Recognition now!

Haytoug magazine about Kurds and Armenians

2009-07-08T04:01:00.000-07:00

Anti-Defamation League: We Do Not Deny Genocide

2008-08-30T04:41:00.001-07:00

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: WE DO NOT DENY GENOCIDE
Abraham H. Foxman National Director

Wicked Local
http://home.wickedlocal.com/2008/08/25/anti-defamation-league-we-do-not-deny-genocide/
Aug 25 2008
MA

With the appointment of a new boss for the New England region of
the Anti-Defamation League, the question of whether his organization
effectively denies the Armenian Genocide is again front and center.

On Friday, the ADL released another statement on the Armenian
Genocide. Readers, please take a look.

At least one Armenian-American advocate has found the statement
"disingenuous" on these grounds: The letter does not address the
fact that the ADL lobbies against Congress calling the deaths of 1.5
million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks "genocide."

No Place for Hate Date: August 22, 2008

Through our partnership, communities have implemented thousands of No
Place for HateÂ® activities, which have engaged tens of thousands of
Massachusetts residents. Additionally, No Place for HateÂ® training
has provided cities and towns with the framework and the support to
respond to hate crimes when they do happen. Our network of No Place
for HateÂ® communities is critical to building a welcoming, inclusive
and safe Massachusetts for all residents.

We are deeply concerned by ongoing questions about our organization's
position with regard to the Armenian Genocide. ADL has never denied
the tragic and painful events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire
against the Armenians, and we have referred to those massacres and
atrocities as genocide. All of ADL's anti hate programs classify
genocide as the ultimate crime against humanity.

There is simply no basis for the false accusation that we engage in
any form of genocide denial, and we believe this characterization of
ADL crosses the boundary of acceptable criticism and falls into the
category of demonization.

It is our sincere hope that this clarifies our position, and that we
can continue to work together to bring this awareness and education
to communities throughout the Commonwealth.

Genocide Denial Issue Sent Back To Policy-Making Board

2008-08-30T04:40:00.000-07:00

Genocide Denial Issue Sent Back To Policy-Making Board
By BRIAN H. KEHRL

The Mashpee Affirmative Action Committee has passed back to the
selectmen the question of the town's continued participation in a
program linked to an organization that some residents claim denies the
occurrence of a historical genocide. In what seemed like a political
hot potato maneuver, the chairman of the affirmative action committee
sent the Mashpee Board of Selectmen a letter last week arguing that,
since the selectmen make up the town's "policy making entity." they
should make the decision about the No Place for Hate program, its
sponsorship by the Anti-Defamation League, and the organization's
refusal to recognize the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century. A
group of residents asked selectmen last month to sever the town's ties
to the No Place for Hate program. 

Selectmen in turn asked the
affirmative action committee, the local sponsor of the pro-tolerance
program, to consider the issue and bring a recommendation back to
them. Despite the controversy, the affirmative action committee this
week continued its pursuit of a grant through the No Place for Hate
program. The committee is currently seeking contributions that would
match a $1,000 grant from the ADL. John J. Cahalane, chairman of the
board of selectmen, said this week that the issue would likely not be
on the agenda of the board's upcoming meeting, on Monday, other than
to acknowledge the board's receipt of the correspondence from the
affirmative action, committee. He said board members are still
researching the matter and are in need of more information before they
can come to a decision. "We are not ready for it yet is basically what
it is," he said. "It is not a priority subject right now by any
means. "Mr. Cahalane said he reviewed the No Place for Hate program
proclamation, which describes a pledge to combat racism, bigotry,
prejudice, and bias, and found he did not disagree with anything in
it. "You read that proclamation and there is no way you could disagree
with it," he said. "It is a national issue, and there is a lot of town
business for us to consider.

We have never before gotten into national
issues, and we haven't discussed yet if we want to now," Mr. Cahalane
said. The Anti-Defamation League, which hosts the No Place for Hate
program, has not only refused to acknowledge that the Turkish
slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians during World War I is
unequivocally "genocide," but it lobbied against a Congressional
resolution that would have identified it as such, Shahkeh Yaylaian
Setian told selectmen last month. Calling the ADL "genocide deniers,"
Ms. Setian implored the selectmen to cut the town's relationship with
the national organization. "[Participants in the No Place for Hate
program] have been duped by ADL, because ADL has not been transparent
about its work to deny the Armenian genocide," she said. Mashpee first
joined the program in 2000, then let its membership lapse because of a
lack of participation, and then re-earned membership last year. The
affirmative action committee never met to discuss the question of
sending the issue back to selectmen, but Town Manager Joyce M. Mason
said this week that it is the chairman's prerogative to make such a
decision without a public meeting. "After careful consideration of the
role of the volunteer members for both the Affirmative Action
Committee and the No Place for Hate Program, of which the members are
to conduct activities and events only, along with the fact that the
Board of Selectmen is the policy making entity, it is recommended that
the request of Shirley Setian relative to the Armenian Genocide
recognition by the Anti-Defamation League and the Town's further
involvement in their No Place for Hate Program be sent back to the
Board of Selectmen," according to the memorandum, written by Chairman
Janice Rhoden.

No Gold Medals For War, Occupation & Genocide

2008-08-30T04:39:00.002-07:00

NO GOLD MEDALS FOR WAR, OCCUPATION & GENOCIDE
By Gideon Polya

MWC News
http://mwcnews.net/content/view/24830/42
Aug 27 2008
Canada

Olympic Medal Tally Analyzed

The top dozen countries in terms of 5 or more Gold medals were the
host nation China (#1, 51 Gold medals), the US (#2, 36), Russia (#3,
23), the UK (#4; 19; the next Olympic host nation), Germany (#5,
16), Australia (#6, 14), South Korea (#7, 13), Japan (#8, 9), Italy
(#9, 8), France (#10, 7), Ukraine (#11, 7), the Netherlands (#12,
7), Jamaica (#13, 6), Spain (#14, 5) and Kenya (#15, 5).

The outcome of the Olympic Games as measured by the Olympic Medal
Tally of the marvellous athletes involved is heavily determined by
a number of major factors as briefly set out below.

1. Wealth i.e. how much countries invest in particular sports. This
is best illustrated the remarkable success of China (#1 for Gold
medals), as well as that of the US (#2), UK (#4) and Australia (#
6). China invested billions in the Olympic Games and both the UK (the
next host) and China made intelligent "investment decisions" that are
reflected in their Success. Australia did disproportionately well in
terms of population size due to its sports-mad culture and massive
investment in science-based sports training through the Australian
Institute of Sport.

2. Population i.e. the size of the genetic pool from which the athletes
are drawn. The biggest gene pools in the top dozen are those of China
(#1, 2005 population 1.3 billion), the US (#2, 300 million) and Russia
(#3, 140 million).

3. Population genetic factors. Thus West African or West
African-derived people (notably from the Caribbean and the Americas
e.g. Jamaica, #13) do very well at short-term endurance events such as
boxing and short-distance running while East African-derived people
(notably from Ethiopia and Kenya, #15) do very well at long-term
endurance events such as long distance running. However the bell-shaped
curve of "numbers" versus "attainment" for each country for particular
sports means that many other countries and regions can also deliver
athletics champions.

4. Sports culture and "cultural sport" are extremely important. Thus
Australia (#6) is sports-mad with a high level of participation. China
(#1) has stepped up participation in sports. As indicated under
population genetic factors above, particular populations go for what
they are good at (e.g. long-distance running for East Africans). While
most countries have joined the "World Game" of football (soccer),
the "top 15" at Beijing included 8 top football countries, namely
Russia (#3 in the Gold Medal Tally), the UK (#4), Germany (#5),
Italy (#9), France (#10), the Ukraine (#11), the Netherlands (#12)
and Spain (#14). Wrestling and weightlifting are major "cultural
sports" in a swathe of Middle East and Asian countries from Turkey
to Mongolia. In contrast, cricket was not an official Olympic event
but is an extremely important sport in the UK (#4) and Australia (#6)
as well as in countries not in the "top 15", notably India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.

5. Serendipity was important in many event outcomes. Thus astonishing
baton-change failures by the Jamaican women and US men allowed lesser
competitors to gain medals. Some swimming events were decided by as
little as 0.01 second.

6. Socio-economic and geopolitical factors such as war, occupation,
devastation and genocide were extremely important. Thus of the "top
15" countries only China (#1), Jamaica (#13) and Kenya (#15) were
not involved in the invasion and occupation of other countries in the
21st century and Russia (#3) only recently invaded Georgia (and then
mostly withdrew) in response to genocidal, civilian targeting, US- and
Israeli-backed Georgian invasion of South Ossetia and destruction of
the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvali during the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games. All 11 of the other "top 15" countries have been variously
involved in the ongoing Iraqi Genocide (post-invasion excess deaths
2 million, refugees 4.5 million) and/or the ongoing Afghan Genocide
(post-invasion excess deaths 3-6 million, 4 million refugees). In
contrast, lack of performance at the Beijing Olympics can be directly
related to colonial, neo-colonial or current devastation by imperialist
powers. Thus Occupied Afghanistan and Mauritius (which hosts the poor
people who were 100% ethnically cleansed from Diego Garcia by the UK
and the US) each won a Bronze medal but Occupied Iraq (soccer Asian Cup
winner in 2007), Occupied Haiti, Occupied Somalia, Occupied Palestine
and Pakistan (whose Waziristan villages are being bombed by the US)
gained no medals of any kind.

For a detailed breakdown of Beijing Olympics involvement by country
see here: for the latest on the Beijing Olympics medal tally -
subject to drug tests - see Yahoo.

The superb Beijing Olympics finished with China leading the World in
the Olympic medal tally (51 Gold, 100 Total) over the US (36, 110),
Russia (23, 72), the UK (19, 47), Germany (16, 41), Australia (14,
46), South Korea (13, 31), Japan (9, 25), Italy (8, 28), France (7,
40), the Ukraine (7, 27), Netherlands (7, 16), Jamaica (6, 11), Spain
(5, 18), Kenya (5, 14), Belarus (4, 19), Romania (4, 8), Ethiopia (4,
7), Canada (3, 18), Poland (3, 10), Hungary (3,10), Norway (3, 10),
Brazil (3, 15), Czech Republic (3, 6), Slovakia (3, 6), New Zealand
(3, 9), Georgia (3, 6), Cuba (2, 24), Kazakhstan (2, 13), Denmark (2,
7), Mongolia (2, 4), Thailand (2, 4), North Korea (2, 6), Argentina
(2, 6), Switzerland (2, 6), and Mexico (2, 3). I'll call this Group
A - the group of countries that generally includes the top past
Olympics performers and all the countries we expect to score gold
medals because of national wealth and size (China, the US, the UK,
Germany, Japan, Italy, France and the Ukraine), wealth coupled with
keen sporting traditions (Australia, Netherlands, Spain, Belarus,
Romania, Canada, Poland, Hungary, Norway, Brazil, Czech Republic,
Slovakia, New Zealand, Argentina and Switzerland) and much poorer
countries with well-established track records in particular sports
that relate to the genetic predispositions of their populations
(e.g. Ethiopia and Kenya in long-distance running and Cuba and Jamaica
in short-distance running).

These successful countries were followed by a number of countries
(I'll call this Group B) who only gained 1 gold medal, namely Turkey
(1 Gold, 8 Total), Zimbabwe (1, 4), Azerbaijan (1, 7), Uzbekistan (1,
6), Slovenia (1, 5), Bulgaria (1, 5), Indonesia (1, 5), Finland (1, 4),
Latvia (1, 3), Belgium (1, 2), Dominican Republic (1, 2), Estonia (1,
2), Portugal (1, 2), India (1, 2), and Iran (1, 2). Group B contains
many countries that don't lead the world in general sporting prowess
but which are both very keen about and very good at particular sports
such as football (Turkey, Belgium, Portugal and Iran), weightlifting
and wrestling (Turkey and Iran) and cricket (Zimbabwe and India).

My Group C contains countries that obtained no Gold medals but which
nevertheless scored Bronze and/or Silver medals, namely Armenia (6
non-Gold medals), Sweden (5 non-Gold medals), Croatia (5), Lithuania
(5), Chinese Taipei (4), Greece (4), Nigeria (4), Austria (3), Ireland
(3), Serbia (3), Algeria (2), Bahamas (2), Trinidad and Tobago (2),
Colombia (2), Kyrgyzstan (2), Morocco (2), Tajikistan (2), Chile (1),
Ecuador, (1), Iceland (1), Malaysia (1), Netherlands Antilles (1),
Singapore (1), South Africa (1), Sudan (1), Vietnam (1), Afghanistan
(1), Egypt (1), Israel (1), Mauritius (1), Moldova (1), Venezuela
(1), and Togo (1).

Group C is similar to Group B in that it contains some countries with
well-known expertise in particular sports notably short-distance
running (Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, and Bahamas), long-distance
running (Algeria), tennis (Croatia, Serbia, Sweden, and Austria),
football (Sweden, Croatia, Serbia, Greece, Nigeria, Columbia),
weightlifting (Armenia), wrestling (Armenia, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan) and winter sports (Sweden and Austria).

Finally, my Group D contains countries who sent athletes to the
Beijing Olympics but which gained no medals at all, namely Albania,
American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Antigua/Barbuda, Aruba, Bangladesh,
Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darusallam, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African
Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cyprus,
CÃ´te D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Djibouti, Dominica, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Fiji,
Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,
Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Jordan, Kiribati, Kuwait,
Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Macedonia (FYROM), Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall
Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Mozambique,
Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Pakistan,
Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,
Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rwanda, St Kitts/Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent
and Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi
Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia,
Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Timor Leste, Tonga,
Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vanuatu,
Virgin Islands, Yemen and Zambia.

All the Group D countries (with the exception of Peru and Saudi Arabia
and the tiny European principalities of Andorra, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Monaco and San Marino) have been subject to European
colonial occupation and its horrendous consequences in the post-war
era.

For a detailed history of the US contribution to this carnage see
William Blum's "Rogue State". For a detailed history and "body
count" of this horrendous burden of war, occupation, devastation
and genocide imposed by the "democratic Nazi" imperialist powers
since 1945 see "Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1905":
http://mwcnews.net/Gideon-Polya. 1990-2005 avoidable deaths (excess
deaths,deaths that should not have happened) in non-European countries
total 1.2 billion, this including a Muslim Holocaust involving 0.6
billion avoidable deaths.

It is useful to sum the 1950-2005 excess deaths in all the countries
occupied by foreign occupiers in the post-war era - country-by-country
analysis. Most of the perpetrators have been European countries and
are listed below alphabetically with both their number of Gold Medals
from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and their "body count" of 1990-2005
excess deaths in the countries they occupied as major occupiers for
some time in the post-war era (excluding Germany and Japan as occupied
countries): Australia (14 Gold, 2.1 million in Papua New Guinea and
Solomon Islands); Belgium (1 Gold, 36.0 million); Ethiopia (4 Gold,
1.8 million in Eritrea); France (7 Gold, 142.3 million); Indonesia
(1 Gold, 0.694 million in Timor Leste); Iraq (0 Gold, 0.1 million
in Kuwait); Israel (0 Gold, 23.9 million); Netherlands (7 Gold,
71.6 million); New Zealand (3 Gold, 0.04 million in Samoa); Pakistan
(0 Gold, 52.2 million in Bangladesh); Portugal (1 Gold, 23.5 million);
Russia (23 Gold, 37.1 million); South Africa (0.7 million in Namibia);
Spain (5 Gold, 8.6 million); Turkey (1 Gold, 0.05 million in Cyprus);
the UK (19 Gold, 727.4 million); and the US (36 Gold, 82.2 million).

For the record, neither China (51 Gold medals, Iran (1 Gold medal)
nor India (1 Gold medal) have occupied any other country over the
last few centuries.

If there were Gold Medals for War, Occupation and Genocide, the
leading Gold medallists scoring over 1 million on this 1990-2005 excess
mortality score would be, in descending order, the UK, France, the US,
Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Belgium, Israel, Portugal and Spain
... or if Gold, Silver and Bronze were given for "total body count"
the UK would get Gold, France the Silver and the US the Bronze.

Dr Gideon Polya, MWC News Chief political editor, published some
130 works in a 4 decade scientific career, most recently a huge
pharmacological reference text "Biochemical Targets of Plant Bioactive
Compounds" (CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, New York & London, 2003),
and is currently writing a book on global mortality ---

Turkey Decries Toronto School Board Genocide Course

2008-08-30T04:39:00.001-07:00

EuropeNews, Denmark Aug 27 2008

The killings of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 is being taught alongside
the Holocaust & 1994 Rwandan genocide

In a letter to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the province's
Ministry of Education, the Turkish Embassy has voiced strong objections
to a Toronto District School Board decision to teach students that
the killing of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 was genocide.

The lessons will come in a new course entitled "Genocide: Historical
and Contemporary Implications" that will be launched with the start
of the new school year in September. The course's three case studies
include the Ottoman's killing of Armenians in 1915, the Holocaust
and the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Although the Canadian Parliament approved a motion in 2004 recognizing
the killings as genocide, the Turkish government has long disputed
the description.

The idea of teaching a course on genocide was first raised three years
ago by a Toronto board trustee, but has since been met with controversy
on all sides. Aside from Turkish objections, the Ukrainian Canadian
Congress advocated that the Holodomor should be included in the course,
and the Muslim Canadian Congress accused the board of religious bias.

As the controversy escalated over what was and wasn't included in
course material, the school board decided earlier this year to strike
a review committee. After a few public meetings, the panel concluded
that the course reading list would need to be approved by a panel of
historical experts.

It's unclear how the Armenian killings were included in the Toronto
school board course proposal, but the inclusion of one book in
particular, Extraordinary Evil: A Brief History of Genocide by Barbara
Coloroso, sparked outrage.

At one point the review committee had agreed to remove Ms. Coloroso's
book from its reading list, which in turn prompted outcry from the
literary community and a letter from Penguin Canada president David
Davidar to the school board defending Ms. Coloroso's credentials as
an educator.

This past June, after months of debate, committee and public review,
the school board decided to include Ms. Coloroso's book as a text
examining the psychology of genocide, and on June 2 gave final approval
for the course to go ahead in 11 Toronto high schools, reaching about
300 Grade 11 students.

Turkish Outrage

That has prompted a backlash from the Turkish Embassy as well as
members of the Turkish community.

