Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Newsweek/Washington Post
Dec 4 2008

Witnesses to Genocide

Christiane Amanpour

For the better part of the past year, I have been interviewing people
who found themselves witnessing history that made them scream bloody
murder. They were trying to focus the world’s attention on the world’s
most heinous crime – genocide – only to be shunned, ignored, or told
it was someone else’s problem.

I wanted to know what made them do what they did. Some were
idealists. Others were pragmatists. All were stubborn. And none
considered themselves heroes.

Even though the international community was indifferent when they
tried to stop the killing, their moral courage gives us hope. For what
they witnessed on their watch was genocide, unchecked evil that they
would not let pass without a fight.

Note: Please upgrade your Flash plug-in to view our enhanced content.
I confess: there’s much here I do not fully understand. As a young
correspondent covering the war in Bosnia, my day often began with a
trip to the Sarajevo morgue to count bodies. How else would a
journalist know how many Muslim children were cut down by Bosnian Serb
snipers? How else could we put names to civilians left faceless by
mortar shells from the surrounding hills? I learned what it means to
bear witness.

In the 1990’s in the heart of Europe, "never again" was happening
again for the first time since WWII. The Bosnia war pitted Orthodox
Christian Serbs against the Muslim population, in a quest to achieve
an ethnically pure Greater Serbia as Yugoslavia exploded. Hundreds of
thousands were killed, millions were forced to flee as refugees.

But to this day, I ask myself what would have happened if roles had
been reversed. If the principal aggressors were Muslim and their
victims were Christian, would the West have intervened sooner to stop
the slaughter of innocents?

In Rwanda, in 1994 Roman Catholic Hutus turned with a vengeance
against their Tutsi compatriots, often chasing them into churches and
butchering them there. Yet today a strong Christian faith sustains
many who find themselves on the path to national reconciliation. In
Rwanda I watched as Iphegenia, a Tutsi woman who had lost her husband
and five children, served lunch to Jean Bosco, the Hutu neighbor who
had killed them. When I asked her how she found it in her heart to
forgive, she responded "I am a Christian and I like to pray to
forgive. In my heart the dead are dead and they cannot come back."

I often wonder, when I’ve come back from a place like Rwanda or
Bosnia, why people ask me: Is it really that bad? I guess they do not
want to believe such evil can exist. Or perhaps they just do not want
to be pushed into that moral space where they would have to take a
stand and do something. The heroes we profile stood up to confront and
speak out against the evil they saw. Their governments thought they
too were exaggerating. They, too, were not believed.

We’re always told that evil happens when good men, and women, do
nothing. Well these heroes did something, and the question — my
question as a reporter and as a witness to history is: Will we ever
learn? Or will I or my children or my successors be reporting on this
same kind of atrocity and inhumanity for years and years to come?

Dec. 9 marks the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on
Genocide. Its commitment to prevent and punish this awful crime are
inspiring words.

Christiane Amanpour is CNN Chief International Correspondent. Her
special report, Scream Bloody Murder, premieres at 9 p.m. Dec. 4 on
CNN.

h/guestvoices/2008/12/scream_bloody_murder.html

A PHOTOGRAPH OF A HANDSHAKE OF ARMENIAN AND TURKISH PRESIDENTS AWARDED BY INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION ‘PEACE AND SPORT’

ArmInfo
2008-12-05 20:16:00

ArmInfo. The international organization "Peace Sport" has given the
annual Peace and Sport Image of the Year Award to a photograph of
a handshake of Armenian and Turkish Presidents Serge Sarkissian and
Abdullah Gul.

The official web-site of the organization says that the distinction
"Peace and Sport Image of the Year Award: Turkey and Armenia" for
the best image of fraternization through sport was awarded for a
photograph of the historic handshake between the President of the
Republic of Turkey Abdullah Gul and the President of Armenia, Serge
Sarkissian, during the qualifying match for the Football World Cup
between Turkey and Armenia. Thanks to football, this moment marked
the end of nearly two decades of diplomatic silence.

In a letter sent to "Peace and Sport", Armenian President Sarkissian
proclaimed himself "deeply moved to hear the Grand Jury’s decision to
attribute the Peace and Sport Image of the Year Award to his handshake
with Turkish President Mr Gul." He added that he was convinced that
"Sport is one of the best ways to overcome differences between
nations".

DISTORTION OF MOSCOW DECLARATION BY AZERBAIJAN DENTS KARABAKH TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.12.2008 14:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
met Wednesday with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur on
Nagorno Karabakh, Mr. Goran Lennmarker, the RA MFA press office told
PanARMENIAN.Net.

