10 10 2007 - Ankara Unwittingly Finances Armenian Quest For Justice

By Appo Jabarian
Executive Publisher/Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine - appojabarian@gmail.com
During the past few years, Turkey subjected itself to one defeat after another in its hopeless fight against worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

One of the most recent defeats was the Bush administration’s withdrawal of the candidacy of Richard Hoagland, a genocide denier, as US Ambassador to Armenia.

Another defeat came two weeks ago when Turkey’s secret plan to abuse the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople was foiled. The conniving Turkish denialists’ plans were unmasked when Harut Sassounian, the publisher of the California Courier, wrote on September 20: "There has been some speculation as to who arranged for the Armenian Patriarch to come to Washington, D.C., shortly before the anticipated vote in the House of Representatives on the Armenian Genocide resolution and less than a month before the Pontifical visit of His Holiness Karekin II to the nation’s capital? Many see the sinister hand of the Turkish government orchestrating the Patriarch’s speaking engagements, using the connections of high-powered lobbying firms hired by Ankara."

To make matters worse for Turkey, on September 27, Mehmet Kalyoncu of the Turkish daily Zaman blamed Turkish-Americans for not stopping the inevitable passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution (HR106). He wrote: "The silence of the Turkish-Americans in the whole genocide debate and their sluggishness to even call their representatives to express their objection to the HR-106 only encourages Congress members to support the resolution and move on."

In a desperate attempt to avert the imminent passage of H.Res.106), which they consider a "political disaster," Turkey has frantically pumped millions of dollars into Washington in an effort to derail the passage of the Resolution. Their money recently bought the sleazy endorsement of eight former Secretaries of State: Madeleine Albright, James Baker III, Warren Christopher, Laurence Eagleburger, Alexander Haig, Jr., Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and George Schultz. In a September 25th letter, these former officials, who now lobby and shill for Big Money Interests, jointly urged Speaker Pelosi to, "prevent the resolution from reaching the House Floor."

"Facing a growing bipartisan Congressional majority demanding passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, " said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "Turkey’s lobbyists - out of desperation and a never ending desire to squeeze more billing dollars out of Ankara – have turned to the very architects of our government’s failed policy of appeasing Turkey. Sadly, successive U.S. administrations have found themselves lacking the moral courage to end the cycle of genocide – from Cambodia, to Rwanda and, today in Darfur – precisely because of their legacy of caving in to, rather than confronting genocidal regimes. We are, as Americans, especially troubled that, in warning Congress not to make a simple anti-genocide statement for fear of upsetting Turkey, these officials would outsource our nation’s moral conscience to a foreign government."

Unluckily for denialist Turkey, a growing segment of the American people and their elected officials is becoming more and more insistent that Turkey’s influence on US foreign policy be neutralized. One excellent example, is U.S. Senator Robert Menendez’ courageous and righteous stand.

During a recent exclusive interview with the California Courier, Sen. Menendez told Sassounian that, "The Constitution provides for checks and balances. We need robust oversight on foreign policy matters. No rubber stamps."

By allocating several hundred million to spread lies about the facts of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey unwittingly is financing the dissemination of the Mighty Truth.

It is hoped that Turkey will continue its present denialist policy so that the underdog – the people of the Armenian Diaspora – may continue to receive urgent help in their quest for justice from the most unlikely source: the coffers of denialist Ankara!
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Annette Melikuian