Barack Obama Calls For Passage Of Armenian Genocide Resolution

[ED]

They usually and always do before elections!!!!

so we are in for another disappointment, when would we learn.???

even if turkey recognizes US and brits never will

[phantom22]

How long are Armenians going to stick their heads in the sand?

 

We have to get into the inner circle of the candidates. The reason that President Reagan continued to affirm the Genocide was because Aram Bakshian and Ken Khachigian were with him almost every day. If Anna Eshoo and Jacike Speier were not two of Nancy Pelosi's closest personal and professional friends, she would not have steadfastly supported the Genocide Resolution in the the face of the Turkish government barrage. The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has an Armenian, Lisa Kaloustian, working with him every day.

 

We need Armenians in Obama's inner circle.

 

We need to have our wealthiest Armenians support Obama.

 

 

[ED]

How long are Armenians going to stick their heads in the sand?

 

We have to get into the inner circle of the candidates. The reason that President Reagan continued to affirm the Genocide was because Aram Bakshian and Ken Khachigian were with him almost every day. If Anna Eshoo and Jacike Speier were not two of Nancy Pelosi's closest personal and professional friends, she would not have steadfastly supported the Genocide Resolution in the the face of the Turkish government barrage. The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has an Armenian, Lisa Kaloustian, working with him every day.

 

We need Armenians in Obama's inner circle.

 

We need to have our wealthiest Armenians support Obama.

 

I agree, unfortunately and sadly this is what buys politicians

remember what Julius Caesar said, if you must pay then-

whores are better bet "oh brutus you too"?

[phantom22]

Armenians have an isolationist syndrome problem due to centuries of persecution. In Jerusalem, the Armenian sector is rarely visited by odar tourists. It is isolated. The majority of the Armenian diaspora attend the Armenian Church and have social relationships mainly with fellow Armenians, again causing isolation. The most successful Armenian-American politicans have been either Protestant or Catholic, because they have had to learn to interact with odars. The Jews learned this lesson may decades ago, but we are in our political infancy.

 

Yes, Ed, money is the milk-blood of politics and close associations count. The days of Lincoln are long past. Campaigns need millions to compete effectively on television.

 

Look how millions of Turkish government dollars have stymied the recognition of what the Association of Genocide Scholars know to be a reality.

 

We can no longer afford to be purists who ignore reality.

 

 

 

I agree, unfortunately and sadly this is what buys politicians

remember what Julius Caesar said, if you must pay then-

whores are better bet "oh brutus you too"?

Edited June 19, 2008 by phantom22

[Aratta-Kingdom]

PRESS RELEASE

November 14, 2008

Contact: Michael A Zachariades

Email: mzachariades@aaainc.org

Phone: (202) 393-3434

 

Armenian Assembly of America Recalls Vice President-Elect Biden's

Historic and Current Contributions Toward Armenian Genocide Recognition

and Prevention

 

1989 Senate Committee Video, Hrant Dink Legislation, Q&A with New U.S.

Ambassador to Turkey, James Jeffrey, and more

 

Washington, DC - As Armenian-American groups, and others, continue to

congratulate President-Elect Barack Obama and Vice-President Elect

Joseph Biden, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) recalls key

chapters in Vice President-Elect Biden's historic and current

contributions toward Armenian Genocide recognition and defense of basic

human rights.

 

Biden Champions Armenian Genocide Resolution in Senate Judiciary

Committee - See Exclusive Armenian Assembly Video

 

Throughout his tenure, Senator Biden (D-DE) consistently pressed for

genocide affirmation and prevention. Among the defining moments with

respect to the Armenian Genocide, the October 17, 1989, Senate Judiciary

Committee mark-up of legislation affirming the Armenian Genocide,

remains an outstanding example of Senator Biden's efforts and tenacity

in this regard.

 

As Chairman of this influential Committee, Senator Biden successfully

ensured passage of this important human rights legislation (S.J.Res.

212) and in so doing, reinforced the historical truth of the Armenian

Genocide, as reflected by the overwhelming quantity of official U.S.

Department of State records deposited at the U.S. National Archives.

During consideration of

S.J.Res. 212, Biden summarily rejected the assertion by 69 historians

that there was debate as to whether the Armenian Genocide had occurred

and equated it to those that would deny the existence of the Holocaust.

