A number of commentators have expressed their idealistic belief in the purity of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Ayatollah Montazeri, and the Westernized youth of Tehran. The CIA destabilization plan, announced two years ago (see below), has somehow not contaminated unfolding events. The claim is made that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stole the election because the outcome was declared too soon after the polls closed for all the votes to have been counted. Mousavi declared his victory several hours before the polls closed, however. This is classic CIA destabilization designed to discredit a contrary outcome. It forces an early declaration of the vote. The longer the time interval between the pre-emptive declaration of victory and the release of the vote tally, the longer Mousavi has to create the impression that the authorities are using the time to fix the vote. It is amazing that people don’t see through this trick. As for Montazeri’s charge that the election was stolen, he was the initial choice to succeed Ayatollah Khomeini, but lost out to the current supreme leader. He sees in the protests an opportunity to settle the score with Ayahtollah Khamenei. Montazeri has the incentive to challenge the election whether or not he is being manipulated by the CIA, which has a successful history of manipulating disgruntled politicians. There is a power struggle among the ayatollahs. Many are aligned against Ahmadinejad because he accuses them of corruption, thus playing to the Iranian countryside where Iranians believe the ayatollahs’ lifestyles indicate an excess of power and money. In my opinion, Ahmadinejad’s attack on the ayatollahs is opportunistic. It does make it odd for his American detractors to say he is a conservative reactionary lined up with the ayatollahs, however. Commenators are “explaining” the Iran elections based on their own illusions, delusions, emotions and vested interests. Whether or not the poll results predicting Ahmadinejad’s win are sound, there is, so far, no evidence beyond surmise that the election was stolen. There are credible reports, however, that the CIA has been working for two years to destabilize the Iranian government. On May 23, 2007, Brian Ross and Richard Esposito reported on ABC News, “The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert “black” operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell ABC News.” On May 27, 2007, the London Telegraph independently reported, “Mr.
Bush has signed an official document endorsing CIA plans for a propaganda and disinformation campaign intended to destabilize, and eventually topple, the theocratic rule of the mullahs.”A few days previously, the Telegraph reported on May 16, 2007, that Bush administration neocon warmonger John Bolton told the Telegraph that a U.S. military attack on Iran would “be a ‘last option’ after economic sanctions and attempts to foment a popular revolution had failed.” On June 29, 2008, Seymour Hersh reported in The New Yorker: “Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military, intelligence and congressional sources. These operations, for which the president sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the country’s religious leadership.” The protests in Tehran no doubt have many sincere participants. The protests also have the hallmarks of the CIA orchestrated protests in Georgia and Ukraine. It requires total blindness not to see this. Daniel McAdams has made some telling points. For example, neoconservative Kenneth Timmerman wrote the day before the election that “there’s talk of a ‘green revolution’ in Tehran.” How would Timmerman know that unless it was an orchestrated plan? Why would there be a ‘green revolution’ prepared prior to the vote, especially if Mousavi and his supporters were as confident of victory as they claim? This looks like definite evidence that the United States is involved in the election protests. Timmerman goes on to write that “the National Endowment for Democracy has spent millions of dollars promoting ‘color’ revolutions . … Some of that money appears to have made it into the hands of pro-Mousavi groups, who have ties to non-governmental organizations outside Iran that the National Endowment for Democracy funds.” Timmerman’s own neocon Foundation for Democracy is “a private, nonprofit organization established in 1995 with grants from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), to promote democracy and internationally recognized standards of human rights in Iran.” To find out more about Paul Craig Roberts, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC. |
Tag: Politics
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Are The Iranian Election Protests Another U S Orchestrated Color Revolution
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Turkey, the Jews and the Holocaust
Interview with Corry Guttstadt
Turkologist Corry Guttstadt has published a comprehensive study of the behaviour of the Turkish government towards its Jewish citizens during the Holocaust. In doing so, she has investigated a chapter of twentieth-century history that has thus far been all but neglected by international Holocaust research. Sonja Galler spoke to her about her findings
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Corry Guttstadt: “Over the course of many centuries, the Ottoman Empire was an immigration destination for Jews fleeing the Reconquista in Spain and pogroms in Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, to portray the Ottoman Empire as a ‘multicultural paradise’ is absurd and ahistorical.” | Much is made of the fact that there are approximately 20,000 Jews in Turkey today, a figure that is frequently held up as evidence of the country’s tolerant attitude towards its Jewish minority. It is often claimed that this success story began when persecuted Sephardic Jews found refuge in the Ottoman Empire, the forerunner of the modern Turkish state …Corry Guttstadt: Well, there are currently over 20,000 Jews in Iran too. A number alone is not necessarily a reliable indication of whether somewhere is safe or free from anti-Semitism. As far as Turkey is concerned, it is important to emphasise that only 20,000 Jews now live in the country. That’s in stark contrast to the estimated 120,000 to 150,000 that lived in the region at the end of the First World War. Both before and after the Second World War, and most particularly after the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the vast majority of Jews left Turkey. This was a reversal of the trend of previous centuries.
