ARMENIANS OF AMERICA WAIT FOR AN ANSWER FROM PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Presidential Candidates will have to answer the questions of a questionnaire offered by the leaders of Armenian lobbyist organizations.

Process of preliminary inter-party elections of presidential candidates has started in the United States. The Democrats will have to find the most deserving leader that will be able to represent the party in the elections to be held in November 2004. The Republicans have already decided their candidate. As far as George Bush's rival is concerned, he will be decided in the end of March. The Armenian community of America not only follows with attention the developments but participates actively in the processes going on.

January 21, 2004

PanARMENIAN.Net - Eight Democrats have demonstrated readiness to be rivals of the acting President. Four of them are already participating in the preliminary elections. On the first meeting of party activists taken place on Monday in Iowa, senators John Kerry and John Edwards, ex-governor of Vermont Howard Din and former leader of democrats in the House of Representatives Richard Gephardt have presented their candidatures. Two other influential party activists, retired General Wesley Clark and senator from Connecticut Joseph Liebermann are going to join the pre-electoral campaign at its second stage, in late January in New Hampshire.

Armenian lobbyist organizations have not decided yet their position. The Armenian National Committee and the Armenian Assembly of America have applied to the candidates asking them to state their approaches to several issues interesting the electors of Armenian origins. The candidates first of all have been suggested to express their attitude to the idea of official recognizing of 1915 Genocide. Besides, the Armenian lobbyists would like to discuss also the issue of the volumes of United States' aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. They are interested also to know the opinion of leaders of democrats concerning the 907 section of the Freedom Support Act supposing sanction against Azerbaijan. The questionnaire contains also a point about blockade of Armenia by Turkey and the possibilities of its removal. It is very important for them to know the positions of the candidates about the self-determination right of Karabakh people. ''Are you going to pay an official visit to Yerevan in case if elected President?'' This is the next question. And the last one is the possibilities of involving the American Armenians in state administration process.

None of the candidates has given precise answers to the issues. However, the heads of electoral headquarters have assured of their availability to collaborate with the Armenian lobbyists and most of them - the former commander if the united armed forces of NATO in Europe Wesley Clark who is considered to be one of the most probable candidates from the Democratic Party. General Clark has promised to promote the recognition of Genocide in case if elected. ''The events taken place in 1915 in the Ottoman Empire undoubtedly were Genocide,'' he wrote in an open letter addressed to the Armenian community of America. Clark expressed his solidarity with the descendants of Genocide victims that are trying to achieve world recognition of the Genocide. This statement has brought him the support of many American Armenians. If General's rivals want to have the votes of the electors of Armenian origins, they will have to do something more than just expressing their kindly feelings for Armenians.