Author: Hakobian Adrine

AZG Armenian Daily #030, 17/02/2007

Armenian Genocide

US GOVERNMENT DETERMINED TO FAIL THE RESOLUTION ON THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE AND AT THE SAME TIME TO FORCE TURKEY NORMALIZE ITS RELATIONS
WITH ARMENIA

On February 15, In Washington head of Turkey’s Armed Forces, general
Yasar Buyukanit met with US Vice-President Dick Chaney and Councilor
to President Bush, Steven Hadley. After the meeting he told the
reporters that the Government of the United States are determined to
fail the resolution on the Armenian Genocide and estimated this fact
as rather positive.

Buyukanit also tried to meet with the head of the Foreign Relations
Committee of the US Congress, Tom Lantos, but the meeting did not take
place, says CNN-Turk. Lantos is the only Congress member who survived
the Holocaust and chairs the commission, which considers the question
of Resolution of the Armenian Genocide. It Is known that Lantos
preserves close relations with the Israeli authorities. Thus, his role
in the adoption of the Resolution on the Armenian Genocide is
obvious. Therefore also appears a question about the influence of
Jewish organization of Armenia. BBC Turkish office informs that
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul when in USA told the leaders of
the American Jewsih organization that Turkey will revise its relations
with isreal unless the jews take active measures against the pending
resolution.

On February 16 Buyukanit met with the head of US Armed Forces Peter
Pace and Assistant to Deefnse Minister, Erick Edelman. According to
allegations by Buyukanit, the representatives of the Pentagon
expressed determination of fighting against the PKK.

In an arlier publication "Azg" predicted the Amerca’s warm welcome for
Buyukanit, as the United States have always relied on the armed forces
in their relations with Turkey. But there’s one more fact that
Buyukanit seems to have forgotten about. In exchange of promising
Turkey to impede the adoption of the Resolution on the Armenian
Genocide, the US authorities demanded to normalize the relations with
Armenia. Oktay Eksi in a publication in Hurriyet newspaper, February
15, said that Turkey is required to open the borer with
Armenia. According to Eksi, the USA warned the Turkish authorities
that the Armenian lobby will hardly reduce its pressure in the issue
of the Genocide if Turkey goes on with the blockade of
Armenia. Washington also advices Turkey to revise its policy about the
Genocide in any case, as about 20 countries have recognize it and the
recognition process does not seem to stop yet.

By H. Chaqrian

SAMSUN POLICE CHIEF WAS PRESENT IN ROOM WHERE IMAGES OF DINK MURDERER WERE TAKEN

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.02.2007 17:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The investigation continues into the photograph
and video images taken of Agos Armenian-Turkish newspaper editor
Hrant Dink’s killer, 17 year old Ogun Samast, in the Samsun
police station directly after his capture, talking, being offered
cigarettes, and posing in front of the Turkish flag with security
force members. Yesterday, two inspectors sent from Ankara to look
into the incident said they have determined that the Samsun Police
Chief, Mustafa Ilhan, and one prosecutor were also in the police
station’s tearoom where the images were taken; in total, 13 people
were reportedly present while Samast was in the room. One high level
authority from the police headquarters said that disciplinary action
taken against Ilhan may go as far as dismissal from his post in Samsun,
reports Hurriyet newspaper.

57E BERLINALE: LES TAVIANI MONTRENT LE MASSACRE DES ARMENIENS PAR LES TURCS

Agence France Presse
14 fevrier 2007 mercredi 3:11 PM GMT

Les frères Taviani montrent a la Berlinale (8-18 fevrier) "Il etait
une fois en Armenie", la première fiction evoquant crûment ce que les
Armeniens et nombre d’historiens qualifient de genocide des Armeniens
par les Turcs en 1915, a travers le calvaire vecu par une famille.

Base sur le roman du professeur de litterature Antonia Arslan,
une Italienne d’origine armenienne, qui racontait l’histoire de sa
famille, "La masseria delle allodole", son titre original (2 heures
2 minutes), est montre hors competition, dans la section Berlinale
Special du festival.

La première projection publique etait prevue mercredi soir au palais
du festival a 20H30 GMT, sans dispositions de securite particulières,
selon la police interrogee par l’AFP, dementant des articles de
presse faisant etat du risque de protestations au sein de l’importante
communaute turque berlinoise.

Tout commence par une romance entre la belle Nunik Azakian (Paz Vega),
issue d’une famille bourgeoise armenienne, et un jeune officier turc
aux yeux bleus, pret a deserter pour l’epouser: "Je ne te demanderai
jamais de te convertir", lui promet-il, "nous serons les plus heureux
de la Terre".

