Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

[Alexandros]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide



Samantha Power gets a top White House job, backs Armenian claims


Hurriyet Daily News Online, 31 January 2009

U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Samantha Power to a senior foreign policy job at the White House. Power supports the Armenian claims regarding the 1915 incidents, a move likely to create concern in Turkey.

Officials familiar with the decision told the Associated Press that Obama has tapped Power to be senior director for multilateral affairs at the National Security Council.

Power has resigned from the Obama campaign after calling Hillary Clinton a "monster" and made some pro-Israel activists unhappy with her past criticism of Israel.

Her new post will require close contact and potential travel with the Secretary of State Clinton.

Power is an expert on human rights and foreign policy. She is currently a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

She also known as a fierce supporter of the Armenian claims regarding the 1915 incidents.

The issue of 1915 incidents is highly sensitive for Turkey as well as Armenia. Around 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks, died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed by Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.

However Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in 1915. The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet in accepting Turkey's proposal of forming a commission to investigate the claims.


MOST PRO-ARMENIA ADMINISTRATION

The new US administration became the most pro-Armenian claims administration in the history with the appointment of Power, Hurriyet daily reported on Saturday.

Obama had pledged to recognize the Armenian claims regarding the 1915 incidents during the election campaign. Vice President Joseph Biden, Clinton and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi also support Armenian claims.

Also the new director of CIA, Leon Panetta, also backs the Armenian claims on this highly controversial issue on which the historians and experts are divided.

Hurriyet said it is worried that Obama will use the term "genocide" in his statement on April 24 or a new legislation will be pushed to the Congress to recognize the Armenian claims, such moves likely to spark crisis between Ankara and Washington.

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[Azad]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

Samantha Power gets a top White House job, backs Armenian claims

What an excellent choice. This gale is a straight shooter, she will give it back to the turks. I am impressed.

[Anoush]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

Samantha Power is a beautiful girl all the way. She has been a staunch supporter of the Armenian Genocide and she's the one that enlightened Obama of our cause. Great duo indeed.

[Alexandros]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

February 08, 2009
Categories: Barack Obama

Plouffe to Baku



Barack Obama's campaign manager will give a paid speech to "a pro-government NGO and mouthpiece of the president's office" in a post-Soviet autocracy with a major interest in American energy policy, according to a report.

David Plouffe, who remains a key, unpaid advisor to Obama for America, is writing a book and hitting the lucrative speaking tour -- which is a way that a lucky few can make money on government or campaign work without engaging in the compromises that come with lobbying.

But speaking still involves taking in thousands from a range of private groups, as Obama's backers noted of Bill Clinton. And Radio Free Europe reports reports that Plouffe is headed to an oil-rich post-Soviet autocracy, Azerbijan, to give a speech to a group to the pro-government group and to meet with the president, Ilham Aliyev, above, whose father was president before him.

"The visit comes one month before a controversial referendum in Azerbaijan to lift the ban on presidential terms, making it possible for Aliyev to continue to serve as president," Radio Free Europe reports.

According to federal records, the Azerbijani government and government-controlled entities, which have major interests in federal energy policy, employ four lobbying firms in Washington, including the high-powered Livingston Group, which is on a $300,000 annual retainer to "maintain contact...with Members of Congress and their staff, Executive branch officians, and non-governmental organizations."

(h/t Ken Silverstein)


By Ben Smith 04:41 PM

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[Alexandros]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

February 08, 2009
Categories: Barack Obama

Plouffe to Baku



Barack Obama's campaign manager will give a paid speech to "a pro-government NGO and mouthpiece of the president's office" in a post-Soviet autocracy with a major interest in American energy policy, according to a report.

David Plouffe, who remains a key, unpaid advisor to Obama for America, is writing a book and hitting the lucrative speaking tour -- which is a way that a lucky few can make money on government or campaign work without engaging in the compromises that come with lobbying.

But speaking still involves taking in thousands from a range of private groups, as Obama's backers noted of Bill Clinton. And Radio Free Europe reports reports that Plouffe is headed to an oil-rich post-Soviet autocracy, Azerbijan, to give a speech to a group to the pro-government group and to meet with the president, Ilham Aliyev, above, whose father was president before him.

"The visit comes one month before a controversial referendum in Azerbaijan to lift the ban on presidential terms, making it possible for Aliyev to continue to serve as president," Radio Free Europe reports.

