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[Congressional Record: February 16, 2005 (Extensions)]
[Page E251]
>>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr16fe05-14]

HIGHLIGHTING RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT

HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

of texas

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, as a result of the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict, Armenian forces occupy the mountainous region of Nagorno
Karabagh, as well as seven additional regions, resulting in a million
refugees and internally displaced Azerbaijanis.
Located between Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan is an important partner
and ally in the international war against terrorism. While bilateral
cooperation on terrorism-related issues between the U.S. and Azerbaijan
started well before September 11, they intensified with Azerbaijan
offering unconditional support to the coalition and becoming the first
Muslim country to send troops to Iraq.
While there have been several attempts to find a resolution to the
conflict under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
(OSCE) Minsk Process, little progress has been made. However, the U.S.
continues to work towards the end. According to a recent State
Department statement: “The United States does not recognize Nagorno-
Karabakh as an independent country, and its leadership is not
recognized internationally or by the United States. The United States
supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and holds that the
future status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a matter of negotiation between
the parties. The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk Group
process. We are encouraged by the continuing talks between the Foreign
Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
On January 25, 2005, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe adopted a resolution on the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, which
concluded that “considerable parts of Azerbaijan’s territory are still
occupied by the Armenian forces and separatist forces are still in
control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.” Additionally it asked the co-
chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to expedite an agreement on the issue
and urged the parties concerned to comply with U.N. Security Council
resolutions by refraining from any armed hostilities and “by
withdrawing military forces from any occupied territories.”
Mr. Speaker, this shows the international community is ready for a
resolution of the conflict. I welcome the initiatives by the Council of
Europe and the statement by the U.S. Administration, and I urge my
colleagues to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Armenian president, chief banker discuss monetary policy in 2005

Arminfo
15 Feb 05

Yerevan, 15 February: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Armenian
Central Bank Chairman Tigran Sarkisyan today discussed monetary policy
in 2005 and the Central Bank’s move to stabilize the currency market.

Sarkisyan filled in the president on the plans of the Central Bank
to minimize risks on the currency market caused by fluctuations in
the rate of the dram in connection with the expected considerable
currency flows this year, as well as private transfers, which can
exceed 1bn dollars in the current year.

Moreover, the president and the bank chairman touched on issues
concerning the law on currency regulation and control, which is to
come into force this year. In particular, they noted it was important
that the supervising bodies consistently oversee the fulfilment of the
provisions of this law. Sarkisyan noted that a ban should be imposed
on TV commercials which did not show the prices of advertised goods
and services in the national currency.

The head of the Central Bank pointed out that the commissions which can
carry out price policy in the republic should change their regulations
and demand that all companies show prices in drams.

[Passage omitted: minor details]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA SEEKS TO CONTRIBUTE TO WORTHY ENTANGLEMENT OF KARABAKH KNOT

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17. ARMINFO. Russia is seeking to contribute to
worthy entanglement of the Karabakh knot and to ensure security in
this region, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Wednesday
opening of the Year of Azerbaijan in Russia.

Putin said that Russian-Azeri partnership is a significant factor for
stability in the region. “We are equally interested in more actively
using the CIS capacities for both resolving social and economic
problems and jointly fighting terrorism and extremism,” he said.

Putin noted that the last years’ progress in bilateral relations was
due mostly to the authority and wisdom of Haydar Aliev. “We remember
and honour him in Russia,” he said noting that both Russian and
Azeri peoples respect their common peace and war legacy. Today the
Russian-Azeri dialogue is actively developing in politics, economy and
culture. This is crucial for solving vital issues like employment and
migration, forming common cultural-information space and preserving
rich national traditions. Putin said that humanitarian ties play a
special role in the development of Russian-Azeri relations. “Human
contacts are the very inexhaustible strategic resource that underlies
genuine international and interreligious accord.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian GDP up by 10 per cent in 2004

Noyan Tapan news agency
16 Feb 05

Yerevan, 16 February: Armenia’s GDP totalled 1,893.4bn drams (about
3.7bn dollars) in 2004, which is 10.1 per sent more than in the
previous year.

Industrial output increased by 2.1 per cent, agricultural output by
14.5 per cent and capital construction by 17.2 per cent, the head of
the Armenian National Statistics Service, Stepan Mnatsakanyan, said
at a news conference on 16 February. Foreign trade totalled 2,066m
dollars, which is 5.1 per cent more than in 2003. Export amounted to
715m dollars (up by 4.3 per cent), and import 1,351m dollars (up by
5.6 per cent).

