GTAAG - ACT NOW!!!

Georgia Turkish American Advocacy Group - ACT NOW!!!

Dear Visitor, As you know a new bill (H.Res. 106) on the so-called Armenian genocide has been introduced to the House of Representatives on 1/30/07. As the members of the Turkish-American community, we are extremely worried with the consequences of legalizing such a biased and one sided bill. If you do not agree with this bill and the way Armenian lobby is trying to dictate the US legislation on Turkish-American relations and denigrate the Turkish-American community in general, it is time to act now.

Send an instant fax to your representatives from GTAAG Fax server.

Subject:  Say no to H.RES.106, the Armenian resolution 
  
Honorable Senator/Representative... 

As a concerned member of the Turkish American community, I am writing to ask you to oppose H.RES.106, "Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide", which will be reviewed in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs shortly. Issues such as this that come before you deserve thoughtful consideration on your part, due to the profound impact that your decisions make. 

This resolution provides a one-sided, misinformed view of WWI Ottoman history that took place almost 100 years ago and would deal a great blow to the Turkish American community, and furthermore, inflict damage upon the partnership between Turkey and the United States. Time after time, the Armenian account of the tragic events that occurred during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire is presented with a distorted view that neglects to mention that this tragedy arose from a massive Armenian revolt. The revolt was aimed at shaping an ethnically and politically homogenous Armenian nation from several eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire, in which Armenians were not more populous than local Muslims. Casualties from conflicts between rebels and loyalists, Armenians and Ottoman Muslims, in addition to the casualties from WWI, amounted to a loss of over 2,000,000 Turks, Kurds & Jews and 600,000 Armenians in the east alone. During that same period in the Balkans, Caucasus and the Middle East more than four million Ottoman citizens, mostly Turks, perished in similar conflicts. 

Disputes over history, such as the Ottoman Armenian Tragedy, should be resolved by open and rigorous historical and legal scholarship. The Turkish government has many times recommended such action through a joint Turkish-Armenian committee of experts, and requested that Armenia as well as some other countries open their archives. Resolutions such as H.RES.106, will impede a dialog and reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey discouraging the Armenian side from engaging in a scholarly examination of these complicated historic events. World leaders should encourage Armenia to be more receptive to academic research, to be more open to dialogue, and both the Turkish and Armenian communities to engage in reconciliation, without proclamations or resolutions that render legal verdicts without legal process or historic conclusion without scholarly investigation. 

I hope you will keep these points in mind and oppose efforts to legislate this controversial historical and legal issue. 

Sincerely,

I read and accept above letter to send fax to my represantatives.

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