Month: October 2006

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE
October 24, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS

— Throws Community’s Support Behind 16 U.S. Senate
and 196 House Pro-Armenian American Candidates

WASHINGTON, DC – With just two weeks to go before the most hotly
contested Congressional election in more than a decade, the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) today released its
2006 endorsements, throwing the political and electoral strength of
the Armenian American community behind supportive candidates for
the Senate and House of Representatives from forty U.S. States.

"We are pleased to offer our Congressional endorsements as a
resource to help Armenian American voters make informed decisions
at the ballot box on November 7th," said ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian. "With so many races being closely contested, we
encourage all Armenian Americans to go to the polls and support
each of our friends, starting in New Jersey with Senator Bob
Menendez – ANCA’s top electoral priority for 2006."

To the acclaim of Armenian Americans from the Garden State and
throughout the nation, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), last month,
placed a hold on the confirmation of Richard Hoagland, the
President’s highly controversial nominee for U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia, due to his statements denying the Armenian Genocide. The
ANC of New Jersey has mobilized volunteers, donors, and voters
across the state to support the Senator’s campaign.

The ANCA endorsements are based primarily on the ANCA Congressional
Report Card, a detailed review of each incumbent’s record across a
broad range of Armenian American issues. These Report Cards,
prepared in consultation with local ANCA chapters across the
country, cover issues ranging from securing a just resolution of
the Armenian Genocide and the strengthening U.S.-Armenia relations
to defending Nagorno Karabagh’s independence and increasing U.S.
aid and trade levels.

Among the specific criteria measured were membership in the
Armenian Caucus and willingness to advance pro-Armenian American
legislation, including the Armenian Genocide resolutions, the
Railroad bill, measures against Turkey and Azerbaijan’s illegal
blockades, as well as legislative initiatives to end the genocide
that is taking place today in Darfur. Also considered was the
level of support for Congressional initiatives demanding the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, calling for increased aid to
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, supporting the Republic of Nagorno
Karabagh’s independence, protesting PBS’s decision to provide a
platform for Armenian Genocide deniers, and standing up against the
unjustified firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, and
protesting the President’s unacceptable nominee to replace him in
Yerevan.

Complete information about grading criteria as well as individual
ANCA Report Cards will be posted on the ANCA Website on Friday,
October 27th.

A complete list of ANCA Congressional endorsements is provided
below.

#####

ANCA 2006 Congressional Endorsements

Arizona:

District #4: Ed Pastor (D)
District #7: Raul Grijalva (D)

Arkansas:

District #1: Marion Berry (D)
District #4: Mike Ross (D)

California:

Senate: Dianne Feinstein (D)

District #1: Mike Thompson (D)
District #3: Dan Lungren (R)
District #4: John Doolittle (R)
District #5: Doris Matsui (D)
District #6: Lynn Woolsey (D)
District #7: George Miller (D)
District #8: Nancy Pelosi (D)
District #9: Barbara Lee (D)
District #10: Ellen Tauscher (D)
District #11: Richard Pombo (R)
District #13: Pete Stark (D)
District #14: Anna Eshoo (D)
District #15: Michael Honda (D)
District #16: Zoe Lofgren (D)
District #17: Sam Farr (D)
District #18: Dennis Cardoza (D)
District #19: George Radanovich (R)
District #20: Jim Costa (D)
District #21: Devin Nunes (R)
District #23: Lois Capps (D)
District #24: Elton Gallegly (R)
District #25: Buck McKeon (R)
District #27: Brad Sherman (D)
District #28: Howard Berman (D)
District #29: Adam Schiff (D)
District #30: Henry Waxman (D)
District #31: Xavier Becerra (D)
District #32: Hilda Solis (D)
District #33: Diane Watson (D)
District #34: Lucille Roybal-Allard (D)
District #35: Maxine Waters (D)
District #37: Juanita Millender-McDonald (D)
District #38: Grace Napolitano (D)
District #39: Linda Sanchez (D)
District #40: Edward Royce (R)
District #43: Joe Baca (D)
District #44: Ken Calvert (R)
District #45: Mary Bono (R)
District #46: Dana Rohrabacher (R)
District #47: Loretta Sanchez (D)
District #48: John Campbell (R)
District #49: Darrell Issa (R)
District #51: Bob Filner (D)
District #53: Susan Davis (D)