Mais la première Guerre mondiale bat son plein et l’etat-major de
l’armee ottomane, confronte a des pertes humaines considerables,
decide de revigorer la fierte nationale en epurant le pays des
"traîtres" et des "espions".

Les victimes sont toutes trouvees: ce seront les Armeniens, qu’il
faut "arreter partout, jusque dans leurs maisons, les ecoles et les
hôpitaux", afin de confisquer leurs biens, qui reviendront pour moitie
a l’Etat et pour moitie a des familles turques.

Les hommes seront abattus sur le champ "par surprise", tandis que les
femmes et les enfants seront "deportes", marchant jusqu’a ce que mort
s’en suive.

Une fois l’ordre donne, les cavaliers venus d’Istanbul font irruption
dans la ferme des Avakian, où se sont refugies nombre d’Armeniens
apeures. Sabre au clair, ils decapitent, mutilent ou castrent tout
individu de sexe masculin, dont de nombreux enfants, arraches aux
bras de leur mère.

Bien que dechire entre son honneur militaire et son amitie pour la
famille, le colonel Arkan (le comedien francais Andre Dussolier)
execute les ordres.

Les femmes et les fillettes partent vers Alep a pied, cruellement
traitees par les soldats qui les affament, les violent nuit après
nuit et crucifient ou brûlent vives celles qui tentent de s’echapper.

"Toutes les scènes sont fondees historiquement, y compris les plus
cruelles. Nous n’avons pas voulu le cacher", a declare Vittorio
Taviani, l’un des realisateurs, âges de 78 ans, dans un entretien au
magazine allemand Der Spiegel.

"Nous ne parlons pas de genocide. Si c’en etait un, c’est aux
historiens de le decider", a complete son frère Paolo. "Nous parlons
de tragedie, ce n’est pas un documentaire, nous ne cherchons pas a
defendre une thèse ou une autre".

Selon le voeu de ses auteurs, dont les films — fortement engages,
depuis "Les Subversifs" en 1967 ou "Sous le signe du scorpion"
en 1969 — se basent sur une rigoureuse reflexion politique et
historique, "Il etait une fois l’Armenie" montre sans detours un
"massacre d’innocents".

Toutefois, l’intensite dramatique n’est pas toujours soutenue par
l’interpretation des comediens, quelquefois en-deca du tragique.

Au plan politique, le film devrait choquer le gouvernement turc,
qui rejette categoriquement la qualification de genocide.

De 1915 a 1917, les massacres et les deportations d’Armeniens sous
l’empire ottoman ont fait 1,5 million de morts selon les Armeniens,
entre 300.000 et 500.000 selon Ankara.

"Ce n’est pas un film contre la Turquie", plaide toutefois Paolo
Taviani, "au contraire, c’est un film pour tous ceux qui se preoccupent
de l’histoire en Turquie". "Je suis sûr que d’ici quelques annees le
film sera montre dans des ecoles turques", dit-il.

–Boundary_(ID_GdsChuv3MBeE7aPc6mJarQ)–

IT IS NOT EXCLUDED THAT ARMENIA MAY JOIN KATB PROJECT, POLITICIAN STEPAN GRIGORIAN BELIEVES

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Feb 14 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The first and main reason
of implementation of the project on construction of the railway
transport corridor Kars-Akhaklakal-Tbilisi-Baku is in coinciding
of interests of the participant-countries: Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia. Stepan Grigorian, the Board Chairman of the Analytical Center
for Globalization and Regional Cooperation stated about it in the
interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent.

The second very important factor is that those countries have common
land borders what makes the project self-sufficient. And the third
reason is in the global and regional policy, carried out by Russia,
its striving for pressing upon their neighbors what makes the latters
diversify not only the ways of delivery of energy carriers but also
of transport communication. The fact that all the communications in
the region, including the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, connect South
Caucasus with North, but not with Russia, is explained by this.

Besides, in the politician’s words, Europe and the U.S., worried
about the policy of Russia, also start seriously thinking not only
of issues of diversifying ways of delivery of energy carriers, but
also of ways of good deliverty.

In S.Grigorian’s words, at the moment implementation of the KATB
project is not aimed against anybody, including Armenia. "One must
not forget that Georgia and Azerbaijan display much more initiative
in participation in the regional programs than Armenia. For example,
Armenia could be more active in the issue that Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline becomes transit one," S.Grigorian stated.

At the same time, he did not exclude that Armenia has chances "to
join the existing schemes," including the KATB project as well.

Particularly, one must not exclude that Turkey, under the influence of
the U.S. and European Union, "may start inside this three stimulation
of discussion on Armenia’s joining the project."

SOME THINK NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONSTRUCTIVE SOME NOT

Panorama.am
20:03 13/02/2007

Speaking about the statement of deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan,
Araz Azimov, who said that the meeting of ministers in Moscow was a
"step back," Vladimir Karapetyan, acting department head of information
and press services of the foreign ministry of Armenia, told Arminfo,
"It is strange that comments on Moscow negotiations are made 20 days
after the meeting."

Azimov had said, "If the negotiations do not continue according to
arrangements it would be meaningless to continue them."

In the words of Karapetyan, "We had the chance to assess the most
recent phase of the negotiations as constructive and hopeful. The
mediators think the same. The deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan
may be creating a ground for anti-constructive disposition of the
Azeri side before the upcoming meeting between the foreign ministers
of both countries."

KARS-AKHALKALAKI-BAKU RAILWAY PROJECT IS A TOOL OF POLITICAL PRESSURE ON ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.02.2007 17:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Kars-Akhlkalaki-Baku railway project seems
real and extremely undesirable for Armenia, director of Caucasus
analytical center Victor Yakubyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. "I
do not understand the logic of politicians and experts speaking of
its economic inexpedience. How can a railroad between Azerbaijan and
Turkey be inexpedient? It’s hard to understand. It’s obvious that the
railway will be loaded not only with freight cars but also passenger
trains," he underscored.

The project may be expensive, the security issues may bring
difficulties, but Baku and Ankara will not spare funds to connect
the railway. I’m surprised why they have not built it so far. It’s
quite another matter that it would be cheaper to resume communication
through the existing railway but, as you know, political problems
compensate economic expenses, said he.

The expert is convinced that the project is a tool of political
pressure on Armenia and it will be implemented. "As for the
U.S. position, it’s conditioned not by concerns about Armenia but
by the intrigue of the American-Turkish relations. The U.S. is not
interested in Turkey’s increasing transit potential. The project is not
profitable for Georgia either. In general, I think the strengthening
of the Azeri-Turkish ‘belt’ on Georgia’s neck is one of the urgent
challenges to the Georgian state system. Tbilisi, after protracting
the negotiations, has yielded," the expert underscored.

Panorama.am

19:41 09/02/2007

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB MAKES A STATEMENT ON ACT AGAINST MEDIA OWNER

National Press Club expresses its indignation against the terrorism act
against Ara Saghatelyan, owner of My Right newspaper and Panorama.am web
portal.

On February 8, at 20.00 unknown people threw bottles with petrol on his car
and set it on fire.

These terrorism acts before the elections make the internal political
situation in the country even tenser making it uncontrollable. As experience
shows, they target reporters and the mass media in the first place.

The National Press Club expresses concern that as a rule such crimes remain
undisclosed.

The National Press Club calls the law enforcement bodies to take up
necessary measures to discover the transgressors and punish them in order to
protect media representatives from such terrorist attacks.

National Press Club

Source: Panorama.am

Ïðàî ûáîðà, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
Feb 9 2007

USA to Send Pro-armenian Message to Turkey
09.02.2007

Daniel Fried: `Ankara should establish relations with Yerevan’
US government send message to official Ankara in connection with
situation in Turkey, assassination of Grant Dink, well-known article
¹301and relations between Turkey and Armenia. US Secretary of State
Assistant on Europe and Asia, Danial Fried, in interview for
`Milliyat’ newspaper expressed his solidarity with Turks advocating
removal of `article ¹301′. Accordingly to D. Fried this article seems
like historical mistake.
D. Fried also touched upon assassination of journalist of Armenian
origin, Grant Dink: `Dink didn’t humiliate Turks he represented the
best parts of Turkish history. No murder can be taken as
demonstration of nationalism. This quality is peculiar to small
nations, not great nation’.
D. Fried informed that Turks represents great nation, having added
that this nation doesn’t need `article ¹301′: `All nations undergo
nationalism. And Turkey’s being nationalistic state or not is not the
case, the case is whether leaders will undertake any steps in
connection with this issue. At the same time all leaders of our
country declared that America can’t exist within such conditions.
However to do so availability of moral leaders is needed’.
D. Fried underlined that against background of recent developments
normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia is possible.
Accordingly to diplomat Ankara should stretch helping hand to
Yerevan: `I guess that Dink’s will rejoice if relations of Ankara and
Yerevan normalize’.
D. Fried expressed his view concerning discussion of draft bill on
`Armenian genocide’ by US House of Representatives. He thinks that US
government will explain Congress that this document will bring no
positive results for Turkish and Armenian relations. At the same time
D. Fried stressed that Turkey should stand its ground not deviating
from historical facts.
In turn authoritative representative of US Secretary of State, M.
Bryza, also expressed his view in connection with the so-called
`genocide of Armenians’. Accordingly to him adoption of the said
draft bill may seriously blow on relations between USA and Turkey. As
M. Bryza said White House representatives are working with Congress
representatives to prevent adoption of the said document.

