ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, I attended a ceremony to
remember the victims of the Armenian genocide in Times Square in New
York City, and I have to say it was a very moving moment. There were
several, I would not say many, because there are not that many genocide
survivors that are still around, but I did have a chance to talk
briefly with maybe 10 or so.
It was incredible to hear them tell the stories of the families and
atrocities that had occurred 89 years ago now. More and more countries
and States and even the media are now in the process of recognizing the
genocide, and I just wanted to mention specifically that the Canadian
House of Commons last week joined France, Italy, the Vatican and a
number of other European countries and the European Parliament in
acknowledging this crime against humanity as genocide.
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Also last week, The New York Times reversed decades of ambiguity by
declaring in favor of using the term “genocide” to describe the
Armenian cataclysm of 1915. The Boston Globe adopted a similar policy
change last year. Mr. Speaker, the unfortunate thing is, although so
many other countries and so many of our own States have recognized the
Armenian genocide, we in the Congress continue not to recognize it. I
think it is important that we do so. The gentleman from California
(Mr. Schiff) was here earlier, and he mentioned the House Genocide
Resolution, H. Res. 193, which has now 111 cosponsors. The resolution
was adopted unanimously by the House Committee on the Judiciary on May
21, 2003, but it has not been brought to the floor for
consideration. I would urge the Speaker and the leaders on the
Republican side of the aisle to bring this resolution to the floor. It
is important that they do so. Now, this year, as we do every year,
the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues put
together a letter to the President of the United States asking him to
acknowledge the Armenian genocide. This year there were 169
signatures, more than we have ever had before in that letter that we
sent to the President; and I just wanted to read, if I could, some
sections of that letter, because I think it is important. We say,
“Dear Mr. President: We are writing to urge you to join us in
reaffirming the U.S. record on the Armenian genocide in your April 24
commemorative statement. “By properly recognizing the atrocities
committed against the Armenian people as genocide in your statement,
you will honor the many Americans who helped launch our first
international human rights campaign to end the carnage and protect the
survivors. The official U.S. response mirrored the overwhelming
reaction by the American public to this crime against humanity and, as
such, constitutes a proud, irrefutable and groundbreaking chapter in
U.S. diplomatic history. “Now, more than ever, as your
administration seeks to bring an end to global terrorism and to help
establish democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq, the memory of the
genocide underscores our responsibility to help convey our cherished
tradition of respect for fundamental human rights and opposition to
mass slaughters. The victims of the Armenian genocide deserve our
remembrance and their rightful place in history. It is in the best
interests of our Nation and the entire global community to remember
the past and learn from these crimes against humanity to ensure they
are never repeated.” That is really the essence of what we are
trying to achieve here today in asking that the President and this
Congress basically reaffirm the Armenian genocide, because we simply
do not want it repeated again. We know how many times in the 20th
century that genocide occurred. House Resolution H.R. 193, and also
its Senate counterpart, Senate Resolution 164, which I would like to
add has 37 cosponsors right now, basically state that the purpose of
the resolutions are to strengthen America’s commitment to the value of
the genocide convention that was implemented 15 years ago. This
convention recognizes essentially a number of the genocides that
occurred in the 20th century. And as some of my colleagues mentioned
earlier, not only the Armenian genocide, but that in Rwanda, Burundi,
and, of course most important, the Nazi Holocaust genocide against the
Jews. The fact of the matter is, Mr. Speaker, that when we talk about
the Armenian genocide, we are simply acknowledging the fact. And we
feel very strongly that if at the time the genocide occurred the world
and the nations of the world had taken more notice and had tried to
prevent it, I think it would have served as a lesson so that the Nazi
Holocaust against the Jews and so many other atrocities that took
place in the 20th century would not have occurred. If we are going to
see a situation in the future, in this 21st century, where we do not
repeat the mistakes of the past, we must acknowledge the Armenian
genocide.