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OBAMA V THE KARDASHIANS: WHITE HOUSE REFUSES TO CALL 1.5 MILLION ARMENIAN DEATHS IN 1915 'GENOCIDE' DESPITE KIM'S CAMPAIGN
daily Mail, UK
April 22 2015
In 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in what
historians have described as the first genocide of the 20th century
Obama refused to call the mass killings a 'genocide' in official
statement despite promising as a presidential candidate that he would
Turkish officials furiously deny there was a genocide, and Obama has
shied away from offending the close U.S. ally Kim Kardashian - who
is Armenian on her father's side - and the Pope have both called the
killings a genocide Kasdashian last week traveled to the country for
the first time with her husband Kanye West, sister Khole and cousins
Kara and Kourtni The White House will be sending Treasury Secretary
Jacob Lew to Armenia this week to mark the 100th anniversary of
the killings
By Francesca Chambers For Dailymail.com and Associated Press
Published: 22:00 GMT, 21 April 2015 | Updated: 21:21 GMT, 22 April 2015
President Barack Obama will once again stop short of calling the 1915
massacre of Armenians a genocide, prompting anger and disappointment
from those who have been pushing him to use the politically fraught
term.
As a candidate for president in 2008, Obama promised to use the term
to describe the mass murder if elected but has not followed through
despite calls from the most famous Armenian-American, Kim Kardashian,
and the Pope for the world to recognize the killings as a genocide.
Kardashian, whose Armenian heritage comes from her father, the late
Robert Kardashian, has used her celebrity since at least 2011 to
bring awareness to the genocide.
She last week traveled to the country for the first time with
her husband Kanye West, sister Khloe and cousins Kara and Kourtni
Kardashian.
'An emotional day at the genocide museum,' read a tweet posted by
Kim that was accompanied by a photo of her and Khloe laying flowers
at the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide monument's eternal flame.
As a senator and presidential candidate, Obama did describe the
killings of Armenians as genocide. But he has never used that
description since taking office, mainly out of deference to Turkey,
a key U.S. partner.
Top administration officials discussed the decision with
Armenian-American leaders Tuesday.
The White House said U.S. officials pledged to Armenian-American
leaders that the U.S. would use this week's 100th anniversary of the
killings 'to urge a full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts,'
but a statement about the meeting did not include the word 'genocide.'
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks, an event widely viewed by scholars as a genocide.
Turkey, however, denies that the deaths constituted genocide because
it was not an ethnic-driven battle and says the death toll has been
inflated.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said yesterday he was 'deeply disappointed'
by the president's decision.
'The United States has long prided itself for being a beacon of human
rights, for speaking out against atrocity, for confronting painful
chapters of its own past and that of others,' said Schiff. 'This
cannot be squared with a policy of complicity in genocide denial by
the president or Congress.'
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks, an event widely viewed by scholars as a genocide.
Turkey, however, denies that the deaths constituted genocide because
it was not an ethnic-driven battle and says the death toll has been
inflated.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said yesterday he was 'deeply disappointed'
by the president's decision.
'The United States has long prided itself for being a beacon of human
rights, for speaking out against atrocity, for confronting painful
chapters of its own past and that of others,' said Schiff. 'This
cannot be squared with a policy of complicity in genocide denial by
the president or Congress.'
Khloe wrote in a tweet on the day of their visit to the genocide
memorial: 'My sister and I are trying to bring awareness not only to
our Armenian genocide but genocides and human slaughter, in general.
Knowledge is power!'
She kept the campaign going after she returned home, asking her fan
base on Twitter to sign a Change.org petition 'to bring awareness to
the Armenian genocide' by requesting that Google highlight the conflict
with its homepage doodle on the anniversary of the killings, April 24.
'I did!!!' she said.
As of Wednesday morning the online petition had more than 175,300
supporters and was less than 25,000 signatures away from it's goal
of collecting 200,000 names.
'The Kardashians have helped strike a powerful blow at Turkey's
campaign of genocide denial,' ANCA communications director told ABC
News after the visit.
