April 21, 2007 - 14:11 AMT
Unless UN takes a stand against Turkey's denial, its value is greatly undermined
In remarks delivered yesterday on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone sharply criticized the United Nations for caving in to Turkey's pressure to block a long-awaited exhibit on the Rwanda Genocide because one of its display panels included a reference to the Armenian Genocide. The New Jersey legislator stressed as a representative of the international community, the United Nations must be the leading voice against Genocide, including the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported. "Unless the United Nations takes a stand against Turkey's denial, its value to the international community is greatly undermined. Turkey's policy of denying the Armenian genocide gives cover to those who perpetrate genocide everywhere," he stated.

An exhibition about the Rwandan Genocide entitled "Lessons learnt from Rwanda" was due to be opened in the United Nations with the assistance of Aegis Trust, a British NGO. However it was postponed under the pressure of the Turkish government, since there was a reference to the Armenian Genocide as the first genocide of the 20th century in the exhibition.