According to federal records, the Azerbijani government and government-controlled entities, which have major interests in federal energy policy, employ four lobbying firms in Washington, including the high-powered Livingston Group, which is on a $300,000 annual retainer to "maintain contact...with Members of Congress and their staff, Executive branch officians, and non-governmental organizations."

(h/t Ken Silverstein)


By Ben Smith 04:41 PM

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Gibbs to the left and Plouffe to the right


Gibbs: Plouffe Not Representing Obama in Azerbaijan


Monday, February 9th, 2009

White House Press Secretary insists Obama's former campaign manager is traveling to the country as a "private citizen" later this week.

Tells reporters Monday: "If the president had a message for Azerbaijan, he'd pick up the phone. It's a longer flight and a shorter call."

Q Robert, what is -- what is Plouffe doing in Azerbaijan? Is he representing the President in any way, the administration?

MR. GIBBS: No.

Q What is he -- what's the --

MR. GIBBS: Plouffe is a private citizen in Azerbaijan. I honestly don't -- I don't have his itinerary.

Q He's not carrying any message or anything, then?

MR. GIBBS: No, he's a private citizen.

Q Is it weird -- does it send a curious message that he's going to visit one of the world's most famous dictators --

MR. GIBBS: I think what Plouffe is there primarily to do is speak. You'd have to ask David, I don't know.

Q (Inaudible) -- send e-mails for the DNC, on behalf of the DNC and on behalf of Organizing for America. What's the (inaudible)?

MR. GIBBS: Well, I mean, again, he's a private citizen. He's not there at the behest of, and not delivering a message on behalf of, the President of the United States. If the President had a message for Azerbaijan, he'd pick up the phone. It's a longer flight and a shorter call.

Anything else?

Q Thank you.

MR. GIBBS: Unscathed, all right. Thanks, guys.

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[Alexandros]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

Gibbs to the left and Plouffe to the right


Gibbs: Plouffe Not Representing Obama in Azerbaijan


Monday, February 9th, 2009

White House Press Secretary insists Obama's former campaign manager is traveling to the country as a "private citizen" later this week.

Tells reporters Monday: "If the president had a message for Azerbaijan, he'd pick up the phone. It's a longer flight and a shorter call."



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Plouffe to Donate Speaking Fee to Pro-Democracy Groups


FEBRUARY 9, 2009, 8:05 P.M. ET

By GLENN R. SIMPSON

President Barack Obama's former campaign manager intends to give away the fee he received from a paid private speech he made Monday in the oil-rich but authoritarian nation of Azerbaijan.

The speech was arranged by lobbyists working with a group that has ties to the Azerbaijan government, according to people familiar with the matter. But a close associate of David Plouffe said he only learned of their involvement after he had already embarked for the Caspian Sea nation.

Mr. Plouffe now intends to donate his speaking fee, which the associate said is in the range of $50,000, to groups that advocate democratization in the turbulent post-Soviet states of the region around the Caspian and Caucasus mountain range. Mr. Plouffe also plans to share the contents of the speech with opposition groups.

U.S. officials said Mr. Plouffe coordinated his talks with American officials in the region and that his message about the uses of the Internet for democratic organizing advances longstanding U.S. policy. But they added that the Azerbaijan government has long sought to legitimize itself by hosting prominent Americans, often with the help of Washington lobbyists.

The country, in the Caucasus region, is in the midst of a campaign over a referendum set for next month that would amend the constitution to lift term limits on President Ilham Aliyev. Mr. Aliyev assumed the post after the 2003 death of his father Haydar Aliyev, the country's first president after gaining independence.

Azerbaijan is a key U.S. ally but the State Department has also criticized the country for its poor record on human rights and free elections.

Mr. Plouffe holds no U.S. government positions but controls the remnants of Mr. Obama's 2008 campaign organization, which he built and oversaw. His speech at a local university was sponsored by a local nongovernmental organization with ties to the Azerbaijan government.

"I'm here as a private citizen, so all I'm doing is talking about elections, and the Internet and democracy, and to talk about our election," Mr. Plouffe told a reporter from Radio Free Europe who wasn't admitted to the speech.

Mr. Plouffe's appearance in Azerbaijan was arranged by a Washington-based lobbying firm called Bob Lawrence & Associates, according to records and interviews. The company lists Azerbaijan among its clients on its Web site. People with knowledge of the speech said the appearance was arranged by the Lawrence firm through Mr. Plouffe's agent, the Washington Speakers Bureau. A person answering the phone at the Lawrence firm said no one was available for comment. A spokesman for the Washington Speakers Bureau couldn't be reached.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Mr. Plouffe's visit was entirely private. "He's not there at the behest of, and not delivering a message on behalf of, the president of the United States," he said. "If the president had a message for Azerbaijan, he'd pick up the phone."
Mr. Plouffe began offering himself as a public speaker recently through the Washington Speakers Bureau, which on its Web site says the consultants' "fees vary based on event location." The Azerbaijan speech by Mr. Plouffe, according to one person who attended, dealt with using the Internet in elections and he didn't address the country's domestic political issues.

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[Alexandros]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide




President Obama reminded about his pledge to recognize Armenian Genocide


19.02.2009 14:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ POLITIFACT.COM has added Barack Obama Campaign Promise No. 511 to its list of Obama campaign promises.

It reads: "Recognize the Armenian genocide."

"Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term ‘genocide’ to describe Turkey's slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. As President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide," Obama said during his election campaign.

In a note POLITIFACT.COM explains that: "When we started looking for President Obama's campaign promises, we knew we might not find all of them, and we hoped our readers would alert us to promises we had missed. Today we are adding our first promise based on reader feedback: Obama's pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The issue has been a hot-button issue on the world stage because the government of Turkey has objected to the use of the term ‘genocide’ as inaccurate and inflammatory.

A 2007 resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives said the Armenian Genocide was carried out by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, and resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million.

The resolution failed in the face of Bush administration concerns that it would alienate Turkey, which borders Iraq.

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[Ephestion]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

Finally! Now the Greeks can start pushing for the Pontian Genocide. If you have a Greek community near you ask them to participate in Pontian Genocide rallys for the year 2012.

[Eddo211]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

Obama postponing his statement to declare AG recognition.

Congressional supporters of the genocide resolution expressed frustration about the latest resistance.

"The argument that some are making now is only the latest incarnation of the same old tired refrain: that we should recognize the genocide -- just not this year," said Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), one of the sponsors of the resolution……………..But Turks remain uneasy. Ali Babacan, the Turkish foreign minister, warned in a TV interview last week that Obama's visit didn't preclude a genocide declaration.

"The Turks fully understand that the danger of the [genocide] resolution is not going away," said Bulent Aliriza, director of the Turkey Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-genocide17-2009mar17,0,3250498.story

[Alexandros]

Re: Obama Recognizes Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide resolution introduced in U.S. Congress

17.03.2009 22:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The introduction of a resolution recognizing and commemorating the Armenian Genocide was announced today

Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced the introduction of a resolution recognizing and commemorating the Armenian Genocide. The resolution calls on the President and the U.S. Government to properly recognize the atrocities that occurred in Armenia beginning in 1915, and which resulted in 1.5 million deaths, as genocide. Rep. Schiff authored the resolution with George Radanovich (R-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk (R-IL).

“The facts of history are clear, well documented, and non-negotiable. One and a half million Armenians were deliberately murdered in the first genocide of the 20th century. If we are to lead in the effort to stop the genocide in Darfur and prevent future atrocities, we must be willing to condemn genocide whenever and wherever it occurs." said Schiff. “It has never served our national interest to become complicit in the denial of genocide, and it never will. While there are still some survivors left, we have a compelling moral obligation to speak plainly about the past.”

Last week, Rep. Schiff and the other coauthors of the resolution wrote to President Obama lauding him for his principled record of recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The letter asked the President to make a strong statement of genocide recognition on April 24th – as President Reagan did more than 20 years ago.

“The Affirmation of the U.S. Record on the Armenian Genocide” resolution has the bipartisan support of 77 original co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. It calls on the President to “ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding” of the “Armenian Genocide” and to “accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide.”

The Armenian Genocide has been recognized by more than 20 nations including Canada, Italy, Sweden, France, Argentina and Russia, as well as the European Parliament. Rep. Schiff is the co-founder of the Democratic Study Group on National Security and a member of the House Appropriations Committee, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Judiciary Committee.

He represents California’s 29th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City, Adam Schiff Press Secretary, Sean Oblack told PanARMENIAN.Net.

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