Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
May 9, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA CHAIRMAN SHARPLY CRITICIZES BUSH’S FINAL APRIL 24TH STATEMENT
— Hachikian Attacks White House Policy as
"Morally Bankrupt" in Letter to President
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
Chairman Ken Hachikian strongly criticized President George W.
Bush’s most recent April 24th statement as the final step of his
betrayal of his campaign promise to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, and a symbol of his Administration’s "morally bankrupt"
eight-year policy of complicity in Turkey’s lies and denials.
The letter also notes that the President, during his two terms in
office, has refused repeated requests by the leadership of the
Armenian American community to discuss the Armenian Genocide and
other issues of mutual concern. Earlier this year, on April 4th,
Hachikian wrote a separate letter to the Secretary of State
outlining 13 specific areas in which the Administration pursued
policies at odds with the views and values of America’s one and a
half million citizens of Armenian heritage.
The full text of the ANCA letter to President Bush is provided
below.
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May 9, 2008
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Bush,
I am writing, in the wake of your final April 24th statement, to
share with you the Armenian American community’s profound sadness
over your betrayal of your own pledge to properly recognize the
genocidal campaign committed against the Armenian people.
In each of your eight statements, you retreated from your campaign
statement, choosing instead to use evasive and euphemistic
terminology to obscure the full moral, historical, and contemporary
legal implications of Turkey’s genocide against the Armenian people
between 1915-1923. Beyond the depths of this moral failing, as
President you went further, utilizing the full force of your White
House to silence others who, through their own words and actions,
sought to properly commemorate the very crime that you had promised
to recognize as a candidate for office. You fired U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, for remarks that were entirely
within keeping with the spirit and letter of your own campaign
pledge. More recently, using every government resource at your
disposal, you sought to block Congress from adopting a resolution
that simply reaffirmed the vow, now forsaken, that you made to the
American people.
As you know, despite repeated requests on our part over your past
two terms in office, you never once offered the leadership of the
Armenian American community an opportunity to consult with you on
this issue, even as the media has consistently reported that you
have discussed the Armenian Genocide in meetings with leaders of
foreign nations.
We are truly saddened by your broken campaign pledge and, of
course, by your morally bankrupt policy of complicity in Turkey’s
campaign of Armenian Genocide denial. We respectfully ask, once
again, for a meeting between you and the leadership of our
community to discuss this and other issues of mutual concern.
Sincerely,
Kenneth V. Hachikian
Chairman