WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) was joined today by twenty-one of his House colleagues in calling on Vice President Dick Cheney to clarify if his letter to a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, in which he properly – but uncharacteristically – described the Armenian Genocide as a genocide, represented a formal shift in the Administration’s policy, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a letter dated April 22, 2005 and signed by the Vice President, he honored Maritza Ohanesian of West Hartford, Connecticut as the oldest living survivor of the Armenian Genocide. In the letter to the Vice President, the Congressional signers of the Rothman letter noted that, “We are confident that your letter to Ms. Ohanesian represented perhaps the greatest birthday gift in her lifetime, a letter from the Vice-President of the United States of America using this important language.”

“Armenian Americans value the principled leadership of Congressman Rothman and express their appreciation to all those who joined with him in calling for a much needed explanation from the Administration,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It would seem that, in answering the concerns raised by these Members of Congress, the Vice-President has two choices – to publicly accept responsibility for his letter, or to personally explain to Mrs. Ohanesian exactly why it is that he cannot stand by his words.”

Joining Congressman Rothman as signatories to this letter were Representatives Rob Andrews (D-NJ), Lois Capps (D-CA), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Barney Frank (D-MA), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL), Sander Levin (D-MI), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), James McGovern (D-MA), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Richard Neal (D-MA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ),. George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Mark Souder (R-IN), John Tierney (D-MA), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), and Peter Visclosky (D-IN).

The full text of the Congressional letter is provided below:

June 15, 2005

Dear Vice-President Cheney,

We were recently pleased to learn that you appear to share the same views as those of us who recognize the Armenian Genocide and use that specific phrase to describe the atrocities that took place between 1915 through 1918 in the Ottoman Empire.

In a letter dated April 22, 2005, you wrote to Ms. Maritza Ohanesian of West Hartford, Connecticut, to honor her as the oldest living survivor of the Armenian Genocide. We are confident that your letter to Ms. Ohanesian represented perhaps the greatest birthday gift in her lifetime, a letter from the Vice-President of the United States of America using this important language.

We are hopeful that your use of this critical phrase represents a long overdue recognition on the part of the Bush administration, that the horrors perpetrated upon the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, constituted the first genocide of the 20th century.

Please let us know if this is the case.

Sincerely,

[22 Congressional signatures]