"There are 65[69] historians, just like there were, I could probably dig

up, if I had time, 65[69] historians, idiots, who would argue there was

no Holocaust in World War II." In addition, Chairman Biden squarely

addressed concerns others raised, including interference from the

Republic of Turkey stating: "The fact the Turkish government is offended

by this is of no consequence to the Senator from Delaware. The Turkish

government and other governments are always offended when something

occurs." Senator Biden also recalled the official U.S. diplomatic

record, of which U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau cabled the U.S.

Department of State to alert America to the horrific campaign of race

extermination underway against the Armenian people in 1915.

 

Biden Presses Administration on Genocide Affirmation and the Need for

Reconciliation during Confirmation Process of Ambassador-Designates to

Armenia and Turkey

 

As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Vice

President-Elect Biden also repeatedly pressed the George W. Bush

Administration to reaffirm the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide

and also encouraged Turkey to reconcile with its past.

 

In his questioning of Ambassador James Jeffrey, Biden pointed out that

President Bush has on more than one occasion noted that the analysis of

the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which was

commissioned by the Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC),

"marked a significant step" toward reconciliation efforts. Biden then

added that it would be more prudent to build on already existing TARC

recommendations rather than convening a new commission.

 

Turkey has regularly called for a new commission of historians to

review the Armenian Genocide, as means to avoid coming to terms with

its past and to divert other countries' attention from its record of

denial; Armenia's President Serzh Sargsyan, among others, has made the

point that some would like to keep creating commissions until one

might finally agree with the Turkish position. TARC was a joint

Turkish Armenian Commission, which commissioned and published the ICTJ

legal opinion characterizing the Armenian Genocide as one meeting the

UN definition."

 

Ambassador Jeffrey had no choice but to recognize that President Bush

had endorsed the ICTJ opinion and TARC recommendations, while also

acknowledging their significance. However, he failed to draw the same

logical inference Ambassador John Evans and so many others have. The

Assembly is releasing Ambassador Jeffrey's responses to Senator Biden

in full, for the first time.

 

While the Administration did not revoke its anti-Evans doctrine, which

disallowed State Department personnel from affirming the Armenian

Genocide, Biden and other Members of the Committee received assurances

from the Administration that they did not dispute the historical fact of

the Armenian Genocide. In addition, the notion proposed by Turkey of

creating a new commission to study the past in an attempt to rewrite

history, was put to rest, especially in light of the work of TARC and

the ICTJ report.

 

Biden Honors Hrant Dink's Legacy

 

Eighteen years after chairing the historic Senate Judiciary Committee in

1989, Senator Biden as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations

Committee, made history again. Upon learning of the assassination of

Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and the law that crippled free

speech in Turkey, Senator Biden was quick to act. Chairman Biden

spearheaded legislation, S.Res. 65, which honored the legacy of Hrant

Dink and called for the repeal of Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code,

which penalized discussion of the Armenian Genocide and created an

environment of hostility and intolerance. This resolution enjoyed

unanimous passage in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where

President-Elect Barack Obama also served as a Subcommittee Chairman.

 

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest

Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding

and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501©(3) tax-exempt

membership organization.

 

 

 

Watch Biden's remarks during the Senate debate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DEJ5eCQtwuls

 

Questions and Answers between Sen. Biden and Ambassador Jeffrey

http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/pdf...ons_Jeffrey.pdf

 

1989 Assembly press release and transcript

http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaainc/pdf...es-10-17-89.pdf

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

Vice-President Elect Biden on the Armenian Genocide (1989)

 

[Z'areh]

Once a Turkish commentator said that it is the Office that makes the man not the other way around. This was when Nancy Pelosi just got the job of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and the immediate issue of putting the AG resolution for a vote began to heat up. The logic of the saying is in the realization that an individual is too small to have his or her will impose within the framework of the greater rules of a high government post.

 

The Office, in this case, is the highest post in the US government and whoever gets this post is forced to play by the rules of the "Office", according to the logic.

