[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 27, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H2399]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, I attended a ceremony to 
remember the victims of the Armenian genocide in Times Square in New 
York City, and I have to say it was a very moving moment. There were 
several, I would not say many, because there are not that many genocide 
survivors that are still around, but I did have a chance to talk 
briefly with maybe 10 or so.
  It was incredible to hear them tell the stories of the families and 
atrocities that had occurred 89 years ago now. More and more countries 
and States and even the media are now in the process of recognizing the 
genocide, and I just wanted to mention specifically that the Canadian 
House of Commons last week joined France, Italy, the Vatican and a 
number of other European countries and the European Parliament in 
acknowledging this crime against humanity as genocide.

                              {time}  2000

  Also last week, The New York Times reversed decades of ambiguity by 
declaring in favor of using the term ``genocide'' to describe the 
Armenian cataclysm of 1915. The Boston Globe adopted a similar policy 
change last year.
  Mr. Speaker, the unfortunate thing is, although so many other 
countries and so many of our own States have recognized the Armenian 
genocide, we in the Congress continue not to recognize it. I think it 
is important that we do so.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) was here earlier, and he 
mentioned the House Genocide Resolution, H. Res. 193, which has now 111 
cosponsors. The resolution was adopted unanimously by the House 
Committee on the Judiciary on May 21, 2003, but it has not been brought 
to the floor for consideration. I would urge the Speaker and the 
leaders on the Republican side of the aisle to bring this resolution to 
the floor. It is important that they do so.
  Now, this year, as we do every year, the members of the Congressional 
Caucus on Armenian Issues put together a letter to the President of the 
United States asking him to acknowledge the Armenian genocide. This 
year there were 169 signatures, more than we have ever had before in 
that letter that we sent to the President; and I just wanted to read, 
if I could, some sections of that letter, because I think it is 
important.
  We say, ``Dear Mr. President: We are writing to urge you to join us 
in reaffirming the U.S. record on the Armenian genocide in your April 
24 commemorative statement.
  ``By properly recognizing the atrocities committed against the 
Armenian people as genocide in your statement, you will honor the many 
Americans who helped launch our first international human rights 
campaign to end the carnage and protect the survivors. The official 
U.S. response mirrored the overwhelming reaction by the American public 
to this crime against humanity and, as such, constitutes a proud, 
irrefutable and groundbreaking chapter in U.S. diplomatic history.
  ``Now, more than ever, as your administration seeks to bring an end 
to global terrorism and to help establish democracies in Afghanistan 
and Iraq, the memory of the genocide underscores our responsibility to 
help convey our cherished tradition of respect for fundamental human 
rights and opposition to mass slaughters. The victims of the Armenian 
genocide deserve our remembrance and their rightful place in history. 
It is in the best interests of our Nation and the entire global 
community to remember the past and learn from these crimes against 
humanity to ensure they are never repeated.''
  That is really the essence of what we are trying to achieve here 
today in asking that the President and this Congress basically reaffirm 
the Armenian genocide, because we simply do not want it repeated again. 
We know how many times in the 20th century that genocide occurred.
  House Resolution H.R. 193, and also its Senate counterpart, Senate 
Resolution 164, which I would like to add has 37 cosponsors right now, 
basically state that the purpose of the resolutions are to strengthen 
America's commitment to the value of the genocide convention that was 
implemented 15 years ago.
  This convention recognizes essentially a number of the genocides that 
occurred in the 20th century. And as some of my colleagues mentioned 
earlier, not only the Armenian genocide, but that in Rwanda, Burundi, 
and, of course most important, the Nazi Holocaust genocide against the 
Jews.
  The fact of the matter is, Mr. Speaker, that when we talk about the 
Armenian genocide, we are simply acknowledging the fact. And we feel 
very strongly that if at the time the genocide occurred the world and 
the nations of the world had taken more notice and had tried to prevent 
it, I think it would have served as a lesson so that the Nazi Holocaust 
against the Jews and so many other atrocities that took place in the 
20th century would not have occurred. If we are going to see a 
situation in the future, in this 21st century, where we do not repeat 
the mistakes of the past, we must acknowledge the Armenian genocide.

                          ____________________