Author: Jalatian Sonya

DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF THE BIGGER PICTURE!

Hurriyet Daily News
March 9 2010
Turkey

Last week the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee narrowly
voted in favor of recognizing the mass killings of Armenians in
1915 as genocide. Ever since, the Turkish media has been full of
speculations on what might happen if the full House would support
such a resolution, which would make it extremely difficult for the
American president not to give in to the central demand: to use the
G-word in his annual speech on April 24.

How should Turkey react? What would it mean for relations between
Turkey and the U.S.? What would be the fall-out for the already
stalling process of rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia?

The interesting thing is that in the international media, most
observers tend to believe a senior Obama administration official who
said, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press,
"There was an understanding with the Democratic leadership in Congress
that the resolution would not go to a vote on the floor of the House
of Representatives." The Washington Post, well connected on Capitol
Hill, came to the same conclusion. But I am afraid these sobering
thoughts will not have a big impact in Turkey.

I wish they had. What will probably happen is that in the next six
weeks, until April 24, most pundits will be engaged in making up
all kind of scenarios based on "What if …?" And although foreign
minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said Turkey is determined to press ahead
with efforts to normalize ties with Armenia, the net result of all
these hypothetical exercises will be that nothing positive will happen
in relations between Turkey and Armenia.

The protocols, signed by both governments, will not be approved by
the Turkish Parliament because the American resolution is the perfect
excuse to stop the ratification process. It comes on top of a decision
by the Armenian Constitutional Court some weeks ago to which many in
Turkey overreacted. According to most foreign specialists, the ruling
itself does not pose an obstacle for ratification but both government
and opposition politicians were quite happy to make it into one.

One would almost lose sight of the real reasons why the Justice
and Development Party, or AKP, does not want to use its majority in
Parliament to sanction the deal made by its own ministers. It’s very
simple: it is because Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself has
repeatedly linked ratification to progress in finding a solution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

When Davutoglu signed the protocols in late autumn he sounded very
confident that ratification would follow in the spring of this year. I
always thought that was because the foreign minister had received some
kind of guarantee from his American, French and, most importantly,
Russian colleagues present at the ceremony that this spring, Armenia,
pushed by these three countries, would move some of its troops out
of some occupied Azeri territories. In that scenario, Turkey would
get the best of both worlds: improved relations with Armenia and
something to show to the Azerbaijanis.

Until now Armenia has not moved one soldier. That could mean three
things: 1) I was wrong, there was no guarantee, in which case Davutoglu
was far too optimistic; 2) There was a deal but the Armenians could
not be pressured to give in; or 3) There was an agreement between
the big powers but the Russians are not willing to deliver.

Anyway, the result of these misjudgements could well be that Turkey,
Armenia and Azerbaijan all remain stuck in frozen conflicts. To
prevent such a disaster, after hopes were raised so high, the ruling
party should be clever enough to keep sight of the bigger picture,
rise above petty political squabbles in Washington and Ankara and
have the courage to ratify the agreements with Armenia.

Better to have an open border than a closed mind.

SOME ASPECTS OF TURKISH-US RELATIONS

The Messenger
March 9 2010
Georgia

On March 5 the First Deputy Foreign Ministers of Russia and Turkey held
negotiations in Moscow. Different issues were discussed, including
the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, the situation in Iraq and
the Middle East generally and Iran’s nuclear programme.

Turkish newspaper Sabakh suggests that now the Armenian genocide
issue is on the agenda of the US Congress Turkey is ready to respond
to the US position and has prepared political, economic, military
and strategic answers.

The same newspaper states that Ankara is ready to conduct dialogue
with Moscow in different areas including military co-operation.

Moreover Ankara will most probably have surprises for Washington
concerning Afghanistan. It could decrease the level of its presence
there and also start reconsidering the future of the US military
bases in Turkish territory.

The Armenian genocide issue will also be discussed in the Swedish
Parliament on March 17. However Ankara has already warned Stockholm
of the possible consequences of taking what it would see as a wrong
position on this.