Noting the importance of the Moscow declaration, the Armenian Minister
said that Baku’s attempts to distort its provisions dent the Karabakh
process.

During the November 2 meeting, the Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of
Russia, Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan
signed a declaration envisaging resolution of the Karabakh conflict
on the basis of principles and norms of the international law.

For his part, Mr. Lennmarker stated that the OSCE PA stands for
peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

IT IS ENVISAGED RAISING EXCISE TAX RATES FOR SOME COMMODITIES

Noyan Tapan

Dec 4, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Assembly on December
4 passed in first reading the bill on making amendments to the Law
on Excise Tax. The bill was prepared by a group of NA deputies and
envisages raising the excise tax rates for some imported commodities,
including spirits, wines, and beer.

Particularly, the rate of 70 drams for a liter of domestically produced
beer will be retained, while that of a liter of imported beer will
be raised to 200 drams. The rate of 500 drams for vermouth and other
wines which are made of grapes and contain plant and aromatic extracts
will be retained, but the rate of excise tax for imported ones will
make 1,500 drams. The bill’s authors said that its adoption will
make domestic products more competitive, contribute to a growth of
their production, reduce the negative impact of the Armenian dram’s
appreciation on competitiveness of domestic goods and ensure additional
state budgetary revenues.

THE MOST TERRIBLE THING FOR KARABAKH IS TO FEEL FACE TO FACE WITH DEATH
Nano Arghutyan

Lragir.am
15:28:06 – 04/12/2008

Amendments to the law on referendums which the Armenian parliament
passed aroused a new surge of debate on the Karabakh issue. In
addition, strangely this time the stance of Armenia is under
consideration. In answer to the question of Member of Parliament
Larissa Alaverdyan if the Armenian government has a common approach
towards the settlement of the Karabakh issue the prime minister
suddenly noted that there is no such an approach.

Apparently there has never been one. Only recently has the minister
of foreign affairs been instructed to work out a document which the
government will rely on to respond to various issues.

At first it is necessary to find out what a document the
Armenian foreign ministry is working out for the Armenian
government. Considering that yesterday the foreign minister asserted
the intention to continue the talks on the basis of the principles
of Madrid, it is going to be a document which will recommend the
Armenian government to agree to the return of the territories
adjacent to the former autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the
return of the refugees, deployment of international peacekeepers and
proclamation of NKR in the territory of the former autonomous region
of Nagorno-Karabakh. Considering that the Armenian ministers are ready
to follow the recommendations of the20foreign ministry without second
thoughts, Armenia will start to promote these principles at all levels,
even if our opponents do not demand that.

But the most terrible thing is that the people who occupy high posts in
Armenia and have the possibility to do politics have no distinct stance
on the most important issue for the nation, on the solution of which
the future of the Armenian state depends. First of all, it means that
the people who rule in Armenia have an inadequate evaluation of the
reality and lead the country in an inadequate direction. Apparently,
it was the most terrible idea which occurred when the prime minister
said the foreign ministry is just working out the "common points"
on Karabakh. And it happened 20 years after the movement in Karabakh
started. Although at that time everyone knew what they want.

The second conclusion is that in Armenia someone thinks seriously that
it is necessary to conduct a referendum on the Karabakh issue. First
of all, it should be noted that holding a referendum on Karabakh
in Armenia is extreme political illiteracy. Why should the fate of
Karabakh be solved in Armenia?

Even the international mediators do not offer holding a referendum in
Armenia. On top of considering the possibility of holding a referendum
on Karabakh in Armenia they also suppose that by its results, true
or falsified, the public may vote for the return of Karabakh or the
territo ries. They do not dream of such absurdity even in Azerbaijan.

The attitude of Armenia towards the Karabakh settlement is highly
important.

However, it should get a corresponding form. A country cannot hold a
referendum on the status of another country. Even though we assume that
we all are Armenians, Armenia and Karabakh are different states. The
issue of the referendum can be one in Armenia – does Armenia agree
to the proposal of Karabakh to secede from Azerbaijan and unite with
Armenia? Only in this case Armenia is authorized to hold a referendum.

On the other hand, those who speak about a referendum should take into
consideration an important factor. So far the co-existence of Armenia
and Karabakh has not been described by serious clashes. Different
things have taken place – from time to time, depending on the political
conjuncture, anti-Karabakhi moods burst in Armenia, sometimes they
say it is not easy for the Armenians of Armenia to integrate with
the society in Karabakh. However, there has been no common approach
towards the fate of Karabakh, an approach dictated by the instinct
of self-preservation. Imagine, however, what may happen if the public
in Armenia, even though as a result of a falsified referendum, speak
for the return of at least one square meter of land? The people of
Karabakh will lose their only ally. And if so far no crucial steps
have been taken only because Armenia coul d suffer from that, the
young Karabakh men on sentry duty at the border will have nothing to
lose. They know what to do with the enemy.

