[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 49 (Friday, April 26, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E643-E644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMEMORATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 24, 2002

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise again, as we do at this 
time every year, to commemorate those who lost their lives, their 
families, and their livelihood in the Armenian genocide. That terrible 
tragedy, perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and afterwards, 
marked the first of the 20th century's state-ordered genocides against 
a minority group.
  Traditionally, Armenians everywhere have set apart April 24 to mark 
the genocide in solemn remembrance. For friends of Armenians, this is 
an occasion to express solidarity with the worldwide Armenian 
community. We mourn the dead and express our condolences to their 
living descendants. On this occasion, we reflect upon the meaning and 
lessons of their suffering and sacrifice.
  Surely the most basic lesson we should have learned from Armenia's 
catastrophe is elementary courtesy towards the truth in the face of 
horror. It is always better to build the future on a foundation of 
transparency, honesty and reconciliation about the past. We should not, 
we must not, shrink from the correct term to characterize what 
happened. I appreciated very much Governor George W.

[[Page E644]]

Bush's statement in February 2000 when he said, ``The Armenians were 
subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension and 
commands all decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and 
lessons of an awful crime in a century of bloody crimes against 
humanity.'' In a letter to the President last year, I noted my support 
for his ``principled stand on the issue [which was] a welcome change 
from previous practice.''
  Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate this appalling tragedy of last century 
resulting in the massacre of ``as many as 1.5 million Armenians through 
forced exile and murder'', let us not shy away from using the correct 
term: genocide.
  I do agree with the President's statement yesterday ``recognizing 
that demonizing others lays the foundation for a dark cycle of hatred. 
Transcending this venomous pattern requires painful introspection about 
the past and wise determination to forge a new future based on truth 
and reconciliation. In this spirit, I look forward to Turkey restoring 
economic, political, and cultural links with Armenia.''
  Mr. Speaker, next year, we will mark this somber anniversary once 
again. Let us hope that Armenians and their friends all over the world 
will take some solace in the vision of Armenia living in peace with her 
neighbors and in prosperity and impressing the world with the spiritual 
and material products of the unbreakable Armenian spirit.

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