WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Friday refrained from branding the massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in Turkey a "genocide," breaking a campaign promise while contending his views about the 20th century slaughter had not changed.
The phrasing of Obama's written statement attracted heightened scrutiny because of the sensitivity of the issue and because the two countries are nearing a historic reconciliation after years of tension. The Obama administration is wary of disturbing that settlement.
Marking the grim anniversary of the start of the killings, the president referred to them as "one of the great atrocities of the 20th century."
"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed," Obama said. "My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts."
"The best way to advance that goal right now," Obama said, "is for the Armenian and Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a part of their efforts to move forward."
For Obama, referring to the killings as genocide could have upended recent pledges of a closer partnership with Turkey, a vital ally in a critical region. Steering around the word, however, put him at odds with his own pledges to recognize the slaughter as genocide.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/politics&id=6778833&rss=rss-kabc-article-6778833
LOL
Looks like he forgot to tell Pelosi that it was not a genocide and to shut her mouth.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:
"Today, we commemorate the 94th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and pay tribute to the victims and survivors. We know from their testimony and historical records that the Armenian genocide was conceived and carried out by the rulers of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.
"It is estimated that more than 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were killed and more than two million others were expelled from their homeland. International observers and diplomats to the Ottoman Empire, including U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, watched a nightmare unfurl and provided detailed accounts about 'a campaign of race extermination.'
"It is long past time for the U.S. Government to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide. If we ignore history then we are destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. The genocides in Rwanda and Darfur remind us that we must do more to prevent this from ever happening again.
"On this anniversary, we must remember the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide. We must also provide the leadership to ensure that this human tragedy is not repeated."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/200904...ement_on94th_anniversary_of_armenian_genocide
Now that the one has stated it was not a genocide, I imagine we will never hear anything more about it.
The phrasing of Obama's written statement attracted heightened scrutiny because of the sensitivity of the issue and because the two countries are nearing a historic reconciliation after years of tension. The Obama administration is wary of disturbing that settlement.
Marking the grim anniversary of the start of the killings, the president referred to them as "one of the great atrocities of the 20th century."
"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed," Obama said. "My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts."
"The best way to advance that goal right now," Obama said, "is for the Armenian and Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a part of their efforts to move forward."
For Obama, referring to the killings as genocide could have upended recent pledges of a closer partnership with Turkey, a vital ally in a critical region. Steering around the word, however, put him at odds with his own pledges to recognize the slaughter as genocide.
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/politics&id=6778833&rss=rss-kabc-article-6778833
LOL
Looks like he forgot to tell Pelosi that it was not a genocide and to shut her mouth.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today to commemorate the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:
"Today, we commemorate the 94th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and pay tribute to the victims and survivors. We know from their testimony and historical records that the Armenian genocide was conceived and carried out by the rulers of the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.
"It is estimated that more than 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were killed and more than two million others were expelled from their homeland. International observers and diplomats to the Ottoman Empire, including U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, watched a nightmare unfurl and provided detailed accounts about 'a campaign of race extermination.'
"It is long past time for the U.S. Government to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide. If we ignore history then we are destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. The genocides in Rwanda and Darfur remind us that we must do more to prevent this from ever happening again.
"On this anniversary, we must remember the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide. We must also provide the leadership to ensure that this human tragedy is not repeated."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/200904...ement_on94th_anniversary_of_armenian_genocide
Now that the one has stated it was not a genocide, I imagine we will never hear anything more about it.
