Month: October 2006

A PRIZE AFFAIR: TURKEY AND THE ARMENIANS

The Economist
October 21, 2006
U.S. Edition

A Nobel winner

Orhan Pamuk, the French parliament and the Armenian massacres

WAS it for his writing or his commentary? The question has consumed
the country since Orhan Pamuk became the first Turk to win the Nobel
prize for literature (or indeed any Nobel). The comments, about the
mass slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks, led last year to
Mr Pamuk’s prosecution on charges of insulting the "Turkish identity" .

The charges were later dropped on a technicality, but not before they
had attracted a storm of international criticism.

Ascribing to him the Byzantine wiles displayed by some of his
characters, Mr Pamuk’s enemies are now saying that he engineered his
own trial so as to win the Nobel. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the mildly
Islamist prime minister, urged fellow Turks to "put aside polemics"
and congratulate Mr Pamuk, but the (pro-secular) president remained
pointedly silent.

The novelist’s detractors were given a boost, hours before the
award was announced, by the French National Assembly, when it voted
overwhelmingly for a bill to criminalise denial that the Armenians
were victims of a genocide. The bill is unlikely to become law, but
it still sparked a wave of anti-French demonstrations and vows that
France would somehow be made to "pay" for its misdeeds. Why not boot
out some 70,000 illegal workers from neighbouring Armenia, suggested
Yasar Yakis, a former minister from the ruling AK party?

The European Union enlargement commissioner, Olli Rehn, said that the
French bill "instead of opening up the debate [on the Armenians in
Turkey] would rather close it down." Mesrob Mutafyan, the Armenian
Orthodox patriarch in Istanbul, voiced fears that his 80,000-member
flock might now become targets for ultra-nationalist vigilantes.

Happily, no Armenian has been hurt (or deported) so far. Nor
have efforts to break the ice between ordinary Turks and Armenians
stopped-an exhibition by Turkish and Armenian photographers depicting
daily life in Istanbul and Yerevan is to open soon.

There may even be a silver lining to the French cloud. Basking on
the moral high ground, Mr Erdogan said he would not be trapped into
responding to France’s "assault on free speech" in kind. The justice
minister, Cemil Cicek, is hinting that Turkey’s article 301, under
which Mr Pamuk and scores of fellow writers and academics have been
prosecuted, may be scrapped. If it is, Turkey’s EU hopes would be
resuscitated-and future award-winning novelists could then claim to
have been judged solely by their works, not their deeds.

IS THE WEST LOSING TURKEY?

The Economist
October 21, 2006
U.S. Edition

Turkish squabbles with America and Europe

Repair work is needed to mend a deteriorating relationship

THE relationship between Turkey and the West has always been awkward.

The age-old hostility between the rising Muslim empire of the Ottomans
and the declining Christian one of Byzantium still casts a shadow-as
the pope discovered when he unwisely quoted a Byzantine emperor’s
negative views of Muhammad. So it is no surprise that tensions
should arise between Turkey and the European Union, or between
Turkey and America. What is worrying is that, at a moment when these
two relationships matter more than ever, both have simultaneously
deteriorated.

Turkey is important to the Americans and Europeans for geographical
reasons: it abuts the EU to its west and the Caucasus, Iran, Iraq and
Syria to its east. It matters for economic reasons: fast-growing GDP
and a rising population have made it an important trade and investment
partner. It is significant militarily, with the biggest NATO army
after America’s. But it counts above all as the best exemplar of
a mainly Muslim country that is a thriving democracy and a secular
republic-a rare beast that the West desperately needs to encourage.

Yet Turkey’s relations with the United States have been testy ever
since its parliament blocked the passage of American troops to Iraq
in March 2003. Now the Turks are simmering because they say the
Americans have done nothing to stop Kurdish PKK fighters, who have
resumed guerrilla and terrorist activities in Turkey’s south-east,
basing themselves in the northern Kurdish area of Iraq. The public
mood in Turkey has turned hostile to America: in one poll this summer,
more Turks had a good opinion of Iran than of the United States.

Ordinary Turks have also become more negative about Europe. In
December 2004, when the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan won the
promise of an opening of negotiations to join the EU, the reaction
across Turkey was euphoric. But the talks have progressed painfully
slowly. The perception in Ankara is that the EU is piling on big
demands-for constitutional change, economic liberalisation, more
religious tolerance-but offering little in return. Over the past two
years a stream of leaders from such countries as France, Germany and
Austria have made clear that they are against Turkey ever joining
the EU. And now Brussels is threatening to suspend the entry talks
unless Turkey fulfils its promise to open its ports and airports to
the (Greek) Republic of Cyprus, although the EU’s effective embargo
of northern Cyprus will remain ()see page 51.

In such a climate, even small gestures can be damaging. The bill just
approved by the French National Assembly to make it a crime to deny the
Armenian genocide of 1915 seems unlikely ever to become law. But it has
created a storm of protest in Turkey, which has never acknowledged the
genocide. In the run-up to next year’s election in Turkey, Mr Erdogan,
who leads the mildly Islamist AK party, is understandably inclined to
pander to nationalist (and religious) feeling. Yet he is playing with
fire: radical Islam is gaining fresh recruits, and mutterings can be
heard in the Turkish army, which has a long history of interfering in
politics, about its duty to protect the secular tradition of Ataturk.

Some in Washington might welcome a military intervention if it produced
a more compliant ally. But it would be a huge setback in the impressive
progress that Turkey has made under Mr Erdogan. He would do well to
continue that progress, by returning to the goal that he first chose
in 2003: to prepare Turkey for joining the EU. That also requires a new
engagement by the Europeans. Rather than speaking out against Turkey’s
eventual membership, EU leaders should let the negotiations proceed
without prejudice to their outcome. The current Finnish presidency of
the EU also deserves strong support in its efforts to find a compromise
that averts the "train-wreck" over Cyprus which threatens to scupper
the talks. Both America and Europe must pay closer attention to Turkey
in the next few months if they are to avoid the risk of losing it.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DIKO ELECTS NEW LEADER TODAY AFTER WEEKS OF ACRIMONY
By Elias Hazou

Cyprus Mail
22 Oct 2006

RULING DIKO goes to the polls today to elect a new party leader,
ending an acrimonious campaign with no shortage of low blows.

Back in August, Tassos Papadopoulos dropped a bombshell when he
announced he was standing down.

Papadopoulos said he had decided to step down because his duties
as President did not allow him fully to respond to his duties as
DIKO chairman.

However, his resignation was also seen as kick starting the 2008
presidential race. In a farewell speech earlier this month,
Papadopoulos appealed for unity within DIKO, but subsequent
developments have been anything but harmonious.

Papadopoulos took over the reins of DIKO in 2000 from the late founder
Spyros Kyprianou. But the day-to-day running of the party was delegated
to no.2 Nicos Cleanthous A lawyer by profession, Cleanthous, regarded
as toeing the "Papadopoulos line", now faces off against the younger
Marios Karoyian, a former presidential spokesman.

Karoyian is portraying himself as a link between the old and new
guards inside DIKO. He has pledged to open up the party and improve
its functioning, which he says has grown stale.

In this respect, Karoyian’s endeavour has been likened to that of
PASOK leader George Papandreou in Greece: more power to ordinary
party members.

On a live radio show this week, Karoyian – derided by detractors as
an upstart – indirectly criticised Cleanthous, saying that DIKO could
have done better in May’s legislative elections.

Cleanthous countered, noting that the party received 17.8 per cent
of the popular vote, and that in all fairness he should be given at
least some of the credit.

"Why is it that I am saddled with the negative things, never the good
things?" Cleanthous complained.

The campaign had turned nasty early on, when members of the Cleanthous
camp started picking on Karoyian’s Armenian descent.

In a letter printed in a newspaper, a Cleanthous supporter accused
Karoyian of not doing his military service – Armenians are not called
up to the National Guard – and cast a shadow over his patriotism.

Sources close to Karoyian dismissed this as racist behaviour and a
dishonest attempt at prejudicing DIKO members.

Cleanthous has denied all along any connection to this rumour peddling,
even speaking out against it.

But Karoyian’s cohorts have also managed to dig up dirt on Cleanthous:
they say that at one time Cleanthous "left" DIKO to join the ranks
of another political grouping, Enosis Kentrou (Union of the Centre).

The accusation struck a raw nerve with Cleanthous.

"I did not abandon DIKO, I merely became inactive for a while,"
he said.

"And this was at a time when the party came to power. Show me another
politician who would forsake the spoils of power."

At a gathering of supporters at Nicosia’s Hilton Hotel this week,
Cleanthous appealed to DIKO members’ sense of responsibility.

"Do the right thing," was his slogan, implying he was the man to
ensure stability and continuity.

Commentators note that the new party chief will have a tough task
ahead: the municipal elections – which strained relations between
the government coalition -are just around the corner.

Already, cracks have been shaping inside the party: members of the
Nicosia district branch are disgruntled at having been left out of
the decision-making process. They say that the mayoral candidates
for the Nicosia district have been imposed on them from the top.

Karoyian is almost certain to tap into this disaffection.

The party has also been rocked by allegations from former heavyweight
Nicos Pittokopitis, who claims he was robbed of the Paphos mayorship.

Pittokopitis threatened to unleash a "political typhoon" of revelations
regarding the wheeling and dealing between DIKO, EDEK and AKEL for
the municipalities.

Tomorrow’s election will be followed by a vote in DIKO’s Central
Committee to nominate an alternate chairman.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER CALLS FOR FLEXIBLE POLICY REGARDING GEORGIA

Arminfo
21 Oct 06

Yerevan, 21 October: Armenia has to pursue a flexible and stable policy
regarding Georgia, not a rough policy that Yerevan is pursuing now,
the leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia, Aram Sarkisyan, said
at a news conference at the Azdak discussion club today.

Sarkisyan described the arrest of Vaagn Chakhalyan, one of leaders
of the [Georgia’s] United Javakhk organization, as shameful. "Nobody
believes the foolish statement that Chakhalyan had illegally crossed
the Armenian-Georgian border. It is clear that his imprisonment
in the detention centre of the National Security Service has a
political nature and is aimed at playing with Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili," the MP said.

[Passage omitted: Sarkisyan advised Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan to take over the role of a mediator between Russia
and Georgia]

ARMENIAN LEADER, CHINESE MP DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
21 Oct 06

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan received a delegation led by
Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National
People’s Congress Xu Jialu today.

Xu Jialu conveyed the Chinese president’s greetings to Kocharyan. The
Armenian president expressed his satisfaction with the high level
of the political dialogue between Armenia and China and noted that
Armenia is pursuing a continual policy of expanding relations between
the two countries. He also said that Armenia wants bilateral relations
to be more dynamic and harmonious.

Speaking about China’s role in the international arena, Kocharyan
highly rated the position of that country on problems existing in
the South Caucasus.

POPE APPEALS TO POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS LEADERS TO HELP IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION, RECONCILIATION

AP Worldstream
Oct 22, 2006

Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday appealed to political and religious
leaders in Iraq and the world to help the conflict-ridden country
in its reconstruction, and expressed solidarity with the Christian
community and all victims of the violence there.

In his Sunday prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Benedict also sent his
"cordial greetings" to Muslims, who are celebrating the holy Muslim
month of Ramadan, and wished them "serenity and peace."

The pope expressed worry for the "news coming out of Iraq on the
very grave situation of insecurity and brutal violence to which many
innocent people are subjected only because (they are) Shiites, Sunnis
or Christians."

Benedict appealed to "the religious leaders, the political leaders,
both local and of the world, to support those people on the path to
reconstructing their homeland, in the search of a shared balance, in
mutual respect, in the awareness that the plurality of its components
is an integral part of its wealth."

"I perceive the great worry that runs through the Christian community
and I intend to assure that I am close to it, as I am to all victims,
and for all I call for strength and consolation," the pope said.

Christians make up just 3 percent of Iraq’s 26 million people. The
major Christian groups include Chaldean-Assyrians and Armenians,
with small numbers of Roman Catholics.

Benedict has been calling for dialogue between Christianity and Islam.

He stepped up that call lately after coming under siege from Muslim
protests over a quotation from a Medieval Byzantine emperor about
Islam and violence.

The remarks came during a Sept. 12 speech about faith and reason at
a university in Germany.

Benedict has said that his words were misunderstood and that he was
sorry that Muslims were offended.

On Friday, the Vatican released its annual Ramadan message and called
on Muslims to join Catholics in working to defeat terrorism.

CHINA, ARMENIA VOW TO DEEPEN COOPERATION

Xinhua News Agency, China
Oct 22 2006

YEREVAN, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) — Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and
visiting Chinese senior legislator Xu Jialu agreed on Saturday to
boost the cooperation between the two countries.

At a meeting with Xu, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the
National People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body, Kocharyan
expressed his appreciation of the increasingly important role China
plays in world affairs and said his country stands ready to develop
all-round cooperation with China.

Kocharyan reiterated Armenia’s adherence to the one-China policy.

Earlier, Xu met separately Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
and Chairman of the National Assembly Tigran Torosyan.

Margarian said during the meeting that developing relations with China
is a priority of Armenia’s foreign policy and he expressed his hope
for a higher trade volume and stronger ties in humanitarian areas
between the two countries.

Torosyan told Xu that his visit would bring legislative cooperation
between Armenia and China to a higher level.

Xu, for his part, said China and Armenia enjoy deep political
mutual trust and have offered mutual support in international
affairs. Bilateral cooperation is expanding and enjoys broad prospects,
he said.

Xu arrived in the Armenian capital on Friday for a two-day visit.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

Photo: Armenian President Robert Kocharian (R) shakes hands with
Xu Jialu, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National
People’s Congress (NPC) of China, during their meeting in Yerevan,
capital of Armenia, Oct. 21, 2006.(Xinhua Photo)

22/content_5233243.htm

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FAKE COMPASSION OF EUROPE’S RIGHT-WING: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
James Cooke

PEJ News, Canada
Peace, Earth & Justice News
Socialist Perspectives
Oct 21 2006

On the surface, this appears to be a Left cause – Turkey seems guilty
of holocaust-denial. Rewriting history is always a dangerous route to
take, especially when those doing it are heads of state; the result
is traditionally scapegoating and repression. Anyone who stands for
justice and equality takes a firm stance against such behavior. With
that said, one has to wonder why this particular event, which took
place over a hundred years ago, is suddenly making headlines. To view
this emerging topic as a simple case of holocaust-denial is to align
oneself with the anti-Islamic wing of Europe who are using the topic
to inflame ethnic and religious tensions, consolidate their racist
constituency, and shift national issues away from the ever-worsening
social reality- much like what is happening in the U.S., not to
mention Australia.

The spark that united the current debate occurred in France, where
Jacques Chirac, the right-wing President, and Nicolas Sarkozy,
Chirac’s ultra-right Interior Minister, co-supported a law making
denial of the Armenian genocide a crime; earlier in the year France
officially recognized the event as genocide. Now Chirac has publicly
stated that Turkey, who does not recognize the WWI happenings as
genocide, should do so if it wants entrance into the European Union.

Once again, taking this move on its face, the usually-callous French
leaders appear to be putting humanity ahead of politics. Just the
opposite is the case, as it always is.

Before an opinion is formed on this issue, some preliminary details
should be pondered. One should first reflect on the fact that the
Armenian genocide was the work of Ottoman Turks (Muslims), responsible
for killing Armenian Christians. This particular detail should raise
an eyebrow, considering the current climate of religious tension in
the world.

Additional suspicion is required when one considers the credibility
of these suddenly-virtuous French leaders, whose past actions have
made them the object of contempt from much of French society. Chirac
is the French equivalent of George Bush- he is widely unpopular and
considered by many to be a lame duck. The massive protests that
took place in response to the First Employment Contract proposed
by Chirac had revolutionary potential, and forced the President
to make a substantial, albeit temporary retreat in his right-wing
policy-making. The sad state of France has forced its leaders into
the cellars of society to find political support; religion, racism,
and demagoguery are the tactics now relied on to divert attention
from the pressing issues of the country. Suddenly, the most prized
constituents are the most backward, content with easy answers to
complex questions. Immigrants and Muslims have been hardest hit by
this shift of strategy.

The subtle anti-Islamic rhetoric that both politicians and the media
had been using evolved into the most racist and reactionary state
policies. French schools are now under a country-wide ban of Muslim
headscarves and other "conspicuous’ religious symbols, a blatant
violation of a founding principle of the French republic- freedom of
religion. Chirac’s national address concerning the issue was greeted by
the media with fanfare and hysteria as he tried to twist the issue into
one of great historical importance. The social problems of France were
now blamed on a ‘clash of cultures’- the method used by every despotic
regime in history facing desperation and crisis. The Muslims of France
were painted as foreign entities, unable to acclimate themselves to
French society, something that is now blamed for their devastating
poverty and consequently, overt rebelliousness.

In October 2005, the culmination of the ‘Muslim question’ took place in
riot form, spreading quickly across France and eventually throughout
much of Europe, reflecting the continent-wide significance of the
issue. Those rioting were mainly Islamic youth of African heritage,
unhappy with unemployment, poverty, and state-sponsored racism. The
French government responded with ruthless repression, implanting
curfews and a three-month long state of emergency. Little was mentioned
about the social conditions responsible for the uprising. Nicholas
Sarkozy, always in the vanguard of anti-Islamic rhetoric, referred to
the rioters as ‘rubble’ and ‘scum’, using the event as a pretext for
even harsher laws and a ‘monitoring program’ aimed at the extremely
early detection of troublemakers; Muslims will be the overwhelming
target in this case.

With the above taken into consideration, the new genocide-denial
law cannot be supported. It is an insult to the memories of those
Armenians actually persecuted during WWI; their deaths are being
shamelessly exploited by a regime in crisis, looking for any reason
to shift the country’s problems away from those responsible for
decision-making. Chirac and his cohorts are literally incapable
of such empathy, responding with genuine emotion only when their
corporate masters are threatened.

