share

 Home | News | Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

President Bush Reneges On Campaign Promise; Calls The Armenian Genocide "Annihilation" And Avoids Historically Accurate, Internationally-Recognized Term "Genocide"

Posted: Wednesday, April 25, 2001 at 10:28 PM CT


WASHINGTON, DC - The Armenian Assembly of America expressed regret and disappointment today at President Bush's failure to keep a campaign promise and properly characterize the Armenian Genocide of 1915 in his official statement issued on the occasion of the 86th anniversary of the Genocide.

In his signed statement, the President said, "Today marks the commemoration of one of the great tragedies of history: the forced exile and annihilation of approximately 1.5 million Armenians in the closing years of the Ottoman Empire. These infamous killings darkened the 20th century and continue to haunt us to this day."

The President also said that "while we mourn the tragedy that scarred the history of the Armenian people...we [should] celebrate their indomitable will which has allowed Armenian culture, religion, and identity to flourish through the ages."

Referring to the Nagorno Karabagh dispute, the President said that he hoped this year to see peace and reconciliation in the South Caucasus. He said,"Let us remember the past and let its lessons guide us as we seek to build a better future."

Despite a campaign pledge made June 2, 2000, the President did not use the word "Genocide."

In his June 2, 2000 letter to the Armenian Assembly, then-candidate Bush said, "Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension. Their travails should lead all decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and lessons of an awful crime in a century of bloody crimes against humanity. If elected president, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people."

Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Van Krikorian called the President's failure to use the word "genocide" disappointing. He said, "The President's description of what happened is a dictionary definition of genocide. But he refused to use the word. While Armenian-Americans appreciate that President Bush has recognized the significance of the 1915 Genocide in such a thoughtful and heartfelt way, they are surprised and disturbed that he wouldbreak a campaign promise and give such weight to the pressure of Turkey's denial campaign."

"Failure to come to terms with the Genocide of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks poisons efforts at reconciliation in the Caucasus. It sends a clear message that the United States of America is willing to revise history and lay the foundation for history to repeat itself. As President Reagan said in his 1981 Executive Order, 'Like the Genocide of the Armenians before it, and the genocide of the Cambodians which followed it - and like too many other such persecutions of too many other peoples - the lessons of the Holocaust must never be forgotten'."

"The memory of the 20th century's first genocide continues to haunt Armenians around the world, but nowhere does the Genocide of 1915 so fiercely shape daily lives than in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh today. Those who live in the region are rightly concerned that without America's official reaffirmation of that Genocide and an internationally-guaranteed peace settlement, a repetition of history is possible," said Krikorian.

"We are hopeful that President Bush will recognize the growing international trend and will reconsider his statement and acknowledge the Genocide for what it was. Many use the excuse that the time is not right to use the word 'genocide.' There is never a 'right' time."

Krikorian thanked the Armenian-American community and its many supporters, commending their energy and diligence in attempting "to protect and preserve the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide."

Over one hundred Members of Congress co-signed a letter urging the President to honor the commitment he made to Armenian-Americans during the presidential campaign. The letter asked President Bush to "acknowledge this brutal episode in human history and describe it for what it was - a genocide."

The Assembly's official statement remembered and mourned the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and noted that it "set the stage for the Holocaust and the genocides that followed." It urged Turkey to come to terms with the role its Ottoman predecessors played in the Genocide and end its corrosive campaign of denial. It noted that reconciliation with its past would lead to a better future.

In recent months, the French and Italian governments, the European Parliament and the Vatican ignored Turkish threats and joined the growing list of countries around the world in reaffirming the Armenian Genocide. Twenty-seven American states are also on record affirming the Genocide.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

NR# 2001-064


Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News Archives


Do you have any related information or suggestions? Please email them.
Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News.