[Passage omitted: minor details]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TBILISI WAITS FOR RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER’S VISIT WITH MIXED FEELINGS AND PRACTICAL PROPOSALS

RIA Novosti, Russia
Feb 16 2005

TBILISI, February 16 (RIA Novosti) – In Tbilisi, Russia’s foreign
minister will be offered practical proposals on the normalization of
Russian-Georgian relations. Salome Zurabishvili, Georgia’s foreign
minister, said this addressing the republic’s parliament Wednesday.

In her words, the Georgian side “looks at Sergei Lavrov’s official
visit calmly, openly and positively.” Sergei Lavrov will arrive in
Tbilisi on the evening of February 17.

“I cannot say that we expect positive results from the forthcoming
visit; it is hard to say anything against the present backdrop,”
Salome Zurabishvili noted.

She said that “the Georgian side prepared practical proposals for
Sergei Lavrov and, should they be approved, the results could be
expected within the next three months. She did not rule out that “the
first steps towards normalizing Russian-Georgian relations could be
made in this period.”

Salome Zurabishvili stressed that “if Russia and Georgia fail to take
steps towards normalizing their relations in the near future, it will
be of no use to talk about a framework agreement or anything else.”

According to Zurabishvili , “the Georgian leadership has no intention
to deploy foreign states’ military bases on its territory. She pointed
out that representatives of the US Administration said repeatedly that
the United States had no plans to deploy US military bases in Georgia.

At the same time, Salome Zurabishvili underlined that “the issue of
Georgia’s refusal to deploy foreign military bases on its territory
cannot be a subject of the Russian-Georgian framework agreement
(Moscow still maintains two military bases in Georgia, in Adzharia
and Akhalkalaki near the border with Armenia).”

The Georgian foreign minister pointed out “there is no talk of any
concessions to Russia on the issue of influence in the region.” To
quote her, “such a country as Russia will always have influence in
the region However, it is important [to understand] in what form and
at what level Russia will exercise this influence.”

Salome Zurabishvili expressed the Georgian side’s readiness to discuss
all pressing issues in Russian-Georgian relations. “We have no border
problems, no visa regime problems, or problems related to the agreement
[between our two countries]. Our problem is that we do not know what
Russia really wants,” Georgia’s foreign minister said in conclusion.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

February 16, 2005
____________________

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA AND USAID ARMENIA MISSION DIRECTOR SHARE
INSIGHT AT TOWN HALL MEETING HOSTED BY FAR AND THE DIOCESE

Despite difficulties — ranging from the heritage of Soviet misrule to
cultural and economic factors – America’s new Ambassador to Armenia,
John Evans, feels strongly that “Armenia today is on the right track.”

To help stay on track, Armenia receives assistance from America — in
fact, Armenia receives more American assistance per capita than any
other nation, save Israel. That statistic only takes into account
governmental aid, and does not include help provided by private
organizations, such as the Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR).

During a town hall meeting on Friday, February 11, 2005, co-hosted by
FAR and the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern),
Ambassador Evans described the three areas that the U.S. administration
focuses its aid to Armenia: (1) to see stability and security for the
people in the south Caucasus; (2) to work with other international
donors to build up the economy in Armenia, hopefully to a point where it
is self-sustaining; and (3) to foster the development of genuine
democratic institutions, touching the executive, legislative and
judicial branches of government as well as the media, often considered
the fourth branch of democracy.

The U.S. assistance program includes projects by the U.S. Agency for
International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Peace
Corps, the Treasury Department, the Pentagon and several others. “I
think it is probably the best,” the Ambassador said, referring to the
high quality of work and the existence of checks and balances in
Armenia.

About 40 people attended the intimate gathering at New York City’s
Diocesan Center, which included remarks by Ambassador Evans, and USAID
Country Director for Armenia Robin Phillips.

FAR AND U.S. WORK JOINTLY

USAID’s Phillips indicated that of the $75 million Congress allocates to
Armenia’s assistance, USAID implements $50 million. He noted that FAR
is overseeing $16.55 million for humanitarian assistance granted by
USAID — $15 million for work in Karabagh and $1.55 million for work in
Armenia. This double award demonstrates USAID’s recognition of FAR as a
credible, responsible and effective relief organization.

“We are happy with our long-standing relationship with USAID,” said
Garnik Nanagoulian, Executive Director of FAR, “and look forward to
continuing our partnership for the benefit of the people of Armenia and
Karabagh.”

The four sectors that categorize USAID’s 60 activities in Armenia are
Regional Stability, Economic Development, Democracy, and Social
Transition. To exhibit USAID’s top-down and bottom-up approaches,
Director Phillips described various USAID programs in Armenia.
Additional information about USAID projects was shown through a short
film, Partners for the Future, copies of which were made available to
the public.

WELCOMING AND QUESTIONING THE NEW AMBASSADOR

The gathering was a chance for the Armenian community in New York to get
to know Ambassador Evans, who was confirmed by the Senate on June 25,
2004 and sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia on August 11, 2004.
Earlier, on October 1, 2004, FAR and Diocesan leaders met with the Mr.
Evans in New York City to reaffirm their partnerships with the State
Department and USAID.

A native of Williamsburg, VA, Ambassador Evans has served at American
embassies in Iran, the former Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Russia.
Most recently he served as the Director of the Office of Russian Affairs
at the U.S. State Department.

Ambassador Evans was heavily involved in the coordination of U.S. relief
efforts to the victims of the Spitak earthquake in December 1988, for
which he earned a medal and statement of appreciation from the Armenian
government of that time.

During the town hall meeting, Ambassador Evans welcomed questions from
those in attendance, who asked several tough questions — touching on
areas such as the U.S. role in fair elections, the efforts to open
Armenia’s two closed borders, the ramifications of Azerbaijan’s use of
Chechen terrorists against Armenians, the effects of Armenia-Iran
relationship given recent U.S. policies, the environmental concerns
surrounding Armenia’s nuclear energy, and the example of the U.S.
Consular representative indicted on bribery charges.

FAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York,
with offices in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Stepanakert. For 16 years, FAR has
implemented various relief, development, social, educational, and
cultural projects valued at more than $250 million. It is the
preeminent relief and development organization operating there.

For more information on FAR, contact us at 630 Second Avenue, New York,
NY 10016; telephone (212) 889-5150; fax (212) 889-4849; web
; e-mail [email protected].

— 2/16/05

E-mail photos available upon request.

PHOTO CAPTION 1: FAR and the Diocese co-hosted a town hall meeting in
New York on February 11, 2005: left to right: Aaron H. Sherinian,
Political Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, Garnik A. Nanagoulian,
FAR Executive Director, Randy Sapah-Gulian, Secretary of the FAR Board
of Directors, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, Rev. Fr. Mardiros
Chevian, Dean of the St. Vartan Cathedral, Annette Choolfaian, Treasurer
of the FAR Board of Directors, USAID Armenia Director Robin Phillips,
and Dr. Edgar Housepian, Vice Chairman of the FAR Board of Directors.

PHOTO CAPTION 2: FAR Executive Director Garnik Nanagoulian welcomed the
40 guests attending the reception and introduced the U.S. Ambassador and
USAID Armenia Director.

PHOTO CAPTION 3: Ambassador John M. Evans spoke openly about U.S.
policies and priorities in Armenia.

PHOTO 4: After making presentations and showing a film about USAID
activities in Armenia, U.S. Ambassador John Evans and USAID Armenia
Director Robin Phillips answered questions from community members.

# # #

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian minister dubious about Azerbaijan’s security guarantees for Karabakh

Yerkir web site, Yerevan
15 Feb 05

Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan doubts that Azerbaijan can
give solid security guarantees to Nagornyy Karabakh if Yerevan agrees
to cede some of the territories. In a question and answer session
on Armenian daily Yerkir’s web site, Sarkisyan accused Azerbaijan of
attempts to put pressure on Armenia in the peace talks. The minister
also warned against a possible US attack on Iran, saying that it might
cause “an explosion” in the region. The following is an excerpt from
the transcript of the session as published by Armenian newspaper
Yerkir web site on 15 February and headlined “Armenia: Challenges
and Responses”; subheadings have been inserted editorially:

Dear readers,

You had an opportunity to put questions to the secretary of the
security council under the Armenian president and defence minister,
Serzh Sarkisyan, on the web site of the daily Yerkir between 31
January and 5 February 2005. Below is the full text of the interview.

The editor-in-chief of Yerkir newspaper, Spartak Seyranyan, thanks
you for your active participation.

Truth about Karabakh distorted

[Question] Mr Minister, could you please comment on the report on
Karabakh by the rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe, David Atkinson?

[Sarkisyan] I do not support those who think the report meets Armenia’s
interests. Actually, the report is unfavourable to us. Nevertheless,
there is no tragedy. This once again indicates that up to now we have
not convinced Europe’s international organizations that the truth
has been distorted though common principles are fair. The truth is
that Karabakh gained its independence under the Soviet constitution,
i.e. in conformity with laws and international norms, and Karabakh was
subjected to aggression after that. From the outset of the Karabakh
movement, we have demonstrated to the world that our movement is
democratic and just.

A new generation of politicians and diplomats has emerged in
Europe. Either they have forgotten the causes and the history of
the Karabakh conflict or they know nothing about it at all. Our
aim is to explain the genuine essence of the matter to the new
generation. [Passage omitted]

Azerbaijan’s security guarantees for Karabakh in question

[Question] How does Armenia view the resolution of the conflict
within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity? What are
Yerevan’s terms for the resolution of the conflict in accordance with
the said principle?

[Sarkisyan] Official Yerevan has never hidden its conditions. They
are the following: First, Karabakh should never be under Azerbaijan
since it is obvious that in this case not a single Armenian will
remain in Karabakh. Second, Karabakh and Armenia should have a common
land border, for the simplest reason that Karabakh cannot exist as an
enclave. Third, there should be solid security guarantees for Karabakh
or for the non-resumption of the war, since if the security belt is
lost or conceded, both Karabakh and Armenia will become vincible from
a purely military point of view. [Passage omitted]

[Question] Azerbaijan is offering highest security guarantees for
the coexistence of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities. What
are your country’s guarantees in this regard?

[Sarkisyan] Unfortunately, throughout history we have witnessed what
guarantees Azerbaijan can give. [Passage omitted]

The matter should be resolved on the principles of justice, and
equal and normal relations should be established then between our
peoples. [Passage omitted]

[Question] How much do you rely on sincerity of Azerbaijan’s intentions
and position in the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

[Sarkisyan] Frankly speaking, I want to believe very much that
Azerbaijanis, at least those who are participating in the talks,
are sincere. But unfortunately, I have doubts when in the process of
the negotiations Azerbaijan makes efforts to put pressure on Armenia
through the media and other structures.

As a rule, hostilities are stopped for the period of negotiations.
Negotiations aim to demonstrate a desire to find ways out of
the existing situation, in our case, on the basis of mutual
compromises. However, when pressure is exerted, the opposite side’s
sincerity is in question. If the Azerbaijani leadership thinks that
pressure is more effective than talks, I think they are engaged in
self-deception and are mistaken. They only encourage us to toughen
our position. [Passage omitted]

[Question] Can the issue of the liberated territories be resolved
unfavourably to the Artsakh [Karabakh] people under foreign pressure?

[Sarkisyan] No doubt, the Karabakh problem will be resolved exclusively
on the basis of mutual compromises. It is a fact that by creating a
security zone in 1992-94, we did not pursue the aim of expanding the
territory of Karabakh or Armenia. If by conceding this security belt,
we shall be able to achieve more security for the Karabakh people, then
this issue could be debated. However, if this is simply a voluntary
handover of the territories without enhancing security guarantees for
Karabakh, simply the handover of something, then I think that there
are no such intentions. [Passage omitted]

[Question] Mr Minister, could the hostilities in Karabakh resume?

[Sarkisyan] On the whole, the defence minister has no right to rule out
the possibility of the war resuming. I think should the Azerbaijani
army’s combat readiness be higher than that of the Armenian army and
should the international community approve of this step, then the
threat of war would be real.

US attack on Iran may cause “explosion”

[Question] What are the specific aspects of Armenian-Iranian military
cooperation?

[Sarkisyan] We have no military cooperation with Iran. The defence
ministers of the two countries have paid mutual visits which were
limited to consultations on security issues.

[Question] Does the Armenian leadership believe that force could
be used to settle disagreements between the USA and Iran? Will a US
attack on Iran have a negative impact on Armenia and Karabakh?

[Sarkisyan] We have high hopes that no military action will be taken
against Iran and no new hotbeds of tension will emerge in the region
in the immediate vicinity of the Armenian border. Military actions
in Iran are dangerous since any tension, especially hostilities,
might cause an explosion. We hope that US-Iranian relations will
improve and the existing problems will be resolved peacefully.

[Question] What would be Armenia’s official position if the USA wants
to hit Iran from Armenian territory?

[Sarkisyan] This is a hypothesis. Actually, we hope this will not
happen and problems will be resolved peacefully.

Armenia cannot use Russian military hardware

[Question] Does Armenia have the right to use the Russian military
hardware deployed in Armenia?

[Sarkisyan] In general, Russia has not deployed military hardware on
Armenian territory. Russian troops are deployed at Russian military
bases, and we have agreed that military hardware cannot be stationed
without a solid reason and Armenia’s consent. We cannot use the
Russian military hardware because Russia owns it.

However, we should bear in mind that the two countries’ security
system is regulated by agreements, and both the Russian military bases
and military hardware are integral parts of Armenia’s security, and
part of the military equipment, for example the air defence system,
is used jointly by the Collective Security Treaty Organization member
countries.

[Passage omitted]

Ambassadorial Visit

City News Service
February 15, 2005 Tuesday

GLENDALE — The U.S. ambassador to Armenia will discuss organized crime
in the former Soviet Union with the Eurasian Crime Task Force during a
visit tomorrow to the Glendale Police Department, a department official
said. John Evans will discuss the criminal underground that spread
to the United States after the fall of the Soviet Union; the impact
of Russian and Armenian organized crime on the Los Angeles area and
the assistance embassy officials provide to law enforcement agencies
in the United States and Armenia, Tom Lorenz of the Glendale Police
Department said. The task force includes the chiefs of the Glendale
and Burbank police departments and representatives of the FBI, Secret
Service, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COMMENTARY: The Sick Man of Europe — Again
By ROBERT L. POLLOCK

Wall Street Journal
,,SB110851241259955899,00.html?mod=opinio n%5Fmain%5Fcommentaries

February 16, 2005; Page A14

ANKARA, Turkey — Several years ago I attended an exhibition in
Istanbul. The theme was local art from the era of the country’s last
military coup (1980). But the artists seemed a lot more concerned with
the injustices of global capitalism than the fate of Turkish democracy.
In fact, to call the works leftist caricatures — many featured fat
capitalists with Uncle Sam hats and emaciated workers — would have
been an understatement. As one astute local reviewer put it (I quote
from memory): “This shows that Turkish artists were willing to abase
themselves voluntarily in ways that Soviet artists refused even at
the height of Stalin’s oppression.”

That exhibition came to mind amid all the recent gnashing of teeth
in the U.S. over the question of “Who lost Turkey?” Because it shows
that a 50-year special relationship, between longtime NATO allies who
fought Soviet expansionism together starting in Korea, has long had
to weather the ideological hostility and intellectual decadence of
much of Istanbul’s elite. And at the 2002 election, the increasingly
corrupt mainstream parties that had championed Turkish-American ties
self-destructed, leaving a vacuum that was filled by the subtle yet
insidious Islamism of the Justice and Development (AK) Party. It’s
this combination of old leftism and new Islamism — much more than any
mutual pique over Turkey’s refusal to side with us in the Iraq war —
that explains the collapse in relations.

And what a collapse it has been. On a brief visit to Ankara earlier
this month with Undersecretary of Defense Doug Feith, I found a
poisonous atmosphere — one in which just about every politician and
media outlet (secular and religious) preaches an extreme combination of
America- and Jew-hatred that (like the Turkish artists) voluntarily
goes far further than anything found in most of the Arab world’s
state-controlled press. If I hesitate to call it Nazi-like, that’s only
because Goebbels would probably have rejected much of it as too crude.

* * *

Consider the Islamist newspaper Yeni Safak, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s favorite. A Jan. 9 story claimed that U.S. forces
were tossing so many Iraqi bodies into the Euphrates that mullahs
there had issued a fatwa prohibiting residents from eating its
fish. Yeni Safak has also repeatedly claimed that U.S. forces used
chemical weapons in Fallujah. One of its columnists has alleged that
U.S. soldiers raped women and children there and left their bodies in
the streets to be eaten by dogs. Among the paper’s “scoops” have been
the 1,000 Israeli soldiers deployed alongside U.S. forces in Iraq,
and that U.S. forces have been harvesting the innards of dead Iraqis
for sale on the U.S. “organ market.”

It’s not much better in the secular press. The mainstream Hurriyet has
accused Israeli hit squads of assassinating Turkish security personnel
in Mosul, and the U.S. of starting an occupation of Indonesia under
the guise of humanitarian assistance. At Sabah, a columnist last fall
accused the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Eric Edelman, of letting his
“ethnic origins” — guess what, he’s Jewish — determine his behavior.
Mr. Edelman is indeed the all-too-rare foreign-service officer who
takes seriously his obligation to defend America’s image and interests
abroad. The intellectual climate in which he’s operating has gone
so mad that he actually felt compelled to organize a conference call
with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey to explain that secret
U.S. nuclear testing did not cause the recent tsunami.

Never in an ostensibly friendly country have I had the impression
of embassy staff so besieged. Mr. Erdogan’s office recently forbade
Turkish officials from attending a reception at the ambassador’s
residence in honor of the “Ecumenical” Patriarch of the Orthodox
Church, who resides in Istanbul. Why? Because “ecumenical” means
universal, which somehow makes it all part of a plot to carve up
Turkey.

Perhaps the most bizarre anti-American story au courant in the Turkish
capital is the “eighth planet” theory, which holds not only that the
U.S. knows of an impending asteroid strike, but that we know it’s going
to hit North America. Hence our desire to colonize the Middle East.

It all sounds loony, I know. But such stories are told in all
seriousness at the most powerful dinner tables in Ankara. The common
thread is that almost everything the U.S. is doing in the world —
even tsunami relief — has malevolent motivations, usually with the
implication that we’re acting as muscle for the Jews.

In the face of such slanders Turkish politicians have been utterly
silent. In fact, Turkish parliamentarians themselves have accused
the U.S. of “genocide” in Iraq, while Mr. Erdogan (who we once
hoped would set for the Muslim world an example of democracy) was
among the few world leaders to question the legitimacy of the Iraqi
elections. When confronted, Turkish pols claim they can’t risk going
against “public opinion.”

All of which makes Mr. Erdogan a prize hypocrite for protesting to
Condoleezza Rice the unflattering portrayal of Turkey in an episode of
the fictional TV show “The West Wing.” The episode allegedly depicts
Turkey as having been taken over by a retrograde populist government
that threatens women’s rights. (Sounds about right to me.)

In the old days, Turkey would have had an opposition party strong
enough to bring such a government closer to sanity. But the only
opposition now is a moribund Republican People’s Party, or CHP,
once the party of Ataturk. At a recent party congress, its leader
accused his main challenger of having been part of a CIA plot
against him. That’s not to say there aren’t a few comparatively
pro-U.S. officials left in the current government and the state
bureaucracies. But they’re afraid to say anything in public. In
private, they whine endlessly about trivial things the U.S. “could
have done differently.”

Entirely forgotten is that President Bush was among the first world
leaders to recognize Prime Minister Erdogan, while Turkey’s own legal
system was still weighing whether he was secular enough for the job.
Forgotten have been decades of U.S. military assistance. Forgotten
have been years of American efforts to secure a pipeline route for
Caspian oil that terminates at the Turkish port of Ceyhan. Forgotten
has been the fact that U.S. administrations continue to fight annual
attempts in Congress to pass a resolution condemning modern Turkey
for the long-ago Armenian genocide. Forgotten has been America’s
persistent lobbying for Turkish membership in the European Union.

Forgotten, above all, has been America’s help against the PKK. Its
now-imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was expelled from Syria in 1998
after the Turks threatened military action. He was then passed like a
hot potato between European governments, who refused to extradite him
to Turkey because — gasp! — he might face the death penalty. He was
eventually caught — with the help of U.S. intelligence — sheltered
in the Greek Embassy in Nairobi. “They gave us Ocalan. What could
be bigger than that?” says one of a handful of unapologetically
pro-U.S. Turks I still know.

I know that Mr. Feith (another Jew, the Turkish press didn’t hesitate
to note), and Ms. Rice after him, pressed Turkish leaders on the
need to challenge some of the more dangerous rhetoric if they value
the Turkey-U.S. relationship. There is no evidence yet that they got
a satisfactory answer. Turkish leaders should understand that the
“public opinion” they cite is still reversible. But after a few more
years of riding the tiger, who knows? Much of Ataturk’s legacy risks
being lost, and there won’t be any of the old Ottoman grandeur left,
either. Turkey could easily become just another second-rate country:
small-minded, paranoid, marginal and — how could it be otherwise? —
friendless in America and unwelcome in Europe.

Mr. Pollock is a senior editorial page writer at the Journal.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US TURKS GOING TO HOLD RALLY AGAINST ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanArmenian News
Feb 16 2005

16.02.2005 18:10

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US citizen of Turkish origin Ulker Aksun called
all the Turks residing in the US to participate in the rally
against the Armenian Genocide to be held in front of the White House
in April. She also appealed to the American-Turkish organizations
for assistance. In her words, in response to the measures organized
by the Armenian Diaspora and dedicated to the 90-th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, the US Turks should “all to the last man”
take part in this anti-Armenian event. “The year 2005 must become
the year of refuting Armenian statements”, she said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress