U.N. Rwanda Genocide Exhibit Revision

Floor Speech

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday what was supposed to be an important U.N. exhibit educating the world about the Rwandan genocide was turned into a farce thanks to the actions of the Turkish Government. Three weeks ago, when the Rwanda genocide exhibit was originally set to open, the Turkish Government did what the Turkish Government often does, denied historical facts and objected to the exhibit because it objected to Armenian genocide as an example of genocide.

It was bad enough that this important U.N. exhibit documenting the Rwanda genocide was delayed by 3 weeks because Turkey continued to deny the past, but I was appalled when the exhibit was opened yesterday at the U.N. with one major revision.

Gone was the citing of the systematic killing of 1.5 millions Armenians as genocide. Instead it was referred to as a mass killing in order to appease the Turkish Government. No serious historical dispute exists about the Armenian genocide. Sadly, an intensive and well-financed effort by the Turkish Government has succeeded in preventing the United States, and now the U.N., from any formal recognition of the Armenian genocide.

This is the warped Turkish version of history, and it's simply not acceptable. The Turkish objection to this exhibit is the latest example of their genocide denial. It's absolutely ludicrous that an exhibit dedicated to the education and prevention of genocide would include Armenia as an example, use the definition of the term ``genocide,'' but not use the word ``genocide'' to describe the events.

How, exactly, are you educating the public about genocide when you refuse to call the first genocide of the 20th century by its name? The word ``genocide'' was actually created as a way to describe the barbaric crimes inflicted against the Armenians between 1915 and 1923, but now the word cannot be used in an exhibit at the U.N. This is utterly ridiculous.

Would you ever have an exhibit on Christianity without mentioning the birth of Christ? The same type of absurdity has been used by President Bush during his annual statement commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Year after year the Bush administration continues to play word games by not calling evil by its proper name.

If I could just end by saying, I don't think that the U.N. response to genocides should be denigrated to a level acceptable to the Turkish Government. It's about time that the Bush administration started dictating a policy for Americans, not for a foreign government like Turkey. This lack of honesty is simply not acceptable.

Turkey should be condemned for its policy of denying the Armenian genocide. As a global community we must collectively stand for historical truth and properly recognize the worst humanitarian crimes we have seen.

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