Author: Kalashian Nyrie

ENOUGH OF THE WORD GAMES
Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist. He was born in Jerusalem in 1955

Washington Post
Princeton, NJ
Oct 15 2007

The whole issue of word usage must be revisited. "Terrorism" (and the
so-called war against it) has been overused and abused at the expense
of innocent civilians. It is ironic that an Armenian woman in Iraq
became the latest victim of an overzealous private security firm on
the very same day that Congress voted to recognize what happened to
the Armenians.

"Genocide" is another word that is often used for political purposes.

We are told that the Sudanese are committing genocide; the world’s
Jews have hijacked the Holocaust (a term coined by an American Jewish
professor) at the expense of others, with the term now being kicked
around like a football by this side or that side, often for political
expediency.

I am no historian and I have no idea what the scientific definition
for genocide is, nor whether what Turkey did to the Armenians falls
under that definition. But as a person who grew up in the Middle East,
I have known many Armenians whose families escaped the killings by
moving to different parts of the world. I know Armenians who have
had to move to Jerusalem, Amman, Aleppo, Cairo and Beirut to escape
the brutality that was wrought upon their people. Ironically, many
Armenians who have moved to Palestine have adopted the Palestinian
cause (some have also married Palestinians and other Arab Christians)
as they have seen and felt the suffering of Palestinians, who are
also refugees from war, violence and ethnic cleansing.

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BAN KI-MOON DOES NOT NAME MASS KILLINGS `GENOCIDE’
[03:51 pm] 12 October, 2007

UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon condemned Armenians’ `mass killings’
in the Ottoman Empire during the World War I without uttering the word
`genocide.’

`Tragically we witnessed the mass killings during the World War
I. `This is a historical event but presently I can find no official
interpretation for it,’ the UN General Secretary said.

The Miami Herald, FL
Oct 13 2007

Armenian genocide mustn’t be forgotten

Posted on Sat, Oct. 13, 2007
By HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS

A divided U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday approved
House Resolution 106 condemning the Armenian genocide. Below are
excerpts.

The Armenian genocide was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman
Empire from 1915 to 1923, resulting in the deportation of nearly two
million Armenians, of whom 1.5 million men, women, and children were
killed, 500,000 survivors were expelled from their homes, and which
succeeded in the elimination of the over 2,500-year presence of
Armenians in their historic homeland.

– On May 24, 1915, the Allied powers — England, France and Russia —
jointly issued a statement explicitly charging for the first time
ever another government of committing “a crime against humanity.”

– The post-World War I Turkish government indicted the top leaders
involved in the ”organization and execution” of the Armenian
genocide and in the “massacre and destruction of the Armenians.”

– As displayed in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Adolf Hitler,
on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without
provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by saying ”[w]ho, after
all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” and set the
stage for the Holocaust.

– Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term ”genocide” in 1944, and who
was the earliest proponent of the United Nations Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, invoked the Armenian case as a
definitive example of genocide.

– In 1948, the U.N. War Crimes Commission invoked the Armenian
genocide ‘precisely . . . one of the types of acts which the modern
term `crimes against humanity’ is intended to cover” as a precedent
for the Nuremberg tribunals.

– The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, an independent federal agency,
unanimously resolved on April 30, 1981, that the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum would include the Armenian genocide and has since
done so.

– On June 5, 1996, the House of Representatives adopted an amendment
to House Bill 3540 to reduce aid to Turkey by $3 million until the
Turkish government acknowledged the Armenian genocide and took steps
to honor the memory of its victims.

– President Bush, on April 24, 2004, stated: “On this day, we pause
in remembrance of one of the most horrible tragedies of the 20th
century, the annihilation of as many as 1.5 million Armenians through
forced exile and murder at the end of the Ottoman Empire.”

– Despite the international recognition and affirmation of the
Armenian genocide, the failure of the domestic and international
authorities to punish those responsible for the Armenian genocide is
a reason why similar genocides have recurred and may recur in the
future, and that a just resolution will help prevent future
genocides.

– The House of Representatives calls upon the president to ensure
that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate
understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human
rights, ethnic cleansing and genocide documented in the United States
record relating to the Armenian genocide and the consequences of the
failure to realize a just resolution;

– And calls upon the president in [his] annual message commemorating
the Armenian genocide to accurately characterize the systematic and
deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide.

0165.html

ArmInfo Agency, Armenia
Oct 12 2007

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi: The vote on Armenian Genocide Resolution
will take place in House of Representatives before 22 November

ArmInfo. The vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution will take place
in the US House of Representatives before 22 November, House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi said.

To recall, Res.106 was discussed in the US House Committee on Foreign
Affairs on October 10. The document was submitted to the lower
chamber of the US Congress by Congressmen Adam Schiff and George
Radanovich on January 30, 2007. The resolution appeals to the US
President to guarantee in the country’s foreign policy the items
reflecting understanding and delicacy of issues related to human
rights, ethnic cleansing and the Armenian Genocide, these facts being
registered in the US state archives. The source reports that the
resolution is supported by 226 Congressmen from 39 States.