Indianapolis Star, IN
Feb 9 2007

A LIFE LIVED: Vandos Shadigian, 1924-2007
Immigrant had more than 20 patents

By David Mannweiler
[email protected]

Vandos Shadigian invented the part about the insurance man when he
knocked on his future wife’s upstairs apartment door in Hudson Falls,
N.Y.

"I had my first teaching job out of college in a nearby town and was
moving into an old house that was made into four apartments," Mary
Shadigian said.
"He saw me lugging boxes up to my apartment. He came upstairs,
knocked on my door and said he was expecting an insurance man and had
I seen him?"
Mr. Shadigian devised that excuse to meet the woman he would be
married to for 45 years until his death Jan. 25 in Indianapolis at
age 82.
It wasn’t his only invention. On the walls in the family room at his
Indianapolis home hang more than 20 framed patents. The chemist’s
most significant patent may be for an environmentally friendly
alternative to toxic PCBs used in capacitors. He also took part in
General Electric’s original research into nickel cadmium batteries.
The family room also has numerous trophies he won at Indianapolis
Chess Club competitions at the Eastgate shopping center.
Mr. Shadigian’s long journey to Indianapolis began in Tbilisi,
Georgia, in the northern Caucasus Mountains of Russia. His father,
Oksen, was an Armenian freedom fighter and a survivor of the 1915-16
Armenian genocide. During World War II, Shadigian and his father were
held in a German forced-labor camp.
"He was devoted to his father," his wife said. "When we lived in
Hudson Falls, Vandos’ father lived in the Albany-Troy, New York,
area. We would see his father and visit with the Armenian community
there. There was an Armenian Club campground where they prepared
Armenian food. Vandos was a very proud man and very proud of his
heritage."
Mr. Shadigian read and wrote Armenian and knew Russian, Polish,
German and English. He never lost his Armenian accent, his wife said,
and frequently confused listeners by dropping prepositions from his
sentences.
Mr. Shadigian, who immigrated with his father to Boston after the
war, came to Indianapolis in 1977, when he took a job with the old
P.R. Mallory Co. He retired in 1987.
The value of education was instilled in his two daughters.
"He stressed grades and achievements," Vanda Shadigian said. "He
would get up on a Saturday morning to take my sister Elizabeth and me
to a 5 a.m. bus for an away debate when we were at Warren Central
(High School)."
Dr. Elizabeth Shadigian received a degree in chemistry from Purdue
University and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. She
has an OB-GYN practice in Ann Arbor, Mich.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at Old Bethel United
Methodist Church, 7995 E. 21st St.

RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY TURKEY BECOMES URGENT, IS SAID IN STATEMENT OF RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Noyan Tapan
Feb 08 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on
February 8 issued a statement condemning the murder of Hrant Dink,
the editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper "Akos". The statement,
which was submitted to NT by the RA National Assembly PR Department,
reads: "The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia condemns
the assassination of the Akos newspaper’s editor-in-chief Hrant Dink,
qualifying it as a crime against expression freedom, human rights and
a respresentative of the Armenian minority. Expressing its resentment,
the RA National Assembly states that this crime planned by Turkish
chauvinistic circles has taken deep roots as a result of Armenophobia
and anti-Armenian propaganda. The propaganda conducted by the Turkish
authorities and aimed at denial of own history and denial of the
1915 Armenian Genocide, as well as criminal prosecution of numerous
intellectuals for having discussed this issue caused a desire among
nationalists to silence the voice of freedom by such a criminal act. At
the same time, we express our concern about the latest developments
in Tukey in connection with this barbaric crime. The social wrath
following Dink’s murder is now being replaced with the opposite
tendency: Turkish chauvinism, xenophobia, glorification of the criminal
are again rearing head, and as a consequence, new threats are made
against the newspaper edited by Hrant Dink, free-thinking persons and
the Armenian minority. The disclosures that law enforcers were informed
about the planned murder and did not attempt to prevent it are also
alarming and give occasion for deeper examination. The necessity for
the comprehensive detection of this crime, including identification
of those who ordered it, has become a vital need today. The National
Assembly states: This murder once again shows that in order to create
an atmosphere of mutual trust between the two peoples, it has become
urgent for the Turkish authorities to reconcile with own history and
recognize the Armenian Genocide, as well as to meet demand of the
international community to cancel the Criminal Code’s Article 301
that allows violations of speech freedom and similar manifestations."