Over the course of many centuries, the Ottoman Empire was an immigration destination for Jews fleeing the Reconquista in Spain and pogroms in Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, to portray the Ottoman Empire as a “multicultural paradise” is absurd and ahistorical. As non-Muslims, the Jews were subject to countless constraints. Like the Christians, they had to pay a poll tax and were obliged to behave in a submissive manner towards Muslims. Moreover, it must be said that there were numerous fluctuations in the fortunes of the Jews in the 600-year history of the Ottoman Empire.
The period of Jewish persecution on the Iberian peninsula coincided with the expansion of the Empire, whose rulers were keen to increase the urban population. Another reason why they were happy to welcome the Sephardic Jews was because they brought with them important skills and expertise. Jews who had settled in Anatolia and in the Balkans before the Ottoman conquest, on the other hand, were forced to resettle – also for demographic reasons – and were subject to a number of considerable constraints.
What was life like for the Jews around the time the Turkish state was created?
Guttstadt: The foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923 was the final chapter in the protracted disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, which had lost most of its territory in a series of wars against major Christian European powers. The situation for the Jews varied because unlike the Christian populations in the Balkans, they were not pursuing any separatist goals. In response to European protests about the Armenian massacre, Ottoman leaders liked to point to the Jews as a “model minority”.
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Guttstadt reveals that the dissemination of anti-Semitic tracts in the 1930s heralded the birth of modern Anti-Semitism in Turkey | For their part, the Jews were often the target of anti-Semitic attacks at the hands of Christian minorities around this time and were, for that reason, reliant on the protection of the state. Consequently, most Jews initially regarded themselves as allies of the Kemalist movement and looked to the new Republic with largely positive expectations. These hopes were quickly dashed because despite their attempts to adapt and their declarations of loyalty, the Jews quickly became a target for the rigid nationalism of the young Republic. One of the defining policies of the young republic was the “Turkification” of state, economy, and society.In this light, the Kemalist leadership regarded the rights that had been granted to non-Muslim minorities in the Treaty of Lausanne as a continuation of the interference of major imperialist powers. It put non-Muslim religious communities under pressure to renounce these rights “voluntarily”. Jews were also successively driven out of a number of professions and economic sectors. This prompted many Jews to emigrate, particularly to France, but also to the USA, Italy or Germany.
Once war broke out, how did the Turkish state, which managed to remain “neutral” until the end of the Second World War, behave towards the Jews who lived within its borders?
Guttstadt: I think we have to differentiate here between anti-Semitism and anti-minority nationalism, which targeted not only the Jews, but other groups too. On the one hand, anti-Semitic tracts like the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion reached Turkey and were translated into Turkish in the 1930s. Following a visit to Germany, Cevat Rıfat Atilhan, who could be described as the father of Islamic anti-Semitism in Turkey, started publishing the anti-Semitic newspaper Millî İnkîlâp (National Revolution) in Istanbul, which contained anti-Semitic caricatures that had been lifted directly out of the Nazi newspaper, Der Stürmer. Although this and other magazines were banned for a certain period, they mark the birth of modern anti-Semitism in Turkey.
Both the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion and Mein Kampf have gone through umpteen new editions to this day. Nationalist measures that affected not only Jews, but also Kurds, Armenians, and Greeks, included forced resettlement, the so-called “wealth tax” – which led to the confiscation of assets of those who were not in a position to pay the arbitrarily fixed and frequently astronomical sums they were required to pay – and forced labour in camps in eastern Anatolia. Although these measures are in no way comparable with the persecution of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis, they destroyed the Jews’ faith in the Republic so utterly that the majority of the country’s remaining Jews left the country in 1947/48.
At this time, Turkish Jews were scattered all over Europe. How did they fare?
