Author: Antonian Lara

AMSHEN ARMENIAN ORGANIZATION CONCERNED OVER FATE OF KHEMSHINS OF KRASNODAR REGION

Pan Armenian News
04.05.2005 04:14

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Amshen Armenian friendly association is deeply
concerned over the fate of Khemshins (Armenians whose ancestors
were converted to Islam), Yerkramas, newspaper of Armenians of
Russia reports. According to chairman of the public organization
Ivan Krbashian, the Khemshins were for the fourth time refused in
registration. In Ivan Krbashian’s opinion, the main reason for the
rejection is the religious affiliation of Khemshins. With activities
of the kind the representatives of the Chief Department of the Federal
Registration Service on the Krasnodar region cause the appearance
of one more nation leaving Russia as political refugees. It is not
a secret that the International Migration Organizations engaged in
resettlement of Turks-Meskhetians from the Kransodar region to the
US are preparing analogous projects on migration of Kurds-Kurmanjis
and Khemshins. To note, after forced islamization of the Armenian
population of Amshen in Western Armenia (now territory of Turkey)
in the middle of the 17-th century an ethnic group of people, who
came to call themselves as Khemshins, appeared. Presently about 1000
reside in the Krasnodar region of Russia. The problem of determination
of the ethnic affiliation of the Khemshins is mostly connected
with their domicile. The Khemshins of Turkey realize the ethnic and
language difference from Turks, however the Turkish policy suppresses
their aspiration for the formation of ethnic self-consciousness.
Khemshins of Russia comprehend their kinship with Armenians.

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Servizio di base in Italiano
Mag 2, 2005

RIEPILOGO / Svizzera-Turchia: nuova tensione per inchiesta contro
storico negazionista genocidio armeno

ISTANBUL, 2 mag

Un’inchiesta preliminare avviata dalla magistratura di Winterthur
contro lo storico turco Yusuf Halacoglu per presunta negazione del
genocidio armeno ha creato irritazione ad Ankara e nuova tensione
nei rapporti con Berna. Il ministero degli esteri turco ha convocato
l’ambasciatore svizzero, mentre l’ambasciatore turco a Berna ha
protestato presso il Consiglio federale. Le assicurazioni elvetiche
sembrano aver calmato le acque.

Andrej Gnehm, il procuratore di Winterthur responsabile del caso, ha
detto all’ats di aver avviato l’indagine in seguito a una relazione
tenuta da Halacoglu il 2 maggio 2004 nella vecchia caserma cittadina
davanti a un’associazione turca. Gnehm ha aggiunto che disconoscere,
minimizzare o giustificare un genocidio e’ un reato perseguibile
d’ufficio, ragione per cui ha dovuto promuovere un’indagine. Dopo
aver chiesto informazioni su Halacoglu, Gnehm vorrebbe interrogarlo,
direttamente o per iscritto, in modo che possa prendere posizione.
Solo in seguito decidera’ se formalizzare il procediemento per
discriminazione razziale (articolo 261 bis del codice penale) o
archiviare il caso.

Il ministro degli esteri turco Abdullah Guel, come pure storici
e personalita’ di spicco della comunita’ armena in Turchia, hanno
manifestato via stampa la loro disapprovazione. “Protestiamo”, “(le
autorita’ elvetiche) stanno facendo un grave errore”, ha detto il
ministro degli esteri turco Abdullah Guel al quotidiano “Huerriyet”,
accusando la Svizzera di violare, con questo mancato rispetto dalla
liberta’ di opinione, i valori fondamentali europei.

Anche il noto giornalista turco-armeno Hrant Dink ha deplorato
l’azione giudiziaria elvetica. Lo stesso hanno fatto altri giornalisti
e storici che si sono occupati dei massacri commessi dai turchi contro
gli armeni durante la Prima guerra mondiale.