 

Although there is a certain truth in this viewpoint but nonetheless one also has to realize that George Bush made a mockery of this logic. If there are rules that one has to obey in becoming a President then these rules should also work against those who would want to break them, as we witnessed during the past eight years the Office did not make the man, Bush played by his own rules, with impunity. Therefore, relying on the "omnipotence" of a certain code of behaviour in becoming a President is just a theory, if George Bush can break them to do the worst, Obama in his turn can break them for the better.

 

I guess soon we will see how will Obama reconcile the requirements of the "office" rules, (the Turks are so hoping for), with what he has pledged to do, (Armenians are counting on). But to the detriment of Turkish hopes, if the comparisons of Obama with that of Roosevelt, the political pundits are making these days, are true then there is hope for decency in the rules of this Office. To us, Armenians, our strongest weapon is having to deal with decency.

 

Difficult tasks in all forms are waiting for Obama, it will be very interesting to see this man operate, the people he selects to surround him will be a first peak for us. The Clinton gang, the Albrights and all, will be bad news.

 

 

 

.

Edited November 19, 2008 by Z'areh

[Yervant1]

It all depends on Obama's list of things to do that is not open for discussion. Like closing down of Guantanamo Bay prison, he said it very clearly that it's closing down.

I don't know what else is on his list, let's hope that AG is on it.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

 

 

OBAMA’S ELECTION FORCES TURKEY TO RETHINK ITS DEMANDS FROM ARMENIA

 

 

By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier

 

 

Turkey has blockaded Armenia for the last 15 years with the vain hope that this would force Armenian leaders to make concessions to Ankara on several fronts: Abandon the pursuit of genocide recognition, acknowledge Turkey’s territorial integrity, and accept Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction over Artsakh (Karabakh). In return, Turkey offered to lift the blockade and establish diplomatic relations with Armenia.

 

Armenia steadfastly rejected these unacceptable Turkish demands, despite the economic hardships its people endured as a result of the joint blockades imposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan.

 

Frustrated with the growing number of countries acknowledging the Armenian Genocide in recent years, the Turkish government embarked on a new scheme to try and split Armenia from the Diaspora, hoping to undermine their joint efforts for the international acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.

 

In recent months, because of the convergence of several factors -- internal turmoil in Armenia following the presidential elections and increasing pressure on Yerevan by Western countries and Russia to reconcile with Turkey -- Armenia’s newly elected President offered to accept the Turkish proposal to establish a joint historical commission on the Genocide, but only after Turkey would lift its blockade and establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan.

 

Shortly after Pres. Serzh Sargsian’s declaration, the Russian-Georgian war briefly disrupted the transport of goods between Black Sea ports and Armenia, making the Armenian government more eager to seek opening of the Turkish border, which would serve as an alternate supply route. Moreover, Armenia expressed an interest in joining the "Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform," which was proposed by Pres. Abdullah Gul ostensibly to create a closer relationship between Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. Pres. Gul’s initiative would indirectly help Armenia to counter Azerbaijan’s attempts to isolate and exclude Yerevan from all regional projects.

 

Turkey enthusiastically welcomed Armenia’s cooperative gestures. As a result, Pres. Gul accepted Pres. Sargsian’s invitation to come to Yerevan – the first such visit by a Turkish leader – to watch a soccer match between the national teams of the two countries. The visit brought worldwide accolades to the Turkish president and raised Turkey’s international stature at a time when the country was desperately seeking the votes of U.N. members to win a coveted Security Council seat.

 

Soon however, the Turkish scheme hit a series of snags. Armenia and Turkey could not agree on the details -- subject matter, composition, and timing -- of the proposed joint historical commission. Turkey, on the other hand, was in a rush to set up the commission before the start of Barack Obama’s presidency on January 20, 2009, in order to discourage the incoming U.S. administration from considering the acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide.

 

Meanwhile, Armenian officials were reluctant to take action on the proposed commission, until Turkey opened the border first and established diplomatic relations with Armenia. The Turkish government apparently underestimated the resolve of Armenia’s leaders to stick by these two preconditions and misjudged their determination to withstand Western pressures on this issue.

 

After these misjudgments, the Turks made matters worse by insisting that Armenia agree to return to Azerbaijan a portion of the territories bordering Artsakh, before Ankara would agree to lift the blockade. This unacceptable condition threw out of the window any possibility of rapprochement between the two countries in the immediate future.

 

Complicating matters further, two new incidents last week proved that Turkish attempts to drive a wedge between Armenia and the Diaspora on the genocide issue had failed. Pres. Sargsian, in an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, agreed with Diaspora leaders that the joint historical commission was "absolutely unnecessary." He stated: "We do not think that anything can be achieved by it. We want to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries, open the borders without any preconditions, and afterwards, through an intergovernmental process, we can discuss all issues pertaining to the neighboring countries. We do not consider the recognition of the Genocide by Turkey as a precondition to establishing relations. We desire the latter, but not at any cost. In the past, European countries too did not establish historical commissions in order to develop normal relations. Such an initiative could also mean an attempt to mislead the international public, especially when it is a multi-year process."

 

In another setback, the Turkish newspaper Zaman alleged that Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had questioned the value of more countries recognizing the Armenian Genocide, prompting him to issue a statement refuting the Turkish report. "The recent news by the Turkish press ascribed to Armenian officials about the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide is distorted and presented upside down. I have stated many times and I want to repeat again that Armenian officials have never expressed and will never express an idea in favor of suspension of the process of international recognition of the Armenian genocide. Moreover, Armenia cannot tolerate any expression of Armenian Genocide denial," Mr. Nalbandian stated.

 

Significantly, these setbacks occurred at a time when Turkey’s leaders are expressing great anxiety over promises made by President-elect Obama to recognize the Armenian Genocide. In fact, during his last week’s trip to the United States, Prime Minister Recep Erdogan repeatedly expressed his serious concern about Mr. Obama’s announced intentions on the genocide. In fact, Turkish and American officials have advised Mr. Erdogan that Pres. Obama would most probably acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and the Congress could pass a resolution on this issue, unless Turkey immediately takes the bold step of lifting the blockade and establishing diplomatic relations with Armenia.

 

Currently, the Turkish Prime Minister is in the process of gauging the intentions of President-elect Obama on the Armenian Genocide by communicating with his circle of close advisors. Should he determine that Mr. Obama is intent on carrying out his campaign promises on this issue, Mr. Erdogan could then quickly open the border and establish diplomatic relations with Armenia, in order to preempt any official action by the U.S. President and/or the Congress. However, should Mr. Erdogan discover that Pres. Obama is hesitant on keeping his campaign promises, the Turkish side would then continue making stiff demands from Armenia.

 

Under these circumstances, Armenia’s leaders are in no particular rush. They can patiently wait until they see what position the next U.S. President would be taking on the Armenian Genocide. In any case, the Armenian side has nothing to lose by waiting. On the contrary, by biding its time, the Armenian government could well avoid making concessions on Artsakh and refuse to establish the "unnecessary" historical commission, while getting Turkey to lift the blockade.

 

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

 

 

 

TURKISH AMBASSADOR ADMONISHES PRES. OBAMA ON ARMENIAN ISSUES

 

 

By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier

 

 

Turkish officials are getting increasingly apprehensive about the announced position of the incoming Obama administration on Armenian issues. Consequently, they are trying to win over President-elect Barack Obama and his inner circle by using high-priced lobbying firms, dispatching delegations of senior diplomats, Prime Minister Recep Erdogan meeting with Obama’s representatives in Washington, and Pres. Abdullah Gul speaking with him by phone.

 

Even retired Turkish diplomats are getting into the act. Faruk Logoglu, a former Turkish Ambassador to Washington, recently wrote a lengthy "Open Letter" to Pres.-elect Obama, consisting of 23 points, touching upon various aspects of U.S.-Turkish relations. The letter was published in the Autumn 2008 edition of Private View, a publication of the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD).

 

Amb. Logoglu has served as President of the Eurasian Strategic Studies Center (ASAM), an influential Turkish think tank specializing in international relations. More importantly, he is a member of the board of the Strategic Studies Center of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His letter to Pres. Obama, titled "Win Turkey as a Key Partner," provides unique insights into the thinking and agenda of the Turkish foreign policy establishment.

 

The Turkish Ambassador begins his letter with a vain attempt to find similarities between the United States and Turkey. He falsely claims that the two countries share "common values and converging national interests" such as "democracy, the rule of law, human rights, fundamental freedoms and market economy." Amb. Logoglu concludes that the agendas, priorities and needs of the U.S. and Turkey overlap.