Apparently the protest potential of Karabakh is groundlessly ignored
by the mediators and in Armenia. Many hope that Karabakh will have
to agree to what the Armenian government or those who "persuade"
the Armenian government will offer. However, this hope may "not come
true" because unlike others the people of Karabakh live on this land,
are fed by this land and defend themselves with the help of the
land. To return or not to return is not a matter of national honor
and mythology for them but a matter of life and death.

Apparently, if the people of Karabakh do not speak about it often
and in a sophisticated way, considering that it goes without saying,
it makes a lot of people hope that Karabakh has run out of its protest
potential. However, this is not so. Because when a person is left alone
with death, the person can have two thoughts, to save and to carry
along as many enemies as possible. At the moment, there is nothing
more terrible for the Karabakhis than to feel face to face with death.

RA PRESIDENT AWARDS ORDER OF HONOR TO ALEXEI MILLER

Noyan Tapan

Dec 1, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Serzh Sargsyan and
Chairman of Russian Gazprom company Board Sergei Miller, at the
December 1 meeting, discussed a wide range of issues regarding
cooperation in the energy sphere, touched upon the current
programs. The sides expressed satisfaction with the cooperation
between Armenia and Gazprom estimating it as efficient and having
prospects. The interlocutors also discussed the implementation process
of Hrazdan TPP 5th energy unit investment program and its operation.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s
Press Office, for A. Miller’s contribution to expansion of economic
cooperation between Armenia and Russia and development and deepening
of Armenian-Russian friendly contacts S. Sargsyan awarded an Order
of Honor to Gazprom company Board Chairman A. Miller.

ANC TO SUPPORT VARIANT OF CONFLICT SETTLEMENT ACCEPTABLE FOR KARABAKH

Noyan Tapan

Dec 1, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian National Congress
is going to support any variant of conflict settlement that will be
acceptable for the Artsakh people. Arman Musinian, the Spokesperson
of first RA President Levon Ter-Petrosian, stated at the December 1
press conference. He said that according to opposition’s data, the
authorities of Karabakh mislead the people to make it calm down and
to avoid a revolt. According to A. Musinian, therefore the Karabakh
people is not able to orient itself.

As to the policy in Nagorno Karabakh problem carried on by the RA
authorities, according to A. Musinian’s observation, its greatest
shortcoming is that they continue the negotiations without NKR’s
participation. According to him, the ratification of the Moscow
Declaration without NKR representative’s signature will give the Azeri
President a possibility to speak from the positions of force. According
to A. Musinian, today Armenia has reached a difficult point in the
Nagorno Karabakh settlement negotiations, for which former President
Robert Kocharian, former Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian, President
Serzh Sargsyan, and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian are responsible.

"Though a bandit regime holds the power in Armenia, which is able to
fire at its own people, nevertheless we have stopped our rallies to
give these authorities a possibility to find a favorable solution
to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict," A. Musinian said. However, as
he added, the authorities do not use that pause efficiently: their
policy is rather aimed at retaining and legitimizing their own posts
than at protecting the national interests.

The Economist, UK
Nov 27 2008

The worrying Tayyip Erdogan

Nov 27th 2008 | ANKARA
The Economist print edition

Turkey’s prime minister once promised big reforms to bring his country
closer to the European Union. He seems no longer to be pushing them

WHEN Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his Justice
and Development (AK) Party narrowly escaped banning by the
constitutional court in July, the big question was which Erdogan would
then come to the fore. Would it be the non-ideological pragmatist,
whose bold reforms had helped Turkey to secure the start of membership
talks with the European Union in 2005? Or would it be the dogmatic and
erratic leader who had provoked Turkey’s meddlesome generals, always
anxious to undermine the AK Party because of its Islamist roots, by
seeking soon after his election victory in July 2007 to ease the ban
on the Islamic-style headscarf in universities?

The question of which version of Mr Erdogan is in charge has gained
extra urgency because Turkey is grappling with mounting violence in
the mainly Kurdish south-east. It also matters to the financial
markets as the government tries to protect its fragile economy from
the global financial typhoon. Worryingly, the answer seems to be: the
second version. Mr Erdogan appears increasingly autocratic and out of
touch. And because he lacks any credible political opponents, either
within or beyond the AK Party, this is making Turkey look stagnant and
adrift’and further away from EU membership than ever.