Colorado:

District #1: Diana DeGette (D)
District #2: Mark Udall (D)
District #4: Marilyn Musgrave (R)

Connecticut:

Senate: Joe Lieberman (I)

District #1: John Larson (D)
District #2: Rob Simmons (R)
District #3: Rosa DeLauro (D)
District #4: Christopher Shays (R)
District #5: Nancy Johnson (R)

District of Columbia:

At Large: Eleanor Holmes Norton (D)

Florida:

District #14: Connie Mack (R)
District #17: Kendrick Meek (D)
District #18: Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R)
District #21: Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R)
District #22: E. Clay Shaw (R)

Georgia:

District #3: James Marshall (D)
District #5: John Lewis (D)
District #12: John Barrow (D)
District #13: David Scott (D)

Hawaii:

Senate: Daniel Akaka (D)

District #1: Neil Abercrombie (D)

Illinois:

District #1: Bobby Rush (D)
District #2: Jesse Jackson (D)
District #3: Daniel Lipinski (D)
District #4: Luis Gutierrez (D)
District #7: Danny Davis (D)
District #8: Melissa Bean (D)
District #9: Janice Schakowsky (D)
District #10: Mark Kirk (R)
District #11: Gerald Weller (R)
District #12: Jerry Costello (D)
District #19: John Shimkus (R)

Indiana:

District #1: Peter Visclosky (D)
District #3: Mark Souder (R)
District #6: Mike Pence (R)

Iowa:

District #2: Jim Leach (R)

Kansas

District #1: Jerry Moran (R)
District #3: Dennis Moore (D)

Kentucky:

District #6: Ben Chandler (D)

Louisiana:

District #3: Charlie Melancon (D)

Maine:

Senate: Olympia Snowe (R)

District #1: Tom Allen (D)
District #2: Michael Michaud (D)

Maryland:

Senate: Ben Cardin (D) – OPEN SEAT

District #4: Albert Wynn (D)
District #5: Steny Hoyer (D)
District #8: Christopher Van Hollen (D)

Massachusetts:

Senate: Edward Kennedy (D)

District #1: John Olver (D)
District #2: Richard Neal (D)
District #3: James McGovern (D)
District #4: Barney Frank (D)
District #5: Martin Meehan (D)
District #6: John Tierney (D)
District #7: Edward Markey (D)
District #8: Michael Capuano (D)
District #9: Stephen Lynch (D)
District #10: William Delahunt (D)

Michigan:

Senate: Debbie Stabenow (D)

District #4: Dave Camp (R)
District #5: Dale Kildee (D)
District #8: Mike Rogers (R)
District #9: Joe Knollenberg (R)
District #10: Candice Miller (R)
District #11: Thaddeus McCotter (R)
District #12: Sander Levin (D)
District #13: Carolyn Kilpatrick (D)
District #14: John Conyers (D)
District #15: John Dingell (D)

Minnesota:

District #4: Betty McCollum (D)
District #7: Collin Peterson (D)

Mississippi:

District #2: Bennie Thompson (D)

Missouri:

District #1: William Clay (D)
District #3: Russ Carnahan (D)
District #5: Emanuel Cleaver (D)

Nevada:

Senate: John Ensign (R)

District #1: Shelley Berkley (D)
District #3: Jon Porter (R)

New Hampshire:

District #1: Jeb Bradley (R)
District #2: Charles Bass (R)

New Jersey:

Senate: Robert Menendez (D)

