...press release...
September 7, 2001

Contact: Ioannis Valsamas
(312) 357-6424
hellenes@saeamerica.org

In a letter to Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, Chris Tomaras, SAE Vice President and Coordinator for the N. & S. America Region, summarizes the sense of Omogenia in response to the Governor's Proclamation dated August 8, 2001 and its revised version of August 30, 2001, as well as the Governor's remarks in the Turkish Daily News.

In his remarks the Governor stated that many Turks and Ottoman citizens from different ethnic groups were killed as a result of the Greek occupation in Anatolia.

Mr. Tomaras' letter, armed with a number of arguments that demonstrate the Turkish atrocities, aggressiveness and self-serving behavior since World War I, overturns the Alabama Governor's position and asks for his retraction of his statement in a public announcement.

To more effectively address the issue Chris Tomaras is asking all SAE delegates and all Greek-American media to engage in a letter writing campaign to Governor Don Siegelman asking for his revised statement with the warning that the Greek-American Community in the U.S. will not tolerate such misstatement of facts and that it will react against anyone that attempts to distort the history of Greeks in Asia Minor. The attached letter to Governor Don Siegelman reflects this distortion of historical facts.

For more information on the subject contact the SAE office at the above telephone or e-mail, or the Global HEC Network at:
HELLENIC-NET@HEC.GREECE.ORG.