Author: Emil Lazarian

Financial Mirror, Cyprus
Jan 3 2007

TIME carries documentary, adopts policy on Armenian Genocide

03/02/2007

The Feb. 12, 2007 issue of the European edition of TIME magazine —
available in newsstands throughout Europe as of Feb. 2 — carries a
full-page factual announcement on the Armenian Genocide, along with a
complimentary DVD, in English and French, which contains a compelling
52-minute documentary on the Armenian Genocide by French director
Laurence Jourdan. The DVD also includes a 46-minute interview with
Dr. Yves Ternon, a leading expert on the Armenian Genocide.

Both the DVD and the full-page ad were provided free of charge by
TIME Europe (circulation 550,000) after realizing that its staff,
without proper review, had inserted in the June 6, 2005 issue of TIME
Europe a Turkish DVD as a paid advertisement under the guise of
promoting tourism to Turkey. The Turkish DVD, paid for by the Ankara
Chamber of Commerce, was a deceitful attempt to spread malicious lies
and denialist propaganda on the Armenian Genocide.

To correct this error, TIME (Europe) published, in its October 17,
2005 issue, a critical page-long letter to the editor jointly signed
by five French organizations. In an Editor’s note appended to the
letter, TIME apologized for disseminating the Turkish DVD.

In December 2005, the five organizations along with the
Switzerland-Armenia Association (SAA), the French Association of
Armenian Lawyers and Jurists (AFAJA), the European – Armenian
Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD), and The California
Courier newspaper reached an amicable agreement with TIME executives
ensuring that the facts of the Armenian Genocide are not distorted
again in the pages of the magazine.

Subsequently, Michael Elliott, the Editor of TIME International,
issued the following public statement: "Please be advised that, in
common with other leading news organizations, it is TIME’s policy and
practice to refer to the Armenian genocide as a historical fact.
Accordingly, I will be informing our correspondents and editors that
the term ‘Armenian genocide’ should be used without qualification."

The abovementioned organizations said in an announcement that are
fully satisfied with the corrective steps taken by TIME magazine.
They are also pleased that the Turkish attempt to distort the facts
of the Armenian Genocide, supported by considerable financial
resources, was properly countered as a result of these organizations’
close cooperation with TIME which placed journalistic ethics above
all other considerations.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Jan 3 2007

Police, gendarmerie clash on gunman photo peaks

The New Anatolian / Ankara
03 February 2007

Following a sharp open exchange of accusations between the police and
gendarmerie over last month’s murder of journalist Hrant Dink, both
the premier and the police spokesperson on Friday stressed the
incorrectness of inter-institution debates before public.

After a picture of gunman Ogun Samast appeared in newspapers a day
after the assassination, raising questions of where the photo came
from, the Interior Ministry, the police and gendarmerie all launched
investigations.

The pictures, reportedly taken from camera footage dated Jan. 21, two
days before the murder, showed Samast standing before a Turkish flag
poster and a statement from Ataturk reading, "The territory of the
homeland is sacred. It cannot be left to fate." Voices in the video
capture the image was taken from make it clear the tableau was
deliberately prepared by those who captured the images.

Initial reports Friday said that the photos were taken by the
gendarmerie at the Samsun gendarmerie post near the Samsun bus
station where the gunman was caught two weeks ago.

However the gendarmerie, in an immediate comment later in the day,
said that the images were recorded at the tea house of the Samsun
Police’s Anti-Terror Department. Police Spokesperson Ismail Caliskan,
speaking to the press last week, confirmed the claim, but many said
that officials from the gendarmerie were also at the scene during the
shooting.

At Friday’s press conference, Caliskan said that he cannot give all
details about the incident as inspectors are carrying out an
investigation into both the location of the footage and the alleged
negligence of the security officials on the Dink murder.

He reiterated that the police don’t hesitate to launch investigation
into its members whoever they are. "I conveyed the information I
received last week. The details will immediately be made public after
the inspectors finalize their probe," he said.

However he added that it was quite wrong to leak the photos to the
media. "No good comes from driving state institutions to a public
fight," he underlined.

He also scolded the accused police officials by saying, "Police must
never forget that they are professionals. No one has right to do his
job under the influence of his feelings or thoughts," he said.

