New U.S. administration majority stands for Armenian Genocide recognition

PanARMENIAN.Net - Majority of the U.S. 111th Congress members stand for recognition of the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, Armenian National Committee of America Communications Director Elizabeth Chouljian told PanARMENIAN.Net



"April 24, 1915, signified the beginning of a systematic attempt by the Ottoman regime to deport and exterminate Armenians from the Anatolian Peninsula. Over the next 8 years, 1 1/2 million Armenian people were murdered by minions of the Ottoman Empire. Those who were spared were driven from their homes. It is for those victims, and it is for all oppressed peoples today, those who have died and those who survived, that we take time to reflect on the Armenian genocide and its implications for all of us today," said CIA Director-designate Leon Panetta.



Interior Secretary-designate Ken Salazar, Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis and Transportation Secretary-designate Ray LaHood are among Cosponsors of Armenian Genocide Resolution H.Res.106.



In addition to Administration officials, the U.S. Congress is today led by among the most energetic and vocal advocates of American recognition of the Armenian Genocide.



"A grave injustice was committed and the fact that our nation is not officially recognizing these crimes as genocide is a disappointment," said Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.



"It truly saddens me that after 93 years, the U.S. has failed to acknowledge the Armenian

Genocide for what it was," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.



"Genocide is a very powerful word, and should be reserved for only the most horrific examples of mass killing motivated by a desire to destroy an entire people. Without a doubt, this term is appropriate to describe the unimaginable atrocities suffered by the Armenian people from 1915 to 1918," said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman.



"Acknowledging when genocide has occurred is not simply a theoretical or legal exercise. It is key to preventing genocide from happening again. That's why, in my view, we must change U.S. policy to reflect the true nature of the tragic events that were perpetrated against the Armenians by calling them what they were: genocide," said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry.