June 12, 1999

Rep. Lantos Discusses Armenian Genocide Recognition

At a town meeting in his district's YMCA in San Francisco, Representative Tom Lantos said, "Turkey would be infinitely more intelligent to recognize the past," as Germany did with the Holocaust.  He said that Turkey, in effect, should say "Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa," referring to the Latin "I'm guilty."  When asked whether the United States had a responsibility to press its ally Turkey to recognize the Genocide and for this country to recognize it officially, as a signal to Turkey, Rep. Lantos said he raises the issue of Armenian Genocide recognition with Turkish officials regularly when he meets with them in his capacity as a U.S. Congressman.

Lantos has for many years stood in opposition to issues of concern to Armenian-Americans and is presently co-sponsoring the "Silk Road" bill, which opens the door to elimination of the ban on aid to Azerbaijan.  At two town meetings held in his district on June 12th, Lantos spoke on issues raised by members of the public.   Armenian-American constituents from his district along with Bay Area Armenian National Committee members raised the issue of U.S. policy in the Caucasus, U.S. relations with Turkey, and Armenian Genocide recognition.  Lantos, who is a Hungarian Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, responded to the issue of Genocide recognition, saying that while Turkey bears responsibility in this matter, there are "bigger bears" in the region that the U.S. must contend with, i.e. Iraq, so that "fairness and justice" on other issues like the Armenian Genocide remain unprotected.

Recently the Bay Area ANC sent nearly 200 letters of protest from Bay Area Armenian-Americans to Rep. Lantos, urging him to rescind his sponsorship of the Silk Road bill.  Lantos spoke at length about the righteousness of the U.S. role in Kosovo, saying that although the U.S. can't act everywhere in the world where there is injustice, it did act rightfully to protect human rights in Kosovo.  He said it almost brought tears to his eyes to witness Czechs and Poles standing with Germany and NATO to protect the human rights of Muslims - a stark contrast to the alliances in WWII.

Lantos also addressed the need for gun control, lower prices for prescription drugs, the Tibetan cause, the budget surplus, and his sponsorship of the Human Rights Information Act which directs the government to release information about its involvement in international affairs.  In that regard, Lantos said it was a mistake for the U.S. to have supported Guatemala's "abominable regime."

After the town meeting, ANC member Ara Makasdjian spoke personally to Lantos about Armenian-Americans' expectations that he take action on the principles he espoused regarding Genocide recognition and the folly of supporting undemocratic regimes around the world.