He also refused to confirm the relationship between the police and
the detained Erhan Tuncel, alleged to be the third man behind the
murder and later a police informant. "It isn’t appropriate to speak
of people aiding the police with the press. People assist the police
in various ways. It would be better if rumors about Tuncel didn’t
appear in the media," he said.

PM: It’s no good to bring public institutions at odds

Premier Erdogan, speaking to a press conference in Istanbul on
Friday, also scolded the debate between the police and gendarmerie,
said that it is no good to lead public institutions into a fight.

He also said that the investigation into the footage is underway,
adding they are committed to do what ever they can and go the whole
way.

Erdogan lambasted the opposition, who put pressure on the government
to suspend Istanbul police chief and Interior Minister Abdulkadir
Aksu by saying that censure and suspension mechanisms lost their
significance in Turkey.

In related news another suspect, university student Tuncay Uzundal,
was arrested in relation with the Dink murder, raising the number of
arrests to eight.

–Boundary_(ID_0qlZDOcK686FvGRqAcNESA)
Content-typ e: message/rfc822

From: "Katia M. Peltekian" <[email protected]>
Subject: Les journalistes d’"Agos" poursuivent le combat
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 8BIT

Le Figaro, France
03 février 2007

Les journalistes d’« Agos » poursuivent le combat

DES PANCARTES brandies au cours des funérailles de Hrant Dink qui ont
rassemblé 100 000 personnes à Istanbul, sont encore entassées dans
l’entrée. Les locaux exigus de l’hebdomadaire Agos sont plongés dans
le deuil. Entourés de bouquets et de portraits de leur rédacteur en
chef, les journalistes se noient dans le travail. Les derniers
exemplaires en partance pour l’Australie, la France ou les États-Unis
sont empaquetés à la hte.

Le numéro spécial de l’hebdomadaire qui rend hommage à son fondateur
a été imprimé à 40 000 exemplaires, dix fois plus que le tirage
ordinaire. Ils ont quasiment tous été vendus, de quoi donner un peu
de courage à l’équipe pour continuer le combat mené par le « Baron
Hrant », comme elle le surnommait affectueusement. Deux semaines
après cet assassinat, le journal de la modeste communauté arménienne
de Turquie – 60 000 membres -, est en état de choc et s’interroge sur
son avenir. Barricadé dans le bureau du défunt, Etyen Mahçupyan
refuse de se laisser distraire, termine son éditorial, se tient
informé de l’évolution de l’enquête. Ce journaliste qui est l’autre
grand intellectuel arménien du pays, a pris les rênes d’ Agos,
rattrapé malgré lui par son identité. « Sa mission sera de
poursuivre le travail entrepris par Dink pour la démocratie turque,
abordée via la question de la reconnaissance du génocide arménien »,
explique son compagnon de route, le sociologue Ali Bayramoglu. « Ces
derniers temps, il souhaitait peser davantage dans la vie politique,
s’ouvrir aux autres communautés. Il faudra essayer d’être à la
hauteur de son rêve. » La tche sera ardue. Disponible en France «
Hrant était la colonne vertébrale du journal, il lui donnait vie »,
résume l’éditorialiste Aydin Engin. Cet ancien journaliste de
Cumhuriyet, le quotidien kémaliste dont il a claqué la porte pour
contester sa dérive nationaliste, avait l’habitude de travailler chez
lui, ne passant à Agos que « pour boire des verres de raki avec
Hrant ». Désormais, Aydin Engin y viendra « pour combler ce vide »
. Boucler le journal dans les temps, assurer sa présence dans les
kiosques le samedi, ne surtout pas interrompre la publication malgré
la douleur : la petite rédaction d’ Agos est tendue vers cet
objectif. Pour la soutenir, journalistes et intellectuels
stambouliotes sont là en renfort. Cengiz Candar, chroniqueur vedette
de la presse turque, a même accepté d’être relégué en cuisine pour
préparer le thé. Les universitaires francophones apportent les
dernières corrections à la version d’ Agos qui sera disponible en
France la semaine prochaine. Sur les lieux du crime, sur le trottoir,
il ne reste quasiment aucune trace de l’exécution de Hrant Dink,
abattu de trois balles dans la tête. Seuls quelques oeillets rouges
accrochés à la porte rappellent la tragédie. Dans le hall de
l’immeuble, trois plantons de la police se frottent les mains devant
un radiateur. Une protection bien tardive.

