BUSH MARKS ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN MASSACRE
Agence France Presse
April 24 2008
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush on Thursday marked a
day of remembrance for the forced exile and mass killings of as many
as 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks.
Calling it "one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century,"
Bush said that he and First Lady Laura Bush "express our deepest
condolences to Armenian people around the world."
"I join the Armenian community in America and around the world in
commemorating this tragedy and mourning the loss of so many innocent
lives," he said in a statement that stopped short of calling it
genocide.
In late 2007, Bush fiercely opposed US legislation that would have
designated the deaths of Armenians from 1915 to 1923 as genocide,
amid concerns that Turkey might enact damaging diplomatic reprisals.
Turkey categorically rejects Armenian claims that 1.5 million of
their kinsmen died in systematic deportations and killings during
1915-1918 as the Ottoman Empire was breaking up.
Ankara also counters that 300,000 Armenians and thousands of Turks
were killed in "civil strife" during World War I.
"We welcome the efforts by individuals in Armenia and Turkey to
foster reconciliation and peace, and support joint efforts for an
open examination of the past in search of a shared understanding of
these tragic events," said Bush.
"We look forward to the realization of a fully normalized
Armenia-Turkey relationship."
He also said he hoped for "a lasting and peaceful settlement" to
the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave and said the United States would act as an "honest broker"
in the row.
"The United States is committed to a strong relationship with Armenia
based on shared values. We call on the government of Armenia to take
decisive steps to promote democracy, and will continue our support
for Armenia to this end," said Bush.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
