Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 30 2008
Armenian radio slated for February
TRT and Public Armenian Television signed an agreement of cooperation
five months ago for TRT to start radio broadcasts in the Armenian
language. According to the terms of this agreement, one TRT radio
channel will start airing Armenian broadcasts in February. TRT will
also create an Armenian Web site and plans to launch an Armenian TV
channel in one year.
30 December 2008, Tuesday
TODAY’S ZAMAN WITH WIRES Ä°STANBUL
Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 30 2008
Two years imprisonment sought for colonel in Dink case
Following an investigation into those who were suspected of
dereliction of duty in the Hrant Dink murder case, a prosecutor has
filed a lawsuit against former Trabzon Gendarmerie Commander Col. Ali
Ã-z and six soldiers which seeks up to two years of imprisonment.
Ã-z and soldiers Veysel Å?ahin, Okan Å?imÅ?ek,
Metin Yıldız, Ã-nder Aras, Hüseyin
Yılmaz and Hacı Ã-mer Ã`naldı will be tried
at the Trabzon 2nd Criminal Court of Peace.
In July, the testimony of an ex-gendarmerie officer indicated that
Ã-z disregarded information related to the murder of Dink, a
Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor, before the assassination.
Retired Lt. Col. Ali OÄ?uz Ã?aÄ?lar, the former
director of the Trabzon gendarmerie public security branch, confirmed
the testimonies of two gendarmes who said they had informed their
superior officer, Ã-z, about the impending murder but had given
false statements during the course of the investigation under pressure
from Ã-z.
Facing an investigation over suspicions of "hiding information and
failing to act" on reports that Dink was in danger, Ã-z gave his
testimony on July 21 and responded by stating either "I don’t
remember" or "I don’t know them" when asked about the intelligence
information related to Dink’s murder and the two gendarmes who said
they had informed him about the murder.
Gendarmes Å?imÅ?ek and Å?ahin testified that they
knew about the plot to kill Dink six months before the murder took
place and said they had informed Gendarmerie Intelligence Director
Capt. Metin Yıldız, who informed Ã-z. The two
officers testified that Ã-z did nothing upon receiving the
information.
30 December 2008, Tuesday
BÃ`LENT CEYHAN Ä°STANBUL
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Hürriyet, Turkey
Dec 30 2008
Turkish-Armenian film caught up in border problem
ANKARA – While Turkey and Armenia take steps toward normalization, a
documentary by a group of Turkish and Armenian filmmakers gets caught
up dealing with border regulations of both countries. However, the
filmmakers do not give up and shoot their film, holding on to the name
‘Aras documentary,’ now the name of a young Turkish character instead
of the river
The "Aras documentary" project, an attempt to symbolize the shared
values of Turkey and Armenia through a film featuring their shared
river, have been caught up in regulations prohibiting activities
along the shared border marked by the Aras River.
The location of the historical Ani Ruins, planned as an important
setting for the documentary, was also added to a list of highly
sensitive areas that had to be removed from the filmmakers’ original
plans. Despite hurdles deriving from well-known political pretexts
that have kept the two nations apart for over decades, the filmmakers
stuck to the title "Aras documentary," which now is reflected in the
name of a young Turkish fictional character in the film’s renewed
scenario.
After September’s football diplomacy between Ankara and Yerevan that
marked start of a new era, filmmakers from the two nations have come
together to produce a documentary conveying their hope for a continued
thaw in relations. The documentary project, sponsored by the
U.S. embassy in Ankara, the Turkish Armenian Business Development
Council, or TABDC, and the Armenian Marketing Association, was going
to show the transition from winter to summer in the Aras River region
and the melting of frozen waters, symbolizing the ice-breaking efforts
between the two nations.
However, during the second round of preparations in Yerevan last week,
filmmakers were told that shooting in the Aras region was impossible
as it lay in the border security zone and entry was prohibited by both
Turkish and Armenian laws.
"The idea was to use the Aras River as a unifying symbol to remind
people of shared values and similar lifestyles on both sides of the
river. But unfortunately we are faced with the reality that the Aras
River is a very real and thick border that separates people, leaving
no space for communication or interaction," Nergis Ã-ztürk,
board member of TABDC, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic
Review. Therefore our film team had to revise the scenario, she said,
and noted other challenges they have encountered during their stay in
Yerevan.
Ani ruins another red line
Amid big interest from the Armenians, the documentary team held a
press conference that Ã-ztürk said was a test to see how
difficult their task was going to be. The Ani Ruins, the majority of
which are located in the eastern province of Kars, regarded as the
ancient capital by Armenians, was going to be another important
location in the documentary. When the film team was posed questions as
to where the Ani Ruins would be depicted as being located, the
documentary team decided to avoid shooting in historically
controversial areas.
What is left in the scenario as symbolic geography is the Akhdamar
Island about three kilometers from the shore in Lake Van, famous for
an ancient Armenian Church recently restored by Turkey last April as
part of efforts for reconciliation. Akhdamar Island will not only be
the location of the final scene of the documentary, but also inspire
the name of the female character "Tamara."
According to the famous Armenian tale, a princess named Tamar lived on
the island and was in love with a commoner. This boy would swim from
the mainland to the island each night, guided by a light she lit for
him. Her father learned of the boy’s visits and one night as she
waited for her lover to arrive he smashed her light leaving the boy in
the middle of the lake without a guide to indicate which direction to
swim. They say his dying cries of "Akh, Tamar" (Oh, Tamar) can still
be heard at night.
In the documentary, Tamara is a young Armenian architect working on a
dam project to be built on the River Aras. While searching for
information on the Internet she finds a consultancy firm based in
Turkey that offers expertise on similar projects. As Tamara phones the
number available on the Internet, a young man named Aras answers the
call. This is how the film starts, combining a modern love affair with
a historical confrontation between the two disconnected nations. While
Tamara and Aras learn about each other, both also start discovering
the other country, which has been a mystery to them and a no entry
zone. Finally Aras invites Tamara to Turkey for a trip that will end
at Akhdamar Island. The documentary aspect of the film is contained in
interviews and abstracts from historical and current developments.
Yellow bride
The famous folksong "Yellow Bride," claimed by both Turks and
Armenians, is being considered for inclusion in the soundtrack to the
film. "Yellow Bride" was also played at the dinner hosted by Armenian
President Serge Sarkisian during President Abdullah Gül’s
landmark trip to Yerevan on Sept. 6.
Both the filmmakers and the sponsors refrained from making political
statements, taking a firm line on 1915 events and other controversial
topics that have poisoned relations between Turkey and Armenia. The
team said getting involved in the recent debate triggered by the
apology campaign would overshadow their ultimate aim.
"We never get into political discussions. Politicians already do
this. We are the people. We want to do something different, something
that has never been done before," Nergis Ã-ztürk said.
H?Ã?¼rriyet, Turkey
Dec 30 2008
TRT to start broadcasts in Armenian
ISTANBUL – After signing a cooperation agreement with the Armenian
State Television, Turkish state-run Radio and Television Corporation,
or TRT, will start radio broadcasting in Armenian as of February,
daily H?Ã?¼rriyet reported yesterday, quoting TRT General Director
?Ä?°brahim ?Å?ahin.
Moreover an Internet web site in Armenian will be opened and Armenian
television broadcasts will start within a year, said the daily.
Voice of America
Dec 30 2008
Turkish Court Imprisons Assailant of Priest
By VOA News
29 December 2008
A Turkish court has sentenced a 19-year-old man to more than four
years in prison for stabbing a Roman Catholic priest last year in
western Turkey.
The Izmir city court sentenced defendant Ramazan Bay Monday and fined
him for carrying the switchblade knife used in the attack.
Bay stabbed the 65-year-old Italian priest in December 2007, after a
Mass at a church in Izmir, and surrendered shortly after the attack.
The priest survived.
Turkey’s small Christian community has been targeted in recent years
in several attacks, including one last year in which three Christians
– two of them Turkish converts – were killed in the central city of
Malatya. Another Italian Catholic priest was shot and killed in 2006
in Trabzon.
A Turkish-Armenian journalist was slain last year in Istanbul by a
nationalist gunman.
Writer Hrant Dink had angered Turkish nationalists by using the term
"genocide" to describe the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire of the early 20th century.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
Hürriyet, Turkey
Dec 30 2008
Pro-Kurdish party leader apologizes to Armenians for 1915 incidents
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party leader apologized on Tuesday to Assyrian as
well Armenians for the 1915 incidents.
"Maybe Kurds have contributed to the loss of this (cultural)
richness. We are ashamed when we look at our Armenian or Assyrian
brothers," said Ahmet Turk, the leader of pro-Kurdish DTP.
They are always ready to apologize for their mistakes and they
struggle to allow people to live in peace, he was quoted as saying by
the Dogan News Agency.
A group of Turkish academics, journalists and artists recently
launched an Internet campaign to apologize on behalf of all Turks for
ignoring what happened in 1915 at the time of the Ottoman Empire.
Armenians claim the Ottomans conducted "genocide" against
them. However there are many historical documents showing that 300,000
Armenians, along with at least as many Turks, died in civil strife
that emerged when Armenians took up arms, backed by Russia, for
independence in eastern Anatolia.
Der Spiegel, Germany
Dec 30 2008
APOLOGIZING TO THE ARMENIANS
‘Eroding One of Turkey’s Biggest Taboos’
More than 25,000 Turks have added their names to an online statement
apologizing for Ottoman war crimes committed during World War
I. SPIEGEL spoke with campaign initiator Baskin Oran.
SPIEGEL: Since the beginning of your online campaign, more than 25,000
Turks have signed a statement apologizing for war crimes committed by
the Ottoman Empire during World War I. More than a million Armenians
lost their lives in the catastrophic events, which began in 1915. Is
this the beginning of a critical examination of the past?
AP
Mt. Ararat from Armenia.
Baskin Oran: The Turks who are now apologizing are not responsible for
the sins of 1915. There is no collective crime, but there is a
collective conscience. With our campaign, we are eroding one of
Turkey’s biggest taboos. But still, the campaign is coming decades
late.
SPIEGEL: Turkish nationalists say that you are damaging the country’s
image. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agrees.
Oran: I disagree. I think that our image abroad will actually
improve. Beyond that, though, it is the grandchildren of the Armenians
who should finally hear an apology — in a country like Turkey, where
there is no "culture of apology."
SPIEGEL: What effect will the campaign have on Turkish-Armenian
relations?
Oran: The majority of Armenians welcome our initiative. But there are
hardliners who criticize our petition for not specifically using the
word "genocide." They are afraid that our apology could foil Armenian
demands for reparations. Such people merely see us as lackeys of the
Turkish state.
SPIEGEL: What kind of reactions have you received from Turkish
citizens.
Oran: Unfortunately, they have mostly been negative. Every day, I
personally receive around 200 pieces of hate mail. Many accuse me of
having insulted the Turkish people. But one has to bear in mind that
every child here learns that Armenians killed Muslims. Our education
is to blame for the country’s collective amnesia. In eastern Turkey,
though, it is true that, in the past, many people did suffer from
Armenian revenge attacks.
Interview conducted by Daniel Steinvorth
Photo: BASKIN ORAN
AP Baskin Oran, 63, is a political science professor at the University
of Ankara. In mid- December, he launched an online campaign together
with almost 1,000 Turkish intellectuals to gather signatures for an
apology to the Armenians for war crimes committed by the Ottomans
during World War I.
,15 18,598746,00.html
BSANNA NEWS, Ukraine
Dec 30 2008
Deputies of Armenian National Assembly meet leaders of Georgian,
Armenian, Russian, Moldovan youth organizations
TBILISI, December 30 /GHN/. A meeting of members of the parliamentary
faction Prosperous Armenia, chairman of the permanent commission of
the Armenian National Assembly on Eurointegration Avet Adonts and
deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s permanent commission on
education, culture, youth and sports Naira Zograbyan with leaders of
youth organizations from Georgia, Armenia, Russia and Moldova took
place in Yerevan, GHN reports.
The meeting participants discussed regional cooperation, regional
security and peace. Avet Adonts and Naira Zograbyan underscored
importance of developing relations and meetings of the similar format
stimulating regional cooperation.
The sides also dwelt upon Armenia’s Eurointegration, Armenian-Turkish
relations, settlement of the Karabakh conflict, recognition of
genocide of Armenians.
Gather.com, MA
Dec 30 2008
An Atrocity in Gaza
December 30, 2008 08:00 AM EST
It must be said. What is happening in Gaza is an atrocity. 300 for 1
is simply not acceptable. It is reprehensible. It is barbarism. Plain
and simple.
And of course, the Israel Lobby will continue to pull the wool over
the eyes of the American public.
I am outraged almost beyond words. It is an unconscionable act of a
people who have gone, in less than two generations, from the oppressed
to the oppressors. And it must stop.
It is time for the Israelis to forgive the West and the rest of the
world for the Holocaust.
Why?
In one century man has committed four major genocides: those
perpetrated against the Armenians, European Jewry, Cambodians and
Rwandans, not to mention those against the Kurds, Bosnian Muslims and
Kosovars. One, in the Sudan, is already underway in the 21st century.
What’s the lesson here? Perhaps it is this. Nothing is unique about
any of them and complacency is deadly. It can happen anywhere.
What would the world be like if all of these nations acted as Israel
does?
Until Israel comes to grips with this simple reality there will be no
peace in the Middle East and American will continue to be embroiled in
wars that make the Middle East safe for Israel.
icleId=281474977548390
Sabah, Turkey
Dec 30 2008
‘Armenian TV’ is on the way
TRT is now in preparation for the new Armenian TV station, which will
begin broadcasts at the end of 2009. An affirmative outlook has been
given by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the upcoming Armenian TV
channel. The start of radio broadcasts in Armenian and an official
website in February will prove as a test for the new television
station. The television broadcasts will include famous Armenian
musicians, such as Ara Gevorgian, Tata, Nune Yesayan, Andre and
Sirusho as well as Karde?Å? T?Ã?¼rk?Ã?¼ler and other Turkish groups that
sing Armenian songs. Categorized as a family channel, Armenian TV will
provide top headlines of developments in Turkey and Armenia on their
newsreel. The new satellite channel, which will employ Armenian staff
members, will also focus on those living in Armenia as well as on
Armenians living in Turkey.