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1) Armenian-Americans Deliver United Message to US House Leadership
2) Territorial Integrity Should Be Respected, Stresses Saakashvili
3) Aliyev Holds Private Meeting With German President
1) Armenian-Americans Deliver United Message to US House Leadership
Grassroots Organizations Protest Congressional Opposition to Genocide
Legislation
WASHINGTON, DCMore than a dozen national grassroots Armenian-American
organizations came together this week to communicate the “extraordinary
disappointment” of the Armenian-American community over the Congressional
leadership’s opposition to legislation recognizing the Armenian genocide,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“We have seen, in recent weeks, a tremendous groundswell of opposition from
across the Armenian-American community to the Congressional leadership’s
attack
on the Schiff Amendment, and their stubborn refusaldespite the strong,
bipartisan support enjoyed by the Genocide Resolutionto schedule a vote on
this
human rights initiative,” said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian.
The letter, written on behalf of the collective leadership of the
Armenian-American community to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, gives voice to
the community’s unequivocal opposition to the House leadership’s efforts to
reverse the Schiff Amendment to the fiscal year 2005 Foreign Operations bill,
H.R. 4818, and expresses the community’s “great dismay with your public
statement against holding a vote on the Genocide Resolution, H.Res.193.”
The letter comes in the wake of the adoption by the US House, last month, of
the Schiff Amendment, which seeks to block the use by Turkey of US foreign aid
to lobby against the Genocide Resolution. It was adopted by voice vote,
without
any opposition, on July 15. Within hours of its passage, the Schiff Amendment
came under intense attack by the Congressional leadership, with the Speaker of
the House and his top deputies issuing a statementposted prominently on the
first page of the Speaker of the House’s websitethat they would use their
influence to block its adoption as part of the final foreign aid bill.
The organizations that signed the community-wide letter were the ANCA, the
Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic ChurchEastern and Western US, the Prelacy of
the Armenian Apostolic ChurchEastern and Western US, the Armenian Missionary
Association of America, and the Apostolic Exarchate for Armenian Catholics, as
well as the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Armenian Democratic Liberal
(Ramgavar) Party, United Armenian Fund, Armenian Relief Society, Armenian Bar
Association, National Organization of Republican Armenians, Armenian Youth
Federation, HomenetmenArmenian General Athletic Union, and Hamazkayin Armenian
Cultural and Educational Association.
The signatories to the letter stressed that the Schiff Amendment, which was
adopted by the US House on July 15, “simply underscores the importance of
protecting American people from having their tax dollars used by the
government
of Turkey for a purpose they find patently offensivethe denial of the Armenian
Genocide.” They also noted that the adoption of the Amendment “reflected the
breadth of the bipartisan opposition to Turkey’s shameful campaign against
H.Res.193, and, just as importantly, demonstrated the clear and overwhelming
support of a majority of Members enjoyed by the underlying legislation.”
The Genocide Resolution, H.Res.193, was introduced last year by Congressmen
George Radanovich (R-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg and Frank Pallone. It has been
cosponsored by 110 US Representatives and was approved, without opposition, in
May of last year, by the Judiciary Committee. This genocide prevention measure
is supported by a diverse coalition of over one hundred religious, civic,
ethnic and human rights organizations, including American Values, Union of
Orthodox Rabbis, NAACP, Sons of Italy, and the National Council of La Raza.
The full text of the Armenian American community letter to the Speaker of the
House is provided below.
Text of Community Letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert
Dear Speaker Hastert:
We are writing, as the collective leadership of the Armenian-American
community, to voice our extraordinary disappointment with your opposition to
the Schiff Amendment to the fiscal year 2005 Foreign Operations bill,
H.R.4818,
and to express our great dismay with your public statement against holding a
vote on the Genocide Resolution, H.Res.193.
The Schiff Amendment simply underscores the importance of protecting American
people from having their tax dollars used by the government of Turkey for a
purpose they find patently offensivethe denial of the Armenian Genocide. The
adoption of this measure on July 15th by the full US House of Representatives
reflected the breadth of the bipartisan opposition to Turkey’s shameful
campaign against H.Res.193, and, just as importantly, demonstrated the clear
and overwhelming support of a majority of Members enjoyed by the underlying
legislation.
As you know, H.Res.193, which was introduced by Congressmen George Radanovich
and Adam Schiff, and Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chairmen Joe
Knollenberg and Frank Pallone, has been cosponsored by 110 of your colleagues
and was approved, without opposition, in May of last year, by the Judiciary
Committee. This genocide-prevention measure is supported by a diverse
coalition
of over one hundred religious, civic, ethnic and human rights organizations,
including American Values, Union of Orthodox Rabbis, NAACP, Sons of Italy, and
the National Council of La Raza.