TURKEY’S THREAT: $11 BILLION IN AEROSPACE DEALS WITH U.S. AT RISK

World Tribune
TARC/2010/me_turkey0183_03_08.asp
March 9 2010

WASHINGTON — Turkey’s status as a major client for U.S. aerospace
companies may be in jeopardy, according to industry officials.

Marion Blakey, who leads an association that represents major
U.S. aerospace companies, said the association had expected that
Turkey would order more than $11 billion in defense and aerospace
equipment and platforms in 2010.

"Critical national security, economic and diplomatic relations with
our ally Turkey are threatened," Blakey, president of the Aerospace
Industries Association, said.

Lobbyists said Turkey could suspend procurement of U.S. civilian
and military aircraft in the wake of the passage of a resolution
in Congress on the Armenian genocide during World War I. Turkey,
which has denied involvement in the killing of one million Armenians,
has threatened retaliation for the House Foreign Relations Committee
vote on March 4.

"Turkey and the United States have important and long-standing
strategic and economic ties," Blakey said. "Turkey is a strong
democracy, a fellow member of NATO and a critical partner in the war
against terrorists."

Blakey did not cite Turkish procurement projects. But industry sources
said Turkey had planned to submit its first order of the Joint Strike
Fighter as well as select the winner of a multi-billion-dollar utility
helicopter tender in 2010.

In his March 5 statement, Blakey urged President Barack Obama and
Congress to stop the Armenian genocide resolution. He stressed that
Turkey played a key role in the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan.

"We’re urging President Obama and the Speaker of the House to ensure
that the resolution doesn’t go to the House floor for a vote," Blakey
said. "There is simply too much at stake."

SERZH SARGSYAN SENDS TELEGRAM OF CONDOLENCE TO TURKISH PRESIDENT ABDULLAH GUL

Noyan Tapan
March 9, 2010

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
sent a telegram of condolence to Turkish President Abdullah Gul in
connection with the earthquake in Turkey. On behalf of the Armenian
people and himself, S. Sargsyan expressed sincere condolences to
the Turkish president and the families of the earthquake victims,
the press service of the RA president reports.

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

/like-mother-like-daughter/
March 8, 2010

SOUTHFIELD, Mich.-In September 1978, the AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian
School of Southfield sponsored its first Homecoming. The festivities
commenced with the election of the Homecoming Court and concluded with
a soccer game and the crowning of the Homecoming Queen. From a court
of eight high school students, Dawn Arslanian was crowned Homecoming
Queen by soccer captain and Homecoming King Raffi Sarafian during
the half-time ceremonies.

Arslanian is a graduate of the AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian School,
the Barbizon School of Design, and the University of Michigan. She
is also a graduate of the St. Sarkis Sunday School. Arslanian is the
proud working mother of Adi and Soseh, and is the office manager of
her family’s business. She participates in many activities in the
Armenian community through St. Sarkis and the Armenian Relief Society
(ARS). She also contributes to the Bloomfield Hills School District
assuming leadership roles at all levels.

In October 2009, 31 years later, lo and behold, Arslanian’s oldest
daughter, Adi, was elected Homecoming Queen at Andover High School of
Bloomfield Hills. She was also crowned from a court of high school
students during the half-time ceremonies of the football game. Adi
is an active student, participating in cheerleading, basketball,
track, student leadership, and various clubs and organizations. She
has also completed an internship with a nationwide publications
company. Adi will graduate in June 2010 and further her education
in college. She is a graduate of the St. Sarkis Sunday School and
maintains an active role in the Detroit "Kopernik Tandourjian" AYF
Chapter as a fourth-generation member.

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND OBAMA’S LACK OF CULTURIST SENSIBILITIES

Global Politician
March 8 2010

This week the House of Representatives debated a resolution that
would have given official recognition to the attempted genocide
of Armenians at the hands of Turks. Speaking through Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton, the Obama administration said it "strongly
opposes" the designation of the massacres as genocide. Obama’s strong
opposition tells us a lot about truth claims and Obama’s lack of
culturist sensibilities.

President Obama says he does not want to offend Turkey. The fact
that he does not care if he offends Armenia lays implicit in this
declaration. Thus President Obama is bending truth to accommodate raw
power relations. As such he could be said to be making policy based
on an objective analysis of the situation.

