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Adam Schiff delivers open letter to Obama, urges to recognize #ArmenianGenocide (Video)

April 21, 2016 By administrator

Gongress man  schiffU.S. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), the lead sponsor of the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution in Congress, spoke on the House Floor and delivered an open letter to the President of the United States, Barack Obama, urging him to recognize the Armenian Genocide in his final year in office in advance of the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The text of the letter is as follows:

“Dear Mr. President:

In 2009, less than a year after assuming the Presidency, you accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. You began your acceptance of this honor by acknowledging that it was bestowed, at the “beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage.” You spoke on that day with eloquence and conviction about fundamental human rights – rights that are endowed not by accidents of birth like nationality or ethnicity or gender, but by our common humanity. And the principles that you articulated have indeed guided and defined your presidency.

In your foreign policy, you have emphasized the rights of ethnic and religious minorities worldwide and put these causes closer to the center of our foreign policy. You have extended aid to refugees fleeing horrific violence. You established the Atrocities Prevention Board to coordinate and monitor our efforts to prevent mass atrocities and genocide.

And in a few days, you will have a chance to add to your legacy.

On April 24th, the world will mark 101 years since the systematic extermination of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. The facts of the slaughter are beyond dispute. And I know you are well-acquainted with these horrors visited upon the Armenian people, having spoken eloquently about them as Senator.

I have sat with survivors of the Genocide. Men and women, their numbers dwindling year after year, and heard them recall the destruction of their lives and their families and all they had known. As children, they were forced from their homes and saw their families beaten, raped, and murdered. They fled across continents and oceans to build lives in our nation.

Mr. President, for them and for their descendants, the word “genocide” is sacred because it means the world has not and will not forget. To deny genocide on the other hand, is profane. It is, in the words of Elie Wiesel, a “double killing.”

This April 24th will be your final opportunity to use the presidency to speak plainly about the genocide. In past years as President, you have described the campaign of murder and displacement against the Armenian people as a “mass atrocity,” which it surely was. But, of course, it was also much more, and you have avoided using the word genocide even though it has been universally applied by scholars and historians of the period. In fact, as you know better than most, the Ottoman Empire’s campaign to annihilate the Armenian people was a prime example of what Rafael Lemkin was trying to describe when he coined the very term “genocide”.

I know that as you consider your words this year, you will hear the same voices as in the past who will tell you to hold your tongue and speak in euphemisms. They will say that the time is not right or that Turkey is too strategically important or that we should not risk their ire over something that happened a century ago.

Mr. President, regardless of what you say on April 24th, there can be little doubt that Turkey will do exactly as it has always done in its relations with the United States – and that is whatever Turkey believes to be in its self-interest. Many of our European allies and world leaders, including Pope Francis, have recognized the genocide, yet they have continued to work closely with Turkey, because that has been in Turkey’s interest. The same will be true after U.S. recognition of the Genocide.

I dearly hope, as do millions of Armenians descended from genocide survivors around the world, that you take this final opportunity to call the Armenian Genocide what it was – Genocide. To say that the Ottoman Empire committed this grotesque crime against the Armenians, but that their campaign of extermination failed. And that, above all, we will never forget and we will never again be intimidated into silence. Let this be part of your legacy, and you will see future Administrations follow your example.

When you spoke in Oslo, more than 7 years ago, you closed your remarks by returning to the counsel of Dr. Martin Luther King and said, “I refuse to accept the idea that the ‘isness’ of man’s present condition makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal ‘oughtness’ that forever confronts him.”

Mr. President, confronting painful, difficult but vital questions “is” who you are. Help us be the America we “ought” to be, that beacon of freedom and dignity that shines its light on the darkness of human history and exposes the vile crime of genocide.”

Filed Under: Genocide, News Tagged With: Adam Schiff, BREAKING NEWS: Obama Wants Military Strike Against Syria, Obama, open letter

Obama Sides with Saudis, Opposes Bill to Release 9/11 Findings

April 16, 2016 By administrator

1027799719The Obama Administration has been lobbying Congress to block a bill that would allow Saudi Arabia’s government to be held accountable in American courts for any role it played in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

In addition to Obama’s efforts to keep information about 9/11 confidential, Saudi Arabia has threatened to sell hundreds of billions of dollars worth of its American assets if Congress passes the bill. In recent weeks, administration officials have been warning lawmakers of the bill’s potential economic fallout.

The Obama Administration’s strict opposition to the 9/11 bill has left many family members of the terror attacks’ victims outraged.

Mindy Kleinberg, whose husband died in the attacks on the World Trade Center, expressed her discontent in an interview with the New York Times.   

