Ninety-Second Commenmoration of the Amenian Genocide

Floor Speech

NINETY-SECOND COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

* Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, tonight I rise to remind the world that the 24th of April marks the 92nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a systematic and deliberate campaign of the Ottoman Empire to exterminate an entire people. I also rise to reaffirm my support for the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H. Res. 106. This legislation contains a long list of U.S. and international involvement against the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

* Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term `genocide' in 1944, and who was the earliest proponent of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, invoked the Armenian case as a definitive example of genocide in the 20th century. The time is now for the Administration to describe what occurred as a genocide. There is no option for continued denial.

* Atrocities which fell upon a nation almost a century ago are still crying out for commemoration. Armenia's people did not get sufficient recognition of their devastation and our government has yet to take an appropriate position in this matter. Considering how well documented the Armenian genocide is in U.S. archives and through an overwhelming body of firsthand, governmental, and diplomatic evidence, this is nothing less than a disgrace.

* Previous Congresses undertook many efforts to pass legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Unfortunately, all those attempts failed. Now, however, the movement to recognize the genocide has generated enough momentum that passage of this resolution is finally possible. Congressman PALLONE, Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, has been a stalwart champion of this legislation.

* The grassroots campaign ``End the Cycle of Genocide'' focuses on the lessons we can learn from this tragic chapter in history. We understand the horror of past genocides and recognize that mass exterminations underway today need to be stopped. We cannot remain silent as we observe from a distance how perpetrators execute their power over minorities. Now more than ever, as the world is gripped by unrest and terrorism, the memory of the Armenian Genocide underscores our responsibility to help convey our cherished traditions of respect for fundamental human rights and opposition to mass slaughter.

* For these reasons, I support H. Res. 106 and call upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects an appropriate level of understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to the Armenian Genocide.

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