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With Obama In Glendale, Armenians Press Genocide-Related Issue

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  • With Obama In Glendale, Armenians Press Genocide-Related Issue

    WITH OBAMA IN GLENDALE, ARMENIANS PRESS GENOCIDE-RELATED ISSUE

    Los Angeles Times, CA
    Nov 26 2013

    By Nicole Charky

    November 26, 2013, 1:58 p.m.

    Local Armenian leaders on Tuesday used an appearance by President
    Obama at the DreamWorks Animation studio to request that the White
    House allow a Smithsonian display of a rug handmade by refugee orphans
    of the mass genocide about a century ago.

    It took about 10 months for Armenian genocide survivors living at an
    American-sponsored orphanage to weave and knot the 12-foot-by-18-foot
    rug, which was scheduled to be displayed at the Smithsonian Castle
    in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 16. However, organizers canceled the
    exhibit on Sept. 12, saying the White House had declined to loan it.

    At a news conference Tuesday, students from the Chamlian Armenian
    School, representatives from the Armenian National Committee of America
    and area clergy signed a letter extolling the historical importance
    of the rug, the Glendale News-Press reported.

    A bipartisan group of lawmakers who also support releasing the rug
    have called it a "pivotal icon related to the Armenian Genocide,"
    in which an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
    Turks as the empire was dissolving during World War I.

    Historians have concluded the episode was a genocide, but Turkey --
    a key U.S. ally in the Middle East -- has contended that Turks and
    Armenians were casualties of war, famine and disease.

    "All we're seeking is that a piece of American history be exhibited at
    the Smithsonian. I certainly hope that President Obama will take the
    right step in this direction and allow for the rug to be exhibited,"
    Glendale Councilman Zareh Sinanyan said.

    The rug, presented in 1925 to President Calvin Coolidge, is in storage
    as part of the White House collection.

    "The rug was a gracious gesture symbolizing the friendship between
    the American and Armenian peoples. It is part of American history,"
    said Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, prelate of the Western Prelacy
    of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

    Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said he intends to host an event in the
    Capitol featuring the rug and the history of American diplomats and
    charitable organizations that provided relief for the genocide victims.

    "I will be urging the administration to make the rug available for
    display at that time and hope for a favorable response," he said in
    a statement. "The Armenian Orphan Rug should once again be seen by
    the American people and the world - as a testament to what happened
    nearly a century ago, and as part of our commitment to the survivors
    that we will never forget."

    http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-president-obama-glendale-armenians-genocide-20131126,0,3072954.story#ixzz2lse7SEll

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