“It’s stunning to think that our government would back the Saudis over its own citizens,” Kleinberg said.

In the past, families of the victims have had trouble using the courts to face elements of Saudi banks and the Saudi royal family, whom they’ve accused of funding terrorism. Their efforts were slowed by a 1976 law that awards foreign nations a certain degree of immunity from lawsuits in American courts.

https://youtu.be/3Ww96PzcABc

The 9/11 bill would eliminate this immunity for nations found culpable of terrorist attacks that kill Americans on American soil.

So far, a 9/11 Commission found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization [Al-Qaeda].” 

Critics argue that the Commission’s limited scope and wording steered the investigation away from lesser-level officials and other elements of the government that may have played a role in the terror plot.

They also point to a still-classified Congressional Inquiry in 2002, which cited evidence that members of the Saudi government played a role in the 9/11 attacks.

Nonetheless, the Obama Administration argues that limiting foreign nations’ immunity would put the American government, as well as its citizens and corporations at risk of lawsuits if foreign nations were to retaliate with their own legislation.

As for Saudi Arabia’s economic threat, some economists are calling the move an “empty threat” that would not only be difficult to pull off, but it would also cripple the Kingdom’s own economy.

Source: sputniknews.com

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: 9/11, finding, Obama, saudi, sides

Wally’s respond to Turkish columnist YİNANÇ, she complain Obama opted not to attend opening of Turkish mega Mosque with Erdogan

March 30, 2016 By administrator

Erdogan noking OBAMADear BARÇIN YİNANÇ,

How bizarre you complain  about the $100 million dollar Turkish complex the largest mega Turkish mosque in the world in the capital of Christian country USA, While Turkey Destroyed thousands of Christians Churches, just before Erdogan left Ankara he expropriated three christian churches,

The Turks completely wiped out the entire Christians population from Anatolia covert her crime by changing the name to Turkey which Turkey as a country never existed before 1923. Turks never in their entire history co-existed with any other people always conquered, occupied, Ethnically cleansed, massacred.

You have the audacity to complain, that Obama opted to miss that chance to stand side-by-side with the leader of a majority Muslim country . you talk about the majority Muslim country Turkey, But you never ask yourself how Turkey became majority Muslim country, Turks did it by ethnically cleansing and massacring the Christians population and converted them to Turks. remember even the Muslim Kurds until few years ago you call them mountain Turks.

You write A photo op in front of a mosque symbolizes two leaders of countries that share the same values and the same visions; really Turkey symbolize the same value as United state, Please as we speak Turkey is massacring thousands of Muslim Kurds man women and children, Look what Turkey did to Syria hundreds of thousands dead, millions of refugees and moreover Turkey blackmail  Europe with opening the floodgate of refugees that Turkey created and turned  the misfortunes of the refugees to a Turkish gold mine  bribing the EU nations with 6 Billion Euro and Visa Free to 80 millions Turks. look at Turkey’s neighbors everyone of them you have problem with.

The problem is that the American people have no idea how large is the Turkish complex it is much larger than US Capitol and white house together that’s how big is and why Turkey need such gigantic complex  obviously it is for Turkification of United State of America, comparing Turkish population in USA they are most smallest ethnic group so why Turkey need such huge institution. possibly for the next Turkish invasion of USA.  Moreover another  Turkish Imam Gulen is taking over US Public Charter Schools 150 so far.  It is Time American people wake up from the deep sleep with Turks.

Thank you

Wally Sarkeesian

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/joe-bidens-hero-is-the-turkish-presidents-spy.aspx?pageID=449&nID=97110&NewsCatID=412———

412

BARÇIN YİNANÇ
barcin.yinanc@hurriyet.com.tr

With the West still under the shock of successive terrorist attracts by radical Islamists, and with rising Islamophobia and xenophobia fueled by those attacks, would the leader of a superpower miss the chance to give messages of peace and interreligious dialogue by participating in the opening of a mosque in a majority Christian country? Why would that leader miss the chance to stand side-by-side with the leader of a majority Muslim country that claims to endorse the universal values of humanity?

U.S. President Barack Obama opted to miss that chance. Sadly, we are talking about a leader who had picked Turkey as one of his first foreign destinations after he was first elected president. The problem is not with Obama. The problem is not with Turkey either, which – despite the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) efforts to prove to the contrary – strives to show the world that Islam can coexist with democracy. The problem is with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who will open the mosque in Maryland this weekend. Obama will not appear by his side because Erdoğan does not represent the universal values of democracy, among the main tenets of which are the rule of law, respect for diversity, and freedom of expression.

So long as Obama does not grant a photo opportunity in front of the mosque with Erdoğan, a three-minute meeting on the margins of the nuclear security summit in Washington does not mean much. Or let’s put it this way: A photo op in front of a mosque symbolizes two leaders of countries that share the same values and the same visions; while a photo op on the margins of an international meeting indicates a working relationship shaped only by the requirements of realpolitik. Sadly, neither Erdoğan’s advisors nor his most devoted constituency would understand the difference. They live in a world of contradictions where bashing a superpower wins votes just as well as a photo op with that superpower.

At any rate, the critical point in Erdoğan’s visit to U.S. will not be his possible short meeting with Obama, but his lengthy one with Vice President Joe Biden, who once called the jailed journalist Can Dündar a “hero.” (Biden met Dündar’s wife and son in his latest visit to Turkey. Dündar’s son said Biden told him his father was a hero, which was not refuted by U.S. officials.)

The diplomats got harshly criticized by the government for simply doing their job. Actually they could have been justifiably accused of not doing their jobs some time ago, as the diplomatic community remained largely silent in the mid-2000s when democratic backpedaling started in Turkey.

The Dündar/Gül case was a turning point. I don’t know why. All I know is that the diplomatic community in Turkey did something rather unusual, requesting to see Dündar and Gül in prison before they were released.

Through their joint presence in the courtroom in the first hearing, they also did something unusual. The political message “we are concerned by this case” is usually given by the presence of a representative from the European Commission. But the European Commission’s representation in Turkey had been politically absent for the last decade – just like its heads have been absent physically as they kept changing all the time.

On the technical level, usually each embassy or consulate follows cases they are interested in on their own choosing – and through a lower ranking diplomat. But in the Dündar/Gül trial there was concerted action.

There is no doubt that with all the political and economic crises going on in Europe at the moment, it was the consuls general here who took personal initiatives to take concerted action. But that does not mean they lacked the consent of their governments.

But now the $60 billion question is this: Will they go back to the courtroom on April 1, for the continuation of the hearing? So far all of Erdoğan’s slamming has been cost-free. We’ll see whether that will continue to be the case.

March/31/2016

Filed Under: News Tagged With: mosque. opening, Obama, Turkey, US

54 US Congress members call on Obama to press Aliyev on Karabakh peace

March 30, 2016 By administrator

defaultWASHINGTON, D.C. – In the days leading up to Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Washington D.C. for an international nuclear summit this week, more than 50 US Representatives have joined with leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in calling upon US President Barack Obama to leverage this visit to pressure the Azerbaijan leader to stop obstructing the implementation of the life-saving Royce-Engel peace proposals for Nagorno-Karabakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

The letter, authored by Chairman Ed Royce and Representative Brad Sherman, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, builds upon an earlier Congressional letter, sent to the State Department last December, in support of three practical peacekeeping measures, known collectively as the Royce-Engel proposals:

— An agreement from all sides not to deploy snipers, heavy arms, or new weaponry along the line of contact.

— The placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire-locator systems and sound-ranging equipment to determine the source of attacks along the line of contact.

— The deployment of additional OSCE observers along the line of contact to better monitor cease-fire violations.

The list of Congress members who have signed this letter is available here.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Aliyev, Karabakh, Obama, US congress

President Obama & Turkish Dictator Erdogan Next Week Will Open The Largest Turkish Mosque In The World in USA

March 25, 2016 By administrator

Obama Erdogan opning mosqueby Walid Shoebat on March 25, 2016,

America’s largest mosque complex, officially known as Turkish-American Culture and Civilization Center, was built with Turkish funding under the supervision of the Turkish religious foundation (Diyanet). The $100 million mega mosque in Lanham, Maryland, will soon be open for Muslim worshipers in the Washington, DC area, as their link shows: “Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Barack Obama are expected to open the mosque.”

I guess you can learn about  president’s next step towards building Islam in the U.S., not from your media, but from Erdogan’s official media Yeni Safak instead,

Do you see “US Double Minaret Mosque” above in the article Erdogan published? Why “Two Minarets”?

An Ottoman sultan is addressed as such in prayer: “O God, assist the Sultan, son of the Sultan, Sovereign of the Two Continents, of the Two Seas, Destroyer of Two Armies, Sultan of the Two Iraqs, Servant of the Two Sanctuaries [Mecca and Medina]” (Ibn Iyas, 195-1960). Muhammad II was “Sovereign of the Two Seas, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.”

Turkey is an empire that will arise TWICE, once after it is wounded and another for its glory.

Even Daniel the prophet recognizes this feature, Antichrist loves to have his established castles between the “two seas”:

“And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the [two] seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” (Daniel 11:45)

Will the West ever awake its slumber and learn just how packed each verse is in the scriptures?

https://youtu.be/4QP4cl2Nv8M

The $100 million mega-mosque in Maryland, US will soon be open in the Washington, DC area, as Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to open the mosque during his official visit to the US between March 29 and April 2.

