Harry´s Blog

Herbert Kuhner

Congress Resolution 106, which designates the slaughter of Armenians by the Ottaman Turks during World War I as “genocide,” passed through the House Foreign Affairs Committee on October 17, 2007. The bill declares the killings of Armenians between 1915 and 1917 a genocide, though it would have no binding effect on the U.S. foreign policy.

“The twentieth century was marred by wars of unimaginable brutality, mass murder and genocide. History records that the Armenians were the first people of the last century to have endured these cruelties. The Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension and commands all decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and lessons of an awful crime in a century of bloody crimes against humanity. If elected President, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people.”
-George Bush, Feb. 19, 2000

“I urge members to oppose the Armenian genocide resolution now being considered by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We all deeply regret the tragic suffering of the Armenian people that began in 1915. This resolution is not the right response to these historic mass killings, and its passage would do great harm to our relations with a key ally in NATO and in the global war on terror.”
- George Bush, Oct. 10, 2007

“We recognize the feelings of those who want to express their concern and their disdain for what happened many years ago, but the passage of this resolution at this time would, indeed, be very problematic for everything that we’re trying to do in the Middle East because we are very dependent on a good Turkish strategic ally for this. I don’t think it helps that process of reconciliation for the United States to enter this debate at that level. And, yes, Turkey is a good ally and that is important. But more important is that like many historical tragedies, like many historical circumstances of this kind, people need to come to terms with it and they need to move on. What we’ve encouraged the Turks and the Armenians to do is to have joint historical commissions that can look at this, to have efforts to examine their past, and in examining their past to get over it.”
- Condoleezza Rice, May 7, 2007

George, hate to say it, but Condi’s got you beat again! You’re just not up to her. She learned a lot on both sides of the desk in academe. She didn’t read comic books and girlie magazines and chew bubble gum in the back of the class.

Great idea, Condi! Yes, the heirs of the perpetrators and the victims should come to terms and move on. Here’s Turkish President Abdullah Gul “getting over it”:

“It’s a pity that some politicians in the United States closed their ears to calls of common sense and, once again, attempted to make a tool of and sacrifice important matters for petty tricks of domestic politics.”