Interpellata dall’ats, l’ambasciata svizzera ad Ankara ha smentito
le notizie apparse sulla stampa turca secondo cui la magistratura
elvetica avrebbe spiccato un mandato di cattura internazionale contro
Halacoglu. Secondo la missione diplomatica, la procura di Winterthur
ha semplicemente chiesto via Interpol maggiori informazioni sullo
storico, uno dei piu’ noti sostenitori delle tesi turche sui massacri
del 1915, per i quali Ankara rifiuta la qualifica di “genocidio”.
L’informazione e’ stata confermata a Berna da Folco Galli, portavoce
dell’Ufficio federale di giustizia.

A sua volta interpellato, il ministero degli esteri turco ha indicato
di aver convocato gia’ la settimana scorsa l’ambasciatore elvetico
Walter Gyger mentre l’omologo turco e’ intervenuto a Berna presso il
governo svizzero. Le autorita’ elvetiche si sono mostrate pienamente
disposte a cooperare, ha detto un portavoce del ministero ad Ankara.

Il governo turco – ha aggiunto il portavoce – si e’ tranquillizzato
dopo le spiegazioni svizzere sulla semplice inchiesta preliminare e
sull’assenza di un mandato di cattura internazionale contro Halacoglu,
di modo che lo studioso, presidente della Societa’ turca di storia,
rimane libero di viaggiare all’estero. Sugli sviluppi del caso e per
“risolvere il problema” e’ stata decisa una stretta cooperazione tra
i due paesi, ha aggiunto il portavoce.

Halacoglu e’ uno dei piu’ illustri difensori delle tesi turche sui
fatti del 1915. A lui ha fatto capo il governo di Ankara recentemente
in un dibattito parlamentare sulla questione. Secondo lo storico non
c’e’ stato genocidio degli armeni, ma soltanto deportazioni, che a
loro volta sono state una reazione delle autorita’ alla ribellione
di questo popolo durante la Prima guerra mondiale. Causa principale
di morte fra gli armeni, a suo avviso, sarebbe stata la precaria
situazione dei rifornimenti durante il conflitto. Lo storico sostiene
d’altro canto che ci furono anche molti musulmani uccisi da armeni
(di religione cristiana).

CNN
SHOW: CNN WOLF BLITZER REPORTS 5:00 PM EST
April 29, 2005 Friday

Insurgents Set Off Numerous Bombs in Iraq; Remembering the Armenians
Killed by Ottomans; Thirty Years After the Fall of Saigon

by Judy Woodruff, Ryan Chilcote, Dana Bash, Carlos Watson, Miles
O’Brien, Atika Shubert, Brian Todd, Lou Dobbs, Jason Carroll

[parts omitted]

A painful past, a present controversy. Why millions of people and
some powerful nations are still embroiled in a dispute over what
happened to the Armenians almost a century ago. That’s coming up.

WOODRUFF: This week, Armenians around the world mark the 90
anniversary of a nightmare. They and many others call it genocide,
but some powerful governments do not. Please note, the following
story contains some pictures that may be disturbing to some viewers.

CNN’s Brian Todd looks at this long ago event that continues to stir
deep emotion and deep controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We shudder at images from
Darfur, Sudan. Wince at memories of Rwanda. Look at grainy pictures
of the Holocaust and say, never again. Almost forgotten is a brutal
campaign nearly a century ago that historians say may not have been a
model for those genocides, but certainly provided a rationale.

CHARLES KING, AUTHOR “THE BLACK SEA: A HISTORY”: The fact that a
state could, in fact, carry this out under the eyes of the
international community and get away with it became, in fact, a
hallmark of what the 20th century, the tragic 20th century really was
all about.

TODD: Adolf Hitler himself was reported to have made a reference to
it in 1939 as he prepared to invade Poland. Quoted as saying “Who
after all speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?”

April, 1915, the Ottoman Empire, covering the general area of what is
now Turkey, is battling on two front in World War I, and is
disintegrating in the process. Armenians, long part of that empire,
are restless for independence and get encouragement from Russia. The
Ottoman Turks, fearful of a Russian invasion on their eastern front,
see the Russian/Armenian alliance as a huge threat and target the
Armenian population inside their borders.

HARUT SASSOUNIAN, EDITOR, “THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”: They embark on a
submission plan by deporting the entire population closer to a little
under 2 million Armenians in the empire into the deserts and by
killing and starvation and disease.

TODD: Between 1915 and 1923 Armenian leaders are rounded up in cities
and executed. Villagers are uprooted en masse, driven south towards
the deserts of what are now Syria and Iraq. Many shot or butchered
outright by Turkish forces, but most die in forced marches. The
numbers to this day still hotly in dispute. Armenians say 1.5 million
were killed. The Turkish government says not more than 300,000
perished, and the Armenians shouldn’t count themselves as the only
victims.

SASSOUNIAN: In these few years, both sides suffered — lost
incredible number of people to war, to famine, to harsh climate.

TODD: Objective historians say the Armenian death toll is likely
between 600,000 and a million.

(on camera): The fight is not only over numbers, but words. One word
in particular. Neither the Turkish Government nor any American
president, except Ronald Reagan, has ever called this event genocide.

Harut Sassounian is the grandson of survivors.

SASSOUNIAN: It’s described as a deep wound and in the psyche of every
Armenian that is not healing, is not going away. Because it’s like an
open wound as long as the denial is there.

TODD: The U.S. Government says between 60,000 and 146,000 people have
died in Darfur, Sudan over the past two years. And former Secretary
of State Colin Powell called that a genocide. Historian Charles King
believes what happened to the Armenians was genocide by any
definition but…

KING: Labeling it a genocide among politicians has a very severe
political ramifications, particularly in terms of the U.S.
relationship with Turkey, an important strategic partner in southeast
Europe and the wider Middle East.

TODD: As Armenians mark the 90th anniversary of their darkest days,
many say all they want is acknowledgement. The Turks say they’re
willing to set up a commission to examine the historical record. Two
countries with a closed border and no formal relations inching
closer. A super power caught in the middle — all haunted by a
distant tragedy that we somehow never managed to learn from.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WOODRUFF: Thank you, Brian. By the way, the Turkish government says
close to a million Turks died in that region during World War I. As
for current relations, Turkish officials tell CNN, although the
border is closed, there are daily flights between Turkey and Armenia.
And tens of thousands of Armenians, they say currently live and work
inside Turkey.

Coming up at the top of the hour, LOU DOBBS TONIGHT. Lou is standing
by in New York with a preview. Hi there.

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Judy. Thank you.

Armenia Agribusiness Update

BISNIS
April 28, 2005

This update contains 2 new trade leads in the agribusiness and food
processing sector.

Trade leads:

1. Company: AAFPC
Country: Armenia

This Armenian company would like to purchase a long-cut pasta production
line with a capacity of 150-250 kg/hr of product.

For more information see:

************************************************************************
2. Company: Telman Nersisyan
Country: Armenia

This Armenian company is seeking to purchase used winery equipment for a
small winery (capacity of 50 tons of grapes per annum).

For details see:

********** Sent by: *********************************
Charles Raether, BISNIS Trade Specialist for Agribusiness Sector
U.S. Department of Commerce
Tel: 202/482-2022, Fax: 202/482-2293

Participate in BISNIS EXPOLINK EURASIA!

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WAIS Document Retrieval
[Congressional Record: April 27, 2005 (Extensions)]
[Page E777]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr27ap05-9]

90TH COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

______

speech of

HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

of illinois

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide and to place in the Record a portion of an opinion
article written by Lee Enokian.