_________________________________________________ ___________________________________
Cheap talk?
Check out Yahoo! Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates.

–Boundary_(ID_0qlZ DOcK686FvGRqAcNESA)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Jan 3 2007

Time Magazine Accepts Being Part of Armenian Propaganda Campaign

Saturday , 03 February 2007

* Armenian lobby hits back with the news magazine Time’s help

– Time magazine on Friday released a 52-minute documentary by French
director Laurence Jourdan on the so-called Armenian `genocide.’

With a full-page advertisement by `a coalition of Armenian Groups,’
the DVD also includes a 46-minute interview with Dr. Yves Ternon on
the so-called Armenian `genocide.’ The DVD and the advertisement have
been paid for by Time, according to European Armenian Federation. The
Armenian socities have huge budgets to be spent against the Turkish
interests overseas.

Delighted with Time’s reaction, the Armenian lobby announced that
Michael Elliot, the director of Time International, had said Time had
decided to call the 1915 events a genocide and called on all editors
and correspondents to describe 1915 only as a genocide.

Time’s decision to distribute the DVD came after a CD made by the
Turkish Ankara Chamber of Commerce last year was distributed by Time.
According to the European Armenian Federation, Time decided to
correct this mistake and agreed to financially back and distribute
the documentary.

The distribution of 550,000 copies with the European edition of Time
comes in the wake of the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink. In addition, while a French bill criminalizing the
rejection of the so-called Armenian genocide is awaiting the Senate
approval

There are serious allegations in the one-page advertisement, which
are considered to be baseless by Ankara.

More than 520.000 Muslims were massacred by the armed Armenian groups
during the First World War and Armenians never accepted the mass
murders.

hp?id=42397

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SERZH SARGSYAN: TRAGEDY IN ISTANBUL SHOULD SPUR TURKEY-ARMENIA
DIALOGUE

Yerevan, February 3. ArmInfo. An analytical article by Serzh Sargsyan,
the Secretary of the Security Council and the Armenian Defence
Minister, entitled was published in the weekly. The article comments
upon the murder of Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul.

According to the source, the article notes that the murder of the
editor of the bilingual Armenian/Turkish According to the source, the
article notes that the murder of the editor of the bilingual
Armenian/Turkish <AGOS>newspaper, has generated mass protests across
the globe. Everyone who believes in human basic freedoms was shocked
with the crime committed not only on ethnic grounds, but also due to
the erosion of democratic principles of the Turkish state propaganda
and discrimination against both Armenians and other national
minorities, the article runs. This tragedy should not only contribute
Besides, S.Sargsyan reminded that since Armenian proclaimed its
independence in 1991, Turkey has refused diplomatic relations with
it. Two years later, Turkey imposed economic blockade on Armenia,
depriving the two nations of contacts in humanitarian and trade
spheres. The murder of Hrant Dink may give a historical opportunity
for liquidating the gap in the relations and starting a civilized
dialogue between the countries. Notwithstanding the lack of diplomatic
ties, the Turkish Government invited Armenian politicians and men of
religion to participate in Hrant Dink’s funeral. These small but
essential gestures allow to discuss the Armenian Genocide of 1915, at
last. To those who insist on forgetting these tragic events S.Sargsyan
points out the importance of remembering the past in order to prevent
reoccurrence of such a crime against humanity. He adds that Armenia is
ready to establish normal diplomatic relations with Turkey without
preconditions. There may be a thousand problems between the two
countries, and the key to the settlement of these problems is
establishing diplomatic relations between the governments and
nations. Turkey’s reaction to the international community’s criticism
was aggressive, but if Turkey continues ignoring the criticism, it may
find itself in isolation and conflict with the European Union,
S.Sargsyan says. If Turkey lifts the blockade, Armenia will get closer
to Europe from the geopolitical point of view, and all the parties
will benefit from it. Armenia has already demonstrated a general
interest in EU values in a number of issues, including regional
security and democratic development. In memory of Hrant Dink, the
Minister offers to start the process of peaceful dialogue contributing
to establishing normal relations.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