Mr Erdogan’s odd behaviour was on display during his most recent trip
to America. When asked in Washington for his view about Iran’s
nuclear ambitions he retorted that `those who possess nuclear weapons
do not have the right to tell others to not acquire them too.’ This
comment did not go down well with American officials, whose memories
are seared by Turkey’s refusal in March 2003 to let America use its
soil to launch a second front against Iraq. A recent gas deal struck
by the Turks with Iran has not helped. For all of Turkey’s assistance
over Iraq since 2003 (some 70% of non-combat materiel for American
troops goes through Turkey) and in Afghanistan (where Turkey has
1,200 troops), America is asking new questions about Turkish
dependability as a Western ally.

Another thundercloud is gathering over demands by the Armenian
diaspora in America, most of whom strongly supported Barack Obama’s
election as president, that he stick to the view he expressed as a
senator that the massacre of Ottoman Armenians in 1915 should be seen
as `genocide’. Turkey’s recent efforts at reconciliation with Armenia,
motivated in part by hopes of staving off a formal recognition of
genocide by the Obama administration, seem to be making little
progress. Some Western diplomats ascribe this to the pressure hawks in
the diaspora have applied to the Armenian president, Serzh Sargsyan.

But it is at home that Mr Erdogan is causing the most concern. The
hope was that, with his legal travails behind him, the prime minister
would resume much-delayed political and economic reforms. Instead he
has adopted an increasingly strident nationalist line. There is talk
of his having struck a deal with Turkey’s new, hardline chief of
staff, Ilker Basbug, according to which Mr Erdogan has promised to
freeze reforms that dilute the army’s power in exchange for his
party’s not being attacked in court again.

Mr Erdogan’s new approach was most evident in a speech he gave earlier
this month in the predominantly Kurdish town of Hakkari. Responding to
a wave of bloody protests that has racked the Kurdish region, he
invited those who were not happy to `go wherever they please’. Ibrahim
Guclu, an independent Kurdish politician, says that `in other words,
he was telling the Kurds to get out.’ This is a far cry from a
ground-breaking speech Mr Erdogan made in Diyarbakir three years ago,
when he admitted that the Turkish state had made mistakes with the
Kurds.

Now he is giving the army much freer rein in its 34-year campaign
against the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). When Taraf, a
liberal Turkish newspaper, exposed army negligence in a recent PKK
attack that killed 17 soldiers at an outpost in Hakkari, he chose not
to order an investigation and attacked the newspaper instead. His
aides are reported to have blamed leaks of the intelligence reports
cited by Taraf on Israel and the CIA.

Meanwhile EU-inspired work on drawing up a new constitution to replace
the current one, drawn up by the generals after a military coup in
1980, has stalled. Reports of police torture and extra-judicial
killings are on the rise. Turkey’s liberal intelligentsia, long among
Mr Erdogan’s stalwart supporters, is grumbling, as is the European
Commission. Mr Erdogan’s response has been to rescind the press
accreditation of several journalists who cover the prime ministry. All
of this is giving more ammunition to those EU members that have never
wanted Turkey to join their club.

Mr Erdogan owes much of his electoral success to the unprecedented
economic stability of his time in office. By sticking firmly to IMF
prescriptions Turkey helped foreign investment to soar, tamed
inflation and narrowed the budget deficit. But the IMF standby
arrangement expired in May. And although Mehmet Simsek, the economy
minister, has repeatedly hinted that it should be extended, a deal
remains elusive. Foreign investors, who hold as much as 70% of the
Istanbul Stock Exchange, have been pulling out, and the lira has
tumbled by more than a third against the dollar this year. Growth of
GDP has dipped sharply, to below 2%. Turkey’s huge current-account
deficit makes it more vulnerable than many other emerging
markets. Although it has so far been relatively unaffected by the
world financial malady, it is only a matter of time `before it catches
the bug’, says one Istanbul-based banker.

Mr Erdogan’s supporters insist that the government’s inertia is mainly
to do with municipal elections being held next March. An IMF deal
would preclude a pre-electoral spending spree. Being too nice to the
Kurds might strengthen the nationalist opposition in the face of
spiralling PKK terrorism. `Once the elections are over, you’ll see the
old AK,’ promises Abdurrahman Kurt, an AK deputy from Diyarbakir.