ArmRadio – Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 11 2007

Javier Solana appreciates constructive development of the relations
with Armenia
11.10.2007 17:55

During a joint press conference with RA President Robert Kocharyan,
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Javier Solana expressed
appreciation for the `constructive development of the relations with
Armenia,’ Mediamax reports.

Javier Solana noted that `the European Union is very satisfied with
how Armenia is accomplishing the Action Plan of the European
Neighborhood Policy.’

The Secretary General mentioned that with the Armenian President he
discussed issues connected with the settlement of the Karabakh
conflicts and the perspectives of achieving progress.

NBC News Transcripts
October 11, 2007 Thursday
SHOW: NBC Nightly News 6:30 PM EST NBC

Turkey upset over House condemning previous Turkish government’s
actions as genocide, could destabilize Iraq

ANCHORS: BRIAN WILLIAMS

REPORTERS: ANDREA MITCHELL

Overseas tonight, a critical American ally is up in arms–quite
literally–about something that happened yesterday on Capitol Hill,
and now the White House is warning that Turkey’s reaction to what
happened in Congress could further destabilize Iraq. To explain
what’s going on here, our chief foreign affairs correspondent, Andrea
Mitchell, is with us from our Washington newsroom tonight.

Andrea, good evening.

ANDREA MITCHELL reporting:

Good evening, Brian. What we’re talking about here is a nonbinding,
symbolic vote condemning a massacre of Armenians that took place
almost a century ago by a Turkish government that no longer exists.
So why is it triggering such concern? Well, because it is of huge
importance to Turkey, and that is a crucial US ally on the Iraq
border.

Today Turkish tanks massed along the Iraq border, Turkey says,
preparing to shut down bases used by Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.
Why invade now? Turkey is furious over that resolution calling its
1915 slaughter of Armenians genocide. Throughout Turkey today,
protests against the House committee vote. Angry headlines, and now
the government has recalled its ambassador from Washington.

Why does Turkey matter so much? It is the region’s largest Muslim
country and pro-American, home to critical US and NATO air bases, the
supply route for 70 percent of the military’s air cargo to Iraq,
including a third of its fuel. And although Muslim, a secret ally to
Israel. All critical support for the US that Turkey now threatens to
withdraw.

Mr. LOREN THOMPSON (Foreign Policy Analyst): It undercuts us with a
key ally when we’re in a rather desperate situation in Iraq.

THOMPSON: The president and his Cabinet have pleaded with Congress
with back down, but when he first ran in 2000, George Bush called the
massacre genocide and wrote Armenian-Americans that, "If elected
president, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the
tragic suffering of the Armenian people." The resolution comes up
every year and never passes. What’s changed? Nancy Pelosi is now
speaker, and her state of California has many Armenian-Americans.

Speaker of the House NANCY PELOSI: As long as there is genocide,
there is need to speak out against it.

THOMPSON: Even if this resolution passes the House, it could still be
stopped in the Senate, but that does not seem to be quieting the
anger in Turkey. Brian:

WILLIAMS: Andrea Mitchell in Washington for us tonight. Thanks.

Reuters UK
Oct 12 2007

Turkey’s PM says U.S. relations in danger
Fri Oct 12, 2007 4:50pm BST

By Emma Ross-Thomas

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday
relations between Turkey and the United States are in danger over a
resolution branding as genocide massacres of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks during World War One.

Referring to ties with the United States and the Armenian bill,
Erdogan, with a Turkish idiom used to describe relations, said:
"Where the rope is worn thin, may it break off."

The crowd of supporters broke into applause.

Ankara is a crucial ally in the region for Washington, which relies
on Turkey as a logistical base for the war in Iraq. But U.S.
popularity has hit rock bottom in Turkey because of the war and
perceptions that the United States is failing to stop Turkish Kurdish
rebels using north Iraq as a base from which to attack Turkey.

"This is as much about domestic politics in Turkey as it is in the
United States," Turkish commentator Semih Idiz said.

"There is a lot of brinkmanship. There is pressure on House speaker
Nancy Pelosi to fight the Bush administration."

Before the approval of the resolution by the U.S. House of
Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, relations had
already been undermined by Ankara’s plans for a possible incursion
into northern Iraq to tackle the rebels.

Some analysts say the Armenian bill would make the incursion more
likely, as Ankara will feel less restrained by Washington’s calls for
caution.

AMBASSADOR RECALLED

Commentators said Erdogan’s comments on Friday showed how concerned
Turks were about the situation.

"I would say he’s half serious. He’s genuinely concerned about
relations," said columnist Burak Bekdil. "It reflects his concern
about domestic thinking on … this fiasco."

Ankara has called back its ambassador for consultations over the
bill, which now has to go to the House floor.