 

Not surprisingly, the Ambassador makes several references to Armenian issues. In point 2 of his letter, he states that U.S.-Turkish relations have improved after "the halting of the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress last year."

 

Amb. Logoglu’s letter, written in a patronizing tone, repeatedly tells Pres. Obama what to do once in office. In point 6 of his letter, the Ambassador demands that Pres. Obama, as one of the first tasks of his administration, "implement a broad public diplomacy strategy to win the hearts of the Turkish public," in view of the fact that "surveys consistently indicate a very unfavorable opinion of the U.S. in Turkey." In Logoglu’s twisted logic, since most Turks hate Americans, it is Pres. Obama’s solemn obligation to take immediate steps to make Turks like Americans!

 

In point 7 of his letter, Amb. Logoglu, treating Pres. Obama as his junior clerk, orders him to "render harmless … the efforts of the Armenian and other anti-Turkish lobbies to take our relationship hostage. …You need to convince the Turkish public that you are being fair and not giving in to the demands of special interest groups, especially when those demands are at least questionable."

 

In point 8, Amb. Logoglu indicates that the Armenian Genocide resolution and the fight against the Kurdish PKK are two concrete issues that would require Obama’s attention in the early days of his Presidency. These issues, the Ambassador warns, "literally constitute the red buttons in the control deck of our relations. Any resolution in Congress supporting Armenian claims would do substantial, if not irreparable, damage to your standing in Turkey and upset the entire chemistry of our relationship. Moreover, it would not help resolve the problem and reverse the positive trends now in the making between Turkey and Armenia. Instead, you should encourage the recent positive trends between the two neighboring states in the direction of dialogue and conciliation."

 

In point 12, Amb. Logoglu asserts that Turkey wants to become an "energy hub" in order to "counter-balance Russian dominance in this domain and provide alternative outlets to producer nations." This statement exposes the Turkish government’s fake gestures of friendship with Russia. Furthermore, this is the continuation of long-standing Ottoman policy of pitting one great power against another, claiming to be an ally to both, while exploiting both countries for its own self-interest. In point 22 of his letter, the Turkish Ambassador contradicts himself by urging Pres. Obama to keep "Turkey’s special position" in mind when dealing with Russia, given Turkey’s substantial relations with Moscow in terms of "trade, investments, tourism and [ventures] in the field of energy. Our national interest dictates that we maintain positive relations with Russia."

 

Finally, Amb. Logoglu invites Pres. Obama to visit Turkey at his "earliest opportunity," so that the schmoozing can continue in a warmer atmosphere!

 

Most probably, neither Pres. Obama nor any of his aides would have the time to read this lengthy polemical letter. However, the Ambassador’s words provide a window into the Turkish mindset and show how alarmed Ankara is by Obama’s campaign promises and their likely implementation.

 

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

 

Focus News, Bulgaria

Jan 17 2009

 

Turkey warns US over recognizing Armenian claims on 1915 incidents

 

17 January 2009 | 13:37 | FOCUS News Agency

 

 

Ankara. Turkey's foreign minister has warned Barack Obama's incoming

administration that any U.S. recognition of Armenian claims regarding

the 1915 incidents could derail reconciliation efforts between the two

neighbors, the online English edition of Hurriyet newspaper reports.

 

Turkey warns US over recognizing Armenian claims on 1915 incidents "It

would not be very rational for a third country to take a position on

this issue... A wrong step by the United States will harm the

process," the Anatolia news agency quoted Ali Babacan as saying late

Friday.

 

Turkey has "never been closer" to normalizing ties with Armenia, its

eastern neighbor, and a breakthrough could be secured in 2009, the

minister said, according to the AFP.

 

Obama, who takes office Tuesday, pledged to his Armenian-American

supporters during his election campaign to recognize the 1915

incidents as "genocide".

 

The issue of 1915 incidents is highly sensitive for Armenia as well as

Turkey. Around 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks, died in

civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed by

Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.

 

However Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5

million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in

1915. The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet in

accepting Turkey's proposal of forming a commission to investigate the

claims.