Fortunately, many Armenians of the region understand the racist
intentions of the new law, and have vowed to travel to France to
become criminals for breaking a law that is allegedly meant to protect
them. This level of political consciousness is severely lacking by
many of those interested in the subject.

It is enough to know that most governments in the world today
are mirrored reflections of an internationally unhealthy business
environment; the corporations that have long controlled the mainstream
political parties are expressing their desperation through their
electoral voice boxes. The ever-deepening conflict of interests between
the needs of corporations and that of average people has created
an environment of hostility towards governments across the globe,
resulting in the low-brow political maneuvers so familiar to those
living in the U.S. At this stage, EVERY policy implemented by every 1st
world government should be looked upon with deep suspicion. Scratching
the surface will usually reveal the most sickening of intentions.

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‘U.S. GOVERNMENTS NEVER DESCRIBED THE EVENTS OF 1915 AS GENOCIDE’
By Selcuk Gultasli

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 21 2006

* US Urges France to Promote Discussion

The United States has expressed it views on the Armenian genocide
legislation criminalizing the denial of the issue, noting that it
did not make sense.

Washington, which has taken a firm stance against the regulation,
called on Paris "not to take sides but to promote the debate in Turkey
and the dialogue between Turkey and Armenia."

Fried Meets Reporters

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Daniel Fried
spoke on Friday in Brussels to a small group of reporters, including
some from Zaman.

Asked by a Zaman, Turkish daily, reporter to assess the bill, he said
"this is a very intricate matter, and it deserves a comprehensive
answer."

Noting that French President Jacques Chirac had sounded his concerns
about the bill, Fried said, "We believe those concerns to be right
ones," and he emphasized that the U.S. governments never described
the events of 1915 as "genocide."

"This doesn’t mean that we belittle or deny the mass killings that
took place in 1915. President Bush has always accentuated his grief
caused by the events" said Fried.

Fried emphasized that forbidding any discussion about the issue made
no sense and said "Every country has parts in its history that it
is not proud of. For instance, slavery, the maltreatment of American
Indians, and the gathering of Japanese-origin American citizens into
camps during World War II are such examples from my country."

Fried also said that his country discusses all such subjects
transparently just the way it has to be in modern societies and Turkey
should be encouraged to do so as well.

Warning that "the French bill is not going to promote discussion,"
Fried uttered that the responsibility of other countries involved
were to foster the air of discussion in Turkey and the efforts for
dialogue between Turkey and Armenia.

Also calling on France "to promote dialogue instead of taking sides,"
he pointed out that the subject in Turkey was already being discussed
and Turkish intellectuals had started adopting different angles to
evaluate the events of 1915.

It was very unusual of Fried to call on both the Turkish and Armenian
side to look at the 1915 events "with pain but honestly."

Also touching on the Cyprus matter, Fried said they hoped that a
train wreck would not occur between Turkey and the European Union
and considered it a positive development that none of the parties
had rejected the Finnish plan yet.

Praising the president of Turkish Cyprus Mehmet Ali Talat’s efforts
toward a solution, Fried never mentioned Tassos Papadopoulos, the
president of Greek Cyprus.

CANADA SUPPORTS TURKEY’S CALL TO ESTABLISH JOINT COMMITTEE FOR ARMENIAN CLAIMS

Journal of Turkish weekly, Turkey
Oct 21 2006

Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay said that his country supported
a Turkish proposal of setting up a joint committee of historians to
study genocide allegations, Turkish Foreign Minister Spokesman Namik
Tan said in a written statement.

Tan stated that Canadian Foreign Minister MacKay attended a reception
at the Turkish embassy in Ottawa Wednesday, on the occasion of the
establishment of Turkish-Canadian Friendship Group established in
the Canadian parliament.

Delivering a speech at the reception, MacKay noted that he supported
the Turkish proposal. MacKay also related that he urged his Armenian
counterpart, Vartan Oskanian, to support the Turkish proposal,
Tan added.

Tan also stated that Mackay appreciated Turkey for its efforts to
evacuate Canadian citizens during the conflict between Israeli and
Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon in July.

MacKay also conveyed that his country welcomed Turkey’s cooperation
with Canada in Afghanistan.

Turkey and Armenia have disputes on 1915 events. Both sides accuse
each other of committing massacres. Armenians call the 1915 events as
‘genocide’ while Turkey says about 2 million Muslim Ottoman citizens
were massacred by the armed Armenian groups during and post-First
World War era.