[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2005

  Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the 
continued reluctance by the Bush Administration to openly deal with the 
government of Turkey's continued policy of denial of the Armenian 
Genocide. In the words of scholars and writers, genocide denial is the 
last stage of genocide, what Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel has called a 
``double killing.'' The perpetrators first plan and commit the crime, 
then refuse to acknowledge responsibility. Finally, their political 
successors deny this crime against humanity. The present-day Turkish 
government must stop this shameful policy of denial.
  The award-winning writer and Harvard Professor Samantha Power in her 
recent book on genocide recounted how the United States and the world's 
other powers have too often been bystanders to Genocide, most recently 
in Rwanda and as you hear these words, once again in Sudan. Power 
argued that ``The Armenian Genocide of 1915 set the stage for a 
gruesome 20th century.'' The international community's failure to 
properly condemn the attempted annihilation of the Armenians led Hitler 
to famously declare ``Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation 
of the Armenians?''
  The Turkish government spends millions of dollars annually to lobby 
other governments to advance its revisionist cause, claiming that the 
subject is ``sensitive'' and that acknowledgment would undermine 
relations with Turkey. To compound this assault on the truth, Turkish 
leaders and media accuse U.S. and Israel of genocide, respectively in 
Iraq and Palestine. These policies are abhorrent and must be 
confronted.
  Mr. Speaker, while President Bush has issued annual statements on 
April 24, the day of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, he has 
refrained from using the proper word. Moreover, as the leadership of 
the House confirmed last year, the Administration remains opposed to a 
congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide due to Turkish 
objections. This approach sends absolutely the wrong signal to Turkey 
and to the rest of the world. As we promote relations based upon shared 
values, the United States must never forget the essential value of 
facing history directly.

                          ____________________