April 19, 2013 - 21:22 AMT
U.S. organizations urge Coca-Cola to sever ties with genocide denial group

America's leading genocide prevention groups this week called upon Coca-Cola and Citigroup to suspend their participation in a conference hosted by an organization waging a public campaign that supports the Turkish government's denial of the Armenian Genocide, the Ottoman Turkish Government’s centrally planned and systematically executed mass murder of Christian Armenians.

In letters sent to the boards of directors of Citigroup and Coca-Cola, United to End Genocide, Investors Against Genocide, Genocide Watch, Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, Jewish World Watch, and the Armenian National Committee of America all called upon these two corporations to sever any ties with organizations, such as the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA), that actively deny the Armenian Genocide. Citigroup and Coca-Cola are ranked by Fortune magazine as the 20th and 59th largest American corporations, respectively.

Both firms are scheduled to be represented at the ATAA's convention, being held in Washington, DC starting on April 25, the day after the worldwide commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. Speaking on behalf of Coca-Cola will be its Chairman, Muhtar Kent; representing Citigroup will be its Senior Vice President for International Government Affairs, Charles R. Johnston. The signatories of the letter asked both corporations to withdraw their speakers from the conference, and, failing that, to publicly clarify that any participation by the officials is in a personal capacity.

Also scheduled to speak at the ATAA conference, over the publicly voiced objections of the ANCA, is the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone. The Obama Administration has yet to confirm that any of its representatives will participate in the annual Capitol Hill Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, to be hosted by the Congressional Armenian Caucus on April 24th at the Hart Senate Office Building, Room 902, reported Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).