Unfortunately, the world is made of subjective interpretations. As
the controversy suggests, everyone has a side in this debate and
the outcomes have political implications. President Obama admitted
as much when he went to Egypt and Turkey and apologized for alleged
western crimes in the Islamic world.

Being generous, we could accept that President Obama’s hopes lie in
mutual revelation of sins leading to forgiveness and international
understanding; open dialogue from this view could lead to the end of
nations taking sides. However, his unwillingness to discuss Islamic
sins and eagerness to discuss western ones, shows an imbalance in
this generous narrative. Unfortunately, it shows a willingness to
completely buy into the Muslim narrative.

Whether you denounce the American bases in Iraq or Islamic attacks
upon India, we can agree that the non-Islamic world and the Islamic
world are in competition. When we take a "human rights" perspective
and deny sides exist, we end up pouring money into enemy nations,
such as Afghanistan, in the name of nation building and supporting
Islamic nations, such as Kosovo, in the western sphere. We end up
taking the Turk’s side as easily as we take the Armenian’s side.

In foreign policy we should side with our friends and understand that
some folks are our foes. Armenia, as a Christian nation, falls within
the sphere of western related powers. We should back them. In terms
of narrative, it would run against our values to never admit wrong.

However, to only admit to our faults and deny Islamic nations’ crimes,
feeds into a narrative whereby attacking us is justified and adopting
our values is corrupt.

A culturist approach assumes that sides and competition exist. It
also recognizes narrative’s great impact on public and international
opinion, and the geo-political implications such narratives have. As
such a culturist approach would have us singing our virtues overseas
and condemning the Armenian genocide in the strongest terms possible.

John Press, Ph.D. is an adjunct professor at New York University. He
is the author of "Culturism: A Word, A Value, Our Future."

THOSE WHO POLITICIZE HISTORY WILL CERTAINLY BE JUDGED BY HISTORY

Today’s Zaman
March 8 2010
Turkey

This week, as the eight members of the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign
Affairs Committee and the Turkey-US Inter-parliamentary Friendship
Caucus, we conducted official visits in the US.

The so-called Armenian Genocide Resolution, numbered HR.252, was
voted on last Thursday in the US House of Representatives Committee
on Foreign Affairs. Both our government and the opposition parties
closely followed the adoption of the resolution with 23 yes and 22
nay votes with great anxiety and worry.

Prior to the voting process, both the Turkish-American nongovernmental
organizations in the US and we as politicians exerted great efforts.

As an academic and a member of Parliament who has worked in the US
as an international lawyer for many years, I can say that Turkey
is not the way it used to be; the world’s perspective on Turkey
is not what it used to be. Turkey is a country that does not make
concessions from its principled stance; it performs the requirements
of public diplomacy daily, and it acts responsibly in every situation
by refraining from reacting emotionally and thinking through every
option. The fact that the committee had a hard time adopting the
resolution is evidence that we and Turkish-American NGOs and are
playing the game by the rules. Committee Chairman Howard Berman,
in our discussion during the voting, stated that an issue relating
to Turkey will not be put on the agenda without consulting Turkey.

Naturally, the adoption of the resolution has resulted in a
great amount of rightful public censure in Turkey. However, as the
politicians of this country, we must not alter our principled stance
by reacting emotionally; we shall manifest our rightful position by
intensifying our efforts of public diplomacy, by playing the game by
the rules and acting responsibly.

Of course, the fact that the resolution passed the committee does not
mean that it is final. Moreover, we believe that Congress will not
pass the resolution. In fact, even though the resolution was adopted
in the House Foreign Affairs Committee in 2000 with 35 to 11 votes,
in 2005 with 40 to 7 votes and in 2007 with 27 to 21 votes, it was
never passed by Congress.

We made some remarkable observations in the hall during the passing
of the resolution and the voting process. Berman’s personal efforts
and the pressure he exerted on other members of the committee in
order to pass the resolution were like scenes from a play.

The adoption of the resolution — which is full of material mistakes as
well as historically controversial, biased and selective references
— by the committee is not befitting of Turkey-US relations. The
intervention of third parties in the Turkey-Armenia normalization
process only serves to hinder the process. This development has
damaged the efforts for peace and stability in the Southern Caucasus.