"This is a pedagogical thing and goes against traditional Canadian
principles of objectivity, and this is a matter of history...which
should really be immune to political pressures," said Yonet Tezel,
first counsellor at the Turkish Embassy. "That's something for
Canadian educational institutions to consider themselves, we don't
need to remind them of that.

"The school board's decision to go ahead anyway and teach it as
genocide, it's very objectionable, that's why Turkish parents are
concerned, and I sympathize with them."

Mr. Tezel said the Turkish Embassy has communicated its concern to
colleagues at the Department of Foreign Affairs and to provincial
officials that as the school year commences, Turkish Ambassador
Rafet Akgunay will continue to raise his concerns through diplomatic
channels.

The Council of Turkish Canadians has also expressed its disapproval,
especially of the inclusion of Extraordinary Evil.

Lale Eskicioglu, executive director of the Council of Turkish
Canadians, launched a formal complaint against the Toronto District
School Board in November. Ms. Eskicioglu also started a petition,
which she said has collected 12,000 signatures.

"It cannot be taught as genocide," she said. "You can teach it as a
dispute or under Ottoman history maybe, but you cannot teach it in
the same category with Holocaust and Rwanda. This is a very serious
crime. You cannot accuse a nation or its people of that which amounts
to slander and hate propaganda because it's not correct."

For Ms. Eskicioglu, this is a personal plight, and a situation in
which she feels she and her fellow Turks have been wronged.

"Why should my daughter, alongside with her Armenian friends, sit in
the same classroom and hear one-sided inaccurate versions of history,
which is categorized with the worst crime in the world?" Ms. Eskicioglu
asked.

http://europenews.dk/en/node/13407

Sweden’s refusal to recognize Armenian Genocide to harm Turkey

2008-06-14T09:42:00.001-07:00

12th june

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Vahagn Avedian, Chairman of the Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden, told PanARMENIAN.Net that he addressed an open letter to Swedish MPs to point out some major flaws in the stated arguments, mentioning that the Foreign Committee members are either poorly informed on the existing data, reports, conventions and resolutions or they simply disregard the broad information which strongly contradicts their assertions.

“The UNCHR Whitaker Report from 1985, the resolutions issued by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), the UN Genocide Convention, its background and meaning, along with the petition signed by over 60 world leading Holocaust and Genocide scholars were some of the attachments as evidence for the erroneous and misleading information the report suggested. But, the debate on June 11 proofed that the decision had nothing to do with the presented facts.

The more the debate went on, the more it was revealed that no MP could explain, less defend, any of the above mentioned arguments, save for maybe the last one. During the debate, Member of Parliament Hans Linde (Left), talking about the arguments stated in the document repeatedly asked the members of the alliance parties to explain the argumentation in the report and answer three simple and straight forward questions, namely 1) Who are these researchers disagreeing on the reality of the 1915 genocide? 2) If the 1915 genocide can not be recognized due to the chronology of the 1948 UN Convention, how come then the Holocaust is recognized? 3) Why should the fear of extremists inside Turkey dictate the freedom of speech in the Swedish Parliament? None of the defendants could give an answer. This actually might be the only light in the otherwise some what embarrassing situation that the MPs were faced with when trying to evade the questions in whole. Mats Sanders (Moderat/Conservatives) had, literally nothing to add but to refer to the report text. Alf Svensson (Christian Democrats), in regard to the “disagreement among researchers”, was asked to name only one serious researcher who renounces the 1915 genocide. He defended the proposition by stating that he “believes in the information they receive from the Foreign Services… I believe that this is the truth, and if it is proven otherwise, then I am truly sorry.” I am not quite sure if Mr. Svensson really believes in what he stated in that sentence. But then again, who, if not a Christian Democrat would safeguard issues such as moral, human dignity, and stewardship.

Mats Pertoft (Green), one of the co-authors of the motions, pointed out that the 1915 genocide was no different from the climate issue. For couple of years ago, there was a disagreement among researchers about the global warming, but now, even though there are some who still disagree, there is a consensus on the issue among an overwhelming majority of the researchers. The same applies to the 1915 genocide. Mentioning the petition signed by genocide experts, Pertoft joined Linde in urging the MPs to at least deny recognition on political basis and refrain from abusing the name of science and renouncing facts. A day earlier, I, together with Linde and Pertoft, partook in a debate broadcasted live by the Assyrian Satellite TV Station Suroyo. The TV station had invited several other MPs representing the “no” side, but in vain. No one was willing to participate. Linde’s radio debate on the subject, scheduled for the morning of June 11, was also canceled since the MP defending the Foreign Committee proposition had backed out in last second. Maybe, just maybe, the text of the petition, sent to all members of parliament, made a difference by stating that “Today, the data and information about the Genocide of Armenians, Assyrians and Pontic Greeks are so extensive that no serious politician can honestly cite insufficient or inconclusive research as an excuse to avoid recognition.” This was at least true in the case of those who chose not participate in any of the debates, rather than compromising their honesty by being forced to follow their party line and defend their denial of a genocide.

Two politicians defied their parties. Yilmaz Kerimo (Social Democrat), an ethnic Assyrian was one. The other, Lennart Sacrédeus (Christian Democrat), going against his party line, took the podium defending a recognition of the 1915 genocide and ended his statement by adding: “I know that we will stay here again in one year debating the very same question…Turkey will be hit by bad will for every debate in every parliament where this question is deeply associated with Turkey. I think that we acknowledge and can understand the background for why the issue is locked in Turkey; but the truth will set you free and it applies to Turkey and the legacy after Atatürk.” The truth will set you free, but Swedish politicians today displayed that they are neither ready to acknowledge the truth nor willing to set Turkey free from its dark burdensome past.

The debate lasted over three hours, during which the present audience agreed upon one certainty: no one of those recommending the rejection of a recognition could, based on the alleged arguments in the report, explain, less defend their case. It was soon obvious that there simply were no sustainable arguments to be given to explain why Sweden can not recognize the 1915 genocide. The “no” was purely a political decision for maintaining good relations with Turkey, nothing else. But could such a decision actually benefit Turkey? Or Sweden? Or EU? In my opinion, similar decisions and signals are nothing but doing Turkey, and not least oneself, a disservice. What kind of message do we send to a Turkey in urgent need of reformation and democratization when we tell them that it is actually acceptable to cover up crimes and deny facts and the truth? What kind of a democracy does Sweden and EU nourish in Turkey? Notwithstanding, I can not imagine a single Armenian who would not welcome, by European measures, a reformed and democratized Turkey as their neighbor. The same would apply to Assyrians, Greeks, Kurds etc. But, the kind of signals which the Swedish Parliament today sent surely cause more damage to the Turkish process of becoming a more open society than the opposite.

Another paradox in Sweden became evident, namely the existence of the Living History Forum, a government agency created in the wake of the International and Intergovernmental Genocide Conference in Stockholm, 2004. On their web site the mission of the agency is described as follows: “The Living History Forum is a government agency which has been commissioned with the task of promoting issues relating to tolerance, democracy and human rights – with the Holocaust as its point of reference. By spreading knowledge about the darkest sides of human history, we want to influence the future.” The Living History Forum lists the 1915 genocide as one of the genocides in the 20th century and educates the Swedish society about what really happened in the Ottoman Empire during WWI. It seems highly ironic that the Swedish Government and politicians do not practice what they preach. “By spreading knowledge about the darkest sides of human history, we want to influence the future.” Suddenly, Darfur makes total sense. The world which Swedish politicians, or any other politicians for that matter, shape by influencing the future with their denial of genocide is the kind where we do speak of, not a historic, but an ongoing genocide, that in Darfur; and we will most certainly experience yet many more.

The phrase: “history must be left to historians” is often used by the Turkish state and those politicians around the world who do wish to avoid treading Turkish toes by recognizing the 1915 genocide. I did not realize until today how true that phrase is. Actually, I totally agree with the Turkish state on this one: history must be written by historians, not politicians. Today, however, Swedish MPs wrote their own new version of the history, a revised alternative suiting their political agenda, denouncing a broad data and consensus put forward by the expert scholars in the field. I hope that Swedish leaders, as well as all political leaders, would in future leave the research to researchers and base their decision making on presented facts put forward by scholars. Sacrédeus’ prophecy will be fulfilled as the 1915 genocide will most certainly be discussed in the Swedish Parliament again and again. As an answer to the last question I got in the TV debate, about how we will continue when the highly expected rejection in the Parliament comes, I replied “We will go on remembering the genocide of 1915, even after its recognition. We have already started the preparation for the manifestation on April 24, 2009, which, as the last two years, will take place in front of the Swedish Parliament. But, I hope that this time, instead of calling upon the Parliament to recognize the genocide, we will thank the MPs for having recognized it,” Vahagn Avedian said.

On June 11, a long debate took place in the Swedish parliament in regard to the Foreign Committee report on Human Rights, including five motions calling upon the Swedish government and parliament to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.

On June 12, 2008, the Swedish parliament, with the votes 245 to 37 (1 abstain, 66 absent), rejected a call for recognition of the 1915 genocide in the Ottoman Empire. On June 11, a long debate took place in the Swedish Parliament in regard to the Foreign Committee report on Human Rights, including five motions calling upon the Swedish Government and Parliament to officially recognize the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

In its answer (2007/2008:UU9), a majority consisting of the ruling alliance parties together with the Social Democrats (opposition party) proposed rejecting the motions, whereby the Green (Miljöpartiet) and the Left (Vänsterpartiet) parties announced their reservations, forcing the Parliament to have a debate in the main chamber before the proposal was voted on.

The argumentation for why recognition should be rejected was based on four main assumptions: “no particular consideration regarding the Armenian situation has ever been in form of an UN Resolution, either in 1985 or any other occasion; the Committee understands that what engulfed the Armenians, Assyrian/Syrians and Chaldeans during the reign of the Ottoman Empire would, according to the 1948 Convention, probably be regarded as genocide, if it had been in power at the time; there is still a disagreement among the experts regarding the different course of events of the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The same applies to the underlying causes and how the assaults shall be classified; [in regard to the development in Turkey] in the time being, it would be venturesome to disturb an initiate and delicate national process.”

"Christians in Ottoman Empire" international conference to be held in Canada in 2009

2008-06-14T09:41:00.001-07:00

13 june

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Canada-based Union of Middle East Christians has organized a reception to honor Arman Hakobian, Armenia’s Charge d’Affairs in Canada, who answered numerous questions of the attendees during the event, the RA MFA press office reported.

The Union is hopeful that the Armenian Embassy will sponsor the “Christians in Ottoman Empire” international conference that will be held in Montreal in 2009.

The Union of Middle East Christians includes the Coptic Orthodox and Catholic Churches, Chaldean and Assyrian Orthodox Churches and a number of others.

Ukrainians irked over genocide snub

2008-06-14T09:40:00.001-07:00

13 june

Ukrainians irked over genocide snub
1932 Holodomor left off T.O. board's list of atrocities

By BRETT CLARKSON, SUN MEDIA
June 13, 2008



Leaders of an "insulted" Ukrainian community last night blasted the
Toronto District School Board for approving a genocide class that
doesn't include the 1932-33 Holodomor in its list of three atrocities
to be studied in-depth.

The TDSB last night unanimously approved the course design for the
Grade 11 genocide class, which will focus mainly on three mass murders
-- the 1915 Armenian genocide, the Holocaust, and the 1994 Rwandan
genocide.

But a board superintendent, Nadine Segal, said other genocides,
including the current Darfur crisis as well as the Soviet-engineered
Ukrainian Holodomor famine, will be touched upon in a broader, survey
context. Students will have the opportunity to choose other genocides
for independent study, Segal said.

The three atrocities studied in-depth will introduce the students to
the concept of genocides and crimes against humanity to give them the
tools to look critically at the world and its atrocities, she said.

"There's certainly no attempt to undermine anybody's tragedy or to
suggest that anyone's suffering is less important than anyone else's,
by focusing on the three that we did," Segal said.

The Ukrainians at the packed meeting last night were angered by the
decision because they want the Holodomor to be a core area of study in
the course, while members of the Turkish-Canadian community were upset
over the inclusion of the Armenian genocide.

"We're insulted as a worldwide Ukrainian community, and we're insulted
as a local community," said Markian Shwec, president of the Ukrainian
Canadian Congress Toronto branch. "We have 100,000 people in Toronto,
over 1.2 million Canadians are of Ukrainian descent, and we're being
refused the opportunity to teach one of the worst tragedies of mankind
(as a core component), so we are insulted."  The 50 or so
Turkish-Canadians, who carried placards that read "Stop Armenian Hate
Propaganda!", said Turks dispute the genocide claim, and that the 1.5
million Armenian deaths were a result of war and two million Muslims
in the Ottoman Empire also died.

"I don't want our kids to be subjected to this kind of hate
propaganda," said Ali Bukey, 52, a Turkish-Canadian.

But Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National
Committee of Canada, disagreed.

"These people are ultra-nationalists who are propagating the Turkish
government's policy of denial," Babikian said. "These people don't
represent the Turkish-Canadian community. They are extremists."

The class, which will be offered in 12 high school across the city in
September, is the first of its kind for the school board.

TDSB approves high school course on genocide

2008-06-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

13 june

Toronto - A controversial high school course on genocide has been
unanimously approved by the Toronto District School Board.

The Globe and Mail reports about 50 protestors waved Turkish flags and
picket signs outside the board's North York office Thursday night
objecting to the inclusion of the Armenian genocide as one of the
course's three-case studies.

Meanwhile, a group of Ukrainian-Canadians sat in meeting to support
the inclusion of the Ukrainian genocide.

Board members say they hope the new course will help promote
cross-cultural understanding and awareness of the dangers of
stereotyping and prejudice.

RICHARD HOVHANNISIAN TO GIVE LECTURE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2008-03-30T11:21:00.002-07:00



Noyan Tapan
March 28, 2008

Richard G. Hovannisian, a professor of Armenian and Near Eastern
History at the University of California, Los Angeles, will present
two lectures about Armenia in the Florida Atlantic University. The
first lecture, entitled "The Armenian Genocide as a Prototype,"
will take place on April 2 in the Senate Chambers of the Student
Union of Florida Atlantic University. The second lecture, entitled
"The Changing Landscape of Historic Western Armenia," will take place
on April 6 in the Grand Palm Room of the Student Union Building.

CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO TAKE PLACE IN JERUSALEM

2008-03-30T11:21:00.001-07:00

Noyan Tapan
March 28, 2008

JERUSALEM, MARCH 28, ARMENIANS TODAY - NOYAN TAPAN. A symposium on the
commemoration of the Armenian Genocide will take place in the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem on April 29. As they report from the local
Armenian community, professor Israel Charney will be the main speaker.

HPRB APPROVES CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MUSEUM IN WASHINGTON

2008-03-30T11:20:00.002-07:00

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.03.2008 14:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a public hearing convened on March 27, the
Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), which is charged with
responsibility for the protection, enhancement and perpetuation of
properties of historical, cultural and aesthetic merit in the District
of Columbia, in a unanimous vote gave concept approval for the Armenian
Genocide Museum of America (AGMA). The plans call for restoring the
exterior of the historical bank building, modifying the interior to
accommodate the museum exhibits, and building a new glass structure
next to the historic bank, which will be surfaced with native Armenian
stone to complement the bank building, AGMA told PanARMENIAN.Net.

HPRB Chairman Tersh Boasberg complimented AGMA and its team for their
care in developing a project, "that~Rs what historic preservation is
all about," adding that AGMA~Rs plans for the structure to deal with
the Armenian Genocide were "exciting."

Van Krikorian, chairman of the museum building and operations
committee, opened by thanking HPRB members for the interest they have
taken in the project. He stated that AGMA is excited about the project,
and is moving forward with special "sensitivity to the history of the
building," and stressed that AGMA wanted to preserve the historical
building in which it will be housed, especially considering our
experience from the Genocide and Armenians~R own sensitivity to
preserving important historical structures. He thanked the HPRB and
those who had contributed for their involvement and assistance.

Upon hearing principal architect Gary Martinez present in detail
the proposed museum and the restoration plans for the former bank
building located two blocks from the White House, HPRB also commended
AGMA for the team assembled to create what it described as a "highly
imaginative project." HPRB described the museum plans as "dramatic"
use of the historically-designated building. Details of some sensitive
interior issues remain to be worked out as the development progresses,
and AGMA indicated its flexibility in working with the HPRB in that
process.  HPRB Commission members and staff had several questions
and constructive comments.

Earlier in the week, the AGMA planning team made presentations to
the DC Preservation League and the Advisory Neighborhood Committee~Rs
Community Development Committee (ANC-CDC). The DC Preservation League,
a community-based organization, strongly endorsed the project and
its representative Patrick Burkhardt called the proposal to locate
a museum in the historic building a "textbook marriage." The ANC-CDC
also endorsed the project.

Following the unanimous vote, Krikorian again thanked the HPRB, the
AGMA staff, architects, exhibit planners, and project managers, adding
"this is a great day for all of us committed to opening a first class
Armenian Genocide Museum in Washington." HPRB Chairman Boasberg closed
the hearing by saying that the Armenian Genocide Museum project will
"add to the kind of vitality that historic preservation can provide"
in the heart of downtown Washington, with a benefit for the District
of Columbia as well as national and international audiences.

The former National Bank of Washington has interior and exterior
designations on the National Register of Historic Places. Only a
dozen privately-owned structures in the capital city have such a
high level of historic designation. The bank building is slated for
complete restoration and renovation, as well as application as the
exhibit space for AGMA. HPRB concept approval and enlistment of local
community support registered two certified milestones in opening the
museum on schedule.

HPRB commissioners are appointed by the mayor of the District of
Columbia. The presentation they heard was prepared by the firm of
Martinez & Johnson Architecture, whose talents and experience in
rehabilitating especially ornate historic buildings was noted. The
architectural team was supported by representatives from Gallagher &
Associates contracted by AGMA as its exhibit design firm, the Armenian
National Institute serving as the research arm of the museum project,
and by the project management firm of Regan Associates.

Martinez & Johnson Architecture and Gallagher & Associates have been
working on the development of the museum project since mid-2007. Regan
Associates joined the planning team in February of this year. Among
several museum and other projects led by the firm, most recently
Regan Associates completed the Orientation Center, Education Center,
and Museum at Mount Vernon Estates, the home of President George
Washington.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE

2008-03-30T11:20:00.001-07:00

armradio.am
28.03.2008 17:07

Upon the initiative of Armenia, on March 28 in Geneva the UN Human
Rights Council adopted the Resolution on "Prevention of Genocide." This
was the first resolution on prevention of genocide ever adopted in
the UN Human Rights system.