District #1: Robert Andrews (D)
District #2: Frank LoBiondo (R)
District #3: H. James Saxton (R)
District #4: Christopher Smith (R)
District #5: Scott Garrett (R)
District #6: Frank Pallone (D)
District #7: Mike Ferguson (R)
District #9: Steven Rothman (D)
District #10: Donald Payne (D)
District #11: Rodney Frelinghuysen (R)
District #12: Rush Holt (D)

New York:

Senate: Hillary Clinton (D)

District #1: Tim Bishop (D)
District #2: Steve Israel (D)
District #4: Carolyn McCarthy (D)
District #5: Gary Ackerman (D)
District #6: Gregory Meeks (D)
District #7: Joseph Crowley (D)
District #8: Jerrold Nadler (D)
District #9: Anthony Weiner (D)
District #10: Edolphus Towns (D)
District #12: Nydia Velazquez (D)
District #14: Carolyn Maloney (D)
District #15: Charles Rangel (D)
District #17: Eliot Engel (D)
District #18: Nita Lowey (D)
District #19: Sue Kelly (R)
District #20: John Sweeney (R)
District #21: Michael McNulty (D)
District #22: Maurice Hinchey (D)
District #23: John McHugh (R)
District #29: John Randy Kuhl (R)

North Carolina:

District #7: Mike McIntyre (D)

Ohio:

Senate: Sherrod Brown (D) – CHALLENGER

District #1: Steve Chabot (R)
District #2: Victoria Wulisin (D) – CHALLENGER
District #9: Marcy Kaptur (D)
District #10: Dennis Kucinich (D)
District #11: Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D)
District #17: Tim Ryan (D)

Oklahoma:

District #2: Dan Boren (D)

Oregon:

District #3: Earl Blumenauer (D)
District #4: Peter DeFazio (D)

Pennsylvania:

Senate: Richard Santorum (R)

District #2: Chaka Fattah (D)
District #3: Phil English (R)
District #6: Jim Gerlach (R)
District #7: Curt Weldon (R)
District #8: Mike Fitzpatrick (R)
District #13: Allyson Schwartz (D)
District #14: Mike Doyle (D)
District #15: Charles Dent (R)
District #17: Tim Holden (D)

Rhode Island:

District #1: Patrick Kennedy (D)
District #2: James Langevin (D)

South Carolina:

District #2: Joe Wilson (R)

South Dakota:

At Large#: Stephanie Herseth (D)

Tennessee:

District #3: Zach Wamp (R)
District #4: Lincoln Davis (D)

Texas:

District #9: Al Green (D)
District #18: Sheila Jackson Lee (D)
District #20: Charlie Gonzalez (D)
District #22: Nick Lampson (D) – OPEN SEAT
District #25: Lloyd Doggett (D)
District #29: Gene Green (D)

Utah:

District #2: Jim Matheson (D)

Vermont:

Senate: Bernie Sanders (I) – OPEN SEAT

Virginia:

Senate: George Allen (R)

District #1: Jo Ann Davis (R)
District #7: Eric Cantor (R)
District #8: James Moran (D)
District #10: Frank Wolf (R)

Washington:

Senate: Maria Cantwell (D)

District #3: Brian Baird (D)
District #5: Cathy McMorris (R)
District #7: Jim McDermott (D)

Wisconsin:

Senate: Herb Kohl (D)

District #1: Paul Ryan (R)
District #2: Tammy Baldwin (D)
District #3: Ron Kind (D)
District #4: Gwen Moore (D)
District #5: F. James Sensenbrenner (R)

Federation of Armenian Organisations of the Netherlands (FAON)
24 April committee for recognition and commemoration of the Armenian
genocide of 1915
Address: Weesperstraat 91 – The Hague, The Netherlands
K.v.K. 27264382
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: M. Hakhverdian

PRESS RELEASE

Armenian Federation meets minister Verdonk
Genocide education is necessary

The Hague, 24 October 2006 – Representatives of the Federation of Armenian
Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) met today with minister Verdonk of
Immigration and Integration. The reason for this meeting was connected with
the commotion after the removal of three MP candidates of Turkish descent
from the candidates¹ lists of CDA (Christian Democrat Party) and PvdA
(Labour Party) for publicly denying the Armenian Genocide.

