[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 21]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 30819]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   CONDEMNING ARMENIAN ASSASSINATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. PETER T. KING

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 1999

  Mr. KING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern about the 
violence that recently took place in Armenia. The Prime Minister and 
the Speaker of the Parliament, as well as other prominent Armenian 
politicians, were killed in a hail of gunfire on the floor of the 
Armenian Parliament.
  Besides my deep concern and sympathy for the individuals who were 
brutally murdered and for their families and friends, I fear that this 
event could cause a delay or postponement of the peace talks currently 
underway between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Thankfully, both governments 
have stated that the peace process will not be interrupted by this 
tragic event.
  Armenia should step up its efforts to push the peace process along. 
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been going on for 11 
years now, and more than 30,000 people have been killed and over a 
million refugees created on both sides, including over 800,000 in 
Azerbaijan. It is time to reach a peace agreement, and Presidents 
Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Robert Kocharian of Armenia have met 
four times in recent months to discuss such a settlement.
  As original sponsor of legislation designed to repeal Section 907 of 
the Freedom Support Act, I would like to draw your attention to a 
statement in the New York Times, that appeared on November 3, urging to 
loft ``the ban on giving Azerbaijan the same kind of economic 
assistance that it provides to all other former Soviet republics. This 
would serve both to recognize the risks that Heydar Aliyev, 
Azerbaijan's President, has taken for peace and begin to bring about 
more realistic attitudes in Armenia. If we are to be an effective 
broker, we must adopt a balanced approach.''

                          ____________________