Guttstadt: At the start of the war, approximately 25,000 to 30,000 Jews of Turkish origin lived in Europe, most of them in France. Only about 10,000 of them still held Turkish citizenship, which became a matter of life and death during the Holocaust. There were many people who came to Europe as “Ottoman citizens”, but whose place of birth had been assigned to other states once the Empire was no more. In France, it was relatively easy to obtain French citizenship. From the start of the 1930s, the Kemalist Republic began checking the nationality of citizens living abroad and revoking the citizenship of non-Muslims in particular.
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Ceremony to mark the opening of the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul, one of the few remaining synagogues in Turkey: “During World War II, Turkey was not a major country of exile for persecuted Jews,” says Guttstadt | This policy of denaturalisation, which the Turkish state could initially pass off as a normal consequence of the new state order, focussed primarily on the Jews during the Holocaust. In October 1942, Germany delivered an ultimatum to the Turkish government to repatriate its Jewish citizens from the states occupied by the German Reich. Above all, however, the government in Ankara wanted to prevent a mass influx of Turkish Jews and decided to use the instrument of mass denaturalisation as a means of preventing it. What proved particularly fatal in this regard was the fact that according to Turkish law, people who had either voluntarily changed their nationality or had been denaturalised were not allowed to set foot on Turkish soil ever again – even as a tourist or a refugee.Moreover, in 1938, Turkey passed a secret decree that forbade “foreign Jews who are subject to restrictions in their native countries, regardless of what religion they currently practice” from entering Turkey. With this decree, Turkey adopted the criteria that characterised anti-Jewish legislation in Germany and its allied countries.
What did the Turkish government at the time know about what was happening in the countries controlled by Germany and about the fate of Turkish Jews living in those countries?
Guttstadt: Naturally, the Germans did not tell the Turkish authorities that Jews who were not repatriated would be deported and murdered, but obscured the reality of the situation by saying that they would be “subject to the general measures applied to Jews”. However, in view of the fact that numerous Jewish aid organisations had representatives in Istanbul, Turkey was a one of the places where concrete information about the Holocaust was available. From there, journalists reported about the systematic murder of Jews.
Jews that had escaped the concentration camps or ghettos and managed to make it to Istanbul, were questioned by aid committees and given the assistance they needed. Their reports were passed from Istanbul to other offices around the world. Both journalists and Jewish activists were undoubtedly under observation by the Turkish secret service. In March 1943, the Turkish government newspaper Ayın Tarihi reported about the mass murder of Jews in Germany. Several Turkish Jews living in Europe turned to the Turkish government for help.
About 3,000 Turkish Jews were deported to German concentration camps during the Shoah. To what extent can Turkey be held responsible for their fate?
Guttstadt: The Germans are responsible for depriving these people of their rights and for their persecution and murder. In view of current attempts in Germany to rewrite history again and in view of the German “victim” debate, I refuse to qualify German responsibility in any way. Turkey could have repatriated a much greater number of Jews and opened its borders to refugees. Despite the fact that aid organisations offered to assume the costs that would ensue, the Turkish government generally refused. That being said, Turkey was certainly not the only country to adopt a passive stance.
However, until such time as the Turkish archives are opened, we can only speculate about domestic discussions and criticism of the official policy towards the Jews. We must remember that the Turkish regime at the time was dictatorial; there was a one-party system; the press toed the regime line and was subject to strict censorship. The Jewish community was also completely intimidated and impoverished by the measures taken in the 1940s.
The official Turkish line is that Turkey was a safe harbour for Europe’s Jews.
Guttstadt: Because of its close ties to Germany, Turkey actually had extensive opportunities to save Turkish Jews living abroad. Isolated Turkish diplomats frequently grasped these opportunities. In Paris, for example, Turkish consuls brought about the release of a number of incarcerated Turkish Jews. Turkish consuls in Milan and Vienna also protected individual Jews. Even though these acts were not always performed for purely humanitarian reasons – some consuls may have used their influence to line their pockets – it shows the great latitude they had. In many cases, it was enough to confirm the Turkish citizenship of a Jew to prevent him or her from being deported.
The hiring of German Jewish academics at Turkish universities is often mentioned as a humanitarian act. What is your view?
Guttstadt: It is true that from the autumn of 1933 onwards, a considerable number of German Jewish academics and artists found jobs in Turkey, where they played an outstanding role in building up new universities, hospitals, theatres etc. Even though they were not received for humanitarian reasons, but for reasons of utility, the Turkish government gave these people work, in most cases allowed their families to follow them to Turkey, and protected them against persecution by the Nazi regime. Nevertheless, Turkey was never a major country of exile for persecuted Jews. In terms of numbers, the few refugees that were allowed to enter the country do not appear in any pertinent statistics.
