US Armenians gear up ‘genocide’ campaign

U.S. Armenians have sped up a campaign to convince the country’s president to declare the events of 1915 as “genocide” in the run-up to April 24, "Armenian Remembrance Day" in the United States.
Members of the community are preparing to hold a protest against President Barack Obama in Los Angeles on Thursday for allegedly breaking pre-election pledges in 2008 to Armenians and Armenian groups to recognize their genocide claims. The group’s congressional supporters are hoping that the president finally recognizes the "Armenian genocide" this time around.
"On Thursday, April 21 at 3 p.m, Armenian-Americans from throughout southern California and across the American and Armenian political spectrums will join together for a public protest calling upon President Obama to honor his broken campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian genocide," the lobby group the Armenian National Committee of America, or ANCA, said Tuesday.
"The demonstration, organized by the Armenian Genocide Community Task Force, will be held outside the president's first major fundraiser in southern California for next year's presidential election," ANCA said.
"California's Armenian American community is eager to see President Obama in Los Angeles," said ANCA Western Region Chairman Andrew Kzirian. "With the president's 2012 re-election effort now under way, the Armenian-American community will remind him of the profound moral and serious geopolitical costs of his decision to break his promise to clearly and unequivocally recognize the Armenian genocide.”
Armenians have urged numerous U.S. presidents and Congress members to officially recognize the World War I-era deaths of their kinsmen in the Ottoman Empire as "genocide," but their efforts have so far been unsuccessful. Turkey has warned that any formal U.S. recognition of genocide will worsen bilateral ties with the United States in a major and lasting way.
Around two dozen members of Congress met at the Senate on April 14 to commemorate what they see as the "Armenian genocide," ANCA said.
Pro-Armenian Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, urged Obama to recognize the "Armenian genocide."
"I expect my president, whom I have supported, to finally come through and stand up for what is right..., stand up as U.S. president today to say... there was an Armenian genocide," Menendez said.
'Reparations'
"Once we complete the work of recognition of the Armenian genocide, we must quickly move to the subject of reparations, which I think is also important as we move forward," said David Cicillini, a Democratic representative from Rhode Island, according to ANCA.
The Armenian Assembly of America, or AAA, the second largest U.S. Armenian group after ANCA, also joined the call for the claims to be recognized.
"We strongly urge President Barack Obama to fulfill his campaign promise and expand upon his statement last year, wherein he used the Armenian term – ‘metz yeghern’ – to describe the Armenian genocide, and for this year, use the proper English term: Armenian genocide," the AAA said in a written statement.
But one Washington-based analyst familiar with the matter and speaking on condition of anonymity, said Obama was again unlikely to describe the Armenian deaths as "genocide."
U.S. presidents traditionally release press statements every April 24, denouncing the Armenian killings. But they also traditionally decline to classify the deaths as "genocide."
Pro-Armenian legislators came close to winning a congressional endorsement of the genocide claims last December, shortly before the previous Congress expired, when they intensified their efforts for a floor vote in the House of Representatives on a "genocide" bill, which passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee last March.
But under strong behind-the-scene pressure by the Obama administration, the bill did not come to a floor vote.

Erdogan insults not French MP but descendent of Armenian Genocide survivors

Erdogan insults not French MP but descendent of Armenian Genocide survivors April 15, 2011 10:04 French parliamentarian who asked question and got a sharp response from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in PACE turned to be of Armenian origin. Muriel Marland-Militello is a granddaughter of Armenian Genocide survivor. Militello told Turkish NTV channel that her grandmother and grandfather lived in Istanbul before 1915. Her grandfather’s name was Seyran (Armenian name). In 1915 they were warned about future events and managed to escape, she said. Commenting on Erdogan’s response French MP said he made a mistake answering so. “From the very first sentence I understood that he said something insulting French people. I did not reply as such conduct is disrespectful in PACE,” she said. French parliamentarian asked Erdogan a question about protection of religious minorities in Turkey. In response Turkish Prime Minister said, “You are speaking about something you are not aware of. You are clearly French, in Turkey you are French too (in Turkish, when somebody does not know something or speaks out of context, it is said that they are from France),” he said. News from Armenia - NEWS.am

Secret organization within Turkey’s police was assigned to combat Anatolia Armenians

Secret organization within Turkey’s police was assigned to combat Anatolia Armenians April 5, 2011 - 21:08 AMT 16:08 GMTPanARMENIAN.Net - A clandestine intelligence organization operating within Turkey’s police structure reportedly was assigned to combat “Armenian separatism,” according to cables release by Wikileaks, reported the whistleblower Web site’s Turkish partner, Taraf on Monday, April 4. The cable, titled “A rare look at Turkish Military Intelligence: Iraq, PKK worries, paranoia, anti-NATO campaign,” was dispatched on Dec. 21, 2004, by Robert Deutsch, then-defense attache at the US Embassy in Ankara, reported the Hurriyet Daily News, quoting Taraf. Deutsch spoke to an unnamed Turkish source described as someone “who has experience on intelligence and security analysis” and “someone who worked for 12 years at military intelligence and has given lectures at the police academy in the past.” The source offered a report based on talks with 40 operatives of the secret organization, known as JITEM, as well as fieldwork in southeastern Anatolia. The state reportedly assigned JITEM to combat “Armenian separatism” in Southeast Anatolia, according to the cable. The order surprised many JITEM officers, according to the unnamed source speaking to Deutsch, given that only “a handful of Armenians [were known] to remain in southeastern Anatolia.” It was explained, however, that many Armenians changed their names and hid their identities both willingly and by force during the events of 1915, meaning that there was a continuing, though hidden, Armenian presence throughout Southeast Anatolia that was worrying the state.

