SERIES OF SMALL PROTESTS AT EMBASSY CALL FOR U.S.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000275

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ASEC AM
SUBJECT: SERIES OF SMALL PROTESTS AT EMBASSY CALL FOR U.S.
"GENOCIDE" RECOGNITION


1. The Embassy has been visited by a string of small, brief
demonstration rallies in recent days, each calling for the
U.S. Government to label the Armenian massacres of 1915 as
"genocide." Each of these demonstrations amounted to several
dozen participants. First in line, on April 16, was the
youth wing of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (aka
Dashnaksutyun),which is generally considered the most
overtly nationalistic of Armenia's mainstream political
parties. This was followed by the Heritage Party youth wing,
April 22. Both the ARF and Heritage groups had notified us
in advance, and we made arrangements to bring in a small
delegation of representatives to meet with an emboff and
deliver their respective letters (see below). On April 23,
in the early afternoon, an unnamed group organized by an
Armenian social networking website assembled some 50
demonstrators in a light rain for about 20 minutes, with
balloons, banners, and alarm clocks (an element whose
significance was unclear),but this group had no clear
spokesman nor any letter to present. Then at approximately
7:00pm, a previously unknown-to-us group calling itself the
International Associaton of Lawyers and Psychologists
assembled perhaps two dozen demonstrators, who delivered a
letter in Armenian to polchief along the same basic lines.


2. The ARF and Heritage Party youth wings courteously
provided English translations of their letters with the
original Armenian. Verbatim text follows at paragraphs 3 and

4.


3. TEXT OF HERITAGE PARTY YOUTH WING LETTER
(HERITAGE-SUPPLIED TRANSLATION):

21 April 2009

Dear Mr. President:

We, the young members of the Heritage Party of Armenia, are
extremely enthusiastic over your recent election to the
office of the President of the United States of America. We
are full of hope that your selection to this post will bring
a new impetus to the progress -- including the protection of
human rights, the pacific resolution of conflicts, and the
pre-eminence of the precepts of liberty and justice of the
American people and the whole of humanity. We were especially
encouraged by your pre-election promise toward formally
acknowledging the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and, as President
of the United States and after a twenty-year interval,
calling it like it is once again. As a civilizational
challenge and a permanent guarantee for regional security and
stability, we believe it is highly important for all nations
and countries to reflect on their history and to face it
head-on, no matter how bitter that may be.
We, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the small
number of genocide survivors from Mush, Sasun, Cilicia, Kars,
Sunnalu, Erzerum, Malatia, Sebastia, Arabkir, Zeitun, Marash,
and Butania-and the representatives of a new generation --
are patiently waiting for the day when, in keeping with the
letter and spirit of international law, we will be given the
chance to return to Western Armenia -- our Motherland which
was taken away from us unlawfully and as a consequence of the
Genocide -- and to once more own our estates: our lands and
homes. We condemn any and all attempt by the international
bodies toward applying double standards for any regional
nation, circumnavigating international law, and solely
considering who is stronger or whose natural resources are
greater.

Mr. President, we, the youth of Heritage, a national liberal
party, urge you to recognize not solely the Genocide of the
Armenian people that was perpetrated by the Turkish state
from 1915 to 1922, but also the great dispossession of their
homeland. In result of this dispossession, an entire nation
lost nearly ninety percent of its historical motherland,
those territories where it had dwelled for millennia and
created a rich civilization and great cultural treasures. Yet
we still have great hopes on sound judgment and believe that
the problematic issues existing among the nations will be
resolved in due course and on the basis of international law
and thus the legal heirs of the guilty will repent, ask
forgiveness, and make reparations through justice. Because
injustice, as well as apathy by the international bodies and
powerful countries, can increase the temptation to personally
restore one's own lost and disregarded rights and to use
asymmetric force against a powerful but a brute force. And
this can make us all face new challenges and can shake the
foundations of security and stability in the world entire.

We are confident that the Turks -- with whom we expect to
soon establish normal relations anchored in real justice,
historical truth, and international law-need your sincere

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assistance on their thorny road to amending their past and
returning to the world's family of nations with a clean
slate.
Respectfully,


1. Kirakossyan Meline 2. Sargsyan Ashkhen 3. Mheryan Artak 4.
Tonoyan Hakob 5. Tonoyan Gohar 6. Tonoyan Astghik 7.
Qocharyan Gagik 8. Sardaryan Aren 9. Poghosyan Narine 10.
Nazlukhanyan Gohar 11. Markosyan David 12. Markosyan Armen

13. Gevorgyan Sirarpi 14. Grigoryan David 15. Hakobyan Lilit

16. Mirzakhanyan Sam 17. Eranosyan Narek 18. Mnacakanyan
Arsen 19. Hovhannisyan Anahit 20. Matevosyan Nana 21.
Sargsyan Ani 22. Sanasaryan DaVId 23. Isakhanyan Voskehat

24. Hakobyan Margarit 25. Matevosyan Meri 26. Ghazaryan
Mariam 27. Ghazaryan Srbuhi

4. TEXT OF ARF LETTER (ARF-SUPPLIED ENGLISH TRANSLATION):

Dear Mr. Obama,

You are a believer in change.
We also believe in change.
Changes which are necessary, not only for the United States
of America, but for the whole world.

On the eve of the 94th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
we, the youth of Armenia appeal to you with the expectation,
as you stated during your recent trip to Turkey, that you
haven't changed your position on the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide. We hope that you will now fulfill the
pledge you have made many times, and in your annual statement
on April 24, recognize the historical truth, this time as
President of the United States of America.

From the day of its creation, the United States of America
adopted human rights, freedom, and democratic values and
humanitarian principles. As a witness to the tragedy of the
Armenians, President Woodrow Wilson, one of the best
proponents of these values, at the end of World War I, in the
name of truth and justice, enshrined the rights of the
Armenian nation.

We are greatly encouraged that the House of Representatives
of the state of Hawaii, where you were born, a few days
before the 94th anniversary, officially recognized the
Armenian Genocide and condemned Turkey's policy of denial and
as such became the 42nd state in America to do so.

Your recognition of the truth is not only in the interest of
the American people, the Armenians and other peoples of the
world, but it is especially in the interests of the Turkish
people. By doing so, you will be greatly contributing to
putting an end to Genocide, today and in the future.

We believe that you will help in reinstating the historical
truth.

Mr. President,

Recognize the Armenian Genocide and future generations of the
Armenian people will always remember you and your people with
gratitude.

We believe in you.

Dashnak Youth
April 7, 2009

YOVANOVITCH