ASBAREZ Online [04-20-2005]

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04/20/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Israeli Foreign Minister Urges Jewish Organizations to Support Turkey 2) Poland~Rs Parliament Adopts Armenian Genocide Legislation 3) Former Senator Bob Dole Expresses Appreciation to March For Humanity 4) Scholars, Officials Address Turkey's Baseless Denial 5) Sen. Brownback Calls for US Recognition of Armenian Genocide during C-SPAN Program 6) Houston Joins Growing Lone Star State Movement toward Armenian Genocide Recognition 1) Israeli Foreign Minister Urges Jewish Organizations to Support Turkey (Combined Sources)--Accoring to the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom recently met with the leadership of Jewish organizations in the US, asking for their support for Turkey in fighting a US Congressional resolution on the Armenian genocide. Israeli diplomatic sources said that Shalom warned that the adoption of such a resolution by US Congress would harm the "special relation" the US, Turkey, and Israel share. Haaretz journalist Yossi Sarid wrote in a column on Tuesday about Israel~Rs motives for such actions. Citing the relationship with Turkey, Sarid, in his article "Israel Is among the Holocaust Deniers," warns that Turkey's use of "heavy pressure worldwide to prevent the historical responsibility for the genocide," is ineffective, and warns Israel and other countries to scrutinize profits and losses of supporting such a country. He also points to Israel's feat of losing "uniqueness" to the Jewish Holocaust by recognizing another nation~Rs genocide. "The Israeli Foreign Ministry, and not only it, is always afraid of its own shadow and thus it casts a dark shadow over us all as accomplices to the 'silence of the world"...I have always believed that moral policies pay off in the long run, while rotten policies end up losing," Sarid writes in summing up his piece. 2) Poland~Rs Parliament Adopts Armenian Genocide Legislation WARSAW (PanARMENIAN.Net)--The Polish Sejm (Poland's Parliament) unanimously passed on Tuesday a resolution officially acknowledging the Armenian genocide. The document, initiated by the Sejm Presidium, reads in part, "The memory of the crimes of those years is a moral duty of all the states and people of good will. In the process of Turkey's integration in the EU, the European Union demands the official recognition of the Armenian Genocide and establishment of relations with Armenia." The resolution is awaiting consideration in the Senate. The Polish Parliament acknowledged the Armenian genocide despite claims of the Turkish Embassy in Poland. Archimandrite of Krakow Monastery Tadeush Isahakian-Zalezski said, "The day of acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide by Poland's Government is a great day for Armenians of Poland, as well as all those who reserve themselves the right to come to know the real truth." A solemn liturgy on occasion of the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian written language was conducted in the Church of St. Mikolay in Krakow yesterday. Representatives of the Catholic and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as of the Armenian community of Poland took part in the event. 3) Former Senator Bob Dole Expresses Appreciation to March For Humanity --California Assemblyman Frommer to join the final leg of march LOS ANGELESFormer US Senator Bob Dole threw his support behind the March For Humanity, with a letter to organizers. "From 1915 to 1923, 1.5 million Armenians perished through a policy of deportation, torture, starvation, and massacre," reads Dole's letter. "Despite the vast numbers of victims, many people remain unaware of this significant tragedy." The March For Humanity is a 215-mile walk from Fresno to Sacramento. The 19-day trek, which started on April 2, will conclude on April 21 with a rally at 11 a.m. on the steps of the State Capitol building. The Rally For Humanity will feature many elected officials, including California State Assembly Majority Leader Assemblyman Dario Frommer and Speaker Pro-tem Assembly member Leland Yee. "The March For Humanity brings people together in spirit of remembrance for all those who suffered. The more we spread awareness of such atrocities, the better prepared we are to prevent them in the future," wrote Senator Dole. "Thanks for all you do to educate our nation about this genocide." California Assemblyman Frommer (D-Glendale) will join the final leg of the march on Thursday morning. "Ninety years ago, the Turks of the Ottoman Empire began a campaign to eliminate all traces of a civilization and its people from the face of the Earth," said Frommer. "It is our responsibility as citizens and human beings to make sure it is remembered and that such appalling crimes are never repeated." On April 24, Armenians worldwide will mark the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, seeking official recognition and reparations from the Turkish government. Armenians took this message to unprecedented levels this week with a nationwide advertising campaign consisting of 30-second commercials to raise awareness about the Armenian genocide. "Americans have been kept in the dark about the Armenian genocide and the subsequent horrors experienced by its 1.5 million victims," said Vicken Sosikian, director of the March For Humanity. "Our ad campaign aims to educate the public about this crime against all humanity." 