Interview conducted by Sonja Galler
© Qantara.de 2009
Corry Guttstadt: Die Türkei, die Juden und der Holocaust (Turkey, the Jews and the Holocaust) Verlag Assoziation A, Berlin-Hamburg 2008. 520 pages, 26 euros.
Letter to the EditorAdd a comment Qantara.de
Interview with Ishak Alaton
“Turkey Needs a Mentality Revolution”
Ishak Alaton is one of Turkey’s most influential businesspeople of Jewish extraction. Hülya Sancak spoke to him in Istanbul about the current political situation in Turkey and minority rights for Jews, Kurds and Armenians in the countryGerman Jews in Exile in Turkey
“Haymatloz” in Istanbul and Ankara
When the Nazis took power in 1933, hundreds of thousands of German Jews fled the country. Some of them ended up in Turkey, which was a neutral state and safe haven up until the end of World War II. Ursula Trüper recounts their story and that of the Ruben familyJewish Life in Istanbul
The Guardians of Hope
Istanbul was once a centre of Jewish life. Now 20,000 Sephardi Jews still live in the city. The writer Mario Levi recreates the spirit of time past in his books, which is also nurtured by a businessman and a linguist. Kai Strittmatter has been exploring Jewish life in IstanbulSixty Years of Turkish-Israeli Relations
Partnership in the Shadow of a Threat
Turkey and Israel mark the sixtieth anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year. Theirs has been a fruitful if conflict-ridden relationship. But there has been more than just the desire to make peace between the Israelis and the Arabs. Jan Felix Engelhardt looks back at the start of the relationship Published: 29.05.2009 – Last modified: 30.05.2009
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Turkey: IMF Financing Needed By The Fall
May 27, 2009 Moody’s Investors Service said May 27 that Turkey will need to secure a loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by this fall, Hurriyet reported. Moody’s said Turkey can go without an IMF financing program through the summer, but pressure on its external deficits will make a loan accord with the IMF necessary. Turkey has been negotiating with the IMF, but an agreement has yet to be made.
Moody’s Corporation
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Prime Minister Erdogan Finally Admits
Turkey Practiced Ethnic CleansingIn a daring statement, Prime Minister Rejeb Erdogan admitted for the first time, that the expulsion from Turkey of tens of thousands of ethnic Greeks in the last century was a “fascist” act, Reuters reported.Some commentators viewed Erdogan’s remarks as a reference to the expulsion of 1.5 million ethnic Greeks from Turkey to Greece in 1923. The large-scale population exchange between the two countries also included the transfer of more than 500,000 ethnic Turks from Greece to Turkey.Other observers thought that Erdogan was referring to the pillaging of thousands of Greek shops and houses by Turkish mobs in Istanbul on Sept. 6-7, 1955, following the spread of false reports that Atatürk’s house in Thessaloniki, Greece had been burned down.Beyond the expulsion of Greeks, Erdogan made an indirect reference to the tragic fate of other ethnic groups, such as Armenians, in Turkey. “For years, those of different identities have been kicked out of our country.… This was not done with common sense. This was done with a fascist approach,” Erdogan said on May 23, during the annual congress of the Justice and Development Party, held in the western province of Düzce.“For many years,” Erdogan continued, “various facts took place in this country to the detriment of ethnic minorities who lived here. They were ethnically cleansed because they had a different ethnic cultural identity. The time has arrived for us to question ourselves about why this happened and what we have learned from all of this. There has been no analysis of this right up until now. In reality, this behavior is the result of a fascist conception. We have also fallen into this grave error.”The Turkish Prime Minister’s candid remarks were harshly criticized by opposition parties. Onur Oymen, vice president of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) said that associating Turkey’s history with terms like fascism based on hearsay was not right. He also said that no Turkish citizen had ever been expelled because of his or her ethnic background. Oktay Vural of the opposition MHP party added: “Erdogan’s words are an insult to the Turkish nation.”In sharp contrast, liberal Turkish commentators praised Erdogan for his conciliatory remarks: “For the first time you have a prime minister who wants to admit that mistakes were made in the treatment of religious minorities. This is historic,” wrote journalist Sami Kohen in Milliyet. “But whether this rhetoric will be followed with deeds, remains to be seen.”Hürriyet Daily News added: Erdogan’s speech was historic; it was the first time that a high official accepted there have been unlawful and undemocratic practices against minorities in the past. This sentiment was echoed by Prof. Halil Berktay in Vatan newspaper: “That statement was the most courageous thing ever said by Erdogan.” Baskin Oran, another academic well-known for his liberal views, told Star newspaper that he was “proud of a prime minister who denounces ethnic and religious cleansing.”CNN-Turk News Director Ridvan Akar was more skeptical about Erdogan’s true intentions. He wrote in Vatan: “Minority rights as well as those of religious foundations are a structural problem within the Turkish state. Of course, Erdogan has taken a step forward with this declaration. But the sincerity of his words will depend on facts to back them up, such as the restitution of rights to those who have been expelled, the return of confiscated properties, or compensation.”The Prime Minister’s statement is encouraging, if it is an indication that Turkey’s leaders have finally decided to face the ugly chapters of their country’s past.However, it would be wrong to draw overly optimistic conclusions from this single statement. Erdogan has made similar comments about the Kurds in Turkey, only to have their hopes dashed by taking unexpected repressive measures against them.The fact is that Erdogan is not the master of his political domain. The “fascists” he attacks are not buried in an Ottoman historical grave, but are alive and well in Turkish society and occupy the highest echelons of the military and judiciary.Yet, Erdogan is politically shrewd enough to realize that his condemnation of fascism would resonate at home and in the West, and win him accolades and support against his powerful domestic opponents.Erdogan’s battle against the ghosts of the Turkish past is in fact a fight for his political survival against those in today’s Turkey who view him and his Islamic party with deep suspicion, and are determined to counter his every move, ultimately seeking his downfall from power. -
ACTION ALERT – UNITED KINGDOM
Vote to keep the BNP out
DISTURBING leaflets sent out by the British National Party
By Suzan Nuri
DISTURBING leaflets sent out by the British National Party ahead of the 4 June Euro elections, has warned that the UK will be ‘swamped’ by Muslim Turks.
The offensive leaflet, sent out to people in the north of the country and the Midlands, says the BNP “Oppose the dangerous drive to give 80 million low-wage, Muslim Turks the right to swamp Britain”.
The BNP, already under fire for using foreign models in the pictures on campaign leaflets, now seem to be targeting the Muslim communities in what can only be described as racist rants.
Fevzi Hussein who works for trade union CWU, was told of the offensive leaflets this week.
He said “A UNISON member alerted us to the latest BNP leaflet which amongst other things, makes reference to a pledge to ‘oppose the dangerous drive to give 80 million low-wage Muslim Turks the right to swamp Britain’.
“The tone of the leaflet is disgusting and no-one should be fooled by the smart suits and nice hair-cuts of these far-right fascists. Their rhetoric is the same – they are just targeting Muslims more now than Blacks and Asians, which used to be their more traditional targets back in the 70’s and 80’s.
“The BNP will do everything in their power to de-stabilise Turkey’s efforts to get into the EU – messages like this are also deliberately pumped out to instil a negative perception of Turkish people.
“It is essential everyone gets out and uses their vote – vote for anyone BUT the BNP. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Equality & Human Rights Commission made it their business to investigate this lot and at the very least demand an explanation as to why they seek to demonise Turks as part of their electioneering campaign?”
Nilgun Canver, who is a Labour London candidate in the Euro elections strongly condemned the BNP, saying they should be banned.
“It would be a disaster if the BNP were able to send an MEP to the European Parliament as they would be able to link up with facists from France and Italy, with all the resources that is available to them in Parliament.
“People must realise that the EU is entirely relevant to us here in the UK and is a way of us supporting increased dialogue regarding Cyprus and also Turkey’s EU accession.
“Voting is extremely important and with the voting system of PR, every vote does count. A low turn out will benefit the far right parties and we must oppose the idea of fascists legitimising themselves through election to the EU Parliament.”
Sener Saglam, chairman of the Turkish Federation told London Turkish Gazette that as a community we must take a stand against racist comments.
“We strongly criticise these comments by the BNP and will always challenge their right to spread such comments. This is why it is important that people do go out and vote in the Euro elections on 4 June. Some in our community say we should boycott the elections as a way of protesting against the EU’s reluctance in accepting Turkey. However, I say if we fail to turn up and vote, it opens the way for parties such as the BNP to get elected.”
Mr Saglam added that the Turkish community should be more united and also put forward candidates for elections.
“We need to get more involved politically and put forward people we can support in elections, no matter which mainstream party they are from and this is an idea the Federation fully supports.”
In another twist, some postal workers have protested at having to distribute election leaflets they find offensive or which customers might find offensive.
Their union, the CWU, has an agreement with Royal Mail which protects postal workers’ right to refuse to deliver such election.