Illuminating the events of 1915 is the work of historians, not
politicians. A decision such as this one, taken solely to serve
political interests, is first and foremost a bane on history.

In this regard, the events of World War I in 1915 and the aftermath
are freely debated in Turkey; published works expressing different
views on the subject are available in bookstores and libraries.

The universal definition of genocide is expressed in Article 6 of the
1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide. Only a competent international tribunal can rule
on the crime of genocide, which is the gravest crime against humanity.

Therefore, such a political decision is against the 1948 Charter of
the United Nations.

Turkey and the US have a common vision of welfare, stability and
peace in our region and beyond. As two close allies and strategic
partners, Turkey and the US are in cooperation on the issues of the
international fight against terrorism, the safety of energy sources,
Iran’s nuclear program, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East,
the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the eastern Mediterranean
and even overcoming the global financial crisis.

For more than half a century, the relationship between Turkey and
the US, two NATO allies, has continuously developed based on the
shared principles of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and
establishing a free market economy.

This decision — which was taken solely for votes and the campaign
worries of politicians and which could negatively affect the
relationships we conduct within the context of our broad common agenda
with the US — also points out the unfortunate lack of strategic
vision of these politicians.

In addition to being against the interests of the US, this resolution
harms the national interests of Turkey. These serious allegations
not only impeach Turkey with the crime of genocide but bring about
territorial claims and damages against Turkey.

The adoption of this resolution has only benefited the radical Armenian
diaspora in the US.

The wrongness of a topic relating to historical events being assessed
by politicians was once again revealed. This decision is saddening
on the one hand; on the other hand, it is significant for a country
that is taking steps to restore its reputation in the world with the
Obama administration.

An unprofessional scene unfolded with the voting procedure; the
fact was revealed that some of the representatives voting on the
resolution had no real knowledge of the events of 1915. Certainly
without knowledge, one cannot have an idea. We must once again
emphasize to the international community that Turkey will not be
responsible for the ramifications this vote might have in any area,
and those who politicize history will certainly be judged by history.

*Associate Professor Cuneyt Yuksel is a member of Parliament, political
and legal affairs deputy chairman and a Turkey-US Inter-parliamentary
Friendship Caucus member.

SkySports
March 7 2010

Darchinyan retains titles

Tough challenger Guerrero lasts the distance

Vic Darchinyan successfully defended his WBA and WBC super flyweight
world titles with a convincing points win over Rodrigo Guerrero.

The Armenian-born Australian dominated from start to finish and was
handed a unanimous decision by scores of 120-108, 118-110 and 117-111
at the end of 12 rounds.

The Mexican challenger was never in contention for victory but refused
to go down under a barrage from his opponent.

After the fight, Darchinyan – who had 27 knockouts in 33 victories
heading into the contest – praised the Guerrero’s toughness.

"This kid, I respect how he took punches," the 34-year-old said.

Respect
"I couldn’t believe how he took punches. He kept coming back. I
respect him. He’s good. I thought I was going to stop him. I gave him
good punches but I couldn’t."

Guerrero took punishment early and cuts were opened over the Mexican’s
eyes as the champion took the initiative.

Darchinyan looked to finish his foe off in the eighth round when he
unleashed a vicious flurry of punches but Guerrero stayed on his feet
before counter-attacking.

But Guerrero was unable to muster the strength to put Darchinyan in
any real danger and the fight closed out with the Australian clearly
on top.

The champion stated his desire to move up in weight class at the end
of the bout.

He said: "I would love to move up. I’m very powerful. I could beat the
champions there. I want to move up and fight better champions."

0,19528,12183_6008130,00.html

Burbank Leader, CA
March 6 2010

Genocide bill clears hurdle

Resolution to recognize mass killings of Armenians still has naysayers.

By Zain Shauk
Published: Last Updated Friday, March 5, 2010 10:07 PM PST

A House resolution to acknowledge the Armenian genocide narrowly moved
out of a key legislative committee Thursday, a day after the Obama
administration cautioned against a vote that it feared could
jeopardize Armenia’s and the United States’ relations with Turkey.

The resolution by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) declared that 1.5
million Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1923 in a campaign
`conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire.’

The legislation moved out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on a
23-22 vote after an impassioned discussion in which some members
expressed fears that the resolution could adversely affect American
military operations in Iraq.

`It’s never been convenient, but we do these things not out of
convenience,’ Schiff said after the vote. `We do this because it is
right, and if we don’t recognize the tragedies that pass, we put
ourselves at risk of seeing their repetition.’

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While most members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs agreed
that the atrocities constituted genocide, many raised concerns about
the diplomatic implications of passing the legislation.

Turkey, a NATO ally and partner in the United States’ military
operations in Iraq, has previously expressed strong opposition to
congressional efforts to recognize a genocide that Turkish officials
say never happened.

In 2007, Turkey recalled its ambassador as similar legislation moved
out of the committee, prompting concerns that the nation would refuse
to allow U.S. troops to move through its borders and into Iraq.

Some representatives Thursday were concerned that the resolution’s
approval would jeopardize relations and create obstacles for U.S.
military operations that currently benefit from Turkish cooperation.

`There’s no question that these things happened, but the question is:
Is it the right thing today to pass this type of resolution?’ said
Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), the ranking Republican on the House
subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. `What good is it going
to do? I don’t see that it’s going to do anything."

The White House also expressed concern that the resolution could stump
a fledgling dialogue between Armenia and Turkey, which recently
produced a set of protocols through which the nations plan to
establish regular diplomacy.

Members of the committee acknowledged that Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton recently spoke with them about the importance of allowing
Turkey and Armenia to come to a mutual understanding on the genocide
and other concerns.

Clinton had also urged Rep. Howard Berman (D-Valley Village), chairman
of the committee, to put off a vote on the resolution, White House
spokesman Adam Abrams said.

`Secretary Clinton called Chairman Berman [Wednesday], and in that
conversation the secretary indicated that further congressional action
could impede progress on normalization of relations,’ Abrams said.

But Berman and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), who serves on the
committee, refuted claims that the timing for an official stance on
the genocide was wrong because it could hurt the Armenia-Turkey talks.

They argued that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not
plan to allow his nation’s parliament to ratify the diplomatic
protocols and proceed into further relations with Armenia until other
concerns were addressed between the countries.

`These protocols are basically dead unless we do something to shake
things up,’ Sherman said.

Other committee members, including Rep. Edward Royce (R-Fullerton),
who wrote California’s resolution acknowledging the genocide, urged
passage of the bill despite fear of its potential consequences.

`It reads `the Ottoman Empire,” Royce said of the bill. `The Turkish
government was not involved in this. The Ottoman Empire was. It is
important that this government doesn’t lose sight of truth versus
propaganda. Right versus wrong.’

At the risk of jeopardizing relations with Turkey, the resolution
would send an important message, said Rep. Christopher Smith (R-N.J.).

`This House, this Congress, this government of the United States is a
friend of Turkey’s,’ Smith said. `But friends don’t let friends commit
crimes against humanity, or act as accomplices by allowing their
denial.’

The bill now moves to the House for consideration, where a similar
measure sponsored by Schiff died in 2007.

While the committee’s action Thursday was an important step,
proponents of the resolution were anticipating a continuing fight.

`We are not going to fool ourselves and think that it’s going to be a
downhill run from here on,’ said Leonard Manoukian, co-chairman of the
Armenian National Committee’s Glendale chapter. `Actually, the work
only gets more difficult from here on out.’

03/06/politics/blr-genocide030610.txt

Public Television of Armenia
March 2 2010

EU urges Armenia, Turkey to ratify normalisation accords

The European Union has urged Armenia and Turkey to go ahead and ratify
the historic protocols the two countries signed last October to
normalise ties.

"The European Union welcomes the Armenian-Turkish [normalisation]
process, and urges [the sides] to ratify the protocols," said Miguel
Angel Moratinos, the Spanish foreign minister whose country hods the
rotating presidency of the EU.

"We are in talks with Armenia and Turkey to create a better
atmosphere, because this is a historic moment," Moratinos was quoted
as saying by Armenian television on 2 March. He was speaking at a
press conference in the Armenian capital.