The Resolution is the continuation of Armenia's previous initiative
in the UN in the direction of genocide prevention and is aimed at
discussing the synchronization of the activity of mechanisms addressing
the issue of early prevention, elaboration of the early warning signs,
the practical level of genocide prevention.

The adoption of the resolution is characteristic also with regard to
the fact that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the International
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

This resolution that enjoyed broad support was co-authored by 58
countries, including all the EU member states, Switzerland, Austria,
Argentine, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Norway and others.

KNESSET PANEL TO CONSIDER RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

2008-03-30T11:18:00.001-07:00


By Shahar Ilan, Haaretz Correspondent

KarabakhOpen
27-03-2008 10:55:40

The Knesset decided Wednesday that a parliamentary committee will hold
an unprecedented hearing on whether to recognize the World War I-era
mass murder of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as a genocide. The
decision to hold a hearing, which was proposed by Meretz Chairman
Haim Oron, was approved by a 12-MK margin. The government did not
oppose the motion. The Knesset House Committee will decide whether
the issue will be handed over to the Knesset Education Committee,
as Oron wants, or to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, as
requested by Yisrael Beiteinu MK Yosef Shagal. The latter generally
holds hearings behind closed doors. Advertisement Oron wants the
committee to recognize the Armenian genocide, pointing out that similar
recognition has been afforded recently by the French parliament and the
United States Congress. "It is appropriate that the Israeli Knesset,
which represents the Jewish people, recognize the Armenian genocide,"
said Oron. "It is unacceptable that the Jewish people is not making
itself heard." The Meretz MK added that he raises the proposal every
year ahead of Armenian Genocide Day, which falls on April 24. Minister
Shalom Simhon, who represented the government in the Knesset debate,
did not object to sending the issue to committee. Simhon said the
Jewish people have a special sensitivity to the issue and a moral
obligation to remember tragic episodes in human history, including
the mass murder of the Armenians. Nonetheless, Simhon added that,
"in the course of time this has become a politically charged issue
between Armenians and Turks ? and Israel is not interested in taking a
side." Shagal warned that recognizing the killings as a genocide could
have repercussions for Israel's diplomatic relations with Turkey, as
well as the fate of tens of thousands of Jews who live in Azerbaijan.

UPCOMING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION IN MONTEBELLO

2008-03-21T08:36:00.001-07:00




       This April 24 marks the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.  As in previous years, the Armenian nation will commemorate
the martyrs of the Genocide.  By commemorating Armenians pay tribute to
their ancestors. This has also become a tradition for the new
generation, in order to keep alive the torch of the Armenian struggle
until its just and complete resolution.

       Today, the Turkish government not only denies the Genocide, but
also spares nothing to revise history in an effort to confuse the
world.  The more Turkey continues this denialist policy, the more we, as
Armenians, must demonstrate strong will and commitment.  Thus, while our
cause is symbolically represented by April 24, it cannot be limited to
commemorations on that day.  Our multi-faceted cause demands continuous
work, coordination, and a united spirit between Armenia and the Diaspora.

       Manifesting our united spirit, this year the Armenian Genocide
United Commemoration Committee has decided to organize a pilgrimage to
the Armenian Martyrs Memorial Monument at Bicknell Park in Montebello,
California.  Each participant will be given a chance to place a flower
in memory of the victims, and join our brothers and sisters in the
homeland, who traditionally make the same pilgrimage to the
Dzidzernagapert Martyrs Memorial Complex.

       The Armenian Genocide United Commemoration Committee will
provide free transportation to those who wish to participate in this
program.  The pilgrimage will continue every year, in order to make it a
tradition.

       Our national consciousness demands that every Armenian
participate not only in commemorative activities, but also become active
in the pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

ANTI-GENOCIDE ACTIVISTS VISIT HUNDREDS OF CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES DURING ADVOCACY DAYS IN WASHINGTON

2008-03-21T08:35:00.000-07:00



armradio.am
19.03.2008 11:46

Over 100 anti-genocide activists from across the nation joined
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and the Genocide
Intervention Network (Gi-Net) for their second annual "End the Cycle
of Genocide" campaign held in Washington, DC.

The three day program, hosted for the second year in a row by the ANCA
and the GI-Net, puts community human rights advocates directly in touch
with dozens of legislators and every single Senate and House office
in support of practical legislative initiatives to stop the genocide
in Darfur and end Turkey's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide.

"It was so wonderful to participate with the Genocide Intervention
Network once again this month to advocate on these important human
rights issues," commented ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director,
Karine Birazian. "It was exciting to see new and familiar faces
throughout the region participate. We will continue to work to build
momentum and push genocide legislation forward in Congress."

Birazian, along with activists from the Eastern Region, spent three
days on Capitol Hill meeting with various members of Congress as
well as distributing informational folders on the Armenian Genocide
and the genocide taking place in Darfur, and highlighting legislation
pertaining to these matters. Eastern Region activists including those
from Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Virginia visited close to
300 offices in the House of Representatives and over 60 offices in
the Senate.

Eastern Region activists met with over 50 congressional offices,
including Members of the House Committees on Foreign Affairs,
Intelligence, and Homeland Security many of whom are cosponsors of
H. Res. 106.

Those in attendance took part in a reception on Wednesday evening
during which several representatives spoke out on this important
issue and stressed the need to continue to lobby and push forward for
genocide recognition. At the close of the Advocacy Days, activists
were invited to tour the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington, DC.

NUMEROUS ANTI-GENOCIDE ACTIVISTS VISIT CONGRESSMEN AND DISTRIBUTE INFORMATIONAL FOLDERS CONCERNING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

2008-03-21T08:34:00.000-07:00



Noyan Tapan
March 20, 2008

WASHINGTON, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. Over 100
anti-genocide activists from across the nation joined the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) and the Genocide Intervention
Network (Gi-Net) for their second annual "End the Cycle of Genocide"
campaign held in Washington, DC from March 12-14th.

The three day program, hosted by the ANCA and the GI-Net, puts
community human rights advocates directly in touch with dozens of
legislators and every single Senate and House office in support of
practical legislative initiatives to stop the genocide in Darfur and
end Turkey's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide.

ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Karine Birazian, along with
activists from the Eastern Region, spent three days on Capitol Hill
meeting with various members of Congress as well as distributing
informational folders on the Armenian Genocide and the genocide taking
place in Darfur.

STEPHEN FEINSTEIN, GENOCIDE SCHOLAR, PASSES AWAY

2008-03-18T13:14:00.001-07:00



AZG Armenian Daily
11/03/2008

Toronto, Canada-It was with shock and great sadness that we at the
Zoryan Institute learned of the passing yesterday of our colleague and
friend, Stephen Charles Feinstein. His departure marks the loss of an
important scholar, great educator, active associate of this institute,
and strong friend of the Armenian people. His death, while speaking
at a local Jewish Film Festival, caught everyone by surprise, as,
aged only 65, he seemed robust and full of energy. He was taken to
hospital where he died of an aortic aneurism that resulted in cardiac
arrest. His wife Susan was with him the entire time.

In the words of Vahakn N. Dadrian, Zoryan's Director of Genocide
Research, "His selfless and very effective involvement in the promotion
of studies that went beyond focused Holocaust themes and incorporated,
in particular, the Armenian Genocide, was a monument to his sublime
humanity. We will all sorely miss him."

As a Holocaust specialist, Steve was quick to appreciate the
significance of the interconnections between the Holocaust and
the Armenian Genocide. He worked energetically to introduce the
Armenian Genocide into the curriculum and public programs of the
University of Minnesota, creating, among other things, a very useful
teacher's resource kit and producing in conjunction with Minnesota
Public Television an award-winning documentary film, "The Armenian
Genocide: 90 Years Later." Under his supervision, the CHGS's website
(www.chgs.umn.edu) became a rich and valuable source of reliable
information on all aspects of the Holocaust and genocide.

Prof. Feinstein was the Director of the Center for Holocaust and
Genocide Studies since 1999, as well as an Adjunct Professor of
History at the University of Minnesota. Previously, he had taught
in the Dept. of History at University of Wisconsin-River Falls for
thirty years until retirement.

He had received a Ph.D. in Russian and European History from New York
University in 1971,and an MA in European History and Art from there in
1966. Steve had a scholarly interest in the artistic representation
of genocide. He wrote and lectured about it, organized art exhibits,
and his site provides a rare showcase for the art of Jewish, Armenian,
and other genocides.

In 2003, he helped organize a partnership between the University of
Minnesota and the International Institute for Genocide and Human
Rights Studies (A Division of the Zoryan Institute) to run the
highly regarded annual Genocide and Human Rights University Program
simultaneously in Minneapolis and Toronto. The partnership provided
official accreditation to the program in both locations. He served
both as Co- Director of the program and taught in it at both locations.

"In all my dealings with Steve, I found him to be both visionary in
seeing the benefits of collaboration between our two organizations,
as well as eminently practical in helping to overcome the inevitable
obstacles to such undertakings. He will be missed not only for his
vision and his scholarship, but also for his leadership in field
of genocide studies as a master educator," said Greg Sarkissian,
Zoryan's President.

Stephen sought to foster scholarly research and increase public
knowledge about the history and politics of ethnic and national
conflict in the eastern Mediterranean, with the hope that the
knowledge developed would contribute to reconciliation among the
diverse peoples of the region. In this respect, he collaborated through
the CHGS with scholars such as Eric Weitz and Taner Akcam on several
research projects with various other institutions around the world,
including the Zoryan Institute.

Always a man of conviction in the defence of truth, Stephen Feinstein
was one of the prominent signatories to the famous statement of 126
Holocaust scholars at the Thirtieth Conference on the Holocaust and
the Churches in 2000 "affirming that the World War I Armenian Genocide
is an From left to right: Houry Koolian, Sonia Bal, Greg Sarkissian,
Stephen Feinstein, Roger Smith incontestable historical fact and
accordingly urge the governments of Western Democracies to recognize
it as such."

Roger W. Smith, Chair of Zoryan's Academic Board, in remembering his
late colleague, stated that "Steve, whom I knew for many years and
worked with in many contexts, was one of the finest persons I have
ever known: he had integrity, intellect, generosity, and a universal
perspective that included all peoples. He knew a great deal about
tragedy and suffering, but transcended them with humanity and that
ever present sense of humour."

"Steve was well known for his numerous contributions to the field,
through his own research, teaching, public lecturing, organizing
conferences and publishing, and particularly through the help and
support he provided to countless students and scholars in their
respective efforts," commented George Shirinian, Executive Director
of the Zoryan Institute.

"He was outstanding for his countless efforts at outreach and
networking with others in the field. His collaboration, irrepressible
humour, benevolence and warm friendship will be greatly missed by
all of us at the Zoryan Institute."

Steve leaves his wife Susan, two children, and two grandchildren. The
funeral will be held at Temple Beth-El in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota,
Friday afternoon at 2:00 PM. The family has requested that any memorial
donations be directed to the Center for Holocaust and Genocide

ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC., 255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310,
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9, Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736
E-mail: zoryan@zoryaninstitute.org, www.zoryaninstitute.org

A GREAT EXPERT ON GENOCIDE DIES ON THE JOB

2008-03-18T13:13:00.002-07:00


Edwin Black

The Cutting Edge
http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=345
March 12 2008
DC

Of one America's most knowledge experts on genocide suddenly passed
away a few days ago.

Historian Stephen Feinstein, 65, died on the job last week during a
presentation at the Minneapolis Jewish Film Festival. Feinstein lapsed
mid-sentence during his remarks. His wife reportedly rushed to his side
and summoned paramedics. But at the hospital nothing could be done to
repair what was close to an aortic aneurism. The loss to his family,
to his friends, to the community and to scholarship will be permanent.

As the founder and director the University of Minnesota's Center for
Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Feinstein was a expert on the unlimited
darkness surrounding humanity's greatest atrocities-the effort to
destroy an entire people by means of genocide. His collection of
books and articles was on the finest. His cavernous knowledge of the
small but important details was as encyclopedic. As smart as he was,
he was never afraid to learn more, and raced toward new facts the
way a thirsty man runs toward water.

Feinstein fearlessly devoted himself to the spectrum of the evil,
from the Holocaust, to the decimation of the American Indian, to
the Turkish genocide against Armenians, to the current systematic
mass murders in Darfur. He was fearless because he stood up to the
politics of genocide. Although pressured and threatened by Turkish
elements, he refused to desist in publicizing and documenting the
Ottoman genocide against Armenians. When the USHMM in Washington
tried to dismiss the Nazi-allied pogrom against Iraqi Jews, known as
"the Farhud," Feinstein refused to back down. When it came time to
shine a bright light on the Carnegie Institution's financial and
scientific support for Nazi eugenics, he worked vigorously.

I knew him as a close friend, a man who responded instantly by email,
but never carried a cell phone... a man who was as knowledgeable as any
about current events, but refused to subscribe to cable TV... a man
who invited me as a University lecturer on more than one occasion to
Minneapolis, but refused to let me stay in a hotel, instead insisting
I be a guest in his own home.

Like all his friends, I knew Feinstein's other side. When one spends
your entire day studying the most depressing aspects of history,
two unstoppable feelings grip you. Sometimes your clinical academic
stride is suddenly pierced by jolting disconsolation. Sometimes you
relieve the pressure with jokes. Feinstein was a ceaseless jokester.

That made him so human in a field of inhumanity, and helped those
around him know that his view held that progress required rising
above it-and that meant breaking free from the paralysis of evil
deeds. Once he and I shared a meal of Mongolian yak in a Minneapolis
ethnic restaurant. He never let me forget it, making yak jokes at
almost every turn.

Since obituaries by friends can be objective only to a point, let me
confess the following. I have worked closely with literally hundreds
of historians and experts around the world. They have their names
engraved in granite in the great centers of learning, from Berlin to
Jerusalem to London. But the ones I trust the most can be counted on
one hand: Bob and Sam and a few others. Feinstein in Minneapolis was
amongst those five. We have lost him today, but history will remember
his work for a long time.

Memorials may be sent to the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies,
University of Minnesota Foundation, Box 70870, St. Paul, MN 55170.

ANTI-GENOCIDE ACTIVISTS END FIRST DAY OF CAPITOL HILL ADVOCACY

2008-03-18T13:13:00.001-07:00



armradio.am
13.03.2008 11:11

Activists from more than a dozen states spread out across Capitol
Hill today for the first of three days of non-stop anti-genocide
advocacy, capped with an evening reception featuring powerful remarks
by outspoken Congressional human rights leaders, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

The three day program, hosted for the second year in a row by the ANCA
and the Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net), puts community human
rights advocates directly in touch with dozens of legislators and every
single Senate and House office in support of practical legislative
initiatives to stop the genocide in Darfur and end Turkey's ongoing
denial of the Armenian Genocide.

The day began with an early morning briefing in the Aramian Conference
Room at the ANCA national headquarters and powerful welcoming remarks
by Jackie Kanchelian-Speier, a veteran of the California legislature
and currently a leading candidate running in the Special Election to
fill California's 12th Congressional District. If elected, former
State Senator Speier will become the second Armenian American in
Congress, alongside Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA). In her remarks,
she touched on her long experience in advocating Armenian American
issues and urged the gathered activists to remain vigilant and act
effectively in seeking to end the cycle of genocide.

Among the legislators in attendance at the Capitol Hill reception
on Wednesday evening were Representatives Jim Costa(D-CA), Rush Holt
(D-NJ), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James McGovern
(D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Laura Richardson
(D-CA), and John Tierney (D-MA).

The expanded program, titled the "End the Cycle of Genocide: Grassroots
Capitol Campaign," is taking place from March 12th through 14th. Having
completed a full day of meetings, the activists will continue their
visits on Thursday and Friday, including a tour of the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial and Museum.

The activists called for a broad range of steps to end the Darfur
Genocide, among them increased funding for peacekeepers, divestment
from Sudan, and support for a comprehensive regional peace, as well,
of course, for the adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H.Res.106 and S.Res.106).

AMERICAN PROFESSOR DENIES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CLAIMS

2008-03-18T13:11:00.002-07:00



Turkish Daily News
March 13 2008

The alleged Armenian genocide never happened and foreign reporters at
the time wrote false stories about things they never saw, said Justin
McCarthy, an American professor, at a conference titled "Enemies of
the Truth" Tuesday.

McCarthy, author of the book, "The Ottoman Peoples and the End
of Empire, 2001" said, "Western reporters wrote that thousands of
Armenians were killed by the Turks in Sasun between the 1890s and 1912,
however it is impossible to report what happened from Sasun to Kars
in Britain on the same day. It used to take a week to go from Sasun
to Kars," and added, "how did those reporters manage to report all
that on the same day if they had never been there?"

"Western reporters were liars, they only talked to missionaries and
Armenians and never wrote about the Turks killed in the region,"
he said. "Those who lie about history are enemies of the truth and
they have reasons for doing this," said McCarthy and added that those
reasons were propaganda, getting an Armenian state in the region or the
donations that they received. McCarthy also complained about Western
newspapers, which published and still publish the false statistics
of the 1890s, according to which around one million Armenians lived
in eastern Anatolia. "If those statistics are right, the Armenian
population in the region should be larger than the Turks, Kurds and
other minorities, but they were not," said McCarty, adding that those
statistics, which were said to be Ottoman, in fact were not. "Ottomans
never counted people using their nationalities.

The basis was being Muslim or non-Muslim," he said.

ARMENIAN WOMAN HAVING EXPERIENCED GENOCIDE TURNS 100 IN URUGUAY

2008-03-18T13:11:00.001-07:00



Noyan Tapan
March 13, 2008

MONTEVIDEO, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The International
Women's Day, March 8 was distinguished by a unique event in the
Armenian community of Uruguay: Ovsanna Agirmayan Kakosian turned 100
on that day.

Spiritual leaders, relatives, and friends visited her. An entertainment
was organized in a warm atmosphere, and to the accompaniment of
Armenian music Mother Ovsanna danced with her friends.

Speaking to Diego Karamanukian, the Director of Radio Arax, Mother
Ovsanna said: "I was born in Hachn, when I was seven we became
migrants, I lost my parents in Der Zor, in consequence of it with my
younger brother we were admitted to the AGBU orphanage and learnt
there. Then I married Panos Kakosian. Because of the slaughter we
moved to Kirkuk and Monsul in Iraq, then to Beirut. "My brother told
that when working in the bread factory he saw a dog with a paper
fixed to its neck, which warned them to leave the place quickly,
as a slaughter of Armenians had been planned," Mother Ovsanna told.

Conveying her behest to the youth, the 100-year-old Armenian women,
who has experienced the Armenian Genocide, said: "I wish the new
generations to love the Armenian nation and to keep the Armenian
language."

SENATOR CLINTON PLEDGES TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE IF ELECTED

2008-02-09T09:53:00.003-08:00

armradio.am
04.02.2008 10:25

Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), a cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution (S. Res. 106), urged Congress to adopt this critical
human rights legislation, saying if elected president, she would
speak candidly about the events of 1915.

Clinton is the second presidential candidate, following Senator
Barack Obama (D-IL), to issue a statement on the Armenian Genocide
in the past week. She is currently the only presidential candidate
to cosponsor the resolution.

Clinton said she has twice written to President Bush urging him
to properly characterize the crimes as genocide in his annual
commemorative statement.

"Our common morality and our nation's credibility as a voice for
human rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian Genocide be
recognized and remembered by the Congress and the President of the
United States," Clinton stated.

"If the mass atrocities of the 20th Century have taught us anything
it is that we must honestly look the facts of history in the face in
order to learn their lessons, and ensure they will not happen again,"
she continued.

"It is not just about the past, but about our future."

Turning to the atrocities in Darfur, Clinton said that the U.S. "must
close the gap between words and deeds" to prevent such modern-day
crimes, adding, "As President, I will work to build and enhance
U.S. and international capacity to act early and effectively to
prevent mass atrocities."

Clinton also pledged to improve U.S.-Armenia relations and address the
issues facing the two nations including, increasing trade, fostering
closer economic ties, fighting terrorism, strengthening democratic
institutions, pursuing military partnership and deepening Armenia's
cooperation with NATO.

If elected, she would expand assistance programs to Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh, and increase cooperation on regional concerns,
such as a fair and democratic resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"The Assembly thanks Senator Clinton for her longstanding support
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution and for calling on Congress to
adopt legislation properly recognizing the first genocide of the 20th
century," said Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "It is in the best
interest of this country, and the entire global community, to remember
the terrible lessons of 1915 and ensure they are never repeated."

LA LAWYER BATTLES GIANTS FOR ARMENIAN 'GENOCIDE' HEIRS

2008-02-09T09:53:00.001-08:00

Agence France Presse
Feb 05 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Lawyer Vartkes Yeghiayan has been waging a long
and hard battle against US and French giants for million-dollar claims
from Armenians dating back to the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.

Thousands of unpaid insurance policy claims have flowed in from the
Armenian diaspora across the globe to Yeghiayan's small legal firm
in Glendale, a Los Angeles suburb with the largest concentration of
Armenians in the US.

In his two-decade crusade, Yeghiayan and a small team of lawyers have
won 37.5 million dollars for clients after settling two cases with
New York Life in 2004 and later in 2005 with French insurers AXA in
California courts.

But the silver-haired, 71-year-old lawyer is pragmatic about his
quest to seek a financial settlement for the heirs of Armenian
account-holders, who lost their lives or assets in the mayhem of
World War I and before the birth of modern Turkey in 1923.

Armenians say at least 1.5 million were killed from 1915 to 1917 in
what they call a campaign of deportation and murder by the Ottoman
Empire. The claims are denied by Turkey, which says hundreds of
thousands died on both sides after Armenians took up arms for
independence.

Several of Yeghiayan's own family members perished, including a
grandfather whose name, however, does not appear on his lists of life
insurance policies which were never honored.

"These are not genocide lawsuits. What we are talking about is
companies making an immoral profit," said the former Peace Corps
assistant director.

"It's not for the money. It's the concept that your grandfather felt
there was a danger and wanted future protection for his family. As one
of the beneficiaries said, 'That's a sentiment I will always cherish.'"

The heirs of 9,500 Ottoman Armenians who had bought policies are
eligible to benefit from the New York Life and AXA deals, which also
have to cover more than seven million dollars in legal expenses and
fees. Any unclaimed funds have been earmarked for Armenian charities
and the church.

Yeghiayan's odyssey started back in 1986 when he was reading the
memoirs of the US ambassador to Ottoman Turkey, Henry Morgenthau.

In a meeting with then interior minister Mehmed Talaat Pasha,
Morgenthau was asked for a list of Armenians who had taken out
insurance policies with American companies. The Turkish minister
argued the Ottoman government was the rightful beneficiary since
there were no heirs.

Morgenthau, who had reported back to Washington on the horrors which
his consuls were witnessing, stormed out of the meeting.

For Yeghiayan, that passage was a moment of revelation.

"That's when I jumped out of bed," says Yeghiayan.

With the enthusiasm of a detective, he launched a massive paper-trail
hunt which took him from the State Department to the National Archives
and finally into the insurers' annual reports and aging archives.

Taking gambles, such as turning down an initial settlement offer, he
courted the help of influential Armenians in California's political
hierarchy to help clear legal hurdles.

In the November 2005 AXA settlement, the largest number of some
9,000 claims came from Armenia, where a poster campaign gave details
about the case and sought claimants, followed by the United States,
and France.

As in the earlier New York Life case, for which the funds have already
been disbursed, claimants from far apart as Brazil, Bulgaria and
Lebanon were also represented.

Under the terms of the settlement, New York Life denied any wrongdoing,
but "concluded that it is in its best interests to settle this action
... in order to avoid the expense, inconvenience and interference
with its ongoing business operations that would result from further
litigation."

But treasure-hunters will be disappointed -- the average award per
policy amounts to a modest 6,000-7,000 dollars in the so-called Class
Action cases.

Undeterred by recent setbacks in court, Yeghiayan now has his sights
set on Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank of Germany.

Deutsche Bank told AFP they "do not comment on pending legal
procedures," but both banks, through their lawyers, have denied any
liability, arguing the suit amounted to "unconstitutional" meddling
in Germany's foreign affairs.

Despite emergency heart surgery in 1999, Yeghiayan has no plans to step
down. "I realize the other side may have 3,000 lawyers and that Vartkes
will not be around forever, but what am I going to do if I retire?"

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT IN WALES SMASHED ON UK'S HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

2008-02-09T09:52:00.003-08:00

Infoshop News
Feb 6 2008

Contributed by: WorkerFreedom
Views: 51

Armenians and Welsh came together on January 27 to pray for victims
of all genocides on the United Kingdom's Holocaust Memorial Day and
to remember the first anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink,
the journalist killed for raising the issue of the Armenian Genocide
in the Turkish press.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT IN WALES SMASHED ON UK'S HOLOCAUST
MEMORIAL DAY

Armenians and Welsh came together on January 27 to pray for victims
of all genocides on the United Kingdom's Holocaust Memorial Day and
to remember the first anniversary of the assassination of Hrant Dink,
the journalist killed for raising the issue of the Armenian Genocide
in the Turkish press.

As they gathered they discovered the ornate slate cross on the Armenian
genocide monument (pictured here) smashed into pieces with a hammer
left at the scene. The Armenian Genocide Monument was desecrated on a
symbolic day designated to recall the events, consequences and lessons
of the darkest days of human history in a deliberate and premeditated
act of vandalism.

Kind of sick, don't you think?

The monument in Cardiff is to remember 1.5 million Armenians who were
massacred in 1915. IC Wales reports it caused controversy at the time,
with members of the Turkish community denying the killings amounted
to genocide.

Caerphilly Councillor Ray Davies, who campaigned for the Armenian
monument to be erected, said many people at the service were close
to tears when they saw what had happened.

"The desecration of the monument reminds us that we must always
be vigilant against racism and hatred which is never far from the
surface," he said.

Director of the Welsh Centre for International Affairs Stephen Thomas
said: "It was particularly saddening for the Armenians present that
this happened on the day of the Holocaust Memorial Day. This service
wasn't specific to the Armenians. We were trying to be all-inclusive
about all those historical events where people have been massacred.

It wasn't very helpful in terms of trying to create a bridge and
links between Turkey and Armenia that this was carried out. People
were upset when they turned up and saw what had happened."

Hal Savas, a member of the five-man delegation from the Committee
for the Protection of Turkish Rights, was present at the service.

"Whoever has done it should be ashamed of themselves," he said. "We
would condemn any damage done to any religious monument."

The following is from AZG Armenian Daily.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT DESECRATED ON HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION DAY

The tiny Welsh Armenian community of Cardiff were targeted with a
despicable racist attack on Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27). The
new Armenian Genocide Monument (which was erected by the community
under the leadership of John Torosyan in November ) was desecrated in
the early hours of the morning before important ceremonies were held
today to Commemorate the Holocaust,and to remember Hrant Dink. The
ornate Armenian Cross on the monument was smashed to bits by persons
unknown using a hammer, which was left at the scene of the crime.

Turkish protesters disrupt Holocaust and Hrant Dink Commemorations

One of the Welsh Armenians said: "This is our holiest shrine. Our
grandparents who perished in the Genocide do not have marked graves.

This is where we remember them" Eilian Williams of Wales Armenia
Solidarity said that he blamed the so-called "Committee for the
Protection of Turkish Rights", under the leadership of Hal Savas for
the crime. We shall repair the cross again and again no matter how
often it is desecrated. We also challenge the UK government and the
Turkish Embassy to condemn this racist attack.

The Holocaust commemoration was a gesture of friendship by Welsh
Armenians towards the Jewish and Roma communities During the
Prayers for the Holocaust victims, the said Turkish Committee used
a loud-speaker to disrupt proceedings. Finally Martin Shipton, chief
reporter for the "Western Mail" the national newspaper of Wales gave
his tribute to Hrant Dink (also representing the National Union of
Journalists). The Turkish protesters also disrupted his speech.

TURKEY PLANS TO COMBAT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE AT THE HAGUE

2008-02-09T09:52:00.001-08:00


By John C. K. Daly

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Feb 6 2008

The tragic events in eastern Anatolia in 1915 continue to roil not
only Turkish-Armenian relations, but the international community and
Turkish-American relations as well.

For more than 25 years, Yerevan and the Armenian diaspora have lobbied
to have the events in the wartime Ottoman Empire labeled as the 20th
century's first case of genocide, a definition that successive Turkish
governments have furiously lobbied against. Now the issue seems set to
appear before The Hague's International Court of Justice and Permanent
Court of Arbitration.

At issue is the February 2001 genocide resolution adopted by France,
which concisely states: "France publicly recognizes the Armenian
genocide of 1915." It was a largely symbolic act, since it did not
allow for the prosecution of those who deny that the 1915 massacre was
genocide. At the time Ankara was furious, but despite the dispute,
trade between France and Turkey grew 22% in 2002 and by 2006 had
increased 131% (Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2007).

The issue has never really gone away, however. Last week veteran
Turkish diplomat Sukru Elekdag, from the opposition Republican
People's Party (CHP), brought up the issue following talks at the
French parliament, where he was part of a Turkish Grand National
Assembly delegation. Elekdag suggested that France should reconsider
its legislation under the terms of the 1948 UN Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. "We can go to
the Internal Court of Justice with France and ask whether the law
adopted in France in 2001 is in compliance with the agreement in 1948
and whether the 1915 incidents constitute genocide."

Speaking to Today's Zaman, Elekdag expanded on his observations,
saying, "What would the authorized court rule if we assume that the
UN Convention could be implemented retrospectively? ... It is obvious
that the court will rule that the French parliament is not authorized
to make such a decision, and it will also have to announce that the UN
Convention cannot be implemented retrospectively due to the principle
of legality. This means that the 1915 incidents cannot be described
as genocide. If the ICJ makes such a ruling, then Armenia's genocide
allegation will entirely collapse" (Today's Zaman, February 5).

Elekdag, a former foreign ministry undersecretary and former ambassador
to the United States, has a history of opposing international efforts
to label the events of 1915 as genocide.

Speaking at the "Turkish-Armenian Relations and 1915 Incidents"
symposium at Ankara's Gazi University in 2005, he declared, "The
Armenian diaspora's accusing Turkey of genocide is a legal crime"
(Anatolian Times, November 25, 2005).

Having attempted to battle the decision in the media, the Turkish
government is now set to take its case to The Hague. Ankara will
argue that since France's genocide resolution was not based on any
French court decision, then the French National Assembly's decision
should be based on a prior ruling by an international court. Elekdag
told Hurriyet, "There is no international court ruling on the
Armenian so-called genocide allegations. Is the French parliament a
court? France is thus in the position of having disregarded the 1948
UN Convention" (Hurriyet, February 4).

Turkey will propose that Ankara and Yerevan each select three judges,
who in turn will select a chairman. The panel will review Turkish
archival material as well as the Dashnak (Armenian Revolutionary
Federation) Party archives in Boston, Armenian Patriarchate archives,
and those of foreign missions in the Ottoman Empire at the time
to determine the validity of their documents. The survey will be
followed by an extensive forensic survey of possible contributory
factors such as demographics and disease, ending with testimony from
relevant parties.

Even if Turkey succeeds in its Hague appeal the issue is hardly likely
to go away for Ankara, as many EU politicians insist that Turkey must
recognize the Armenian genocide before it can join the European Union.

The issue has also crossed the Atlantic. On January 30, 2007,
U.S. Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA), George Radanovich (R-CA), and the
co-chairs of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) introduced a resolution to recognize the
Armenian genocide, which was only tabled in October after furious
lobbying by the Bush administration (see EDM January 23, October
12, 17, 2007). Undeterred, Congressional critics in the House of
Representatives recently introduced a new resolution condemning the
January 19, 2007, murder of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink
(Panarmenian.net, February 5). Furthermore, Democratic presidential
candidates Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton have both stated that,
if elected, they will recognize the Armenian genocide.

The imbroglio seems to be a classic case of political posturing versus
historical reality, and the only certainty is that the issue seems
unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.

ZUBKOV LAID WREATH TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS MEMORIAL

2008-02-09T09:50:00.001-08:00

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.02.2008 16:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, the Russian delegation led by Prime Minister
Victor Zubkov laid a wreath to the memorial to Armenian Genocide
victims. The officials commemorated the innocent murder victims with
a minute of silence.

The Russian Prime Minister also planted a fir at the Memory Alley.

CAMPUS HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM WILL SHED LIGHT ON GENOCIDE

2008-02-09T09:49:00.000-08:00


By Carla M. Collado

Gazette Newspapers, CA
Feb 7 2008

It's not every day that Southern Californians get to meet genocide
survivors.

Next week, California State University, Long Beach, will invite the
community to meet these survivors and learn more about such global
issues at the President's Forum on International Human Rights focusing
on "Modern Genocides and Global Responsibility."

The forum - free and open to the public - will take place Monday
through Wednesday throughout the CSULB campus. Scheduled events
include art exhibits, panel discussions with human rights experts, film
screenings, genocide survivor testimonies and musical performances,
among other things.

CSULB President F. King Alexander said the three-day forum is the
first of several forums the university will host down the road focusing
on international human rights issues (education, health and genocide
are just some).

"We're doing a lot to internationally engage our campus on lots of
issues and to broaden the understanding and broaden our level of
interest to include some very important issues that impact world
affairs," Alexander said.

He said the university chose to lead with a forum focusing on genocide
because it is such a high-profile topic in the news today.

"It's so we all have a better understanding of what we need to do as
a global society to eradicate such global atrocities," he said.

One of the highlights will be the keynote address at 7 p.m. Monday
(at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center) by Francis Deng, the United
Nations' special representative of the secretary-general on the
prevention of genocide and mass atrocities. Over the decades, Deng has
served as representative of the United Nations secretary-general on
internally displaced persons, as senior fellow at the United States
Institute of Peace, as human rights officer in the United Nations
Secretariat and as ambassador of the Sudan to Canada, Denmark, Finland,
Norway, Sweden and the United States.

Other guest speakers include Ishmael Beah, who lived as a child soldier
in Sierra Leone and wrote about his experiences in "A Long Way Gone:
Memoirs of a Boy Soldier;" Immaculee Ilibagiza, who survived the
Rwandan genocide in 1994 and told her story in her book "Left to
Tell;" and Ervin Staub, psychology professor at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst, who has helped develop radio programs in
Rwanda, Burundi and the Congo to promote healing and reconciliation
and prevent new violence.

Panel discussion topics will include definitions of genocide,
scholars in conversation on the Armenian genocide, survivors'
testimonies, redress and reconciliation and policy response and the
role of governments. There also will be multiple film screenings and a
"Working for Change" career fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at
the Friendship Walk on campus with representatives from organizations
that fight for human rights.

Alexander said the forum offers events for people with different levels
of interest and urged the community to take advantage of the experts,
films and discussions taking place at the forum.

"Great universities E this is what we do, and this is what we should
do - provide access to special events that many cities don't provide,"
he said.

Beyond the three-day forum, Alexander said that CSULB faculty members
have been asked to incorporate discussions on human rights issues into
their classes (in courses on international affairs, political science,
sociology and world politics, for instance). He said professors can
use the forum as an opportunity to raise awareness, internationally
engage students and broaden their access to international media.

"We think that we'll get a lot out of this that lasts more than three
days," Alexander said.

The President's Forum on International Human Rights is being sponsored
by the CSULB Foundation, the Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual
History and Education at the University of Southern California,
the Port of Long Beach, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the California
Conference for Equality and Justice, Behr Paints and Lowe's of Central
Long Beach.

While the forum is open to the public, seats will be filled on
a first-come basis. For a complete schedule of events, parking
information and other details, visit www.csulb.edu/humanrights.

Pledges To Recognize Genocide If Elected

2008-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

PLEDGES TO RECOGNIZE GENOCIDE IF ELECTED

KarabakhOpen
07-02-2008 17:20:56

Washington, DC - Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), a cosponsor of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution (S. Res. 106), today urged Congress
to adopt this critical human rights legislation, saying if elected
president, she would speak candidly about the events of 1915.

Clinton is the second presidential candidate, following Senator
Barack Obama (D-IL), to issue a statement on the Armenian Genocide
in the past week. She is currently the only presidential candidate
to cosponsor the resolution.

Clinton said she has twice written to President Bush urging him
to properly characterize the crimes as genocide in his annual
commemorative statement.

"Our common morality and our nation's credibility as a voice for
human rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian Genocide be
recognized and remembered by the Congress and the President of the
United States," Clinton stated.

"If the mass atrocities of the 20th Century have taught us anything
it is that we must honestly look the facts of history in the face in
order to learn their lessons, and ensure they will not happen again,"
she continued.

"It is not just about the past, but about our future."

Turning to the atrocities in Darfur, Clinton said that the U.S. "must
close the gap between words and deeds" to prevent such modern-day
crimes, adding, "As President, I will work to build and enhance
U.S. and international capacity to act early and effectively to
prevent mass atrocities."

Clinton also pledged to improve U.S.-Armenia relations and address the
issues facing the two nations including, increasing trade, fostering
closer economic ties, fighting terrorism, strengthening democratic
institutions, pursuing military partnership and deepening Armenia's
cooperation with NATO.

If elected, she would expand assistance programs to Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh, and increase cooperation on regional concerns,
such as a fair and democratic resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

"The Assembly thanks Senator Clinton for her longstanding support
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution and for calling on Congress to
adopt legislation properly recognizing the first genocide of the 20th
century," said Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "It is in the best
interest of this country, and the entire global community, to remember
the terrible lessons of 1915 and ensure they are never repeated."

TURKEY CARRIES OUT PROPAGANDA AGAINST FACT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE EVEN IN PRISONS OF COUNTRY

2007-11-19T08:17:00.001-08:00



Noyan Tapan
Nov 16, 2007

ADANA, NOVEMBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. In one of the prisons of Adana the
actors of the Chukurova's Center of Culture and Art have staged the
"Yell: the tale of the so-called Armenian Genocide" performance.

As the Turkish press reports, the performance has been staged within
the frameworks of the cultural events organized by the management of
the prison for the prisoners.

Idris Shahin, the Head of the Chukurova's Center of Culture and Art,
declared that the above-mentioned performance "telling about the
tale of the Armenian Genocide" will also be performed in a number of
villages of Turkey.

TURKEY'S NEW ENVOY SAYS GENOCIDE TALK IS HARMFUL

2007-11-19T08:16:00.002-08:00


By Bridget Johnson Staff Writer

The Daily News of Los Angeles
November 11, 2007 Sunday
VALLEY EDITION

INTERVIEW: DIPLOMAT IN L.A. BELIEVES FOCUS ON PAST PREVENTS
RECONCILIATION WITH ARMENIA.

U.S. lawmakers should not fixate on the Armenian Genocide bill, which
is an insult to many Turks and a roadblock to reconciliation between
Turkey and the Armenian community, the new Turkish consul general in
Los Angeles said.

In a recent interview with the Daily News, R. Hakan Tekin said his
country strongly objects to the Armenian Genocide legislation that
passed the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last month, which labels
as genocide the killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during
World War I.

The committee's 27-21 vote has raised ire in Turkey and was slammed
by some U.S. lawmakers and commentators for the potential harm it
might do to U.S. relations with Turkey, a longtime strategic ally of
America and NATO partner.

Turkey briefly pulled its U.S. ambassador, Nabi Sensoy, back to Ankara
after the vote.

"It certainly had an effect on our bilateral relations," Tekin said
of the bill, which was shelved late last month under increasing
political pressure.

"It's about our history and it's about, in our opinion, a misreading
of our history... To many of us, it's even insulting. ...

"We don't know now where it will end," Tekin said Wednesday at the
Wilshire Boulevard consulate.

Turkey severed military ties with France after that country's lower
house passed a bill last year making it a crime to deny the Armenian
killings were genocide.

Tekin, who assumed the consul general post six months ago and oversees
12 Western states, said lawmakers should not "legislate history." He
noted that in 2005 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked
Armenian President Robert Kocharian to form a joint commission of
historians to study the disputed 1915 events, a proposal that has
not been accepted.

"We are not scared of our history, and we are not trying to hide
anything," Tekin said. "And if this commission is established,
we will accept whatever result it reaches. ... It is (time for)
the Armenian side to make a move."

Tekin believes it is the size and influence of the U.S. Armenian
community that has kept the issue alive.

"Why are the Armenian events of 1915 brought to the Congress of the
U.S.?" he asked. "Because there is a strong Armenian voting bloc in
the country.

"Why is not, for instance, the massacres in Kenya carried out by the
then-British imperial government not brought to the Congress? Because
there are no Kenyan voters here.

"When you politicize history, you pick and choose and you lose
objectivity, and then you are prone to the pressures of narrow group
interests."

Tekin also said Armenians in Armenia appear less focused on the past
than the Armenian diaspora.

"It doesn't seem that for the Armenians of Armenia proper, it carries
that much priority ... because Armenia now has much more serious
problems for day-to-day life," he said.

Unfortunately, he said, continued lobbying by Armenian groups in
the U.S. on claims that the Turks slaughtered more than 1 million
Armenians from 1915 to 1918 hurts chances at reconciliation.

"And that's really sad, in my opinion, because both countries,
Turkey and Armenia, have a lot to gain to improve their relations,
to establish normal relations in our region," he said. "We need that."

When asked about the potential of the resolution to revive hostilities
between the two communities, Tekin brought up the history of
assassinations of Turkish diplomats in Los Angeles: Consul General
Mehmet Baydar and his deputy, Bahadir Demir, slain in 1973 by Gourgen
Yanikian at a Santa Barbara hotel; and Consul General Kemal Arikan,
shot to death by Harry Sassounian and a second gunman in Westwood
in 1982.

A group calling itself Justice Commandos for the Armenian Genocide
claimed responsibility at the time for Arikan's slaying.

"(It) has been ignored by many people here that two of my predecessors
... have been killed by Armenian terrorists here in Los Angeles, and
nobody speaks about that," Tekin said. Black-and-white portraits of
the three slain men adorn the wall outside the door to Tekin's office.

The consul general now receives special protection from the State
Department, Tekin said.

Still, Tekin said Turks and Armenians have a lot in common: They are
bonded not only by a border, but by cultural similarities as well.

"In a thousand years, maybe we had this trouble period of 20 years,
15 years, and the result here is a hostility," he said. "In Turkey,
we don't preach hatred toward Armenia."

Armenian Genocide denial campaign reached Turkish prisons

2007-11-19T08:16:00.001-08:00


16.11.2007 20:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A performance titled `Tales about so-called Armenian
Genocide' was staged in a prison in Adana, Turkish media reports. The
performance was shown in the framework of cultural events for
prisoners and will be also staged in some Turkish villages, Yerkir
reports.

Greenway park plaque will mention Armenian genocide

2007-11-19T08:15:00.002-08:00

Greenway park plaque will mention Armenian genocide
Final wording to be determined by city, Turnpike Authority


By Thomas C. Palmer Jr.
Globe Staff / November 17, 2007

A park being donated for the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway by the
nonprofit Armenian Heritage Foundation will include a plaque that
refers to all immigrant groups but also makes an explicit reference
to the Armenian genocide of the early 20th century.

more stories like thisWording suggesting the park commemorates the
1.5 million deaths of Armenians around 1915 at the hands of Turks
contradicts the intentions of planners over the last decade, who
insisted the Greenway not be politicized or be a place for statues,
plaques, or memorials.

Although the wording for a plaque is not final, officials of the
Mayor's Central Artery Completion Task Force, an influential advisory
group, acknowledged at a meeting this week that the specific historic
event would be mentioned.

Nearly 100 years after it occurred, the Armenian genocide remains an
intensely emotional issue. Turkey, an ally of the United States in a
part of the world where the United States has few friends, rejects
the term genocide. The Turkish government has said a proposed
congressional resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide would
severely damage US relations.

In Boston, the final say on the plaque will be made by the
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the City of Boston, which both
support the proposed wording. The city and the agency are negotiating
with the task force and the Armenian Heritage Foundation, a local
group that is sponsoring the park, on the project.

The park and plaque are the result of a campaign by the local
Armenian community since 2000 to find a Boston location for a
commemoration of their ancestors. Because the gift of a park was
opposed by some planners and community activists, the plaque's
proposed wording has been broadened to refer to the diverse set of
immigrant groups that, like the Armenians, sought refuge in the
Boston area.

One objection has been that the Armenian Heritage Foundation did not
follow the specific public process for Greenway proposals approved by
the Federal Highway Administration.

"I would like to go on record that this is not acceptable as a
process," Anne Fanton, a member of the task force, said Thursday. "We
want to be certain that this never happens again."

The proposed park, with a 60-foot-diameter paved labyrinth, a
sculpture, and water jet and reflecting pool, has been hailed as
inspired in design and supported by many in the North End community.

The issue of the plaque's wording surfaced several times during a
Thursday meeting on the park. North End community leader Nancy Caruso
said she understood from previous private meetings that the park
would be dedicated to all immigrants but not have a specific
reference to the genocide.

But, asked specifically whether there would be mention of the words
"Armenian genocide," task force cochairman Rob Tuchmann said, "There
will be."

James M. Kalustian, representing the Armenian Heritage Foundation,
the group sponsoring the park, agreed. "The current wording as being
discussed includes a reference to the Armenian genocide," he said.

Yesterday, Erkut Gomulu, president of the Turkish American Cultural
Society of New England, who has opposed placement of the park on the
Greenway, said any plaque should not reference a specific group's
history.

"It's supposed to be inclusive of all communities, right?" he said.
"It's claimed it will not be a memorial. On the other hand it will
have 'genocide' in the wording."

The board of the conservancy that will assume responsibility for
operating the Greenway once it's completed has called for a
moratorium of at least five years on any memorials.

"An awful lot of people have worked hard to try to get to a place
that works for everyone," said conservancy chairman Peter Meade. "We
want the Greenway to become a noncontroversial place where everybody
in our community is welcomed."

But Meade's organization does not have an active role in the
discussion.

Tuchmann said he did not consider the park or the plaque a memorial.
Genie Beal, a member of the task force and chair of the board of the
Boston Natural Areas Fund, yesterday agreed.

"It says 'Armenian genocide' in the last line. I think that's a good
solution," said Beal. "It's not a memorial, it's a 'thank you' " to
the foundation for the gift of a park.

AXA to pay descendants of victims of the Armenian genocide - report

2007-11-19T08:15:00.001-08:00


11.18.07, 2:31 PM ET


PARIS (Thomson Financial) - Insurance company AXA will on Monday make
the first of a series of payments to descendants of victims of the
Armenian genocide, Le Parisien reported.

The company will pay 1 mln usd to three Franco-Armenian charity
organisations, the report said.

In total, around 14.5 mln usd will go to descendants of people who
took out life insurance policies in what is now Turkey, before 1915.
A further 3 mln usd will go to humanitarian and educational
organisations.

All the payments are due to be made by the end of 2008, the paper
reported.

Human Rights Supporters Condemn Congresswoman Harman For Genocide Denial At

2007-11-19T08:14:00.004-08:00

Los Angeles, CA - Over one hundred and fifty human right supporters, led by
the Armenian Student Association and the Armenian Graduate Student
Association at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) organized a
demonstration on Saturday, November 10, 2007 on their campus to highlight
the genocide denial being practiced by Los Angeles area Congresswoman Jane
Harman (D-CA-36).  Last month it was revealed that Harman had secretly
issued a letter in opposition to the Armenian Genocide resolution (H. Res.
106), while publicly being listed as a supporter of the measure.

Expressing solidarity with the demonstrators were representatives of the
Darfur Action Committee and Members of both the UCLA Undergraduate and
Graduate Student Governments.  A number of media outlets covered the
protest, which included a broad cross-section of human rights supporters,
young and old, who were united in their belief that Harman's deceitful
actions on the genocide bill fall far beneath even the most basic ethical
standards that her constituents have a right to expect.

Harman was at UCLA to be honored by the Dashew Center for International
Students and Scholars.  Sources indicate that Congresswoman Harman and the
Dashews have a decades old relationship, as evidenced by Congressional
remarks on September 10, 1996 and involved participation in Dashew Center
events in 1998 and 2001.  At the event, Harman was awarded the Jacoby
International Award, though it was not made clear why she was being granted
this little known honor.  As onlookers watched, a number of Turkish students
attended the Dashew event to express their solidarity with the
Congresswoman.

"Jane Harman should be ashamed of herself," commented UCLA AGSA Executive
Officer Raffi Kassabian.  "As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, for her
to argue that the 'time is not right to recognize the Armenian Genocide' is
outrageous.  Clearly, Jane believes it is better for Congress to remain
silent in the face of Turkish denials and threats.  Her failure to speak
truth to power is immoral and, quite frankly, an embarrassment," he added.

Last month, Harman was the focus of a demonstration that shut down a
political event in Lakewood, California.  The Lakewood event brought
together over one hundred activists from the Armenian Youth Federation who
hail from in and around the 36th Congressional District represented by
Harman.  Human rights champions in the Los Angeles area have vowed to
highlight Harman's immoral position on the Armenian Genocide at all public
events she attends in California and elsewhere.  To date, thousands of
emails have been sent to her legislative aides to convey their disgust with
the Congresswoman's denial of the Armenian Genocide and opposition to H.
Res. 106.

The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian-American grassroots political organization. Working
through a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the US and
around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian-American community on a broad range of issues.

TURKEY'S NEW ENVOY SAYS GENOCIDE BILL IMPEDES RECONCILIATION

2007-11-19T08:14:00.003-08:00

By Bridget Johnson, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Nov 11 2007

U.S. lawmakers should not fixate on the Armenian Genocide bill, which
is an insult to many Turks and a roadblock to reconciliation between
Turkey and the Armenian community, the new Turkish consul general in
Los Angeles said.

In a recent interview with the Daily News, R. Hakan Tekin said his
country strongly objects to the Armenian Genocide legislation that
passed the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last month, which labels
as genocide the killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during
World War I.

The committee's 27-21 vote has raised ire in Turkey and was slammed
by some U.S. lawmakers and commentators for the potential harm it
might do to U.S. relations with Turkey, a longtime strategic ally of
America and NATO partner.

Turkey briefly pulled its U.S. ambassador, Nabi Sensoy, back to Ankara
after the vote.

"It certainly had an effect on our bilateral relations," Tekin said
of the bill, which was shelved late last month under increasing
political pressure.

"It's about our history and it's about, in our opinion, a misreading
of our history... To many of us, it's even insulting. ...

"We don't know now where it will end," Tekin said Wednesday at the
Wilshire Boulevard consulate.

Turkey severed military ties with France after that country's lower
house passed a bill last year making it a crime to deny the Armenian
killings were genocide.

Tekin, who assumed the consul general post six months ago and oversees
12 Western states, said lawmakers should not "legislate history." He
noted that in 2005 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked
Armenian President Robert Kocharian to form a joint commission of
historians to study the disputed 1915 events, a proposal that has
not been accepted.

"We are not scared of our history, and we are not trying to hide
anything," Tekin said. "And if this commission is established,
we will accept whatever result it reaches. ... It is (time for)
the Armenian side to make a move."

Tekin believes it is the size and influence of the U.S. Armenian
community that has kept the issue alive.

"Why are the Armenian events of 1915 brought to the Congress of the
U.S.?" he asked. "Because there is a strong Armenian voting bloc in
the country.

"Why is not, for instance, the massacres in Kenya carried out by the
then-British imperial government not brought to the Congress? Because
there are no Kenyan voters here.

"When you politicize history, you pick and choose and you lose
objectivity, and then you are prone to the pressures of narrow group
interests."

Tekin also said Armenians in Armenia appear less focused on the past
than the Armenian diaspora.

"It doesn't seem that for the Armenians of Armenia proper, it carries
that much priority ... because Armenia now has much more serious
problems for day-to-day life," he said.

Unfortunately, he said, continued lobbying by Armenian groups in
the U.S. on claims that the Turks slaughtered more than 1 million
Armenians from 1915 to 1918 hurts chances at reconciliation.

"And that's really sad, in my opinion, because both countries,
Turkey and Armenia, have a lot to gain to improve their relations,
to establish normal relations in our region," he said. "We need that."

When asked about the potential of the resolution to revive hostilities
between the two communities, Tekin brought up the history of
assassinations of Turkish diplomats in Los Angeles: Consul General
Mehmet Baydar and his deputy, Bahadir Demir, slain in 1973 by Gourgen
Yanikian at a Santa Barbara hotel; and Consul General Kemal Arikan,
shot to death by Harry Sassounian and a second gunman in Westwood
in 1982.

A group calling itself Justice Commandos for the Armenian Genocide
claimed responsibility at the time for Arikan's slaying.

"(It) has been ignored by many people here that two of my predecessors
... have been killed by Armenian terrorists here in Los Angeles, and
nobody speaks about that," Tekin said. Black-and-white portraits of
the three slain men adorn the wall outside the door to Tekin's office.

The consul general now receives special protection from the State
Department, Tekin said.

Still, Tekin said Turks and Armenians have a lot in common: They are
bonded not only by a border, but by cultural similarities as well.

"In a thousand years, maybe we had this trouble period of 20 years,
15 years, and the result here is a hostility," he said. "In Turkey,
we don't preach hatred toward Armenia."

EXPLAINING THE FATE OF THE 'GENOCIDE RESOLUTION'

2007-11-19T08:14:00.001-08:00

David Merahn

Turkish Daily News
Nov 12 2007

The past few weeks have shown a dramatic turn around in one of
the most contentious issues facing American-Turkish relations: the
so-called Armenian Genocide resolution. After the Oct. 10 vote in
the Committee of Foreign Affairs, it looked like the resolution was
on a path towards a general vote in the House of Representatives.

Turkish officials were outraged, and sympathetic Americans railed
against the measure on the floor of Congress. Then, all of a sudden,
the resolution found its support decreasing, as many Representatives,
including co-sponsors began to drop out. From outside Congress, this
seemed like a dramatic and sudden turn around. The media seemed to
lack a cohesive explanation, and other stories, mostly surrounding
Turkey's southern border, distracted from the issue.

On the surface it looks like that if this resolution were ever going
to succeed it would have been now; the Speaker of the House, who sets
its agenda, is Nancy Pelosi. She is from California, a state that
has a substantial and powerful Armenian constituency. Yet discussions
with three leaders in congress, Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-Texas),
Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky) and Congressman Robert Wexler
(D-Florida), reveals why this resolution needed to be defeated and
the multifaceted effort that was executed to ensure that it was -
efforts taken by both those in Turkey and the US.

These discussions revealed that on the larger scale Turkey's reaction
was extremely important. Initially many criticized Turkey for the
threatened actions, which would weaken both the U.S. and Turkey
itself. However, as Rep. Whitfield points out "while it sounds tough,
Turkey was right to speak out, there is no reason for [the resolution]
to pass. Prime Minister Erdoðan is a mature and measured leader,
and I believe he wouldn't put our continued work together at risk."

Turkey's aggressive reaction, which included governmental threats
accompanied by civilian protests, demonstrated the importance of the
issue in Turkey, an importance of which many in the U.S. were unaware.

The measure was also opposed by informed and powerful figures within
the American foreign relations community. "The resolution has been
opposed in a letter from all living Secretaries of State, and three
Secretaries of Defense, that is a diverse group of people, and I
think it took a lot of my colleagues by surprise," said Rep.

Whitfield. A point further supported by Congresswoman Granger: "Many
in congress think that because it's just a resolution and doesn't have
any action attached to it, they don't see it as important as it is,
to take action against an ally." She goes on to highlight how the
legislative nature of the resolution led to a more flippant approach
to the issue, "If you don't understand how it's viewed in Turkey it's
easy to think it's not such a big deal - I mean we pass resolutions
to congratulate sports teams."

How the change came?

The fact that the Turkish reaction took many in Congress who originally
supported the resolution by surprise opened the door to begin the
process of changing their minds. However, supporters really began to
drop after action taken by their fellow Representatives. As Granger
commented, "A lot of people worked very hard to change our colleagues'
minds, literally one by one when needed."

Congressmen like Robert Wexler made a point to demonstrate how
important it is to preserve the two nations' "strategic partnership,"
saying, "My sense is that most people have great empathy for the
tragedy and suffering of the Armenian community but they understand
[Congress members'] first priority is to protect American lives and
anything that disrupts the safety of the troops, like this resolution
might, will make them stop and ask 'why are we doing this?'" The
combination of all these collective efforts makes it look like the
resolution has been defeated for now.

While it is unlikely that the resolution will be called to vote anytime
soon, the prospect is not entirely removed: "The resolution has been
around forever, it's one of the reasons we formed the Turkish caucus
in Congress," Granger said.

The U.S. and Turkish relationship has been strained, regardless of
whether the resolution is ever called to vote. While the governments
of the two nations have had several high-ranking meetings in the
past weeks and are collectively ushering in a new phase of their
relationship, the potential lasting damage from the resolution is
its effects on popular sentiment.

With Turkish opinions of America already at an all time low, this
most recent incident is only salting a wound that has already been
in need of treatment for sometime, a sentiment best summed up by
Congressman Whitfield: "Turkey is a vital part on our war on terror
and a key diplomatic ally, but what's more important than all that is
the relationship between the two nations, and the two peoples. We need
to stop thinking these relations matter only when there is a crisis."

* David Merahn is with the BAC Military Science.

ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE SCHOLAR TOURS U.S.

2007-11-19T08:12:00.000-08:00


By Rosie Malek-Yonan

Assyrian International News Agency
Nov 12 2007

Like an umbilical chord still connected to its bitter past, the
Assyrians cannot detach from the events perpetrated against their
nation by the Ottoman Turks, Kurds and Persians in the shadows of
WWI. The past looms unsettled. The past waits patiently and stubbornly
to be made right so that the Assyrian nation can finally be at
peace. The Assyrian nation has been mourning its dead for 92 years. It
is time to lay them to rest with honor. It is our human right.

Assyrian nationalists and educators such as Mr. Sabri Atman are
doing their part to educate and create worldwide awareness of the
recognition of the Assyrian Genocide.

This week, Assyrians of America welcome Mr. Atman in their midst. His
arrival in the U.S. is indeed a bittersweet encounter for the Assyrians
of this region. We are reminded of the importance of remaining vigilant
today in safe guarding our history and our past to ensure our nation's
future so that it may be free from oppression and persecution.

Mr. Sabri Atman, founder and director of the Assyrian Seyfo Center in
Europe, is presenting a lecture on the topic of the Assyrian Genocide
entitled "Genocide, Denial, and the Right of Recognition." The
five-city American tour that began in Los Angeles on November 9th
at the Assyrian American Association of Southern California, will
continue on to San Jose (November 10th), Turlock (November 11th),
Detroit (November 16th), and end in Chicago (November 17th) before
he heads for Armenia with the same powerful message.

I had the honor of attending Mr. Atman's lecture in Los Angeles. He
presented the facts clearly and succinctly. But what was most striking
about his presentation was his unshakable conviction to demand justice
for his Assyrian nation from the Turkish government.

"Today we are not blaming every Turk or Kurd for the past events. But
this was done to us in their name," said Mr. Atman.

Indeed, the silence of the majority and the opposition of many today
to recognize the Genocide of the Assyrians, Armenian and Greeks,
only emphasizes the support of the denial of these Genocides.

Mr. Atman carried with him a palm size reddish stone from his homeland
in Southeast Turkey where he is banned from ever visiting.

The stone is a constant reminder of the bitter memories of not just
his family's past but also the past of the Assyrian nation that is
perpetually battling 92 years of defiance by the Turks.

Like most Assyrian families, the death of his grand parents at the
hands of the Ottoman Turks, is a memory that follows him daily. "The
Assyrian nation has inherited incredible scars."

"We Assyrians live in many different countries, but our existence is
not recognized. Our fundamental rights are not recognized," said Mr.

Atman. According to him, the year 1915 was one of the dirtiest pages
of Turkish history and consequently, "the Assyrian people did not
just suffer a tragedy. They suffered a genocide!"

It is true that as children, we Assyrians grew up learning and hearing
about the atrocities committed against our nation during WWI.

"We shed tears of blood," resonated Mr. Atman. A statement I know
only too well when I remember the eyes of my own grandmother, who was
a survivor of the Assyrian Genocide. She was one of the lucky ones,
unlike the rest of her family.

"We are the grandchildren of the Genocide. They owe us an apology."

An apology that is long overdue.

Armenian genocide mustn't be forgotten

2007-10-21T13:31:00.002-07:00

The Miami Herald, FL

Oct 13 2007


Armenian genocide mustn't be forgotten

Posted on Sat, Oct. 13, 2007
By HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS

A divided U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved
House Resolution 106 condemning the Armenian genocide. Below are
excerpts.

The Armenian genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman
Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly two
million Armenians, of whom 1.5 million men, women, and children were
killed, 500,000 survivors were expelled from their homes, and which
succeeded in the elimination of the over 2,500-year presence of
Armenians in their historic homeland.

- On May 24, 1915, the Allied powers -- England, France and Russia --
jointly issued a statement explicitly charging for the first time
ever another government of committing ``a crime against humanity.''

- The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders
involved in the ''organization and execution'' of the Armenian
genocide and in the ``massacre and destruction of the Armenians.''

- As displayed in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Adolf Hitler,
on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by saying ''[w]ho, after
all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?'' and set the
stage for the Holocaust.

- Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term ''genocide'' in 1944, and who
was the earliest proponent of the United Nations Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, invoked the Armenian case as a
definitive example of genocide.

- In 1948, the U.N. War Crimes Commission invoked the Armenian
genocide 'precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern
term `crimes against humanity' is intended to cover'' as a precedent
for the Nuremberg tribunals.

- The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency,
unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum would include the Armenian genocide and has since
done so.

- On June 5, 1996, the House of Representatives adopted an amendment
to House Bill 3540 to reduce aid to Turkey by $3 million until the
Turkish government acknowledged the Armenian genocide and took steps
to honor the memory of its victims.

- President Bush, on April 24, 2004, stated: ``On this day, we pause
in remembrance of one of the most horrible tragedies of the 20th
century, the annihilation of as many as 1.5 million Armenians through
forced exile and murder at the end of the Ottoman Empire.''

- Despite the international recognition and affirmation of the
Armenian genocide, the failure of the domestic and international
authorities to punish those responsible for the Armenian genocide is
a reason why similar genocides have recurred and may recur in the
future, and that a just resolution will help prevent future
genocides.

- The House of Representatives calls upon the president to ensure
that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human
rights, ethnic cleansing and genocide documented in the United States
record relating to the Armenian genocide and the consequences of the
failure to realize a just resolution;

- And calls upon the president in [his] annual message commemorating
the Armenian genocide to accurately characterize the systematic and
deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide.

http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/270165.html

Russian Armenians welcome U.S. decision to recognize 1915 genocide

2007-10-21T13:31:00.001-07:00

Russia & CIS General Newswire

October 11, 2007 Thursday 1:53 PM MSK

Russian Armenians welcome U.S. decision to recognize 1915 genocide


The Armenian community in Russia welcomes the suggestion at the U.S.
Congress to recognize the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

"This is a very important historic move by U.S. congressmen, which
shows that the United States truly prioritizes common human values,"
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and leader of the Russian Armenian Union
Ara Abramian told Interfax on Thursday.

A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has recommended that
the house characterize as genocide the death of 1.5 million Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1917. The resolution will be put on a
vote in the middle of November. The Senate is drafting a similar
resolution. Both documents are purely declarative and do not require
the president's approval.

"The Americans prove that they place human rights and values higher
than one-time political gains," he said. "This is a truly courageous
step, which is fraught with exacerbation of relations with an
important ally, Turkey. However, this step shows that no statute of
limitations applies to crimes against humanity and justice must
triumph eventually.

First and foremost, that is necessary for preventing similar
tragedies in the future," Abramian said.

Russia recognized the Armenian genocide in WWI, just as another 20
countries, he remarked.

EU recognizes positive changes in Armenia's last parliamentary poll

2007-10-21T13:30:00.001-07:00

Mediamax, Armenia

Oct 11 2007


EU recognizes positive changes in Armenia's last parliamentary poll



Yerevan, 11 October: President of the European Commission Jose
Barroso said that the European Union recognizes the positive changes
registered at the parliamentary election in May 2007 in Armenia,
Mediamax special correspondent reports from Brussels where Jose
Manuel Barroso said this at a joint briefing with Armenian President
Robert Kocharian on 10 October.

Jose Manuel Barroso told Mediamax that the European Union waits "for
the continuation of this tendency at the presidential election in
Armenia in February 2008". He voiced his hope that Armenia would take
into account proposals made by European observers in the
parliamentary election.

"There are all basis for our expectations to come true in the
presidential election in Armenia," the president of the European
Commission said.

Turkey Recalls Ambassador From U.S. as Tensions Escalate Over Vote

2007-10-21T13:29:00.000-07:00

Global Insight

October 12, 2007


Turkey Recalls Ambassador From U.S. as Tensions Escalate Over
Armenian Genocide Vote

by Mandy Kirby


Turkey remained defiant today, following a referral of the Armenian
genocide resolution to the U.S. House of representatives.

Turkey has recalled its ambassador to the United States for
"consultation", following the decision of U.S. House of
Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to refer a bill recognising as
genocide the 1915-1918 slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman
Empire troops. The Turkish government said that Ambassador Nabi
Sensoy has not been permanently recalled, but would be in Turkey for
some days to discuss further action.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul was quick to condemn the resolution as
a betrayal of his country from one of its key allies, within minutes
of the vote on 10 October. Turkey accepts that atrocities were
carried out, but has denied genocide, as well the number of 1.5
million generally accepted by historians. Turkey has asked for a
joint commission of Armenian and Turkish historians to be convened,
and wants recognition for the thousands of Turks and others who died
during the civil and military unrest of the time, in atrocities
carried out by several states. However, more than 20 countries have
passed similar resolutions, calling on Turkey to accept its past.


Global Insight

Perspective  
Significance Turkey has recalled its Ambassador to the U.S. for
"consultations" following the passing of a resolution recognising as
genocide the 1915-1918 slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians by troops
of Ottoman Turkey.

Implications
Despite the opposition of key administration members, including
President George W. Bush, the resolution's future is now in the hands
of the House of Representatives, and Turkish-U.S. relations are under
threat, paving the way for scrabbling diplomacy to ensure the fallout
does not extend into regional destabilisation.

Outlook
The deterioration in relations with the United States heightens the
risk of Turkey taking unilateral action in pursuit of Kurdish rebels
into northern Iraq. Turkey could also threaten to limit U.S. access
to the Incirlik air base, which provides logistical support to U.S.
troops in Iraq. However, Global Insight believes that any such
unilateral action is highly unlikely.

Risk Ratings
This is potentially the most serious issue to have hit U.S.-Turkish
relations. The implications radiate into the region, which can ill
afford destabilisation. On a positive note, Turkish-U.S. business
relations are unlikely to suffer, although Turkish public opinion has
certainly shifted towards general opposition to the United States as
whole. Currently, Turkey's security-risk rating reflects the tense
border situation, but a risk upgrade would be necessary in the event
of Turkish unilateral action in Iraq. 

Iraq Threat

>From the perspective of the U.S. administration, the situation is
fraught with difficulties. Leading members had warned against the
timing of resolution, with Turkey set to tackle the increasingly
critical issue of separatist rebels in the southern Turkish and
northern Iraqi regions. The content of the resolution provoked a
similar warning, as it calls for the resolution to inform U.S.
foreign policy. Opponents include President George W Bush, as well as
Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice, who condemned the actions of the vote as endangering U.S.
national security interests, hinting that the action would endanger
U.S. troops serving in Iraq.

The reasons for this are twofold; Turkey has recently moved to a more
aggressive position to pursue Kurdish rebels, debating authorizing a
cross-border incursion in pursuit of rebels from the Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK), largely based in the northern Iraqi regions, and
in particular in the difficult terrain of the Qandil mountains.
Secondly, a considerable concern for the United States is the
possibility that access to the Incirlik base would be restricted or
closed down. The base provides significant logistical support to U.S.
troops in Iraq, acting as a cargo conduit. Although the United States
has functioned without Turkish support in the past when in 2003
parliament voted against opening a second front into Iraq, loss of
access to Incirlik could compromise U.S. operations in the short
term.

Terrorism Issue Paramount to Turkey

The issue of separatist rebels should not be underestimated; it has
now taken on paramount importance for Turkey, and the genocide
resolution gives the government a pretext to take a more hard-line
approach to the issue. The Turkish government, seeing public opinion
sway after a raft of recent fatalities of soldiers and civilians, and
a key report discussed in the last week over rebel capabilities,
changed its position earlier this year. Then it gave assurances that
parliament would be consulted over any incursions into Iraq,
stressing this would be a last resort (see Turkey: 13 June 2007: ).
Now, it feels the threat is justifying a stronger response. The U.S.
is clearly and vehemently opposed to unilateral Turkish action across
the border, which it fears would destabilise Iraq's northern
Kurdish-dominated regions. Although Turkey and Iraq recently signed
co-operation agreements on rebel pursuit, the autonomous Kurdish
administration (KRG) has paid little heed to these, and is unwilling
to get involved in the dangerous pursuit of rebels, leaving many to
conclude that northern Iraq is something of a safe haven. Previous
attempts to track rebels have had mixed success, and the Turkish
military now believes that only a sustained presence in a roughly
60-kilometre border region would have a marked effect on rebel
presence. The present, periodic "hot pursuits" do not do enough to
damage rebel infrastructure, and even cross-border operations are
unlikely to succeed if they are too brief, the government believes.
While Turkey has carried these out in the past, such operations have
has always had the support of the Iraqi government, which is visibly
lacking now.

Outlook and Implications

Turkey has been incensed by the passing of the genocide resolution by
the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, although the
issue is by no means unanimously decided. The committee voted 27-21
to approve the resolution, which will now be formally put to the
House of Representatives. Its fate there lies in the hands of the
Democrats that control the chamber. The Republicans are largely
against passing the measure, and in this instance the issue more the
usefulness of this particular resolution, its wording, and--most
critically of all--its timing.

Other relationships will be affected; the situation has implications
for Turkey's position as a European Union (EU) candidate state, with
France leading a call for recognition of genocide--although this
throws up controversies too, as President Nicholas Sarkozy
controversially told Algerians subjected to atrocities under French
rule that the sons could not be expected to apologise for the sins of
their fathers. When the French resolution was passed, Turkey
suspended contacts with the French military, but France has the upper
hand in this situation, being able to prevent Turkey's EU ambitions.

Although the Iraqi government will protest any unilateral moves, it
has difficulties of its own, with the KRG not heeding messages from
central government, and more keen to protect its own. Pressure is
unlikely to be brought to bear, given the risk of an move by the
region to secede--taking the oil and gas-rich city of Kirkuk with
it--a fear shared by Iraq, the United States and Turkey. Relations
with Israel may also suffer, with Turkey unhappy that its ally,
Israel, did not push harder to prevent the resolution from being
voted on; the Israeli line remains that historians and not
politicians should and that the issue is an internal U.S. one.
Additionally, the Anti-Defamation League reversed its position in
August this year and declared the slaughter of the Armenians
"tantamount to genocide".

Turkey's reaction may well be seen as rash. Had it held off acting,
and taken this non-binding resolution in a different spirit, this
obstacle could have been overcome. Instead, there is now less scope
for compromise. Turkey, which has exhibited reactionary foreign
policy often in the past, will now be looking for reassurance and
concessions from the United States. This may happen in some respect,
and go towards soothing Turkish sensitivities, but the United States
will not jeopardise its own interests, and will extend only nominal,
placatory measures. The critical issue is whether bilateral relations
will be damaged more profoundly; Turkey has felt increasingly
sensitive to the lack of support it perceives over the rebel issue.
U.S.-Turkish business relations are less likely to suffer, being well
established. This is small comfort ahead of a tense few days to
ensue, with backroom diplomacy going into overdrive.

ANKARA: Last Move From Turkey Before Vote In Congress On Armenian Genocide Resolution

2007-10-10T03:28:00.001-07:00

MEMRI, DC

Oct 8 2007

A Turkish parliamentary delegation is on its way to the U.S. as a
last move to prevent the passing of the resolution on alleged Armenian
genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turks during the World War I.

Columnist Fatih Cekirge of top selling Turkish daily Hurriyet wrote
that the mandate of the delegation of MPs from AKP, CHP and MHP
is stronger as it comes not only from the government but from the
parliament - that is from the Turkish people - and the AKP MP Egemen
Bagis, who heads the delegation, signaled that the warning they will
deliver to the U.S. will also be very strong.

Turkey has repeatedly said that if the Congress passes the Armenian
resolution U.S.-Turkey relations would suffer. It is now understood
that Turkey will tell the U.S. that it might cut or restrict the
logistical support that Turkey provides the U.S. military in Iraq
through Incirlik airbase - also affecting the future withdrawal of
U.S. from Iraq, via Turkey.

The other dimension is Turkish military's disappointment with the
U.S for its inaction against the PKK and tolerating the terrorists
based in northern Iraq that launch attacks inside Turkey - a long
time ally of the U.S. and a partner in the war against terrorism.

