private meeting, I explained to Sen. Kerry,
    then chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, why the
    Armenia-Turkey Protocols were doomed to failure and were contrary
    to Armenia's national interests. Back then, the Senator seemed to
    find my arguments convincing. He has now reverted to supporting the
    Obama administration's position on the Protocols which Turkey, under
    pressure from Azerbaijan, has fortunately refusing to ratify.

    In response to another written question, Sen. Kerry indicated that
    he might be willing to meet with the leadership of Armenian-American
    organizations, something Secretary Clinton and Pres. Obama have
    refused to do in the last four years. Such a meeting would provide the
    opportunity to explain to Secretary Kerry why the Obama administration
    is wasting its time trying to push Turkey to ratify the Protocols.

    Turkish leaders have made it clear that they would not finalize the
    Protocols, unless Armenians make territorial concessions to Azerbaijan
    on Artsakh.

    While Armenian-Americans may not be pleased with Sen. Kerry's sudden
    change of heart on Armenian issues, regardless of the reasons, they
    have no choice but to meet and work with the Secretary of State who
    is in office today. Armenians' only wish is that periodically they
    will be able to interact with the REAL John Kerry whom they knew and
    loved for the past 30 years.


    From: Baghdasarian
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