Obama won't declare killings of Armenians in 1915 to be genocide - LA Times

 

hite House officials have decided that President Obama will not use the word “genocide” to describe the killings of more than 1 million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks when he commemorates the deaths Friday, the 100th anniversary of the massacres.

The decision, revealed Tuesday in a meeting with Armenian American groups, backs down from a previous Obama pledge and sparked anger from activists.

“The president’s surrender represents a national disgrace,” said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America. “It is a betrayal of the truth, and it is a betrayal of trust.”

White House officials defended the decision as necessary to preserve the chance of cooperation with Turkey, a NATO ally, on Middle Eastern conflicts.

Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank), who has led efforts in Congress to recognize the genocide, said he was "deeply disappointed" by the decision.

"How long must the victims and their families wait before our nation has the courage to confront Turkey with the truth about the murderous past of the Ottoman Empire? If not this president, who spoke so eloquently and passionately about recognition in the past, whom? If not after 100 years, when?" he said in a statement.

White House officials released a statement that did not use the word "genocide" after the meeting with Armenian American groups. The statement from National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said the U.S. would use the anniversary of the massacres to "urge a full, frank, and just acknowledgment of the facts that we believe is in the interest of all parties."

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the White House expects Obama will mark "the historical significance" of the “Meds Yeghern," as the massacres are known in Armenian.

"We know and respect that there are some who are hoping to hear different language this year. We understand their perspective," the official said.

But, the official added, "the approach we have taken in previous years remains the right one — both for acknowledging the past, and for our ability to work with regional partners to save lives in the present," a reference to U.S. hopes for cooperation from Turkey, particularly in the civil war in Syria.

Hamparian said he and other Armenian American leaders learned the news

Obama won't declare killings of Armenians in 1915 to be genocide - LA Times