Their trip to Armenia 'has helped shine a global spotlight' on the
genocide and 'the need for justice for that crime with millions,'
she said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3049545/Obama-avoids-calling-1915-Armenian-killings-genocide.html
daily Mail, UK
April 22 2015
In 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in what
historians have described as the first genocide of the 20th century
Obama refused to call the mass killings a 'genocide' in official
statement despite promising as a presidential candidate that he would
Turkish officials furiously deny there was a genocide, and Obama has
shied away from offending the close U.S. ally Kim Kardashian - who
is Armenian on her father's side - and the Pope have both called the
killings a genocide Kasdashian last week traveled to the country for
the first time with her husband Kanye West, sister Khole and cousins
Kara and Kourtni The White House will be sending Treasury Secretary
Jacob Lew to Armenia this week to mark the 100th anniversary of
the killings
By Francesca Chambers For Dailymail.com and Associated Press
Published: 22:00 GMT, 21 April 2015 | Updated: 21:21 GMT, 22 April 2015
President Barack Obama will once again stop short of calling the 1915
massacre of Armenians a genocide, prompting anger and disappointment
from those who have been pushing him to use the politically fraught
term.
As a candidate for president in 2008, Obama promised to use the term
to describe the mass murder if elected but has not followed through
despite calls from the most famous Armenian-American, Kim Kardashian,
and the Pope for the world to recognize the killings as a genocide.
Kardashian, whose Armenian heritage comes from her father, the late
Robert Kardashian, has used her celebrity since at least 2011 to
bring awareness to the genocide.
She last week traveled to the country for the first time with
her husband Kanye West, sister Khloe and cousins Kara and Kourtni
Kardashian.
'An emotional day at the genocide museum,' read a tweet posted by
Kim that was accompanied by a photo of her and Khloe laying flowers
at the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide monument's eternal flame.
As a senator and presidential candidate, Obama did describe the
killings of Armenians as genocide. But he has never used that
description since taking office, mainly out of deference to Turkey,
a key U.S. partner.
Top administration officials discussed the decision with
Armenian-American leaders Tuesday.
The White House said U.S. officials pledged to Armenian-American
leaders that the U.S. would use this week's 100th anniversary of the
killings 'to urge a full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts,'
but a statement about the meeting did not include the word 'genocide.'
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks, an event widely viewed by scholars as a genocide.
Turkey, however, denies that the deaths constituted genocide because
it was not an ethnic-driven battle and says the death toll has been
inflated.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said yesterday he was 'deeply disappointed'
by the president's decision.
'The United States has long prided itself for being a beacon of human
rights, for speaking out against atrocity, for confronting painful
chapters of its own past and that of others,' said Schiff. 'This
cannot be squared with a policy of complicity in genocide denial by
the president or Congress.'
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman
Turks, an event widely viewed by scholars as a genocide.
Turkey, however, denies that the deaths constituted genocide because
it was not an ethnic-driven battle and says the death toll has been
inflated.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said yesterday he was 'deeply disappointed'
by the president's decision.
'The United States has long prided itself for being a beacon of human
rights, for speaking out against atrocity, for confronting painful
chapters of its own past and that of others,' said Schiff. 'This
cannot be squared with a policy of complicity in genocide denial by
the president or Congress.'
Khloe wrote in a tweet on the day of their visit to the genocide
memorial: 'My sister and I are trying to bring awareness not only to
our Armenian genocide but genocides and human slaughter, in general.
Knowledge is power!'
She kept the campaign going after she returned home, asking her fan
base on Twitter to sign a Change.org petition 'to bring awareness to
the Armenian genocide' by requesting that Google highlight the conflict
with its homepage doodle on the anniversary of the killings, April 24.
'I did!!!' she said.
As of Wednesday morning the online petition had more than 175,300
supporters and was less than 25,000 signatures away from it's goal
of collecting 200,000 names.
'The Kardashians have helped strike a powerful blow at Turkey's
campaign of genocide denial,' ANCA communications director told ABC
News after the visit.
Their trip to Armenia 'has helped shine a global spotlight' on the
genocide and 'the need for justice for that crime with millions,'
she said.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3049545/Obama-avoids-calling-1915-Armenian-killings-genocide.html