ANKARA: Armenian Bill Threatens Turkish-US Military Deals

2007-10-10T03:27:00.001-07:00

Today's Zaman, Turkey
Oct 8 2007

Any possible Turkish retaliation to an Armenian "genocide" resolution
that the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs
is expected to approve tomorrow is said to be likely to expand to
include lucrative arms procurement deals between Turkey and the US.

Turkey has long rejected the genocide tag for the World War I deaths
of Anatolian Armenians. But this has not prevented over 20 nations
from recognizing the events as genocide, and now the Committee on
Foreign Affairs is highly likely to adopt the resolution during its
scheduled meeting tomorrow.

If the resolution is approved by the committee, it would be up to
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to decide whether to bring it to the House
floor for a vote. Despite intense efforts launched by both the Turkish
government and the US administration, Pelosi is said to intend to
bring it before the House.

But the passage of the "genocide resolution" by the House alone
(though it is not legally binding for the administration) is likely
to have a serious negative impact on the Turkish public and to further
affect the already damaged Turkey-US relations.

The most vulnerable areas in terms of possible Turkish retaliation
are said to be limiting usage of the Habur border gate with Iraq for
US goods, including oil and military spare parts, as well as limiting
or even closing the Ýncirlik airbase in southern Turkey to US access.

Ýncirlik has been heavily used by the US for its operations both in
Iraq and in Afghanistan.

Any Turkish action to limit or close both Habur and Ýncirlik to US
use will jeopardize US combat operations in Iraq, said an Ankara-based
Western diplomat.

Arms deals to be affected

Another significant region of cooperation between Turkey and the US
said to be at risk from the genocide resolution is arms procurement.

Turkey was one of the leading countries in 2006 for US arms sales,
totaling an estimated $2.1 billion.

Those US sales to Turkey have mostly taken place in the form of
foreign military sales credits that did not involve any international
tender being opened by Ankara. Turkey signed an arms deal based on
foreign military sales with the US worth over $13 billion last year
that involved Turkish purchase of an additional 30 F 16 fighters and
Turkish participation in the US-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project.

Turkey's Undersecretariat for the Defense Industry (SSM) has in the
meantime eased contract terms and conditions for the purchase of
arms through international tenders -- conditions that were mainly
affecting US companies due to the Turkish request for the transfer
of high technology which ran contrary to US legal restrictions.

This relatively flexible Turkish policy has opened the way for US
companies to re-enter the competition for Turkish arms procurement
tenders. A decision to take the genocide resolution to the US House
may prompt the SSM to harden contract terms and conditions for the
US companies.

For example, US firm Sikorsky, which came close to negotiations with
SSM for the sale of around 70 S-70 Black Hawk helicopters to Turkey
may lose this tender as a result of a possible Turkish retaliation
to the resolution, said a senior Turkish defense industry source.

Turkey had been planning to make a final decision on the acquisition
of multipurpose helicopters some time in November, the month that US
House may vote on the genocide resolution.

Similarly, the chance of US companies succeeding in Turkey's $1.4
billion acquisition of four long-range air and missile defense
systems may decrease, and Turkey may instead opt for the Russian S-400
missiles that Moscow is said to be planning to offer in response to
the Turkish tender.

If the fact that almost half of the Turkish Air Forces generals are in
favor of the Russian missiles is taken into consideration, the adoption
of the genocide resolution will further weight this bid in favor of
the Russians, said the same senior Turkish defense industry sources.

US Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are bidding in Turkey's long-range
missile project with a combination of Patriot 2 and Patriot 3 missiles
under foreign military sales conditions.

PKK attack may heighten Turkish emotions

Many Ankara-based Western diplomats fear that the latest Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) attack over the past weekend in Þýrnak in the
Southeast, which killed 13 Turkish soldiers, just three days before
the expected deliberations on the genocide resolution in the Committee
on Foreign Affairs will heighten Turkish emotions.

Since the attack Turkey's possible cross-border operation in northern
Iraq to crack down on PKK terrorists has come to the agenda again.

Turkey has long been accusing the US of not taking action against PKK
bases in northern Iraq, from which terrorists have been infiltrating
into Turkey to stage their violent attacks.

US inaction against the PKK in northern Iraq coupled with a potential
genocide resolution may make Turkey turn more emotional and lead it
to take tougher retaliatory measures against the US, said a Western
diplomat.

ANKARA: Sanctions Against US Won't Affect Congressmen, Expert Warns

2007-10-10T03:26:00.000-07:00

Turkish Daily News, Turkey
Oct 9 2007

Egemen Baðýþ's statements that Turkey can cut its logistic support
for American troops stationed in Iraq are not considered very
productive. 'I do not think that it will have an impact on the
congressmen's decision' Faruk Loðoðlu says

Ahead of a crucial vote in the United States Congress, Turkey's
threats on cutting logistic support and strategic cooperation with
the U.S. if the genocide bill is approved, will have no affect on
members of the Congress, experts warn.

"The sanctions related with Iraq can create a sort of excitement
among the Congressmen but I do not think that it will have an impact
on them," said retired Ambassador, Faruk Loðoðlu, now head of the
Ankara-based Eurasia Strategic Studies center (ASAM), whose last
posting was to Washington D.C. Congress' Foreign Affairs Committee is
expected to approve Wednesday a bill which characterizes the incidents
in 1915-1916 in eastern Anatolia as genocide and Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
a known supporter of the Armenian cause, could then decide to bring
it to the House floor for a vote. Many believe that it is very likely
that the bill will be approved if put to a vote in the House.

Turkey has been trying hard to stop the process in Congress, through
an intense diplomatic campaign aimed at the U.S. Administration and
Israel. The messages sent to U.S. officials were that the two long-time
allies' relations could be seriously hurt if the bill is approved.

Cutting off support?

"For example, the Americans depend on Turkey for a large part of their
logistic support in Iraq. We would be obliged to cut this support,"
Egemen Baðýþ, deputy leader of the Justice and Development Party
(AKP) who left for Washington D.C. yesterday to lobby the congressmen,
was quoted by daily Hurriyet.

But Baðýþ softened his words at a press conference he held before his
departure. "Turkey has a lot of options but it is not my responsibility
to evaluate which of them could be used. The daily Hurriyet has
exaggerated the scenarios. But we will be doing everything to stop
the approval of the bill," he said.

Among the mentioned sanctions are closing the Ýncirlik base,
in Turkey's south to the American military to supply its troops
in Iraq and Afghanistan, not allowing the withdrawal of American
troops through Turkish territory, and suspending some of the military
equipment purchases.

Government has to decide

But according to Loðoðlu, threatening the members of Congress with
such sanctions is not likely to work. "In general, I may say that
such threats won't have any influence on the congressmen's decision,"
he said.

"What is important here is the government's will and its purpose.

Is it going to be good or bad? I always think that before applying
such sanctions, they have to be analyzed on scales: Who will be most
hurt by the sanctions? Us or them? They have to be applied if it is
going to be the other party who will be hurt most," he added.

Loðoðlu underlined that the U.S. has many allies in the region and
can use their bases in some other countries. The U.S. has established
military bases in Bulgaria and Romania after Turkey's rejection of
a U.S. request to use Turkish bases and territory.

"Instead we should inform the congressmen about the U.N.'s Convention
on Genocide and Turkey's proposal to Armenia for establishing a
joint commission of historians to analyze the incidents. We may not
convince many of them but we can shake their position a little bit,"
the retired ambassador said.

The recognition of the Armenian genocide in the parliaments of third
countries is one of the most serious problems Turkey is faced with in
the international arena. A dozen or so countries, including Turkey's
allies in NATO, have recognized the events in 1915-1916 as genocide.

ANKARA: If Armenians Win In Congress, The U.S. May Lose; Cards Turkey Can Play

2007-10-10T03:25:00.000-07:00

Source: CNN-Turk TV and all Turkish dailies, October 8, 2007
MEMRI, DC
Oct 9 2007

Most Turkish dailies published a CNN-Turk TV report that lists Turkey's
trump cards that it might use to deter the Congress from passing the
Armenian Genocide resolution based on historical allegations that
Turkey categorically rejects.

According to the report last March Pentagon's Deputy Under-Secretary
Dan Fata had also presented a similar list to the House Committee
of Foreign Relations, of what Turkey might do in case the resolution
was adopted.

Turkey may cut or restrict the logistical support to U.S. military
in Iraq. 60% of all supplies to U.S. units in Iraq go from Incirlik
airbase.

25% of the fuel used in Iraq by coalition forces goes through the
Habur border gate in Turkey.

U.S. fighter planes that are based in Incirlik airbase also train in
Turkish airspace.

16 U.S. fleet ships that participated in the war in Iraq, refueled
in Turkish seaports.

American economy may lose billions of dollars in arms sales if Turkey
changes its suppliers.

Turkey committed to buy 106 of the new generation F-35s. There are
also plans to purchase 30 F-16s for 1.65 billion dollars.

200 F-16s are to be modernized by the U.S. for 1.6 billion dollars.

There is an upcoming tender for the purchase of air defense systems
with the U.S. Patriot system being preferred - despite Russia's
eager competition.

U.S. makers are the top players in the tender for the purchase of
training helicopters, valued at 50 million dollars.

Turkey plays an important role, at the request of the U.S., among
NATO and U.N forces stationed at different places in the world.

Turkish military commanded the peace forces in Afghanistan for two
terms; and is on duty in Lebanon and Kosovo.

Turkey is being considered by U.S. as a safe route for withdrawal
of its troops from Iraq - which may all be jeopardized if Armenian
resolution passes.

Turkish parliamentary delegation that will conduct meetings in
Washington this week, might bring up all of the above issues.

International Association of Genocide Scholars Letter on Armenian

2007-10-10T03:23:00.000-07:00

NO PLACE FOR DENIAL
October 5, 2007

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENOCIDE SCHOLARS

The Honorable Tom Lantos, Chairman
The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member
House Foreign Affairs Committee
US House of Representatives

Dear Chairman Lantos and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen:

We write to you as the leading international organization of scholars
who study genocide. We strongly urge you to pass H. Res. 106.

In passing this resolution the US Congress would not be adjudicating
history but instead would be affirming the truth about a genocide that
has been overwhelmingly established by decades of documentation and
scholarship.

Truth of the Scholarly Record

It is disingenuous of the government of Turkey to use the red herring
of a "historians' commission," half of whose members would be
appointed by the Turkish government, to "study" the facts of what
occurred in 1915. As we have made clear in our Open Letters to Prime
Minister Erdogan (6/13/05 and 6/12/06), the historical record on the
Armenian Genocide is unambiguous. It is proven by foreign office
records of the United States, France, Great Britain, Russia, and
perhaps most importantly, of Turkey's World War I allies, Germany and
Austria-Hungary, as well as by the records of the Ottoman
Courts-Martial of 1918-1920, and by decades of scholarship. A
"commission of historians" would only serve the interests of Turkish
genocide deniers.

The abundance of scholarly evidence led to the unanimous resolution of
the International Association of Genocide Scholars that the Turkish
massacres of over one million Armenians from 1915 to 1918 was a crime
of genocide.

America's Own Record

The Joint Congressional Resolution recognizing and commemorating the
Armenian Genocide will honor America's extraordinary Foreign Service
Officers (among them Leslie A. Davis, Jesse B. Jackson, and Oscar
Heizer) who often risked their lives rescuing Armenian citizens in
1915. They and others left behind some forty thousand pages of
reports, now in the National Archives, that document that what
happened to the Armenian people was government-planned, systematic
extermination - what Raphael Lemkin (the man who coined the word
genocide) used in creating the definition.

By passing this resolution, the U.S. Congress would also pay tribute
to America's first international human rights movement. The Foreign
Service Officers and prominent individuals such as Theodore Roosevelt,
Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, and Cleveland Dodge, who did so much to
help the Armenians, exemplify America's legacy of moral leadership.

The parliaments of many countries have affirmed the fact of the
Armenian Genocide in unequivocal terms, yet H. Res. 106, a
commemorative, non-binding resolution, has faced opposition from those
who fear it would undermine US relations with Turkey. It is worth
noting that, notwithstanding France's Armenian Genocide legislation,
France and Turkey are engaged in more bilateral trade than ever
before. We would not expect the US government to be intimidated by an
unreliable ally with a deeply disturbing human rights record,
graphically documented in the State Department's 2007 International
Religious Freedom Report on Turkey. We would expect the United States
to express its moral and intellectual views, not to compromise its own
principles.

The Armenian Genocide is not a controversial issue outside of Turkey.
Just as it would be unethical for Germany to interfere with the
historical memory of the Holocaust, we feel it is equally unethical
for Turkey to interfere with the memory of the Armenian Genocide. Elie
Wiesel has repeatedly called Turkey's denial a double killing, as it
strives to kill the memory of the event. We believe the US government
should not be party to efforts to kill the memory of a historical fact
as profound and important as the genocide of the Armenians, which
Hitler used as an example in his plan to exterminate the Jews.

We also believe that security and historical truth are not in
conflict, and it is in the interest of the United States to support
the principles of human rights that are at the core of American
democracy.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gregory H. Stanton
President
International Association of Genocide Scholars

EXECUTIVE BOARD:

President,
Gregory Stanton
Genocide Watch

First Vice-President,
Steven Leonard Jacobs
University of Alabama

Second Vice-President
Alex Hinton
Rutgers University

Secretary,
Marc I. Sherman
Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide, Jerusalem, Israel

Treasurer,
Jack Nusan Porter, Newton, MA

ADVISORY COUNCIL:

Joyce Apsel
New York University, USA

Peter Balakian, USA
Colgate University, USA

Ben Kiernan, USA
Yale University, USA

Daniel Feierstein
U. of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Charli Carpenter
University of Pittsburgh, USA

Henry Theriault
Wellesley College, USA

Immediate Past President:
Israel W. Charny
Institute on Holocaust & Genocide, Jerusalem, Israel

[Video] Armenian Genocide Washington DC April 24 2007

2007-10-08T06:36:00.001-07:00

Taner Akcam speaks about the Armenien Genocide

2007-10-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

Taner Akçam is a Turkish historian, sociologist and author. He is one of the first Turkish academics to acknowledge and discuss openly the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turkish government in 1915.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

US PRESIDENT VOWS TO PREVENT "ARMENIAN GENOCIDE" BILL PASSING

2007-10-08T06:28:00.001-07:00

Azeri Press Agency

US President George W. Bush repeated his opposition to a resolution
on the so-called genocide of Armenians during a phone conversation
with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan warned that passing the resolution, although officially
non-binding, would harm the strategic relations and partnership
between Turkey and the United States.

Bush promised Erdogan that he would work decisively to prevent the
bill passing.

In the phone call, "Bush reiterated his opposition to this resolution,
the passage of which would be harmful to U.S. relations with Turkey,"
said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

Bush "believes that the determination of whether or not the events
constitute genocide should be a matter for historical inquiry, not
legislation," Johndroe added.

Erdogan also called Bill Clinton for his support to stop passage of
the bill.

According to media reports, the bill would be taken up by Congress's
Foreign Relations Committee on October 10.

AMERICAN-TURKISH COUNCIL WARNS ON GENOCIDE BILL

2007-10-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

Turkish Daily News

In a letter sent to members of the United States House of
Representatives, chairman of the American-Turkish Council, retired
U.S. General Brent Scowcroft warned against the ramifications of a
possible approval of the Armenian genocide bill by the U.S. Congress.

Scowcroft warned that the U.S. could risk losing a significant part
of its trade with Turkey if the resolution passes.

WHITE HOUSE: BUSH RECOGNIZES 1915 EVENTS BUT DOESN'T RANK THEM GENOCIDE

2007-10-08T06:26:00.000-07:00

White House: Bush Recognizes 1915 Events But Doesn't Rank Them Genocide

From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <kpeltekian@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 08 Oct 2007 17:21:53 +0500 (AMST)

http://www.huliq.com/37099/white-house-bush-recognizes-1915-events-but-doesnt-rank-them-genocide

Gordon Johndroe, a White House spokesman, said President Bush
"reiterated his opposition to the Armenian Genocide resolution,
the passage of which would be harmful to U.S. relations with Turkey."

Johndroe said Bush believes the Armenian episode ranks among the
greatest tragedies of the 20th century, but the determination whether
"the events constitute a genocide should be a matter for historical
inquiry, not legislation."

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide. At the U.S. State
Department, the senior official who deals with Turkish relations said
the United States position is not to deny or accept that genocide
occurred. Nevertheless, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried
said, "We do not believe this bill would advance either the cause of
historical truth or Turkish-Armenian reconciliation or the interests
of the United States."

The Turkish reaction to passage of the bill would be extremely strong,
Fried said. It would do "grave harm" to relations with Turkey, a NATO
ally, and damage the U.S. war effort in Iraq, Turkey's neighbor.

The resolution is largely symbolic and would not be binding on
foreign policy. Similar measures have been offered before and
never passed, but it appears to have a good chance of passage in the
Democratic-controlled House if it is brought to a vote, The Associated
Press reports. - Source: Armtown

[VIDEO] Aug. 22, 2007: Armenian Genocide and ADL

2007-10-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

Aug. 22, 2007: Armenian Genocide and ADL

[VIDEO] Armenian Genocide Recognition: Support S.Res.106 & H.Res.106

2007-10-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

Governor George Deukmejian's message to Congress in support of H.Res.106 & and.Res.106, which reaffirm the United States' record on the Armenian Genocide.

Kouchner: France's recognition of Armenian Genocide shouldn't hamper

2007-10-07T14:50:00.001-07:00

PanARMENIAN.Net


French and Turkish Foreign Ministers agreed that
their countries have more similarities than differences and that
continued dialogue between the two nations has the potential to
improve relations. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and his guest,
French Foreign Minister and Minister of European Affairs Bernard
Kouchner, were speaking at a press conference Friday during a visit by
Kouchner to Ankara. Babacan said the French Foreign Minister was
informed that Turkey does not want to be dragged into discussions
about the future of the EU and awaits the fulfillment of European
promises made to it. The two were set to have a second round of talks
in the evening, when, according to Babacan, they would discuss Turkish
and French interests in other countries, especially the Middle East.

Kouchner was also scheduled to visit President Abdullah Gul and Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where discussions were expected to
focus on issues such as a `committee of wise men' and `privileged
partnership.' Babacan informed Kouchner about Turkey's unwillingness
to even discuss the possibility of a status other than full membership
in the European Union, Zaman reports.

