050707 - THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL HAS NO PLACE IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Brussels, Belgium (July 6th, 2005) - In relation to the conference held in the European Parliament on 15 June 2005, concerning the Armenian genocide issue, the European Armenian Federation reiterates that it
strongly opposed the participation of Mr. Justin McCarthy, who is a known genocide denier, and believes the conference should not have taken place.

The Federation has been contacted by Richard Howitt MEP, who was referred to in a press release issued by the Federation as chair of the conference.

Richard Howitt MEP has asked the European Armenian Federation to make it very clear that he was not responsible for the organisation of the meeting, had not been informed by the organizer - the Turkish think-tank 'ARI MOVEMENT' - of Mr. McCarthy's views in advance, and had accepted the chair for the
meeting on the basis that it was a balanced debate between different views aimed at building reconciliation and mutual understanding.

Mr. Howitt MEP wishes to make clear that he understands the opposition raised by the Federation, and specifically introduced the meeting by confirming successive European Parliament resolutions supporting unequivocal recognition of the Armenian genocide.

As a long-standing anti-racist campaigner in the UK, Mr. Howitt wants to emphasise that neither himself, the Socialist Group of MEPs, nor the European Parliament as a whole, would in any way countenance genocide denial, or any denial of ethnic or racist violence.

To conclude, the European Armenian Federation, Mr. Howitt and the Socialist Group of MEPs pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide and their relatives today, in the year of its 90th anniversary.

V.V