[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      COMMEMORATING THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

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                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2005

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 90th 
anniversary of the horrific events that occurred in the Ottoman Empire 
from 1915 to 1923. The Armenian Genocide was a global tragedy. Over an 
eight year period, one and a half million Armenians were killed and 
about a half a million more were forced into exile. Every one of us, as 
citizens of the world, has a responsibility to ensure that the legacy 
of the Armenian Genocide is acknowledged and remembered so such human 
tragedies will not reoccur.
  We debated for months, as systematic killings occurred in Darfur, 
about whether the actions there constituted acts of genocide. That is 
why I rise today to voice my disappointment at the administration's 
continued lack of clarity when referring to the genocide that occurred 
during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Falling well short of a 
declaration, the President referred to the tragedy in his April 24 
statement as a ``great calamity.'' Indeed, what occurred was a calamity 
of such dimensions that the Armenian people are still dealing with its 
consequences today. But genocide is more than calamity.
  I share the opinion of the members of the Armenian Assembly of 
America who say the President's weak statement, ``was a missed 
opportunity . . . to speak the truth plainly, to once and for all avoid 
using evasive terminology. . . .'' Just as there is no reason to 
equivocate about what is happening to the people of Darfur, there is no 
reason to equivocate about what happened to the Armenians 90 years ago. 
Genocide is genocide.

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