America’s largest mosque complex, officially known as the Turkish-American Culture and Civilization Center, was built with Turkish funding under the supervision of the Turkish religious foundation (Diyanet).

Almost all $100 million for the mosque was funded by the Religious Affairs and the Religious Foundation of Turkey.

The mosque is part of the Turkish-Islamic Center also known as the “American Religious Center,” built on a large area in Lanham, Maryland that will have the capacity to host 3,000 Muslim worshippers indoors and outdoors.

Turkey builds $100 million mega mosque in Maryland, US will include a community building, a guest house, traditional Turkish houses, library, conference and exhibition halls, meeting rooms, reception, museum of Islamic art, coffee house, gift shops, cultural center, amphitheater, computer lab, library and even Turkish baths in the old Ottoman style … the works. It “aims at bringing all Muslims together, to enlighten people about the facts of Islam and guide believers to a correct way” says Yeni Safak.

And these projects are not only in Maryland (keep in mind, it was called Maryland, as in the Land of Mary for Catholics), in Dayton you have some really excited stupid Americans there as well who enjoyed another mosque there too, courtesy of Antichrist Erdogan.

Believe it or not, the Turkish religious authority had had 200,267 meetings, conferences, panels and symposiums, all organized solely in the northern parts of the globe as an objective to influence non-Arab Muslim countries, especially in the Balkans. To Turkey Central Asia’s C.I.S nations (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan)  is the goal of this anti-Christ agenda and Turkey today takes the lead in what the Bible prophecies Antichrist will do in  the region of Meshech, Tubal, Gomer and Beth Togarmah.

You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north (Isaiah 14:13)

A state-sponsored program to build mosques in countries from Kazakhstan to Cuba has emerged as a foreign policy instrument for Turkey, boosting the country’s claim to a place on the international stage as a leader of the Islamic world that looks after Muslims everywhere.

Read more on: http://shoebat.com/2016/03/25/president-obama-next-week-will-open-the-largest-american-mosque-in-the-world-built-here-in-the-u-s-he-will-be-accompanied-by-antichrist-erdogan-of-turkey-and-together-will-enjoy-the-sounds-of-allahu/

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Erdogan, in, mosque, Obama, open, USA

AAA urges Obama administration to affirm Armenian Genocide as U.S. confirms crimes committed by ISIS

March 18, 2016 By administrator

armenian--assembly-of-america-logoA leading Armenian advocacy group in the United States has urged the Obama administration to affirm the Ottoman-era genocide of Armenians as Washington has confirmed crimes committed by ISIS are genocide.

On March 17, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated that ISIS (Daesh) is “responsible for genocide,” against groups in Syria and Iraq, including Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. The recognition was prompted by H.Con.Res.75, which includes Armenians as one of the Christian groups persecuted by ISIS, reports the Armenian Assembly of American (AAA).

“We know that in areas under its control, Daesh has made a systematic effort to destroy the cultural heritage of ancient communities – destroying Armenian, Syrian Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches…” Kerry stated.

In his statement, Kerry also invoked one of the criteria of genocide as defined by the 1948 UN Convention. “One element of genocide is the intent to destroy an ethnic or religious group, in whole or in part. We know that Daesh has given some of its victims a choice between abandoning their faith or being killed, and that for many is a choice between one kind of death and another,” Kerry said.

“Confronted with harrowing reports of similar crimes and atrocities, U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau in 1915 alerted the State Department and the world to the horrors taking place in the Ottoman Empire, stating that a ‘campaign of race extermination’ was underway against the Armenian people, and urged action to stop the slaughter,” observed AAA Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.

“Today (March 17), Secretary Kerry responded to the unspeakable crimes carried out by ISIS. ‘Naming these crimes is important. But what is essential is to stop them,’ Kerry stated. His statement recalls Morgenthau’s warning and the need to act. As President Obama has said, ‘America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides.’ We therefore call upon the Obama administration to also unequivocally affirm the Armenian Genocide,” Ardouny continued.

Earlier this week, the Assembly welcomed passage in the U.S. House of Representatives of H.Con.Res.75, a resolution condemning ISIS atrocities.

Filed Under: Articles, Genocide Tagged With: Armenian, Genocide, Obama

Obama ‘concerned’ about Syrian Army & Kurdish Syria gains, urges stopping actions against ISIS upsetting Turks

February 20, 2016 By administrator

56c7ee1ac361884b478b4577The US president has sided with Turkey and warned the Syrian Kurdish militia not to seize more territory in Syria to avoid upsetting Ankara or the so-called “moderate” opposition. Obama voiced support for Erdogan against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

In a long phone conversation that lasted an hour and twenty minutes, Obama told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the US has an “unwavering commitment” to Turkey’s national security.