4) Scholars, Officials Address Turkey's Baseless Denial YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--President Robert Kocharian urged Turkey on Wednesday to join a growing number of countries that consider the 1915-1918 slaughter of some 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire a genocide. Kocharian argued that such recognition is essential for the reconciliation of the Armenian and Turkish peoples as he addressed an international conference in Yerevan dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the start of the mass killings and deportations of Ottoman Armenians. "Recognition is important for Turkish-Armenian relations as it would provide answers to numerous questions dividing our two peoples and enable them to look to the future," he said. "We remember the past with pain but not with hatred. It is difficult for us to understand the reaction of the Turkish side which manifests itself not only through the denial of the past, but also the blockade of present Armenia." "We are faced with a paradox that needs to be reflected upon. For it is the party responsible for the tragic past which is embittered, rather than the victim," Kocharian added in reference to Turkey's continuing vehement denial of the genocide. Successive governments of modern-day Turkey have maintained that the mass killings did not constitute a genocide, saying that the last Ottoman rulers did not seek to exterminate their Armenian subjects and that the Armenian death toll is grossly inflated. The head of Turkey's powerful military reaffirmed this stance on Wednesday when he called on the Armenians to end their long-running campaign for international recognition of the genocide. General Hilmi Ozkok was quoted by AFP as saying in a speech at a Turkish military academy that Turkey can not be held responsible for the killings during the dissolution of its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire. The 1923 Lausanne Treaty, which established the modern-day Turkish Republic, "put an end to the baseless genocide claims politically and legally," Ozkok claimed. Kocharian, however, made it clear that Armenia and its diaspora will continue to campaign for a worldwide condemnation of the tragedy. "It is obvious today that the Armenian Question gradually ceases to be a hostage to geopolitical interests," he said, referring to foreign powers' reluctance to upset the Turks. "We believe that international recognition of the genocide will help Turkey to come to terms with its past," he said According to Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, who also attended the opening session of the conference, Turkish acknowledgement would have a primarily moral significance for Yerevan. "Our main aim is the acceptance and condemnation of the genocide by Turkey," he said. "As for issues like material or territorial compensation, let's leave them for the future. I think it would be premature to raise such demands on the state level now." The two-day forum is attended by 50 scholars from Armenia and two dozen other countries, including Turkey. The two Turkish participants openly challenged the official Turkish version of the 1915 events. One of them, Professor Murat Belge of Istanbul's Bilgi University, dismissed Ankara's recent call for the creation of a Turkish-Armenian commission of historians that would look into the Ottoman-era massacres and determine whether they were indeed a genocide. "We are beyond the time when it is necessary to start researching the subject," Belge said. "I think everything is known." Asked by reporters whether he thinks Turkey will ever recognize the genocide, he replied: "I am sure that it will eventually do so." "If Turkey wants to be a democratic country it must admit past mistakes and rectify them," agreed Taner Akcam, a prominent Turkish scholar known for his pro-Armenian discourse. In his conference speech, Akcam also made a case for the reconciliation of the two estranged neighbors, saying that they should learn to "listen to one another." Also attending the conference was Yossi Sarid, Israel's former education minister who campaigned unsuccessfully for official Israeli recognition of the Armenian genocide. Israel's previous cabinet disavowed Sarid's actions, fearing strong protests from Ankara. "Relations between Turkey and Israel are important," Sarid said. "But they must not be built at the expense of denying the Armenian genocide. That is unacceptable." Another Israeli participant, university professor Yari Auron, spoke of the Jewish state's "moral obligation" to affirm the Armenian tragedy. "I think that if Israel recognizes the genocide, so will do the United States and even Turkey," he said. 5) Sen. Brownback Calls for US Recognition of Armenian Genocide during C-SPAN Program WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)--Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), an influential member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a leading proponent of US action to stop the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, called on President Bush to properly recognize the Armenian genocide as a "genocide" in his April 24 comments. In the years since his election in 1996, Senator Brownback has not been a traditional supporter of Armenian genocide recognition initiatives or other issues of special concern to Armenian Americans. He came to prominence in the Armenian American community in the 1990s as the leading opponent of Section 907, a provision of US law that restricts aid to Azerbaijan due to its illegal blockades of Armenia and Karabagh. Answering questions last week on C-SPAN's Morning Journal, a popular cable television call-in program about the Darfur genocide, the Senator responded to a question from Armenian National Committee-Fresno activist Richard Sanikian about his opposition to legislation about the Armenian genocide. Sanikian specifically noted that he was "very curious why, for a number of years, [Senator Brownback] has always opposed Armenian Genocide [recognition] year after year." Noting that the Senator's conduct was "very disturbing," he said he "hopes he has a change of heart~Esince he is talking about morality and humanitarian issues now I hope that this coming April 24 he moves into that direction because we have a lot of Armenians Americans in the United States--we're tax payers--we work hard in this country and we want our