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CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON D.C. 20506 173922 April 22, 1996 C0009 MEMORANDUM FOR GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS FROM: NSC -- SHEILA HESLIN SA RE: POTUS Meeting with Armenian Catholicos of Cilicia NSC recommends that Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia meet with Vice President Gore since the President just saw the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin I in mid-January. Karekin I came on his first pontifical visit to the U.S. with the express purpose of unifying the Armenian Church which had been divided during the Cold War into competing factions -- followers of Etchmiadzin in Armenia and followers of Cilicia at Beirut. Karekin I is well placed to unify the Armenian Church since he recently was elevated from his position as Catholicos of Cilicia to the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians at Etchmiadzin. In his meeting with Karekin I, the President stressed U.S. support for his efforts to unify the Church as another anchor of support for the newly independent Armenian state. This was a departure from our Cold War policy, when U.S. President's always saw the Catholicos from both Etchmiadzin and Cilicia to underscore our support for an independent alternative to the church in communist-dominated Armenia. Since the President met with Karekin I in January, another meeting with the Catholicos of Cilicia would not be an effective use of the President's time. Nonetheless, we should recognize his importance to Armenians around the world by arranging a brief meeting with the Vice President. I understand that Office of Public Liaison agrees with this assessment. Marilyn DiGiacobbe noted that a Presidential meeting with the Catholicos of Cilicia would be overload. Instead, she favors focusing on getting the President to the mid-May event the ANC is hosting in California. DECLASSIFIED E.O.13526 White House Guidelines, May 16, 2017 BKDE NARA, Date(6822 2023-0641-5 CONFIDENTIAL Reason: 1.5 (d) Declassify on: 4/22/06 CONFIDENTIAL