But such promises are beginning to ring hollow. When Mr Erdogan won
power a second time, with an even bigger share of the vote, in July
2007, he promised to reach out to all Turks `including those of you
who didn’t vote for me.’ He seems now to be alienating such
voters. And as corruption also starts to infect the AK’s ranks, it is
beginning to resemble many of the tired old parties that it buried at
the polls.

laystory.cfm?story_id=12696853

NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND TURKISH PUBLICS NO LESS IMPORTANT THAN DIPLOMATIC TIES

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.11.2008 15:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Reconciliation is not just establishment of
diplomatic and economic relations. It is the development between
the Armenian and Turkish publics, which is no less important than
formal ties. The task of NGOs, experts and journalists is to try to
throw a bridge between the neighbor states, but there are plenty of
obstacles in their way, Aybars Gorgulu, expert at Sabanci University
and Assistant Program Director of TESEV Foreign Policy Program,
said in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

"The more we learn about each other, the sooner we can overcome
the obstacles that have accumulated for the past years. The
Armenian-Turkish dialogue should never be interrupted. There are not
issues that can’t be discussed. We should cover all topics, from the
Armenian Genocide to opening of borders. Only in this case, Armenians
and Turks can reach understanding," he said.

PAPAL GREETING TO CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA OF THE ARMENIANS

Zenit News Agency
Nov 24 2008
Italy

"Continue to Shape the Culture of Your Nation"

VATICAN CITY, NOV. 24, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict
XVI delivered today when he presided at an ecumenical celebration
with Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenians. A delegation
from the Catholicosate also participated in the event.

Aram I is on a visit to Rome that will include a pilgrimage to
St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.

* * *

Your Holiness,

With heartfelt affection in the Lord I greet you and the distinguished
members of your delegation on the occasion of your visit to the Church
of Rome. Our meeting today stands in continuity with the visit which
you made to my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II in January 1997,
and with the many other contacts and mutual visits which, by God’s
grace, have led in recent years to closer relations between the
Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church.

In this year of Saint Paul, you will visit the tomb of the Apostle
of the Nations and pray with the monastic community at the basilica
erected to his memory. In that prayer, you will be united to the
great host of Armenian saints and martyrs, teachers and theologians,
whose legacy of learning, holiness and missionary achievements are
part of the patrimony of the whole Church. We think of Saint Nerses
Shnorkhali and Saint Nerses of Lambon who, as Bishop of Tarsus, was
known as "the second Paul of Tarsus". That testimony culminated in
the twentieth century, which proved a time of unspeakable suffering
for your people. The faith and devotion of the Armenian people have
been constantly sustained by the memory of the many martyrs who have
borne witness to the Gospel down the centuries. May the grace of that
witness continue to shape the culture of your nation and inspire in
Christ’s followers an ever greater trust in the saving and life-giving
power of the Cross.

The See of Cilicia has long been involved in encouraging positive
ecumenical contacts between the Churches. Indeed, the dialogue between
the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church has benefited
significantly from the presence of its Armenian delegates. We must
be hopeful that this dialogue will continue to move forward, since
it promises to clarify theological issues which have divided us in
the past but now appear open to greater consensus. I am confident
that the current work of the International Commission – devoted to
the theme: "The Nature, Constitution and Mission of the Church" –
will enable many of the specific issues of our theological dialogue
to find their proper context and resolution.

Surely the growth in understanding, respect and cooperation which has
emerged from ecumenical dialogue promises much for the proclamation
of the Gospel in our time. Throughout the world Armenians live
side by side with the faithful of the Catholic Church. An increased
understanding and appreciation of the apostolic tradition which we
share will contribute to an ever more effective common witness to the
spiritual and moral values without which a truly just and humane social
order cannot exist. For this reason, I trust that new and practical
means will be found to give expression to the common declarations we
have already signed.

Your Holiness, I cannot fail to assure you of my daily prayers and deep
concern for the people of Lebanon and the Middle East. How can we not
be grieved by the tensions and conflicts which continue to frustrate
all efforts to foster reconciliation and peace at every level of
civil and political life in the region? Most recently we have all
been saddened by the escalation of persecution and violence against
Christians in parts of the Middle East and elsewhere. Only when the
countries involved can determine their own destiny, and the various
ethnic groups and religious communities accept and respect each other
fully, will peace be built on the solid foundations of solidarity,
justice and respect for the legitimate rights of individuals and
peoples.

With these sentiments and with affection in the Lord, I thank Your
Holiness for your visit, and I express my hope that these days spent
in Rome will be a source of many graces for you and for all those
entrusted to your pastoral care. Upon you and to all the faithful of
the Armenian Apostolic Church I invoke an abundance of joy and peace
in the Lord.