senators...and we want you to join the rest of the senators and move this issue forward." In his response, Senator Brownback said he "appreciate[d] the question," and clarified that, "I do not oppose recognition that the Armenian Genocide that took place." He added that past genocides "should be recognized for what they are~Ewhen people are killed in mass numbers and tried to be wiped out and many were killed in what took place~EI am not opposed whatsoever to recognizing the genocide that took place in Armenia, but we do need to do what we can to grow those areas, to get democracy to take root in the region, which is starting to~E[in] Georgia, Kyrgzstan~Ewe need it to many of the areas as well." "We welcome the support of Senator Brownback for US recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and join with him in working to strengthen the American response to the genocide taking place in the Darfur region Sudan," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Armenian Americans--victims of the first genocide of the 20th century--deeply appreciate his leadership, along with Senator Jon Corzine, on the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act." Sen. Brownback joined this week with over 30 of his Senate colleagues in cosigning a Congressional letter to President Bush urging him to honor his pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide. A similar letter in the House of Representatives has garnered over 175 signatures. To watch the interview on the C-SPAN archive, visit the C-SPAN website and fast forward roughly 25 minutes into the broadcast. 6) Houston Joins Growing Lone Star State Movement toward Armenian Genocide Recognition WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)--Houston Mayor Bill White shared a proclamation commemorating the Armenian genocide with leaders of the Lone Star State's growing Armenian American community, delivering a powerful pro-human rights message in the home state of President George W. Bush and in the backyard of House Majority Leader Tom Delay. Armenian Americans in Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Galveston, El Paso, and throughout the state are coordinating their efforts through the Texas Joint Committee for the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian genocide. "We want to thank Mayor White for his leadership and to express our appreciation to all those that made this proclamation possible, including City Controller Anise Parker, community activist and local attorney Phil Kanayan, and the Texas Joint Committee for the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "This proclamation, which, of course, holds great meaning for Armenians living in the Houston area, has national significance as well, coming, as it does, in the home state of a President who has, for four straight years, broken his pledge to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide, and in the backyard of a Congressional leader who has consistently blocked legislation commemorating this crime against humanity." Among the major steps taken this year by the Texas Armenian community were the hosting of an Armenian genocide exhibit at the Holocaust Museum of Houston, the Mayor of Galveston's Armenian Genocide proclamation, and the signatures of three Texas legislators--Reps. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Gene Green (D-TX), and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)--on the Congressional letter urging President Bush to properly recognize the Armenian genocide. On May 26, at 6:30 p.m., Bill Parsons, Chief of Staff of the US Holocaust Museum will be giving a talk on genocide and "Remembering for the Sake of the Future" at the Holocaust Museum of Houston. The Joint Committee for the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will co-sponsor the event. In January of last year, ANCA staff from Washington, DC and Los Angeles conducted a ten day fieldtrip throughout Texas, meeting with local leaders, briefing members of Congress and other elected officials, and offering support to the community's advocacy efforts. "We are tremendously proud of the increasingly active, vocal, and effective Armenian community of Texas, and are committed to making our unique contribution to, once and for all, ending US complicity in Turkey's shameful campaign of genocide denial," added ANC-Texas representative Vatche Hovsepian. PROCLAMATION: WHEREAS, on April 24, 2005, Armenians around the world will commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; during the First World War, the Turkish Empire in an effort of general extermination and elimination of all traces of a thriving and noble civilization over 3,000 years old; of the Armenian population in Eastern Turkey, massacred approximately 1.5 million men, women, and children in the twentieth century's first genocides; and WHEREAS, although the survivors of this massacre were scattered to all parts of the world, they have maintained their identity and unity through their church, passing along to each generation not only a strong Christian faith but a knowledge of their language, history and culture; and WHEREAS, the survivors and descendents of this genocide which drove them from their homeland, recall and commemorate April 24, 1915 as Armenian Martyr's Day; and WHEREAS, the heroic struggles of the Armenian people inspire and challenge us to cherish and preserve the freedom that is ours; and WHEREAS, on April 24, 2005, City of Houston residents will be called together to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915; and WHEREAS, this commemoration will serve as an appropriate time for the people of the City of Houston and others to remember the 1.5 Armenian men, women and children who lost their lives; and Therefore, I, Bill White, Mayor of the City of Houston, hereby roclaim April 24, 2005, as Armenian Martyrs Day in Houston, Texas. 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