The FAON asked the minister to clearly express and continue to express the
Dutch position on this subject both internationally, such as the policy
carried out by Foreign Minister Bot with respect to Turkey since the motion
of Rouvoet (December 2004), as well as in the Netherlands, by showing
solidarity with the Armenian minority.

In response to that Minister Verdonk underlined that in the international
context the Dutch government has raised the Armenian question repeatedly,
both in EU framework and in the bilateral contacts with Turkey and will
continue to do so.

The Armenian Federation, that got the ball rolling on the matter of the MP
candidates through a letter to the CDA (Christian Democrat Party), expressed
concern towards the minister on the one-sided way in which particularly
Turks in the Netherlands are informed about this episode of the history,
which hampers their integration into Dutch society. Moreover, because of
current Turkish legislation, it is in fact impossible for Turks, also those
living in the Netherlands, to give other opinions on this matter than the
official Turkish point of view.

The FAON for this reason urged the minister to adapt the education programme
on this subject. By means of objective material, attention should be paid to
this history on different levels, as is the case in neighbouring countries,
in one package together with the Holocaust and other genocides. The
Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies in Amsterdam can play an
important role in this matter.

Minister Verdonk promised that she will transmit the request of the FAON
concerning the adaptation of the history curriculum on this subject to her
colleague of Education, Culture and Sciences. The minister subscribes to the
need of sound provision of information on the matter.

Additionally, the FAON asked for an active attitude of the Dutch government
by acting against denial on internet sites stirring up hatred, and other
forms of public denial, minimisation, justification or reversing of the
Armenian Genocide; action is also necessary against hackers who continuously
try to destroy Dutch and Armenian internet websites with pictures of the
Turkish flag and the Grey Wolves.

In response to this request, minister Verdonk promised to ask the Dutch
Complaints Bureau for Discrimination on the Internet (MDI) to be alert to
any form of discrimination towards Armenians.

Finally minister Verdonk also promised that under her orders a profile (an
information booklet) of the Armenian community in the Netherlands will be
established.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Telephone: (818) 500-1918
Facsimile: (818) 246-7353
[email protected] <;

PRESS RELEASE
October 24, 2006

Contact: Lerna Kayserian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA-WR MEETS WITH CONGRESSMAN WAXMAN AS PART OF REGION-WIDE MEETINGS

GLENDALE, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
(ANCA-WR) met with US Representative Henry Waxman (D-30) in his Los Angeles
district office last week. ANCA-WR Community Relations Director Haig
Hovsepian was joined by 30th District constituents Ara Khachatourian and
Alice Mouradian.

Meeting attendees thanked the Congressman for his support of key
legislation, including H.Res.316, a resolution commemorating the Armenian
Genocide, and H.R.3361, a bill that prevents the United States from
financing railway projects that would intentionally bypass Armenia.

During the meeting, Rep. Waxman was updated on the firing of former US
Ambassador to Armenia, John Marshall Evans, as well as the controversy
surrounding the US Administration’s nominee, Richard Hoagland, to replace
him. The Congressman was briefed on the lack of explanation by the State
Department regarding the reasons for Ambassador Evans’ dismissal and was
asked that he and his colleagues investigate the matter further.

"We were glad to meet with the Congressman and take the opportunity to
express our concerns," noted Hovsepian. "We look forward to working with him
to address these concerns as we continue to build a strong relationship
between the Congressman and the community."

The meeting with Rep. Waxman comes at the end of a three-month effort by the
ANCA-WR – in collaboration with its local chapters – to expand relations
between the Armenian American communities and their elected officials at a
federal level. Since July, the ANCA-WR has met with over 30 members of
Congress throughout the western region, including members from Arizona,
California, Colorado, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, and Washington.

The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots
political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of
the Armenian-American community on a broad range of issues.

BELARUSIAN PREMIER LEAVES FOR ARMENIA

Belapan news agency, Minsk
22 Oct 06

A Belarusian government delegation led by Prime Minister Syarhey
Sidorski has left for Armenia, the Belarusian news agency Belapan
reported on 22 October, quoting official sources.

According to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, Sidorski is scheduled to
discuss economic and humanitarian cooperation issues at his meetings
with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, Prime Minister Andranik
Markaryan and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, Belapan added.

Sidorski’s visit to Armenia will last till 24 October, the news
agency said.

DON’T GO COLD TURKEY

Financial Times, UK
22 October 2006 Sunday 8:33:05 PM GMT

The negative rhetoric has heated up. Following France’s decision
to outlaw denial of the 1915 Armenian genocide, the likelihood that
Turkey’s entry into the European Union will stall has also risen.

With the formal suspension of accession talks a distinct possibility,
should investors fret?

General elections in 2007 add spice to the row with France. But
political uncertainties should not overshadow Turkey’s robust economic
achievements. These include speeded-up structural reform, particularly
in the financial system, fiscal consolidation, and strong productivity
growth. Momentum has been driven less by the prospect of EU entry than
by the stringent requirements of successive International Monetary
Fund loan agreements. The latest of these imposes targets of a primary
budget surplus and 4 per cent inflation.

While inflation is running significantly higher in the wake of currency
declines earlier this year, 12-month expectations have fallen, and
the central bank remains draconian. Admittedly, not all is rosy on
the economic front tourism receipts, direly needed to offset a record
trade deficit, are tumbling but Turkey’s economy looks more resilient
to political upsets than in the past.

What does this mean for markets? Stocks have underperformed the MSCI
emerging markets index, in dollar terms, by 16 per cent in the past
year but have recovered strongly since June. Spreads on Turkish debt
have widened from a May low of 164 basis points over US Treasuries,
according to the JPMorgan EMBI+ index, to 224bp. But at only 40 basis
points above the emerging market average, this suggests investors
are relatively sanguine about the EU debate.

Emerging market investors have proved forgiving, perhaps overly,
in the face of this year’s emerging market wobbles. Still, while
Turkey remains vulnerable to waves of increased global risk aversion,
the reassuring trend of domestic economic policy, if not politics,
is not in doubt.

ARE WE READY TO SUPPORT THE PRO-ARMENIAN EFFORTS OF FRANCE?
by Lana Mshetsyan’s

Golos Armenii, Yerevan,
17 Oct 06 p 1

The bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide, which has
been adopted by the French parliament and is waiting to be approved
by the Senate, is certainly something that can be called a turning
point and even a historic event. Not just because it is an event of
great significance, but also because events that seemed impossible
before are now becoming a possibility. There was no doubt that such
events would take place.

Of course, we can be sure that the developments of the last few
decades will accelerate in the sense that more states will recognize
the Armenian genocide and in the sense that we may be more confident
that the process will globalize in the future and achieve its final
goal. But it is hard to predict some other developments as they heavily
depend on Turkey’s response to the adoption of the pro-Armenian law
by France and on the likelihood of yesterday’s threats becoming a
reality tomorrow. A lot is difficult to predict here, a lot of things
can affect us only indirectly and we may have no influence on many
events. For instance, the problem of Turkey’s membership of the EU
or its refusal to fulfil bilateral trade agreements.

At the same time, there might be situations in which our participation
will be unavoidable. We should take a firm position on such situations
and support France in its pro-Armenian policy although it may create
paradoxes. For instance, Turkey is threatening to deport all Armenian
citizens from Turkey. Are we sure that the Armenian authorities will
display an appropriate reaction, i.e. are they ready to deport all
Turks living in Armenia?

Let us note that Armenians living in Turkey are very unfortunate
people because they often earn money doing humiliating jobs. But the
Turks living in Armenia, including Azerbaijanis, who pretend they
are Iranians, are smart and impudent dealers who uncontrollably rob
Armenia. For this reason, this mutual deportation is beneficial for us.

But today the point is whether we are ready to support France in
all its pro-Armenian efforts. Undoubtedly, we are not sure as all
the pro-Armenian initiatives of France are supported with unclear
obstinacy only in the legislative sphere in our country. Isn’t it
a shame for us that France is the only country of the world that
adopted a second law on the Armenian genocide? Why didn’t Armenia
become such a country as well? We can say that this is demagogy as
everything regarding the genocide is so clear in Armenia that it does
not require legislative approval. But not everything is so clear as
the adoption of such laws may insult Turks and even make them angry,
and somebody in our country is scared of this most of all. The French
were not afraid to insult the Turks again and even make them angry.

But one can tell us that Armenia is not France and they have their
own interests in this issue. Who argues? But Ottoman Turkey carried
out genocide against the Armenians, not against the French in the
early 20th century. It is not enough to say "thank you", it is time
to clearly support France in all its pro-Armenian efforts. We should
be ready for any steps that Turkey, which is insulted and angry with
France, might force us to take. France has left no room for us to
doubt, and we are grateful to France for this.

RUSSIAN FILM TRIUMPHS IN FIRST ROME FILM FESTIVAL

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 21, 2006 Saturday 10:38 AM EST

DPA CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT Italy Culture Film Russian film triumphs
in first Rome Film Festival Rome

Izobrajaya Zhertvy (Playing the Victim), a dark comedy by Russian
director Kirill Serebrennikov, won the Best Film

Award at Rome’s first International Film Festival on Saturday.

The film, a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, was
picked from 16 vying for the award by a popular jury of 50 ordinary
movie-goers led by Italian director Ettore Scola.

The Best Actress Award was given to Ariane Ascaride for her starring
role in Le Voyage en Armnie (Armenia) by French director Robert
Gudiguian while Italy’s Giorgio Colangeli (L’Aria Salata) was given
the Best Actor Award.

Shane Meadows’s This is England won the Special Jury Award.

The awards ceremony took place in Rome’s Auditorium on the last day
of the festival, which was to close later on Saturday with a preview
screening of Robert De Niro’s latest film, The Good Shepherd.

After the screening, De Niro was expected to answer questions from
the audience.

The city’s first ever international film festival is the brainchild
of Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, a well-known cinema buff.

International stars who have attended include Nicole Kidman, Sean
Connery, Harrison Ford and Leonardo Di Caprio.

ARMENIA, BELARUS READY TO HELP OVERCOME RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN CRISIS – PM

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Oct 23 2006

Yerevan, 23 October: Moscow and Tbilisi have not requested that
Armenia help to normalize Russian-Georgian relations, Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Markaryan today told a joint news conference with
his Belarussian counterpart, Syarhey Sidorski.

Sidorski said that the relations between Georgia and Russia are the
two countries’ internal affair, however, Armenia and Belarus are ready
to render assistance if Georgia and Russia make a request of this kind.

RUSSIA’S BLOCKADE OF GEORGIA AFFECTS TRADE WITH ARMENIA – BELARUS PM

Belapan news agency, Minsk,
23 Oct 06

Minsk, 23 October: Belarusian Prime Minister Syarhey Sidorski has
said that Russia’s transport blockade of Georgia has affected trade
between Belarus and Armenia.

He told reporters in Yerevan on Monday [23 October] that the Belarusian
authorities are keeping a close eye on all transport routes that are
essential to the country’s foreign trade.

Russia cut all transport links with Georgia, which are located to
the north of Armenia, in early October.

Sidorski said that in January-July trade between Belarus and Armenia
increased by 37 per to 14.9m dollars cent year-on-year, which is
500,000 dollars less than in the entire previous year, with Belarusian
exports rising by 28 per cent and imports by 120 per cent.

He said that trade grew at a fast pace but that the growth was still
very insignificant in monetary terms.

Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan told the news conference
that the two countries’ governments should seek to create favourable
conditions for cooperation between businesses.

While commenting on Sidorski’s talks in Yerevan, he said that the
Armenian authorities had to drop plans to lease Belarusian machinery
because of its high prices. The Belarusian delegation suggested
opening a maintenance and repair centre for Belarusian-made machinery
in Armenia, Markaryan said, noting that the project might prove sound.

Belarus mainly supplies Armenia with machinery and buys jewellery
and cognac from it.

[Belapan reported at 1028 gmt today that eight accords aimed at
boosting Belarusian-Armenian trade and economic cooperation were
signed in Yerevan after Sidorski’s talks with Markaryan.]

PENETRATING THE HAZE OF TRUTH
by Philip Bowring

South China Morning Post, Hong Kong

October 23, 2006 Monday

"What is truth? said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for an
answer." Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen is keen on quotes from
British authors, so I commend to him these first lines of Francis
Bacon’s essay on Truth. The 17th century writer was an early exponent
of scientific inquiry and experiment as the path to truth.

So how should one deal with those who deny what is obvious or what
is regarded as common knowledge as a result of constant repetition?

Here, in Hong Kong, we have a chief executive implicitly denying the
connection between public health and the haze of particles that so
often sits over the city. Is this bone-headed ignorance? Or is it
a politically convenient posture to avoid what Al Gore’s film calls
"an inconvenient truth"?

Does the chief executive only care about the smog if it keeps away
tourists and foreign businesses? Does he not care for the health of
those who live here? Does he really believe that it is only our view,
not our health, that is at stake? Or is it just a way of sidestepping
the risk of offending the vested interests who support him politically
– and give cosy jobs to ex-civil servants?

Either way, it is sad, but the one thing we do not want to do is put
him in jail, let alone execute him, for denying "the truth". That is
something of which the Catholic Church and the Communist Party have
had plenty of experience. Even they may have learned lessons that
fear is only effective in the short term in spreading a gospel.

Let the facts speak for themselves, and they will if they are repeated
often enough by a sufficiently large proportion of society in general,
as well as the scientific community.

Letting facts speak for themselves seems rather difficult at present
for two great nations – France and Turkey – who ought to know better.

Even more remarkable is that they have become embroiled in a dispute
not over what they did to each other but an issue of marginal interest
to France: the massacre of Armenians in Turkey in 1915. This is no
China-Japan dispute over the Nanking Massacre or the Yasukuni Shrine.

Turkey has some laws, allegedly in the interests of national
solidarity, which make it illegal to denigrate the nation, and the
founder of modern, secular Turkey, Mustafa Kemal. This makes honest
appraisal of the events of 1915 difficult. Turkish bone-headedness on
this topic is an obstacle to joining the European Union. (These laws
remind me of threats in Hong Kong to outlaw suggestions that Taiwan
is not part of China, history notwithstanding).

But at least the Turks are just silencing each other. Now the French
parliament has passed a law making it an offence to deny that the
1915 killings were "genocide".

Certainly, probably hundreds of thousands of (Christian) Armenians in
Turkey were massacred. But to use the word genocide is dubious. Most
of the evidence points not to government-directed massacres but to
spontaneous, communally led killings.

At the time, Turkey was being invaded in the west by France and Britain
(at Gallipoli) and (more successfully) by Russia in the east.

The Russians used Christianity in an effort to detach Armenians in
eastern Turkey to their cause – with some success. So the response
of the Muslim Turks wasn’t surprising. But don’t expect the French
parliamentarians to bother with such facts, or to look at whether
the French record of massacre in Algeria also counts as genocide.

Of course there are historical episodes whose basic facts are
beyond dispute. The Holocaust is one. But should those who deny it
be jailed? Either they are ignorant to the point that no one will
take them seriously. Or they have an agenda which can only be served
by martyrdom.

Constructing an over-arching truth from a series of facts is
difficult. But facts are facts, and sooner or later they penetrate
most skulls, just as those particles penetrate the lungs as surely
as they are seen by the eyes.

Philip Bowring is a Hong Kong-based journalist and commentator