Armenian Genocide Victims Are Not Forgotten

(By Lee Enokian)

Today is the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Between 1915 and 1923, more than 1.5 million Armenians were
murdered or forcibly exiled because they were the wrong
religion and ethnicity. The world community memorializes the
anniversary annually as Armenian Martyrs Day.
Thousands of Armenians were offered their lives in exchange
for their conversion to Islam. They refused and died as a
result. Their steadfast faithfulness to the Christian faith
is not surprising. Armenia was the first Christian nation and
remains the only Christian nation in the Middle East.
Various Turkish people invaded southwest Asia during the
Middle Ages and carved an empire for themselves from lands
occupied by the indigenous Semitic and Indo-European
inhabitants.
Turkish nationalism grew relentlessly during the following
centuries. In the years preceding World War I, they actively
sought to Turkify the Ottoman Empire and strengthen their
rule by eliminating fractious ethnic minorities.
The western two-thirds of Anatolia was once inhabited by
Greeks and other Indo-European peoples. It is now primarily
occupied by Turks.
The eastern third of modern Turkey was once Armenian with
an Assyrian minority, but is now populated by Turks and
Kurds.
Modern Armenia survived only because it was the single
province controlled, and protected, by the Russian Empire.
The rest of the territory within its historical borders is
almost wholly devoid of ethnic Armenians.
The organized depopulation of Christians and non-Turks from
Anatolia by the Ottoman Empire is one of the worst incidents
of racism and religious intolerance documented in the world.
The Genocide was master-minded by the ultra-nationalist
“Young Turk” government of Ottoman Turkey. Mehmet Talaat
Pasha was the Minister of the Interior and architect of the
Armenian Genocide. He was rewarded by being elevated to the
position of Grand Vizier in 1917. Pasha fled to Germany as
his empire collapsed in 1918. He was convicted of capital
crimes, including massacring the Armenians. The post-war
Ottoman government sentenced him to death in absentia.
Just-minded federal, state and local governments throughout
the world continue to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.
Illinois is no different. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has
continued the practice of his predecessors by remembering the
plight of the Armenian people. Part of his annual
proclamation reads: “The Armenian community, as well as the
global community, remembers the Armenian Genocide, which
occurred 90 years ago; and during this tragic historical
period between the years of 1915 and 1923, Armenians were
forced to witness the genocide of their loved ones, and the
loss of their ancestral homelands; and this extermination and
forced relocation of over 1.5 million Armenians by the
Ottoman Turks is recognized every year.”
Sadly, the modern state of Turkey denies the Genocide ever
occurred. It restricts the ability of ethnic Armenians, Kurds
and Assyrians to enter and travel within the country. In
fact, Turkey has done its best to remove every trace of the
Armenian people from their ancestral homeland. These efforts
still don’t change history.
Blagojevich concluded his proclamation with the fact that
we must remember hateful events like the Genocide to help
prevent their future institution.
“Both recognition and education concerning past atrocities
such as the Armenian Genocide is crucial in the prevention of
future crimes against humanity.”
Evil wins when good men turn a blind eye.

Back Stage, NY
April 27 2005

Beast on the Moon

Reviewed By Harry Forbes

“Beast on the Moon”

Presented by David Grillo & Matt Salinger, casting by Vince Liebhart,
at the Century Center for the Performing Arts, 111 E. 15 St., NYC.
Opened April 27 for an open run.
You won’t find more-affecting performances than those of Omar
Metwally and Lena Georgas in Richard Kalinoski’s extraordinary play
— finely directed by Larry Moss — about an immigrant couple in 1921
Milwaukee.

Both survivors of the horrific Armenian genocide, Aram and Seta are
newlyweds. He, like his father, is a photographer; she’s his
15-year-old mail-order bride. Both are orphans. Aram, though young,
is a stern traditionalist, hell-bent on having a family to replace
the one he’s lost. Seta, to Aram’s bitter disappointment, remains
barren.

A coldness descends on Aram until Seta can take it no longer. She
shows her mettle in the play’s most telling scene when she turns her
back on him at dinner, emanating such alarming silence that Aram must
practically grovel to win her back.

In the second act, a tough little orphan boy, befriended by Seta,
enters their lives, a catalyst that will bring them closer together.

The Turkish slaughter of the Armenians — still a sore spot for the
Turkish government, which thwarted a German production — is
backstory that never overwhelms the domestic narrative. And the
overall themes are healing and reconciliation.