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

Obama won’t recognize Armenian Genocide, Babacan assures

 

 

23.01.2009

 

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey welcomes appointment of Hillary Clinton as U.S. Secretary of State, Turkish senior official said.

 

“We have high expectation for President Obama and his team,” Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said.

 

The new U.S. administration will hardly spoil the dialogue launched between Armenia and Turkey, according to him.

 

“The pledges made during the election campaign may differ from decisions taken at the presidential post,” Babacan said, TGRT News reports.

 

[Z'areh]

The new U.S. administration will hardly spoil the dialogue launched between Armenia and Turkey, according to him. (Foreign Minister Ali Babacan)

 

 

I'm afraid this is not just hot air from a high ranking Turkish official, his statements are corroborated quite loudly and with a sense of accomplishment by our high ranking officials, in the persona of Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

 

Armenia officially has given all the breaks to the Obama administration not to recognize "something" that might possibly harm this newly established and flourishing relationship that is so full of love and mutual respect.

 

The Sargsian regime wants their cake and eat it too.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

Obama’s new adviser stands for Armenian Genocide recognition

 

 

02.02.2009

 

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An expert who stands for recognition of the Armenian Genocide is reportedly a senior adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama.

 

Samantha Power, a Harvard professor will direct multilateral affairs for the National Security Council.

 

The appointment aroused concerns in Turkey, Hurriyet daily reports.

 

The daily said Obama may use the term ‘genocide’ in his April 24 statement or the Congress may pass a new legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide, what will spark crisis between Ankara and Washington.

 

Obama pledged to recognize the Armenian Genocide during the election campaign. Vice President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and CIA chief Leon Panetta are also known as supporters of the Genocide recognition.

 

With the appointment of Power, the new administration became the most pro-Armenian administration in the U.S. history, Hurriyet daily said.

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

With the appointment of Power, the new administration became the most pro-Armenian administration in the U.S. history, Hurriyet daily said.

 

 

 

That could be true, but Rahm Emanuel, who is a sworn anti-Armenian, with a record lobbying against the Armenian Genocide bill, has more voice in the Obama administration than Samantha Power.

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

 

American Thinker, WA

Feb 1 2009

 

 

Turkish Prime Minister redefines 'outrage'

 

 

Jack Kemp

 

Days ago, the Turkish Prime Minister walked off a stage in Davos,

Switzerland when he was engaged in a heated argument with Israeli

President Shimon Peres. Prime Minister Edrogan angrily stated to Peres

that "You are killing people" and "A finger-pointing Peres told

Erdogan at Thursday's panel that he would have done the same if

rockets had been falling on Istanbul."

 

Since the Turkish Prime Minister is so incensed about civilian

casualties caused largely by Hamas using human shields, forced or

otherwise, perhaps he should consider the glass house whose door he

has just opened.

 

Samantha Power's Pulitzer Prize winning 2002 book, "A Problem From

Hell, America and the Age of Genocide," points out, on page one, that

in 1921 the former Turkish Interior Minister Mehmet Talaat, was shot

on a street in Berlin by an Armenian. This was an organized revenge

killing for the Turkish genocide of one million Armenian civilians in

World War I. Years later, Ms. Power states, on page 23 that, "In 1942,

Hitler restored Talaat's ashes to Turkey, where the Turkish government

enshrined the fallen hero's remains in a mausoleum on the Hill of

Liberty in Istanbul.

 

Page eight of Ms. Power's book informs us in further detail exactly of

what type of "hero" Interior Minister Talaat was by the indirect open

admission of the liquidation of the Armenian population of Turkey he

made to an American diplomat at that time:

 

 

Talaat once asked (then American Ambassador) Morganthau whether the

United States could get the New York Life Insurance Company and

Equitable Life of New York, which for years had done business with the

Armenians, to send a complete list of the Armenians policy holders to

Turkish authorities. "They are practically all dead and have left no

heirs," Talaat said, "The government is the beneficiary now."

 

 

So we have the current prime minister of a country that killed one

million unarmed Armenians and honors, to this day, one of the chief

architects of that genocide with a hero's grave at a national cemetery

in his nation's capitol. This prime minister now states that he is

outraged by Israel waging war against an actual rocket-launching enemy

which resulted in some civilian casualties in Gaza, an area allowed

food and water to its' civilian population by the Israelis. There

still are approximately one million civilians living in Gaza.

 

 

Well, at least we all can better understand the origins of Prime

Minister Edrogan's mindset by seeing who his government honors. I

would like to know at what point (in terms of body count) and by what

means one becomes a hero rather than a murderer in Mr. Edrogan's

opinion.

 

 

Jack Kemp is not the politician of the same name.

 

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/0...er_redefin.html

 

 

---------------

 

Thanks Yervant for the article.

 

[Aratta-Kingdom]

 

 

"OBAMETER" KEEPS TRACK OF PRESIDENT’S CAMPAIGN PROMISE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

 

By Harut Sassounian, Publisher, The California Courier

 

 

Those interested in finding out whether Pres. Barack Obama is keeping the hundreds of promises he made during the presidential campaign, including the one on the Armenian Genocide, now have a simple tool to keep track of all of them.

 

A group of journalists, headed by Bill Adair, Washington Bureau Chief of the St. Petersburg Times of Florida, have set up a website -- www.politifact.com -- that tracks down the promises made by various politicians during their campaigns.

 

Politifact.com has received widespread media attention from scores of newspapers and various TV networks, including CNN. Such public scrutiny makes it more difficult for politicians to evade their pledges to the voters.

 

The website promises to "provide an up-to-the-minute report card" on how Pres. Obama is faring with his agenda of change. Visitors to the website can find out the status of his campaign promises by checking the "Obameter" which is divided into three categories: No Action, In the Works, or Stalled. After action is taken by the President on a particular issue, it is rated as either Promise Kept or Compromise or Promise Broken. The website’s scorecard indicates that in his first three weeks in office, Pres. Obama has already kept 7 promises, compromised on 1, broke 1, stalled on 1, 18 are in the works, and no action is yet taken on the remaining 482.

 

Two weeks ago, when I first checked the website’s "Obameter," it had a list of 510 Obama promises, everything from "requiring large employers to contribute to a national health plan" to "directing military leaders to end war in Iraq." But there was no trace of Pres. Obama’s campaign promise to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

 

I immediately sent an e-mail to the administrator of Politifact.com, alerting him that Pres. Obama’s pledge on the Armenian Genocide was missing from the website. Staff writer Angie Holan quickly responded, acknowledging that this particular promise was not in their database. She thanked me for bringing this matter to her attention and promised to add it to the website as soon as possible. To expedite matters, I provided to Ms. Holan the text of various statements made by Senator Obama on the Armenian Genocide during his presidential campaign.

 

A few days later, I received an e-mail from Ms. Holan, informing me that Pres. Obama’s promise on the Armenian Genocide was added to the Politifact.com website, under the following link: http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promis...menian-genocide.

 

By clicking on the above link, one can find Pres. Obama’s promise number 511 on the Armenian Genocide which the website describes as follows:

 

"Barack Obama Campaign Promise No. 511:

 

Recognize the Armenian genocide

 

"‘Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term ‘genocide’ to describe Turkey's slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. …As President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.’

 

Source: "Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations"

 

We add promise on the Armenian genocide

 

Updated: Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

 

When we started looking for President Obama’s campaign promises, we knew we might not find all of them, and we hoped our readers would alert us to promises we had missed. Today we are adding our first promise based on reader feedback: Obama’s pledge to recognize the Armenian genocide.The issue has been a hot-button issue on the world stage because the government of Turkey has objected to the use of the term ‘genocide’ as inaccurate and inflammatory.A 2007 resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives said the Armenian genocide was carried out by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, and resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million. The resolution failed in the face of Bush administration concerns that it would alienate Turkey, which borders Iraq.So we add this promise to our database as promise No. 511.

 

Sources:

 

Los Angeles Times: House delays Armenian genocide vote, Oct. 26, 2007;

 

House Resolution on the Armenian genocide, 2007;

 

BBC News: Q&A: Armenian genocide dispute, July 10, 2008."

 

This website is yet another reminder to Pres. Obama and his White House aides that the President has a promise to keep on the Armenian Genocide and that both the media and the public will judge his credibility by his actions rather than words.