Samantha Power, author of book on Armenian Genocide, to be next U.S. Secretary of State?

INTERESTING, NO? Samantha Power, author of book on Armenian Genocide, to be next U.S. Secretary of State? April 04, 2011 00:09 “A flattering New York Times profile has increased speculation that Samantha Power, the Dublin-born aide to President Obama, could be his next Secretary of State or National Security Adviser,” Irish Central agency reports.”She has been the main architect of the Libya policy along with Hillary Clinton, and has an increasing influence in the White House,” the source says. “When Hillary Clinton steps down after Obama’s first term, she would be a live candidate for the post if Obama wins re-election,” the website reports. “She is clearly the foremost voice for human rights within the White House and she has Obama’s ear,” Executive Director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth told the News York Times. “Power won a Pulitzer Prize for her 2002 book on genocide, entitled “A Problem from Hell,” which examined the U.S. foreign policy response to genocide,” the source reads. “The book argues that the Armenia, Nazi Germany, Cambodia and Rwanda genocides took place because government authorities averted their eyes and individuals made the choice not to intervene,” the website says. “The most common response,” Ms. Power wrote, “is, ‘We didn’t know.’ This is not true” News from Armenia - NEWS.am =

Armenian President intends to be first passenger of Karabakh aircraft

Armenian President intends to be first passenger of Karabakh aircraft March 31, 2011 13:33 Population of Nagorno-Karabakh has a right to use air transport, it is beyond doubt, said Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. At a joint press conference following the meeting with President of Swiss Confederation Micheline Calmy-Rey, President Sargsyan noted Armenia and NKR should spare no effort to reach accord on the issue with international agencies. The Armenian leader expressed confidence the initiative would be successful. Commenting on Baku’s threat to shoot down aircrafts heading to Karabakh, Sargsyan said such threats had been voiced by terrorist groups, not states. He considers such threats ridiculous, adding Baku’s statements do not require comments. “But I do declare I will be the first passenger of the first flight,” Sargsyan emphasized. Stepanakert’s airport will start its operation from May 9, 2011. Recently Azerbaijan has threatened to shoot aircrafts flying to Nagorno-Karabakh. On March 21, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) handed Armenian General Department of Civil Aviation a letter from head of the Azerbaijani aviation department which says Baku is ready to crash planes flying to Karabakh if authorities open Stepanakert airport. Earlier chief of NKR civil aviation department Dmitry Adbashyan responded to Azerbaijani statement, noting “if Azerbaijan considers itself a civilized country, it must not make such statements”. Many world states and members of the International Civil Aviation Organization, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, took on commitment never shoot down civilian aircrafts. News from Armenia - NEWS.am

HERE WE GO AGAIN--TURKEY VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS

Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk fined for the phrase “Turks killed 1 million Armenians” March 28, 2011 00:18 Famous Turkish writer and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk must pay a compensation of 6, 000 liras (U.S. $ 4,000) for the phrase “Turks killed 1 million Armenians,” by the Turkish court’s decision. The writer was sued in 2005 by five people, including ultra-nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, as well as four other people who are relatives of soldiers killed in action. Pamuk has 15 days to appeal the court decision, according to the legal procedures. In 2005, after Pamuk made a statement regarding the mass killings of Armenians and Kurds in the Ottoman Empire, a criminal case was opened against him based on a complaint filed by ultra-nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz. Kerincsiz appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeal which ordered the court in Sisli to re-open the case. On March 27, 2011, Pamuk was found guilty and ordered to pay 6,000 liras in total compensation to five people. As reported earlier, in an interview with a Swiss newspaper in 2005, Pamuk said that Turks killed 1 million Armenians and 30, 000 Kurds in 1915. A month ago, Pamuk repeated his words in an interview with a Greek newspaper. News from Armenia - NEWS.am

Hamparian: An Easter Appeal for April 24th

This April, for the first time since 1915, the 24th falls on Easter Sunday on the Armenian Church calendar.

And so, on this sacred day, for the first time since the Armenian Genocide, Armenians will join together as Christians to celebrate the ascension of Christ after his earthly death upon the cross, and also, as Armenians—heirs of an ancient people that arose nearly a century ago from the ashes of genocide—to mark our own rebirth as a nation.

We will recall with pride our resurrection as a people from the fires of hatred that nearly consumed us in 1915, even as we remember, with both sadness and alarm, that this smoldering but still strong hatred may yet, if not quenched by the waters of justice, spark again to burn the surviving sons and daughters of our ancient homeland.

As a people who believe in the power of faith and forgiveness, we seek a true and enduring redemption for the Republic of Turkey through repentance and return. For, just as scripture tells us that the truth will set us free, so too will justice set us all upon the path to peace.

For Turkey’s leaders and government, the difficult path to true forgiveness must pass through a sincere confession of past sins and an apology for all harm, the full return of all that must rightfully be rendered to the victims of its crimes, and an abiding renunciation of hatred and violence toward the modern-day sons and daughters of those who lived on the Biblical lands in and around Ararat for thousands of years.

Turkey must repent in word and deed.

Redeem itself in spirit and action.

Renounce evil, and all the fruits of its evil crimes.

And render to the Armenians all that once was and remains Armenian.

There can be no better place to start than the immediate return of all churches, monasteries, relics, and other religious properties, not only to the Armenians, but to all the Christians of these ancient Biblical lands.

And, finally, as Armenians, children of the first nation to adopt Christianity, as we approach this holiest of days, we call upon all of our brothers and sisters in faith worldwide—Christians, Muslims, Jews, believers of all denominations and faiths, and those who hold no faith—to join with us in offering a prayer for the Armenian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac, Pontian, Greek, and other victims of the Ottoman Empire’s World War I-era genocide of its Christian minorities.