O.T. - Obama avoids using 'genocide' for Armenian massacre

[Iamabeasttt]

obama lied about recognizing the genocide, just like every other president. A puppet he is indeed.

The move backs away from a campaign promise; it comes as Armenia and Turkey announce movement in talks to ease strained relations. U.S. relations with Turkey, a key ally in region, also are at stake.

Reporting from Washington -- President Obama chose not to use the word "genocide" today in commemorating the deaths of more than a million Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, a retreat from a key campaign pledge he made to Armenians and human rights advocates.

On the anniversary of the day in 1915 that marked the beginning of the atrocities in Turkey, the president instead voiced support for ongoing talks between Armenians and Turkish officials to improve relations between their countries.

His statement sparked furious protests in California as Armenians expressed outrage over his refusal to fulfill his campaign promise.

Obama said he still stands by the views he has expressed on the subject as a presidential candidate and a U.S. senator. Then, he called for Turkey to acknowledge the genocide -- and promised to do so himself if elected president.

He again pointed to his previous remarks, while avoiding the term many Turks find offensive.

"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed," the president said in his statement released this afternoon. "My interest remains the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts."

But Obama said he thinks the best way to advance that goal right now "is for the Armenian and Turkish people to address the facts of the past as a part of their efforts to move forward."

The decision over how to handle the April 24 remembrance date is a politically difficult one for the president. Turkish officials did not ask Obama to stay away from the question of genocide, a senior administration official said, but the president is acutely aware of and interested in the state of talks between the two countries and doesn't want to disrupt them.

Today's commemoration date falls two days after Turkey and Armenia announced movement in ongoing talks to ease relations between their two countries, strained for decades.

The Turkish foreign ministry said Wednesday the two sides have come up with a framework for continued talks, but provided few details on how, exactly, it might work. They have made "tangible progress" toward mutual understanding and come up with a "road map" for how to proceed, according to the statement.

Still, the measure is considered the first breakthrough in talks in more than a decade.

Since Obama took office, Armenian Americans and human rights activists have been asking him to make good on the campaign promise to declare the mass killing a genocide. Advocates hoped the declaration would come today.

But Obama signaled he might take a different route during a trip to Turkey earlier this month, when he refrained from using the word "genocide" to describe the killings. In a joint press conference with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Obama said he hadn't changed his mind about the historical record but still declined to use the word when asked by a reporter about his position.

"I'm not interested in the U.S. tilting these negotiations one way or another while they are having a useful discussion," Obama said in early April.

Obama's administration has a lot riding on U.S. relations with Turkey, a key U.S. ally in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turkish leaders have historically opposed measures like the Armenian Genocide resolution now pending before Congress. Offending Turkey could put U.S. supply routes to Iraq and Afghanistan in danger.

Ankara is also an influential player on a host of other critical issues on the Obama agenda, including Middle East peace and Iran.

In his statement, Obama used the words "Meds Yeghern," the Armenian phrase for the atrocity.

"Ninety four years ago, one of the great atrocities of the 20th century began," the president wrote. "Each year, we pause to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who were subsequently massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The Meds Yeghern must live on in our memories, just as it lives on in the hearts of the Armenian people."

[Tommy Trojan]

I agree with you. Very upset about it myself. We had an even on campus at USC with guest speakers.

[Iamabeasttt]

lol at obama and every other president not recognizing 1.5 million massacres as a genocide cause oil transportation from turkey is much quicker. But of course a country like america that's commiting a genocide on the iraqis wouldn't recognize it

[LLcoleJ]

This is not the forum for this type of thing. This is way to OT, I suggest using the Current Affairs board.