As to the French bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial, the
French Foreign Minister claimed in the press conference that the law
will not cause any difficulty between Turkey and France and that
nothing has been decided upon yet. The committee of wise men France is
supposed to discuss the future strategies and boundaries of the
EU. France also asks that this committee work on the Mediterranean
Union that France wants to see Turkey a part of.

In an interview with the Milliyet newspaper, Kouchner said that France
recently went through a difficult period in its relations with Turkey
and that his visit should be regarded as a symbol of a mutual desire
to give a strong new impetus to relations between the two. Kouchner is
the first high-level French official to visit Ankara since Nicolas
Sarkozy, a staunch opponent of Turkey's EU accession, was elected
president in May. Sarkozy has repeatedly said Turkey does not belong
in the EU, arguing that it is geographically in Asia.

Deutsche Welle: Bush denies Armenian genocide

2007-10-07T04:04:00.000-07:00

US President George W. Bush has rejected a proposal by lawmakers to

officially classify the massacre and displacement of Armenians between
1915 and 1918 as genocide. Bush made the decision after speaking by
phone with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As many as 1.5
million Armenians are believed to have been killed as the Ottoman
empire disintegrated. Turkey puts the figure at less than a third and
denies that genocide took place.

Source: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/function/0,2145,12215_cid_2810961,00.html

McClatchy: Turkish envoy warns against U.S. genocide resolution

2007-10-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Approval of an Armenian genocide resolution by the House

of Representatives would have "very, very unfortunate" consequences
for U.S.-Turkish relations, Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy warned
Friday.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will consider the diplomatically
charged resolution Wednesday. In an interview, Sensoy said "we are
deploying all the efforts that we can" to defeat the nonbinding
measure, which he thinks could unravel a strategic alliance.

"I fear  -  and expect, in fact  -  a strong reaction from the Turkish
people," Sensoy said, "and of course no government can remain
indifferent to this reaction."

Introduced by Rep. George Radanovich, R-Calif., and Rep. Adam Schiff,
D-Calif., the 1,780-word resolution declares that "the Armenian
Genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915
to 1923." Armenians say an estimated 1.5 million died during the
period.

Symbolically, the resolution puts the House on record as
characterizing the Armenian slaughter as genocide. Politically, it has
high visibility in regions with large Armenian-American populations,
including Southern California, California's San Joaquin Valley,
Michigan and New Jersey.

"Silence is genocide's greatest ally, and I am very happy that the
silence regarding the Armenian genocide will be ending next week,"
said Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. "It is well past due that the Armenian
genocide finally be recognized as such in our nation."

The last time an Armenian genocide resolution came before the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, in 2005, it was approved 40-7.
Congressional Republican leaders blocked it from reaching the House
floor.

The House committee likewise had approved an Armenian genocide
resolution in 2000, and House Republican leaders also killed that
measure.

This year, 226 House members publicly support the resolution,
including 23 members of the foreign affairs panel. Nonetheless, Sensoy
said "it will be a close race" Wednesday.

Certainly, no expense is being spared. Justice Department records show
that Turkey signed a $100,000-a-month contract in May with the
lobbying firm DLA Piper, one of several hired to fight the resolution.

Separately, Turkey paid Bob Livingston, former House Appropriations
Committee chairman, $625,000 for work from March 1 to Aug. 31, records
show. Last month, Turkey added the public relations firm
Fleishman-Hillard to its roster at $113,000 a month.

"It is out of necessity, of course," Sensoy said. "On the Armenian
side, many people are working, and we need the lobbying firms to have
certain access on Capitol Hill."

"It is true that what happened in 1915 is a very sad episode in our
common history," he said. "Hundreds of thousands of Armenians
perished. Hundreds of thousands of Turks perished. . . . We don't need
a new generation of people to hate one another."

He said he did "hope and believe" that the committee's chairman, Rep.
Tom Lantos, D-Calif., would oppose the resolution.

Lantos won't tip his hand before Wednesday's committee hearing, said
his spokeswoman, Lynne Weil.

Lantos opposed the 2000 resolution, citing its "substantial negative
effects on our strategic interests in the region."

He voted for the 2005 resolution, to chastise Turkey for stopping the
United States from using the country as a launching pad for the 2003
invasion of Iraq, he said.

"Turkey was not very popular at that point," Sensoy conceded.

Neither is the United States currently very popular in Turkey.

Almost four-fifths of Turks surveyed earlier this year favored "strong
action" by their government if an Armenian resolution passes. More
than 80 percent said they'd oppose Turkey helping out in nearby Iraq.
Many said they'd consider boycotting U.S. products. American exports
to Turkey totaled about $5.4 billion last year.

"If this resolution does pass, the Turkish government and Turkish
people will take it as a personal insult," Sensoy said, while
stressing that he doesn't want to be "misconstrued as threatening"
lawmakers with retaliation.

On Friday, the International Association of Genocide Scholars retorted
in a letter that France and Turkey "are engaged in more bilateral
trade than ever before" despite the French National Assembly's support
for a genocide resolution.

"We would not expect the U.S. government to be intimidated by an
unreliable ally with a deeply disturbing human rights record,"
Genocide Watch founder Gregory H. Stanton and the other scholars
wrote.

The 62-year-old Sensoy is a veteran diplomat who previously served as
Turkey's ambassador in Moscow and Madrid. He was embassy counselor in
1981 when President Ronald Reagan declared that "like the genocide of
the Armenians before it . . . the lessons of the Holocaust must never
be forgotten." Sensoy called this a "very unwelcome statement," but
noted that other presidents since "have avoided use" of what he termed
"the G word."

Most recently, eight former secretaries of state from both parties
cautioned Congress against the dangers of dictating history.

McClatchy Newspapers 2007

Source: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/20272.html

The Prospect Of Recognizing The Armenian Genocide

2007-10-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

(Vardan Grigoryan - Hayots Ashkharh Daily, Armenia Oct 4 2007)

The issue of recognizing the Armenian Genocide is again in the
focus of the European and American legislators' attention and has
already been included in the agenda of EU-Turkey and EU- United
States relations. Simultaneously, Armenia and Turkey have entered
into interstate negotiations, the first signal of such negotiations
being the October 2 meeting between both countries' Foreign Ministers
held in the United States.

It is noteworthy that the US House of Foreign Affairs Committee will
discuss Resolution #106 on October 10, just a week after the meeting
between V. Oskanyan and A. Babajan.

It is also necessary to bear in mind that the European Union will
resume the negotiations with Turkey during the coming months, and the
outcome is expected to be achieved on December 14. In this context,
Ankara is receiving new and new signals, admonitions and demands
from the United States in favor of the policy of opening its borders
with Armenia and in general - leaving our country out of the regional
project.

Thus, the official Ankara is again becoming faced with the fact of
the existence of Armenian Issue.

And although the Turks are trying to sidestep the issue by using
their characteristic persistence, during "internal discussions" they
do confess their own country's defeat on the international arena. In
the meantime, there is an increasing number of Turkish politicians and
experts who demand that their authorities distinguish the international
aspects of the Armenian Issue from the Armenian-Turkish bilateral
relations, and for that purpose they deem it necessary to initiate
a direct dialogue with Armenia and open the border.

That's why, during the upcoming months while the US House of Foreign
Affairs Committee is discussing the Resolution and submitting it to
the final decision of the plenary session, Turkey will have to make
a difficult choice. After all, which is more advantageous to it?

The American legislators' recognizing the Armenian Genocide or speeding
up the dialogue with Armenia and opening the borders?

Judging the official Ankara's attitude, Turkey is trying to use
some trick with the purpose of excluding the Armenian Issue from
the agenda of Congress. And the appeals addressed to Nancy Pelosy,
Speaker of the House of Representatives, by the former US Senators
and former Heads of the defense sphere are the successive evidence
of this fact. The "unexpected appearance" of such documents can be
considered an attempt of torpedoing the October 10 discussions to be
held in the US House of Foreign Affairs Committee.

However, bringing the Armenian-Turkish relations in compliance with
the minimum standards required for a country seeking EU membership
in the 21st century is, in some sense, an imperative of time. And
it is impossible to delay the solution to this problem either for
the sake of Azerbaijan's alliance with Turkey or for the sake of
realizing the unrealizable goal of extorting unilateral confessions
from Armenia. It is obvious that in view of the inevitability of
resuming the negotiations with the European Union and the existence
of the clear signals received by the United States, the present-day
Turkish authorities, being moderately Islamic, will be forced to
mitigate their attitudes towards Armenia.

Therefore, the positive or negative solutions to the problem will be
greatly dependant upon the attitude of the Army which has the power of
"pronouncing its final word" in the country and which has always been
the fundamental and irreconcilable opponent of opening the borders
with Armenia and de-blockading our country.

We believe that the command of the Turkish Army and the whole "in-depth
state" can make some provocative steps inside their own country in an
attempt to assume the role of an "advocate" of the Turkish diplomacy
who holds no office and who loses the relevant resources of resisting
the international community's pressures.

In such conditions, Armenia has to be consistent in its efforts of
disseminating the idea that the recognition of such an undeniable
fact may, instead of becoming an obstacle, serve as a turning point
not only towards the regulation of the Armenian-Turkish relations,
but also towards Turkeys internal democratization.

Moreover, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress
may shake the positions of the forces that lay obstacles to Turkey's
modernization and European integration by way of breeding intolerance
towards the Armenian Issue and the Armenians.

French FM Going To Ankara For Talks On EU And Armenian Genocide

2007-10-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is set to arrive in Ankara for talks to discuss France's stand on Turkey's EU bid and the Armenian Genocide issue.


Kouchner's visit to the Turkish capital will be the first high level
Turkish-French meeting since last week's talks between Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and French President Nicholas Sarkozy in New
York. An official from the French Embassy in Ankara noted that the
visit by Kouchner would be brief but helpful, commenting "Kouchner
is coming to help construct an energetic relationship with Foreign
Minister Babacan."

The same official noted, "We are prepared to warm relations with
Turkey, and to open up channels of communication. This visit is a
signal that the dialogue between the two countries is getting better.

Sarkozy is maintaining his position on Turkey. But he also
wants reforms to continue in Turkey, and he will not interfere in
this.....When the reforms are complete, it will be time for France
to make some decisions," Hurriyet reports.

French President Sarkozy has many times stated that "Turkey has no
place in Europe."

Armenian News Network

Iran: Bush denies Armenian genocide

2007-10-06T08:37:00.000-07:00

US President has opposed moves to term the deaths of hundreds of

thousands of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire as 'genocide'.

A US House resolution would ask the president to declare the killings
of as many as 1.5 million Armenians nine decades ago a genocide.

In a statement, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said " Bush has
reiterated his opposition to this resolution," adding that "the
president has described the events as one of the tragedies of the 20th
century, but believes the determination of whether or not the events
constitute a genocide should be a matter for historical inquiry, not
legislation."

Turkey denies that a systematic slaughter of Armenians took place,
saying Armenians and Turks alike were killed in ethnic clashes between
1915 and 1923 after Armenian groups sided with Russia in World War I.

Turkey as a key regional ally for the United States has warned that
the passing of the draft would have defective consequences for the two
countries' relations.

A similar draft to the resolution before Congress was pulled from the
House floor in October 2000 following an intervention by then
president Bill Clinton.

Armenian News Network

ANKARA: Countdown Begins For US 'Genocide' Vote

2007-10-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

A resolution upholding Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of

the Ottoman Empire is expected to advance in the US Congress next
week amid Turkish warnings that US-Turkey relations will receive a
serious blow if it passes.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has previously
expressed support for genocide claims but it is not clear whether
she would bring the resolution to a vote.

The US House of Representatives' Committee on Foreign Affairs announced
on Tuesday that it would debate the resolution next Wednesday. Similar
measures have been debated in Congress for decades but have repeatedly
been thwarted amid concerns about damaging relations with Turkey,
an important NATO ally. Tuesday's announcement signals that the
Democratic leaders who control the House support the measure. With
this support, the bill stands a good chance of passing in a vote by
the full House this time around.

The US administration has said repeatedly that it opposes the
resolution. Responding to a question posed at a daily press briefing
on Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the
administration was "working very closely" with Congress on the
matter. "As you know, it's -- every time one of these comes up it's
a very sensitive issue. And we are conveying to members of Congress
individually and in groups our views on it," he said. In Ankara,
US Embassy spokesperson Kathy Schalow was quoted as saying that
both Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Ambassador Ross Wilson
were in touch with members of Congress to prevent passage of the
resolution. "We are doing what we can to prevent it," she was quoted
as saying by private ANKA news agency. If the resolution is approved
by the committee, it would be up to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to
decide whether to bring it to the House floor for a vote.

While Pelosi has previously expressed support for recognizing the
events as genocide, it is not clear whether she would bring the
resolution to a vote.

But according to two congressional aides, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, the committee would
not have taken up the resolution without Pelosi's support. The measure
is expected to pass in the committee and has widespread support in
the full House, should Pelosi allow a vote. Recently, eight former
secretaries of state wrote a letter to Pelosi warning that passage
of the resolution would harm strategic Turkish-US relations and deal
a blow to Turkish-Armenian reconciliation efforts.

Though the largely symbolic measure would have no binding effect on
US foreign policy, it could nonetheless damage an already strained
relationship with Turkey.

After France voted last year to make denial of the Armenian genocide
a crime, the Turkish government suspended its military ties with the
country. A similar move against the United States could have drastic
repercussions on its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which rely
heavily on Turkish support. Turkish officials have not elaborated
on possible consequences of the resolution's eventual passage, but
observers say such drastic measures as closure of an air base used
by the US Air Force in Ýncirlik in southern Turkey could be the
possible outcome.

The measure comes at a time when public opinion polls show that the
United States has become widely unpopular in Turkey, in opposition
to US policy in Iraq. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found
the United States had only a 9 percent favorable rating in Turkey.

Turkey categorically rejects charges of genocide, saying Turks as
well as Armenians died when Armenians in eastern Anatolia took up
arms against the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with the invading
Russian army in hope of creating an independent state in part of
Anatolian lands. The bill's sponsor, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff,
says the bill's passage is overdue and urgent, with time running out
for the remaining survivors of the killings. "The United States has
a compelling historical and moral reason to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, which cost a million-and-a-half people their lives," Schiff
said in a statement.

Turkey argues that the US House of Representatives is the wrong
institution to arbitrate such a sensitive historical dispute. It
has proposed that an international commission of experts examine
Armenian and Turkish archives, an offer turned down by Armenia. In
the meantime, Turkey has been lobbying intensively in Congress, with
support from the Bush administration, to quash the resolution. "The
administration is very much against this resolution and has been very
active in trying to stop it," said Turkey's ambassador to Washington,
Nabi Þensoy. "We are very grateful for their help." But Þensoy said
that Turkey's government may have to respond should the resolution
pass. "We are not in the business of threatening, but nobody is going
to win if this is passed," he said.

Babacan tells Oskanian Turkey open to dialogue Foreign Minister Ali
Babacan met on Tuesday with his Armenian counterpart, Vartan Oskanian,
in the first meeting between the two ministers since Babacan was
appointed to his post after the Turkish general elections held on
July 22. The meeting at UN headquarters in New York was held at
the request of Armenia and was mostly a "greeting" aimed at the
two ministers getting to know each other, the Anatolia news agency
reported. The general atmosphere was positive, and Babacan's message
to his Armenian counterpart was that Turkey is open to dialogue with
Armenia on disputed issues.

The meeting came as the US House of Representatives' Committee on
Foreign Affairs prepares to debate and vote on a resolution next week
declaring that Armenians were subject to genocide at the hands of the
Ottoman Turks in the beginning of the last century. Babacan said at
the meeting that history could not be written by votes of politicians
in parliaments and brought to mind a proposal Turkey made to Armenia
in 2005 for joint study of that portion of history. The Armenian
minister, for his part, reiterated Armenia's request for the opening
of its border gate with Turkey, which has been closed for more than
a decade. Ýstanbul Today's Zaman

Armenian Genocide Resolution To Pass Before Thanksgiving Day

2007-10-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "This has nothing to do with the current government

or the Turkish public. This is for the tragic effort of Armenians,
who we believe have experienced genocide. If we do not want to
experience or witness such events again, we need to remember the
dates of these events and we need to have them condemned worldwide,"
he said, Sabah reports.

Turkey has numerously warned the U.S. that passage of the H.Res.106
will cause a split in the Turkish-American relations.

The U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee will hold a vote on the
Armenian Genocide Resolution October 10.

The House version of the Resolution, H.Res.106, was introduced January
30 by lead author Rep. Adam Schiff.

It has 227 co-sponsors.

Armenian News Network

Turkey's Potential Directed At Denting The Armenian Genocide Has Died Out

2007-10-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

(ArmRadio - Public Radio, Armenia Oct 5 2007)


There is great possibility that the US House of Representatives will
adopt the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H. Res. 106), political
commentator of Azg daily Hakob Chakryan told a press conference
dedicated to the consideration of the above-mentioned resolution in
the Congress on October 10. At the same time he expressed confidence
that the Senate will oppose the document on the Armenian Genocide.

According to Hakob Chakryan, Turkey's potential directed at denting
the Armenian Genocide has died out, and this fact finds reflections
in the speeches of many Turkish officials. Thus, Turkey's current
President, ex-Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul noted in one of his
speeches that the genocide question must be included in the list
of most important issues of Turkey within coming 10 years. Indeed,
the genocide issue is an obstacle for developing normal relations
between Turley and third countries.

Hakob Chakryan noted also that criticizing the US policy on recognition
of the Armenian Genocide, Armenians must always remember that the US
is the only country, the President of which addresses the Armenian
community on April 24 every year.

Director of the Ararat strategic research centre Armen Ayvazyan
mentioned that unlike many other documents on recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, H. Res. 106 embraces all important points related
to the whole period of genocide perpetration from 1915 to 1923. It's
noted in the document that the genocide was carried out ion the
historic land of Armenians and not the Ottoman Empire, which is also
a positive point for Armenians.

Armenian News Networks

Erdoğan warns Bush

2007-10-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

Erdoğan called the US president Bush upon the Armenian genocide bill came up on the agenda of the US Congress.

The Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan called the president Bush after the Armenian genocide bill was included in the agenda of the US Congress International Affairs Committee and communicated the distress regarding the issue. Erdoğan told Bush: "if the bill passes in the parliament, the strategic relationship between Turkey and USA will be damaged." Bush responded: "I understand you; I also have some doubts about the bill. We will work in order not to pass the bill."

Sabah