Oskanian and Mammadyarov may meet late February or early March
02.02.2007 16:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Presently consultations on the date of the
Oskanian-Mammadyarov meeting are going on, RA MFA Acting Spokesman
Vladimir Karapetian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, the
ministerial meeting may be held late February or early March. Earlier,
Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, furnished similar information.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish opposition urges interior minister’s resignation
02.02.2007 17:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With the investigation into Hrant Dink’s murder in
Istanbul widening, Deniz Baykal, the head of the main opposition CHP
Party, is calling for the resignation of the Minister of Interior
Affairs, Abdulkadir Aksu. Said Baykal yesterday, "….We have before
us a terrible scenario. In the face of all this, Turkey has no right
to remain silent. The Minister of the Interior must resign. The big
newspapers of Turkey should carry headlines that say ‘Resign
Minister.’ They have a great responsibility.

Turkey is going." Speaking yesterday on NTV, Baykal said that the
current police forces in Turkey had become a place for varying
allegiances, intimating that the security forces in Turkey had fallen
victim to extreme levels of division and pressure. Said Baykal "People
are forming organizations as the please within the police forces,"
reports Turks.US. daily news.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

February 4, 2007 In Transit
Boutique Hotels Arrive in Armenia: Will Tourists Follow?
By JENNIFER CONLIN

If you’re thinking of spending your next vacation in Armenia … and,
really, who isn’t? – you’ll be happy to know that this former Soviet
republic now has its first boutique hotel chain. This may be a sign
that Armenia is truly ` in,’ or that boutique hotels are officially
`out.’

The owners of the Tufenkian Heritage Hotels
(_www.tufenkianheritage.com_ () ) are
hoping their three new properties will lure tourists to Armenia’s
mountainous countryside, set between the Black and Caspian Seas. Each
hotel features Tufenkian carpets, handmade by Armenian weavers, as
well as local cuisine.

At Avan Dzoraget, a 34-room hotel in Lori (on the main road to Tbilisi
rope/georgia/overview.html?inline=3Dnyt-geo ,
there is an indoor pool, a spa and a gym. At Avan Marak
Tsapatagh, on Lake Sevan – a popular lakeside resort town with outdoor
sports- the lodge is completely constructed of Armenian stone. Avan
Villa, a 14-room hotel 10 minutes from the city of Yerevan, however,
sounds the most stylish, with Frette linens and rooms with traditional
Armenian fireplaces – thekind used to make lavash bread. But the Web
site description also proudly mentions thatall Villa rooms have `hot
and cold water 24 hours a day’ – normally not a big selling point for
the average boutique hotel.

Copyright 2007
The New York Times Company ()

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Time magazine to correctly characterize the Armenian Genocide

ArmRadio.am
03.02.2007 13:16

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has welcomed TIME
Magazine’s newly announced policy of properly characterizing the
Armenian Genocide as clear instance of genocide, as well as a series
of other moves taken by this leading international newsweekly to atone
for its mistaken distribution, in June of 2005, of a DVD denying this
crime against humanity.

TIME’s actions come in the wake of an amicable agreement reached
between the publication and the ANCA’s Brussels-based European
affiliate – the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy
(EAFJD), along with the Armenian National Committee of France (CDCA),
the California Courier, and a range of leading community and human
rights organizations.

"We welcome TIME Magazine’s judgment that – in the interest of its
readers’ right to accurate reporting – the Armenian Genocide should be
reported as a fact, without qualification," said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian. "This announcement by TIME, along with
similar policy statements by the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and
many other leading publications, only increases the pressure on the
Administration to abandon its morally bankrupt complicity in the
Turkish government’s denial of its crime against the Armenian nation."

Armenian Apostolic Chutrch celebrating St. Sargis Day

ArmRadio.am
03.02.2007 13:46

Today the Armenian Apostolic Chutrch is celebrating St. Sargis Day. On
the occasion of the holiday, festive services will be offered in all
churches names St. Sargis, which will be followed by the ceremony of
blessing the young.

Today all the churches named St. Sargis will be open by 21:00 in the
evening.

St. Sargis is known as the patron of young people and love. This
holiday is celebrated not only with religious ceremonies and prayers
but also with national traditions.

On this day young people pray to St. Sargis, asking to convey their
prayer to God.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress