Washington, DC- On Thursday, September 14, 2006, over two-hundred Illinois constituents had an opportunity to hear Sen.Barack Obama (D-IL) speak out on the importance of recognizing the Armenian Genocide and encouraged the Turkish Government to end their campaign of denial, reported the Armenian National Committee of Illinois (ANC-IL).
The event took place at a weekly Washington, DC “breakfast briefing,” a tradition started more than a decade ago by Illinois Senator Paul Simon, allowing Senator Obama and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) an opportunity to come together while the Senate is in session to speak with Illinois constituents about pressing issues of concern.
Present at the breakfast briefing was ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Karine Birazian, who for the past three years on several occasions attended the briefings representing the Armenian National Committee of Illinois. “I attend the meetings because it gives an opportunity to hear directly from the Illinois senators their views on important Armenian American issues,” commented Birazian after the meeting.
Birazian thanked Sen. Durbin spearheading the Armenian Genocide resolution -- S. Res. 320 and urged Sen. Obama to cosponsor the legislation. Immediately following the request, Sen. Obama stated that the Armenian Genocide was one of the most horrific tragedies that occurred during the 20th Century by the Turkish Government. He also stressed the importance of working to end the campaign of denial and speaking the truth, which in some instances has unfortunately jeopardized peoples’ careers.
Following the meeting Birazian met with Harry Kruglik, the Legislative Clerk for Sen. Obama and thanked the Senator for writing a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing his concerns with the administration's decision to recall the previous Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans. She also noted the Armenian community’s disappointment with Senator Obama’s vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in favor of Ambassador Designate Richard Hoagland, in the face of the State Department’s refusal to explain the reasons behind the firing of Amb. Evans and Amb. Hoagland’s troubling responses to Senate questions on the Armenian Genocide.
Following the meeting, Birazian commented: “We appreciate that Senator Obama spoke with clarity with regard to the Armenian Genocide and, in line with his statements, look to him to cosponsor the Armenian Genocide resolution and help ensure the appointment of an effective U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.”
The Armenian Genocide resolution, S. Res. 320, was introduced last November by U.S. Senate by Senator John Ensign (R-NV) and Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL), which calls upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the United States record relating to the Armenian Genocide.
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