Obama said he is “concerned” about the Syrian Army’s and Kurdish fighters’ gains in northern Syria as he “urgently called for a halt to actions that heighten tensions with Turkey and with moderate opposition forces in northern Syria,” according to a statement from the White House.

The US president stressed that the ongoing advance of Syrian armed forces and Kurdish militia, with support from the Russian Air Force, could “undermine our collective efforts in northern Syria to degrade and defeat ISIL.”

While advising Erdogan to show “reciprocal restraint” and avoid shelling northern Syria where Ankara is engaging Kurds, Obama stressed that “YPG forces should not seek to exploit circumstances in this area to seize additional territory.”

At the same time both leaders called on Moscow and Damascus to halt airstrikes against what they call “moderate opposition forces.” Russia has on numerous occasions denied striking civilian targets, and has repeatedly offered its air support to opposition fighters. Russia’s Foreign and Defense Ministries have also repeatedly asked Washington to provide a list of the groups it considers “moderate” enough. The US also ignored calls to share intelligence on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) positions or to join a wider coalition of an anti-terrorist force.

While the Kurdish groups, supported by the United States in the fight against IS in northern Syria, are considered one of the most effective ground forces in fighting jihadists in the area, Ankara regards them as terrorists.

Vowing retaliation in both Syria and Iraq for the Ankara bombing earlier this week, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised to continue to bomb the Kurds, including PKK bases in northern Iraq and YPG positions in northern Syria. Ankara also made it clear that it expects cooperation from its NATO allies to assist Ankara in this fight. Following the bombing in Ankara, Erdogan promised to hunt the perpetrators “everywhere” possible.

Prior to speaking with Obama, Erdogan announced that American weapons were being used against civilians by the YPG. The State Department has refuted the claims, with spokesman Mark Toner saying: “We have also seen no evidence to substantiate the claim that the YPG is somehow smuggling US weapons to the PKK.”

US-Russia talks on Syria peace ‘serious, constructive’ – Kerry

Earlier in the day, Washington rejected a Russian draft resolution at the UN Security Council condemning any plans for foreign military intervention in Syria. Ambassador Samantha Power even accused Moscow of trying to “distract the world” with its resolution.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said the discussions with Moscow on the ceasefire in Syria are “near-constant” and have been “serious and so far constructive.”

“Everyone recognizes the complexity of this endeavor, and there is certainly a lot more work to do. These discussions have been serious and so far constructive, with a few tough issues still to resolve,” Kerry said in London as quoted by Reuters.

He has been in contact with the US Syria team, which is in Geneva and said the negotiations have been ongoing for the past 36 hours.

Working out modalities for a cessation of hostilities in a situation like Syria is a highly technical and detailed process; and that’s why our teams are still at it. We want this process to be sustainable, and should all participants prove willing to really sit down and work this out, we can get to a cessation of hostilities.”

Kerry briefly stopped in London en route to Jordan where he is to discuss Syria with King Abdullah over the weekend.

The proximity talks launched in Geneva in February have been delayed with an indefinite date of restart, according to UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. On Friday, de Mistura’s office said it would provide a new date for the meeting in Geneva “as soon as possible.”

De Mistura told Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet that the peace talks won’t resume in Geneva on February 25 as he had hoped. He said he can’t “realistically” get the parties in the Syrian conflict back to negotiations by that time. However, he added that he hopes the parties will gather “soon.”

“We need real talks about peace, not just talks about talks. Now the Americans and Russians must sit down and agree on a concrete plan on the cessation of hostilities,” he said in the interview on Thursday.

At the beginning of February, the United Nations temporarily suspended peace talks aimed at resolving Syria’s five-year civil war. The UN said the process was to be resumed on February 25 and called on the sides involved to do more to achieve progress.

An ambitious plan to end hostilities in Syria with verifiable results within a week, revived the Geneva-3 peace talks, when Kerry and Lavrov unveiled the truce plan in Munich last Friday. While the humanitarian aid has begun flowing into besieged towns in Syria this week, the warring sides have yet to end hostilities.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: concerned, gain, Kurd, Obama

Obama lifts ban on aircraft sale to Iran

January 16, 2016 By administrator

US President Barack Obama lifts a decades-old ban on the export of civilian passenger aircraft to Iran.

US President Barack Obama lifts a decades-old ban on the export of civilian passenger aircraft to Iran.