Bob Gibson, CWU national official, said: “We have a national agreement with Royal Mail with a conscience clause which allows individuals to exercise their right to not deliver material which they find offensive or believe their customers may find offensive.
“It is not specific to any political party. We are protecting the rights of our members to be safe at work. Royal Mail has a responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees.
“We have had instances of delivery workers being threatened, chased and spat at for delivering some election leaflets. We will support individuals who feel strongly about delivering these items.
“Postal workers are well within their rights to refuse to deliver offensive material.”
Source: www.londragazete.com, 21 May 2009
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ARMENIAN LOBI SCREAMS LOUDLY TO OBAMA
My letter to President Obama
Ken (Kenneth) Hachikian is an Armenian-American economist and public activist, the chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America since 2000.
He received his BA in Economics and MBA from Harvard University. As a financial and operating executive, he worked for 9 years with The Boston Consulting Group, advising Fortune 1000 companies on corporate, financial and operational strategies. From 1991 to 1994, Mr. Hachikian served as President of LINC Scientific Leasing, Inc., and, from 1983 to 1989, as President and CEO of Wellesley Medical Management, Inc. He is the Board Chairman of the Cambridge Heart, Inc.
As a public activist, Hachikian has been an active member of both the Young Presidents’ Organization and the World Presidents’ Organization.
Importance: High
- “Ken Hachikian” <ancaupdate@anca.org>
20/05/2009 02:08Please respond to
“Ken Hachikian” <anca@anca.org>To cc Subject My letter to President Obama - May 19, 2009
Watch Live! Secretary Hillary Clinton to Testify on the FY 2010
Foreign aid Priorities
9:30am EDT, Wed. May 20th
Senate Foreign Appropriations Subcommittee
Scroll to the bottom of the page to watch the webcast.
1:30pm EDT, Wed. May 20th
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Click on the hyperlink at top of webpage.ANCA Chairman Shares Armenian American Community’s Sharp Disappointment with President Obama
Click here to read letterPeter DeFazio (D-OR) John Yarmuth (D-KY) Bruce Braley (D-IA) Armenian
Genocide Resolution Supporters
Grow to 125
Read Release
- Hachikian to Obama: “You failed to honor your commitment to lift our nation’s response to genocide to the level of our shared American values, choosing, instead, to allow America’s willingness to respond forcefully to this horrific crime to remain hostage to Turkish threats and intimidation.”
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken Hachikian shared with President Barack Obama today the Armenian American community’s disappointment with his Administration’s failure to honor his campaign pledges to recognize the Armenian Genocide and to foster the growth and development of Armenia.
In a May 18th letter to the White House, Hachikian addressed both the President’s decision not to honor his repeated promises to recognize the Armenian Genocide, as well as his recent proposal to cut aid to Armenia by 38% even as he increases overall foreign aid spending and the level of assistance he seeks to the regions of Europe, Eurasia, and South/Central Asia.
** Read Hachikian’s Letter to President Obama
** Contact President Obama and Express your disappointment
** Facts and Figures: The proposed cut in aid to Armenia in perspective
** The ANCA’s Foreign Aid Priorities for Fiscal Year 2010
- Armenian Genocide Resolution Supporters Grow to 125
Representatives from Iowa, Oregon, Illinois, and Kentucky Join Bipartisan Genocide-Prevention Measure
WASHINGTON, DC – With the addition today of Congressmen Bruce Braley (D-IA), Peter Defazio (D-OR), Bobby Rush (D-IL), and John Yarmouth (D-KY), the number of U.S. House cosponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.252, reached 125, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The Armenian Genocide Resolution specifically 1) calls upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide and the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution; and 2) calls upon the President in the President’s annual message commemorating the Armenian Genocide issued on or about April 24, to accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide and to recall the proud history of United States intervention in opposition to the Armenian Genocide.
The measure was introduced on March 17th of the year by lead sponsors Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George Radanovich (R-CA), and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). It is identical to legislation in the House and Senate in the 110th Congress that was adopted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and publicly endorsed by then-candidate for President Barack Obama, current Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Since the introduction of the current resolution this March, President Obama has broken his pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide, retreating markedly from repeated statements and promises he made throughout his service in the Senate calling for proper U.S. condemnation and commemoration of this crime against humanity. Read more. . .
** View the complete list of cosponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution
** Urge your Representative to cosponsor H.Res.252
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Tel: (202) 775-1918, Fax: (202) 775-5648, E-mail: anca@anca.org, Web: www.anca.org