We respectfully call upon you to reconsider your opposition to the Schiff
Amendment and to immediately schedule a vote of the full US House of
Representatives on the Genocide Resolution, H.Res.193. We make this request on
several levels. First is that the adoption of such a resolution represents a
moral imperative that we, as Americans, must take to defend human rights and
protect human lives against the crime of genocide. Secondly, we should not
allow a foreign nation, particularly one that so brazenly flaunts basic
American values and which blocked the US-led coalition from opening a northern
front in the Iraq War, to impose its dictates on the US Congress. Thirdly, the
clear majority of Members who support this resolution should not be denied the
opportunity to take part in an up-or-down vote on this human rights measure.
Finally, by bringing this measure to the floor, you would be honoring your
public pledge to our community on this subject made in October of 2000.
Thank you for your consideration of our concerns. We would be pleased to meet
with you personally to discuss this matter further.
Sincerely,
2) Territorial Integrity Should Be Respected, Stresses Saakashvili
TBILISI (Combined Sources)–Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said that
relations between Georgia and Russia should be based on mutual respect for
each
country’s territorial integrity.
“I demand that officials of the Georgian government compare Georgia with
Chechnya, as we respect Russia’s territorial integrity and want Russia to
respect our territorial integrity,” Saakashvili told a briefing on Tuesday.
Saakashvili said that Russia is in fact a participant in the conflict in
Tskhinvali region. “The fact that Russia is taking part in the conflict has
been known to us for a long time,” he said.
Russian troops are gathering near South Ossetia, he said. “Our special
services have had information about Russian troops and military vehicles
gathering near the entrance to the Roki tunnel for a long time,” Saakashvili
said.
Thanks to measures taken by the Georgian authorities, “large-scale military
activity” was avoided, Saakashvili said.
“The country has to be ready to defend itself at any moment,” the president
said. “We would like to negotiate with Russia, but it is not making any steps
to help this,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday dismissed as “inventions” and
“unfounded statements” allegations by Georgian politicians that Russia has
moved more troops to the vicinity of the Georgian border.
A current Russian army exercise, which has been interpreted in Georgia as
preparations for an invasion of the country’s breakaway region of South
Ossetia, is a routine operation that was planned in 2003 and “has nothing
to do
with current events around Tskhinvali,” ministry spokesman Col. Vyacheslav
Sedov told Interfax.
The exercise is being held at a training ground in North Ossetia, a Russian
region bordering South Ossetia, he said.
“Maybe it is seen in Georgia as a large-scale exercise, but for Russia it is
part of daily routine,” he said.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Defense and National Security Committee of the
Georgian parliament, Givi Targamadze, urged his country to prepare for a
Russian attack.
“It appears that we cannot avoid Russian aggression, and so we must stop it,
which is by no means an unfeasible task if one takes into account the Chechen
experience,” Targamadze told a news conference in Tbilisi.
Three hours before Georgia withdrew its forces from the Georgian-South
Ossetian conflict zone last week, “Russian troops in North Ossetia were
readied
for march and were to enter the territory of South Ossetia via the Roki
Tunnel,” he said.
“Airborne troops and up to 40 combat helicopters were moved to a military
airfield near the village of Upper Gizel, in the immediate vicinity of the
Roki
Tunnel,” he said.
There were still up to 80 armored vehicles at a Russian military base near
Oktyabrskoye village that “are intended to be moved into South Ossetia,” he
said.
Peacekeepers monitoring South Ossetia have located trip wires and US-made
mines in the area, Irina Gagloyeva, head of the South Ossetian press and
information committee, told Interfax by telephone on Tuesday.
“More than ten trip wires were discovered in the area of the Tskhinvali
bypass
road, from where Georgian servicemen were withdrawn. Twenty-five US-made mines
were found in Georgian villages.
Apart from peacekeeping units, the monitoring operation in the area involves
representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,
she
said.
The situation in the region is generally calm. No shelling has been reported
so far. But people are waiting for what might happen with concern,” she said.
Referring to South Ossetian security agencies, Gagloyeva said that Georgian
servicemen are continuing to dig trenches and to build other fortification
facilities near the villages of Tamarasheni, Kekhli and Kheit.
3) Aliyev Holds Private Meeting With German President
GERMANY (Azertag)–Following an official welcoming ceremony, a private meeting
was held between Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and President of Germany Horst
Koehler on August 25, AzerTag personal correspondent reports.
During the conversation, President Koehler highly valued the Azeri leader’s
first official visit to Germany, stressing it would have a positive impact on
the development of bilateral relations and promote economic cooperation
between
the two countries.
Expressing satisfaction with the hospitality shown to him during the visit,
Aliyev pointed out the importance of expanding cooperation between Azerbaijan
and Germany, particularly in regards to international organizations and
integration of Azerbaijan into European structures.
Regarding the Karabagh conflict, Koehler stated that Germany completely
supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and will adhere to this
position in the future. Germany as an OSCE member will intensify its efforts
concerning the problem, he said.
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