Georgas radiates irrepressible optimism and strength of character
beneath a girlish exterior; Metwally’s stubborn pride masks great
vulnerability. Whether conveying volumes in their silence or letting
long-submerged emotions cut loose, they are simply magnificent.

Matthew Borish as a sort of Dead End street kid and Louis Zorich in
the smallish part of the narrator are fine.

Neil Patel’s simple set — the couple’s flat — effectively captures
the milieu; ditto Anita Yavich’s period costumes. And David Lander’s
lighting and Peter Fitzgerald’s sound design help delineate the
over-the-years passage of time.

The play has garnered worldwide acclaim. New York was long overdue.
Moss’ first-class production, with its heart-stopping leads, was
worth the wait.

Aljazeera.net, Qatar
April 26 2005

Syrian pullout evokes mixed feelings
By Cilina Nasser in the Bekaa Valley, eastern Lebanon

Syria has officially informed the United Nations that it has
completed its withdrawal from Lebanon, but for some, there are some
memories that continue to linger.

Lebanese soldiers have slowly started to fill in the vacuum left by
Syrian troops and intelligence units who in recent weeks have packed
up and vacated buildings they inhabited for most of the past 29
years.

A paper plastered at the entrance of a Syrian military intelligence
office in the eastern town of Anjar – 58km from Beirut and close to
the Syrian borders – and signed by the Lebanese Army reads: “This is
a military centre. It is not allowed to enter the building or get
close to it.”

A construction contractor points his finger at the two-storey
building, covered with graffiti, and says: “This is the Prophet Yusuf
Centre. That’s where the Syrians tortured people.”

The Syrian military intelligence headquarters had been located just
beside the famous ruins of the Islamic Umayyad Dynasty in Anjar since
1976.

There were joyous scenes as
Syria completed its pullout

Now, several Lebanese soldiers are stationed outside this former
detention centre, banning journalists from snooping around.

Bitter memories

But the Anjar military intelligence office may be a place were some
memories will never leave.

The construction contractor claims he still remembers the screaming
of detainees whom he heard once when he took his truck to do some
digging work about 20 metres away from the Centre, which was named
after the Syrian officer in charge there, Yusuf Abdu.

“They were screaming from pain,” he recalls. “I finished my work
quickly to get away from there.”

Remon Bouban, a commercial driver, remembers the seven days he spent
at the centre in 1986. He was then transferred to Syria where he was
moved from one detention facility to another in the course of 12
years.

“I hate the Syrian regime. I hate it more than you can imagine,” he
states. “I was tortured for years and years and was thrown in prison
because of a fake accusation,” he alleges.

He claims he was tortured and forced to confess to anti-Syrian
activities he maintains he did not commit.

The use of torture to obtain confessions is a violation of
international law.

Syrian-Lebanese fraternal ties

Still, Bouban says he will never forget the friendships he has made
in prison with Syrian inmates.

“The Syrian people are very simple and good people,” he says. “Every
time one of them used to receive a family visit, he would invite me
to share the food his family brought him.”

Rafi Tamourian, 25, told Aljazeera.net he was happy to see the
Syrians leave as his mother kept interrupting him in Armenian
obviously trying to protect her son from questions involving Syria.

Armenians are the main inhabitants in Anjar.

“Maybe they are our brothers, but they have treaded on our hearts for
a long time now,” he said.

Residents in the Hizb Allah stronghold of Yahfufa, a small village
tucked in a valley and surrounded by a spectacular view of mountains,
supported Syria, saying it has backed the armed resistance in forcing
Israel to pull out its troops from Lebanon in May 2000.

“It’s true Syria is getting out of the country, but our relations
must and will become stronger,” a Hizb Allah guard told
Aljazeera.net.

Honouring Syrian dead

In the neighbouring village of Riyak, a cornerstone for a monument to
honour Syrian soldiers killed in Lebanon’s wars was laid during a
farewell celebration which included a military parade for separate
Lebanese and Syrian battalions.

“It’s true Syria is getting out of the country, but our relations
must and will become stronger”

“Let’s remember our martyrs,” a commander shouted. The Lebanese and
Syrian soldiers roared three times in unison: “We will never forget
them.”

“Mabruk,” a congratulating salute surprisingly came from a Syrian
journalist covering the farewell celebration as he addressed his
Lebanese colleagues. “I’m happy. I don’t want oppression to be
practiced against the Lebanese in my name,” he said, adding he hoped
his country would continue to go through changes under the leadership
of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

On the main road at the border town of Masnaa, a Syrian army officer
filmed green military buses filled with soldiers and lorries crammed
with their belongings as they headed back to Syria. “The filming is
just to keep the memory,” he told Aljazeera.net. He came from
Damascus especially to film his retreating colleagues. Asked if they
were happy, he said: “I don’t think anybody wants to leave Lebanon
this way.”

A1plus

| 19:06:49 | 26-04-2005 | Politics |

OMBUDSMAN’S FIRST REPORT

The number of those who seek for justice from the Armenian Human Rights
defender has increased with 13%. The Ombudsman has already prepared her
first report covering the recent 10 months of activities. The cases of human
rights violations are frequent mostly in Yerevan, Shirak and Gegharkunik
regions. The citizens usually complain of the police, local self-government
bodies, departments of social welfare and courts. Larisa Alaverdyan noted
that the report cannot cover the whole situation with the human rights
available in the republic. Thus, when all the reports on freedom of speech
by international structures contain information on depriving «A1+» TV
Company of air, there is not a single word about «A1+» in the Ombudsman’s
report. Larisa Alaverdyan explains this by the fact that the reforming of
the National TV and Radio Committee in her opinion is more important from
the aspect of freedom of speech.

During 10 months of activities Larisa Alaverdyan has discovered some
interesting facts. For example, the number of invalids in Armenia is
gradually decreasing. Is it possible in Armenia after the earthquake and
war? According to the Ombudsman, it is due to the changes that occurred in
the system of issuing degrees of invalidity. Thus the decrease of the number
is purely mechanical.

The Ombudsman is concerned over the fact that after a minor rise of pensions
many families were excluded from Paros system. To note, over 90% of those,
who turn to Larisa Alaverdyan for, help are people belonging to not
sufficiently provided sectors of population.

Rights of property are also frequently violated in Armenia. Presently a suit
brought against Minister of Transport and Communications accused of
violating the right of property is being considered in the Ombudsman’s
Office.

The Evening Standard (London)
April 25, 2005

Sadness of the ragamuffin city

by IAN THOMSON

Istanbul: Memories of a City
by Orhan Pamuk translated by Maureen Freely

(Faber, £16.99)

IN TURKISH north London, where I live, portraits of Ataturk – “The
Father of the Turks” – stare out from grocer’s shops and smoky men’s
clubs.

Born in 1881, Ataturk founded the modern Turkish Republic.

He ousted the hated Greeks from Istanbul and transformed the city
into a Westernised outpost supposedly free of Islam’s influence.

Anyone who has visited Turkey, or been to the Royal Academy’s current
“Turks” exhibition, will want to read Orhan Pamuk’s memoir of his
birthplace, Istanbul. Pamuk is Turkey’s foremost novelist, and he
provides a rich account of Atatrk’s attempted erasure of Islam and
the “spiritual void” this left in Istanbul.

Pamuk’s parents were part of Istanbul’s new rich who flourished in
the wake of the First World War and the dissolution of the Ottoman
Sultanate. In his “frenzy” to modernise Turkey, the blue-eyed,
harddrinking Atatrk destroyed Islamic schools and Turkish-Muslim
dervish lodges, and abolished the veil as a narrowly Asian trapping.

His shake-up of Ottoman Turkey met with surprisingly little
resistance in Istanbul, where his promotion of Western values was
grudgingly admired even by traditionalists.

Interestingly, though Atatrk liked to cultivate European-style
knickerbockers and (so it was said) crIpe de Chine underwear, he
remained in thrall to his mother, who showed a very Muslim expertise
in the art of manmanagement.

According to Pamuk, Atatrk’s exclusion of Islam transformed Istanbul
into a “pale imitation” of a Western city and brought a hollow ideal
of “Republican progress”. In compensation, the author is attracted to
the city’s end-of-empire melancholy, with its tottering Armenian and
Russian town mansions, and other architecture that has survived
Atatrk’s Westernising project.

The word hzn – Turkish for sadness – accordingly pervades this book.

Handsome residential homes built on the banks of the Bosphorus by
pashas, viziers and other imperial mandarins have now virtually all
burned down in arson attacks.

Istanbul was always seriously at risk from fire, and as a teenager in
the 1960s Pamuk remembers standing on the European shore of the
Bosphorous at night, drinking tea with student friends, while he
watched a riverside palace burn on the Asian side.

Throughout, Pamuk is haunted by the melancholy of Istanbul as he sets
out to record the city in all its tatterdemalion Ottoman splendour.
The elegiac tone is enlivened by appreciations of mid-19th century
French Orientalists such as ThEophile Gautier and GErard de Nerval,
whose Ottomania made them swoon over Istanbul’s harems, seraglios and
seductively veiled concubines.

Descriptions of the Bosphorus run like a thread through this book.

(The river divides the two great cultures which journalists, Pamuk
complains, “crudely refer to as East and West”.) For half a century
Pamuk has lived in the Bosphorus house where he was brought up, and
where his parents’ marriage disintegrated following his father’s
serial infidelities.

The building, not surprisingly, speaks to the author of “defeat”,
“deprivation” and “melancholy”.

Expertly translated by Maureen Freely, Istanbul can be enjoyed for
its exquisite nostalgia and sense of loss, for its sheer good writing
and the atmospheric photographs (many of which were taken by Pamuk).

In Turkey today, Atatrk’s name is protected by law from insult.
Though the Turkish president died (in 1938) from cirrhosis of the
liver, he remains the greatest nation-builder of modern times – an
authoritarian populist such as Turkey has not seen since. Atatrk
injected Istanbul with a forward-looking spirit, and turned its gaze
out across the Bosphorus towards Europe.

Iran’s Armenians mark anniversary of 1915 “mass killing” – agency

Mehr news agency, Tehran
24 Apr 05

Thousands of Armenians in Tehran held their annual rally today [14
April] condemning the mass killing of Armenians by Turks in 1915. The
marchers chanted slogans in support of the Islamic republic and
regarded Iran as the supporter of the oppressed people.

The political correspondent of Mehr News Agency reports: Thousands of
Armenians in Tehran who initially gathered outside the Armenian
Archbishopric Church in Ostad Nejatollahi Street and then marched
towards another church in Jomhuri Street, called on the Turkish
government to accept the responsibility for the 1915 genocide of
Armenians.

The marchers who were carrying portraits of Imam Khomeyni, Eminent
Leader [Ayatollah Khamene’i] and President Khatami, chanted slogans
[praising] the Islamic republic for supporting the oppressed and
condemning the mass killing of Armenians in 1915.

During the rally which was held with a permit from the Interior
Ministry, one of the Armenians who was chanting slogans into a
microphone, said: Armenians are grateful for the hospitality of
Iranians who welcomed them with open arms after the [1915] genocide.

A statement issued this morning by the marchers stressed: The genocide
of Armenians at the beginning of the 20th century, crimes committed by
Nazis in middle of the same century together with the killing of
Muslims in Bosnia and crimes committed by Israel against the oppressed
people of Palestine, are all examples of crimes against humanity and
an indication of a superiority feeling and cruelty of some
governments.

The statement stressed: A victory of human conscience over hidden
policies of powerful countries such as America [as published], will
finally force the Turkish government to accept the responsibility, and
it is incumbent to the supporters of human rights to raise their voice
even higher for justice, and it is incumbent upon silent governments
to recognize the [1915] genocide and burnish their conscience. It is
also incumbent to the Turkish government to accept the historical fact
of genocide in order to break the spell of military dictatorship and
be accepted in the world community.