US President Barack Obama has lifted a decades-old ban on the export of civilian passenger aircraft to Iran as Tehran prepares to see sanctions relief.

President Obama delegated that authority to Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday through a presidential memorandum, a directive similar to an executive order.

The historic decision comes against the backdrop of planned implementation of Iran’s historic nuclear deal with world powers at the weekend.

“They have nearly completed their major nuclear steps, and that’s nothing to gloss over,” US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said.

He added that the decision would take effect as soon as the nuclear agreement is implemented and international sanctions are lifted on Iran.

“The [nuclear] agreement makes two exceptions: Iran can buy U.S. civilian passenger aircraft, and sell certain crafts – specifically carpets and rugs – to the United States,” USA Today reported.

US sanctions ban the sale of aircraft and parts to Iran. Under an interim nuclear deal in 2013, the West eased the ban on sales of spare parts but selling planes is still prohibited.
An airplane operated by Iran’s national flag carrier Iran Air is taking off. (File photo)

Western sanctions are the biggest enemy of Iran’s aviation which has been plagued by a series of air crashes, claiming the lives of hundreds of Iranians.

The nuclear accord reached with Tehran last July has provided Iran with a chance to renew its fleet of commercial aircraft.

Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhundi has said that Iran would need to buy 500 commercial aircraft of various models at a cost of $50 billion.

Iran’s civil aviation fleet consists of 248 aircraft with an average age of 20 years, 100 of which are grounded, he has said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to issue its final report on Saturday confirming that Iran has lived up to its obligations under the nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The IAEA is expected to confirm that Iran had fulfilled its obligations so that the 28-nation EU, alongside the United States and the United Nations, can end their sanctions on what is known as “Implementation Day” for the JCPOA.

Iran and the P5+1 – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany finalized the text of the JCPOA in the Austrian capital of Vienna in July 2015.

Under the JCPOA, limits are put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: boing, Iran, Obama

IT’S GENOCIDE: Congressional Leaders Urge Obama To Properly Characterize ISIS Attacks On Christians

December 25, 2015 By administrator

ANCA Graphic urging US to properly characterize ISIS attacks against Christians as ‘genocide’

ANCA Graphic urging US to properly characterize ISIS attacks against Christians as ‘genocide’

WASHINGTON — With Christmas just a day away, 30 U.S. Representatives, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), have called on the Obama Administration to condemn the ongoing Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) attacks against Christians and other Middle East minorities as ‘genocide,’ reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The December 23rd letter, addressed to Secretary of State John Kerry comes in response to reports that the Obama Administration is set to characterize the ISIS attacks on Yezidis as genocide, but will stop short of similarly referencing the murder and destruction of Christians and other minority groups. “While it is hardly possible to overstate the brutality of ISIL’s attempts to destroy the Yezidis, an overly narrow finding would wrongly discount similar violence directed against other minorities in the region, with likely dire consequences for those minorities,” noted the letter. The Congressional letter cited the recent U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom (USCIRF) report which, “call[ed] on the US government to designate the Christian, Yazidi, Shi’a, Turkmen and Shabak communities of Iraq and Syria as victims of Genocide by ISIL.”

The effort is part of a broad outcry of concern by Congressional leaders, genocide experts and rights groups, including the ANCA, to secure a clear U.S. genocide determination regarding the anti-Christian atrocities, including calls for passage of various U.S. House and Senate genocide measures and Obama Administration’s determination.

Hovsepian: “It’s Deja Vu All Over Again”
ANCA Western Region Chairwoman Nora Hovsepian outlined why the ANCA and the Armenian Americans are working hard with Assyrian-Chaldean, Greek and an array of human rights groups on securing the proper characterization of the ISIS genocide against Christians in this recent interview with the LA Daily News. “With respect to what’s happening in the Middle East now, it’s deja vu all over again. It’s like chapter two,” Hovsepian said. “Unfortunately, the United States’ policy at this point is baffling to us. Of course it’s a genocide against (Christians) as well. One of the reasons why it’s happening now is because it happened 100 years ago. (Turkey) got away with it then, with zero accountability.”

Last week ANCA Legislative Affairs Director Raffi Karakashian joined In Defense of Christians (IDC) Executive Director Kirsten Evans, A Demand For Action Executive Director Steve Oshana, and renowned genocide expert Greg Stanton for a meeting with White House officials to make the case for the proper genocide designation. On the same day, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian participated in a White House briefing on Syrian refugees, urging the US to close gaps in aid to Armenian and other Christian victims of ISIS and other Islamic extremist groups.

In Defense of Christians Press Conference Spotlights Need for Immediate Action
The December 16th Capitol Hill press conference, organized by In Defense of Christians (IDC), a nonpartisan organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of Christians and Christian culture in the Middle East, brought the issue of the ongoing ISIS genocide front and center.

“When genocide has been committed or is looming the President and Congress should publicly say so and take robust actions to end it and ensure accountability,” explained Helsinki Commission Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), speaking at the press conference. “Any failure by President Obama to recognize the ongoing genocide against Christians would be irresponsible, indefensible, and unconscionable.”

Armenian and Assyrian American Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who, along with Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) serves as Co-Chair of the House Caucus for Religious Minorities in the Middle East said, “This is history for my family that is repeating itself all over again. […] Future generations will look at us and ask ‘did they do anything?’”

“We cannot underestimate the moral authority the United States has when we simply utter what is true,” stated Rep. Fortenberry, holding a photo of Christians shackled by ISIS abductors prior to their murder.

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) refuted arguments that labeling the slaughter of Christians ‘genocide’ is a form of religious bias. “It is not about a test of religion. It is about special protection for victims of targeted and systematic persecution.”

Internationally reknowned Genocide and human rights expert, Dr. Greg Stanton outlined how the ISIS actions against Christians meets the internationally agreed UN definition of ‘genocide’ and went on to explain why that designation is important.

“‘Genocide’ is a much more powerful word that ‘crimes against humanity,’ war crimes, ‘ethnic cleansing,’ or ‘atrocity crimes,’” noted Stanton, citing a 2007 study he and colleagues had conducted on the words used in The New York Times to describe the Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo and Darfur genocides. “We discovered that as long as ‘ethnic cleansing’ was used, there was no forceful action to stop it. As soon as the situations were called ‘genocide,’ forceful action resulted and ended the killing, except in Darfur where a UN Commission of Inquiry rejected the ‘genocide’ word.”

Stanton went on to identify the two most important reasons for the ‘genocide’ designation, explaining first that the word “more strongly justifies our broad coalition military support for Kurdish and Iraqi forces to defeat ISIS;” and second, “members of such groups are much more likely to receive preferential treatment as bona fide refugees under the UN Convention and Protocols on the Status of Refugees.”

Nina Shea, Director of the Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom, cited the importance of political advocacy by Christians and all Americans of good conscience in support of passage Congressional legislation characterizing the ISIS attacks as Genocide, and finished her remarks with a simple question: “To Secretary Kerry, Samantha Power, and President Obama I ask, ‘Where are you?’”

“In August of 2014 the Iraqi parliament decried the atrocities and crimes against humanity targeting religious minorities under ISIS as a genocide. Many others have done the same, including Pope Francis, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and the world’s leading international association of genocide scholars. In Defense of Christians has been working hard to ensure that the United States government, both Congress and the State Department, do the same,” stated IDC Executive Director Kirsten Evans when opening the conference.

Other experts offering remarks at the press conference included Dr. Randel Everett, President of the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative; Dr. Chris Seiple, Chairman of the Board at the Institute of Global Engagement; Louay Mikhael, IDC Special Advisor on Iraq and Mr. Mark Tooley, President of the Institute on Religious and Democracy.

Broad Coalition in Support of Designating ISIS Anti-Christian Attacks ‘Genocide’

Over the past months, a diverse group of religious, civic and ethnic groups have petitioned the White House to include Christians in their ‘genocide’ designation when describing ISIS atrocities.

On November 25th, the ANCA joined Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac rights group “A Demand for Action,” IDC and over 20 organizations in urging swift Obama Administration action. “Calling genocide by its proper name cannot wait for a ruling by a court of law. Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide we have an obligation to work toward prevention and punishment,” stated the letter.

On December 4th, the Knights of Columbus and Hudson Institute Center for Religious Freedom led a similar effort urging Secretary Kerry to take action. “The United States is rightly viewed the world’s leading defender of vulnerable minorities, and as an historic safe-haven for those fleeing religious persecution. A declaration of genocide by the State Department is thus a unique opportunity to bring America’s religious communities together to pursue the truth, to support the victims, and to bear witness to the noble principle of ‘Never Again,’” noted the letter, cosigned by the ANCA and a number of Armenian American leaders including the His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate, Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America (Eastern); and Archbishop Vicken Aykazian Ecumenical Director and Legate, Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern).

In a September, 2015, appeal, over 40 respected experts in the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), called on Congress to designate the ISIS crimes against Christians and other minorities ‘genocide’ and went further to call for concrete international action to prevent future atrocities. “ISIS leaders should be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court (ICC) for their crimes. The U.N. Security Council should refer ISIS crimes to the ICC for investigation and prosecution. The UN and Regional Organizations should act swiftly and firmly, and follow-up with police force to arrest ISIS leaders,” stated the letter by Genocide scholars.
Prior to Chairman Royce’s joint Congressional letter, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) sent his personal appeal to Secretary Kerry, questioning the distinction being placed between the plight of Yezidis as opposed to Christians and other minorities targeted by ISIS in the Middle East, stemming primarily from a recent U.S. Holocaust Museum report which focused primarily on Iraq’s Nineveh province as opposed to Iraq and Syria overall. “ISIS targets Christians on the bases of their religious identity, without regard to where they are located. It is imperative that the State Department approach its decision for genocide designation in terms of which religious minorities are being persecuted, rather than where they live,” stated Rep. Pompeo. View Rep. Pompeo’s letter here:

Congressional Resolutions Condemning Christian Genocide Abound; Votes Yet to be Scheduled

Senators and Representative have introduced a number of resolutions referencing the ISIS actions against Christians, Yezidis and other minorities ‘genocide,’ though no vote has yet been scheduled on any of these pieces of legislation.

The resolution with the greatest Congressional and grassroots support is led by Congressman Fortenberry and Congressowman Eshoo. With over 160 cosponsors, H.Con.Res.75, which the IDC supports, expresses the “sense of Congress that those who commit or support atrocities against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities, including Yezidis, Turkmen, Sabea-Mandeans, Kaka‘e, and Kurds, and who target them specifically for ethnic or religious reasons, are committing, and are hereby declared to be committing, ‘war crimes,’ ‘crimes against humanity,’ and ‘genocide.’”

The ANCA has teamed up with IDC to set up an action alert urging Congressional support for H.Con.Res.75.

Earlier this week, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced S.Res.340, a resolution “expressing the sense of Congress that the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS or Da’esh) is committing genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, and calling upon the President to work with foreign governments and the United Nations to provide physical protection for ISIS’ targets, to support the creation of an international criminal tribunal with jurisdiction to punish these crimes, and to use every reasonable means, including sanctions, to destroy ISIS and disrupt its support networks.” The resolution, cosponsored by Republican Presidential Candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Roger Wicker (R-MS), notes that “communities of Assyrian Chaldean Syriac, Armenian, Evangelical, and Melkite Christians; Kurds; Yezidis; Shia and Sunni Muslims; Turkmen; Sabea-Mandeans; Kaka‘e; and Shabaks have been an integral part of the cultural fabric of the Middle East for millennia.”

Congressman Rohrabacher has introduced H.R. 4017, a bill which would expedite the processing of immigrant and refugee visas for Christian and Yezidi victims of ISIS genocide. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) had earlier introduced a similar resolution (H.Res.435).

A number of Senate and House resolutions have noted that ISIS has “threatened genocide” against Christians and other minorities including, S.2377, introduced by Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and H.R. 4208, introduced by Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA).

H.Res.440, spearheaded by Rep. David Trott (R-MI) and Brad Sherman (D-CA), calls for for “urgent international action on behalf of Iraqi and Syrian civilians facing a dire humanitarian crisis and severe persecution because of their faith or ethnicity in the Nineveh Plain region of Iraq and Khabor, Kobane, and Aleppo regions of Syria.” The resolution, which has over 15 cosponsors, specifically notes that Islamic extremist attacks “have had a particularly severe effect on ethnic and religious minority communities such as Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac Christians, Armenians, Yezidis, Shabak and other minorities in the region.”

Filed Under: Genocide, News Tagged With: Genocide, Obama

Putin, Obama Agree Need for UN-Brokered Syria Talks

November 15, 2015 By administrator

1030151497“President Obama and President Putin of Russia held a constructive discussion on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Antalya,” the White House said Sunday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama agreed on the need for a ceasefire in Syria and UN-brokered talks between the conflicting parties, the White House said Sunday.
Earlier today, the two presidents held informal talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Turkey’s Antalya.

“President Obama and President Putin agreed on the need for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition, which would be proceeded by UN-mediated negotiations between the Syrian opposition and regime as well as a ceasefire,” the White House statement reads.

Obama welcomed efforts by all countries in confronting Islamic State, noting the importance of Russia’s military efforts in Syria focusing on the group, the statement reads.
The Kremlin was also positive about the talks, with Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov saying that Russia and the US have similar strategic objectives in the fight against terrorism, though there are differences in tactics.

“It was an opportunity to talk quite thoroughly and the discussion was focused on two topics – at the beginning on Syria, and then on Ukraine,” Ushakov told reporters adding that more time was devoted to Syria.

In addition, President Obama offered his condolences over last month’s crash of a Russian airliner in Egypt resulting in the death of 224 people, the White House said in its statement.

Source: sputniknews.com

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Meet, Obama, Putin, Syria

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