Turkey denies a genocide was carried out, saying Turks and Armenians
were killed in World War One as the Ottoman Empire collapsed. Charges
of genocide, backed by Armenians and several countries’ parliaments,
are seen as a national insult.

"With this whole Armenian and Kurdish thing he has to play
nationalistic," said leading commentator Mehmet Ali Birand. "He is
doing it just for his image, for public opinion, to show it’s not
just the military that’s tough … he’s tough as well."

The influential and popular army has been calling for a green light
to go into northern Iraq to crush rebel bases.

The United States and the European Union have cautioned against such
an operation, fearing it will destabilise Iraq’s most peaceful area
and potentially the wider region.

But Turkey is becoming frustrated as the number of soldiers killed
continues to rise, reaching 30 in the past two weeks.

Kurdish separatist rebels said on Friday they were crossing back into
Turkey to target politicians and police after Ankara said it was
preparing to attack them in northern Iraq.

"We don’t need anyone’s advice on northern Iraq and the operation to
be carried out there," Erdogan told the crowd, to loud applause,
having earlier said the United States "came tens of thousands of
kilometres to attack Iraq without asking anyone’s permission".

Turkish-U.S. relations were stable during the Cold War. Ties have
become more complicated in recent years as Turkey’s political
landscape has dramatically changed.

The ruling AK Party with roots in political Islam came to power in
2002 and has set about revitalising foreign policy and paying more
attention to playing a role in the Middle East.

Relations hit a low in 2003 when parliament rejected a U.S. request
to use Turkish territory in the invasion of Iraq.

The AK Party has, however, also secured European Union accession
talks status and in recent years both Washington and Ankara have
sought to improve ties.

Aljazeera.net, Qatar
Oct 12 2007

PKK: Fighters moving back to Turkey

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has said its fighters are moving
from northern Iraq back into southern Turkey where they intend to
target the country’s politicians.

The announcement comes as the Turkish government prepares to seek
permission from parliament to carry out a cross-border offensive
against the PKK.

The rebel group fighting for an independent homeland in southeastern
Turkey, issued a statement on Friday that could place more pressure
on Ankara to be seen to be taking action against the group.

"The source of this war is in north Kurdistan [eastern Turkey] …
the guerrillas are not moving to the south [northern Iraq], on the
contrary they are moving to … places in the north," the statement
said.

"The guerrillas are positioning themselves against the attacks of the
Turkish state."

"AKP [the ruling party] and CHP [opposition party] organisations in
the region are among our targets", it said.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, earlier said he is
ready to face international criticism should his country decide to
attack suspected Kurdish rebel bases in northern Iraq.

Paying the price

Asked about world reaction to a possible incursion, Erdogan said:
"After going down this route, its cost has already been calculated.
Whatever the cost is, it will be met."

"When we make a decision, we take into account Turkey’s interests."

He also emphasised that Ankara had no territorial ambitions in Iraq.

After a recent increase of attacks by Kurdish fighters on Turkish
troops, Erdogan’s government has decided to seek approval from
parliament next week for a major military operation to target members
of the PKK, who use northern Iraq as a base to attack Turkish
targets.

Erdogan said he wanted to secure parliament’s approval now to avoid
spending time later with the procedure if, and when, a cross-border
operation was warranted.

Warnings

Over the past few days the has sought to calm tensions with Turkey,
after a vote on Wednesday in which the US House of Representatives
foreign affairs committee branded the killings of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks during World War One as genocide – a charge Turkey has
firmly denied.

The US has also urged Ankara not to take unilateral action against
the PKK.

The European Union, which Turkey wants to join, have also cautioned
against such moves.

Meanwhile, analysts predict that an operation is more likely after
the US congressional committee’s decision.

The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the EU.

More than 37,000 people have been killed since the group began
fighting for a homeland in 1984.

Turkey and Iraq signed an accord last month to combat the PKK, but
failed to agree on a clause allowing Turkish troops to engage in "hot
pursuit" against rebels fleeing into Iraqi territory, as they did
regularly in the 1990s.

Ankara claims the PKK has used bases in northern Iraq to launch a
renewed offensive inside Turkey that killed 15 soldiers last week.

-A490-4474-B236-11D323A0C64A.htm

TURKEY IS NOT MATURE FOR RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

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[06:09 pm] 11 October, 2007

"The 106 Resolution is not an ideal version for Armenia,- considers
politician Stepan Grigoryan,- we are delighted that the U.S. House
Foreign Affairs Committee adopted the Resolution, but the interests
of the state lose in this case". The politician considers that in
the current process of the Karabakh conflict settlement, it is not
profitable for us to spoil relations with the powerful neighbor,
particularly when Turkey is the military alliance of the US.

"Turkey may threaten the Unites States by taking punishing measures, in
case the States adopts the Genocide bill,-says Stepan Grigoryan,-Both
countries may suffer in the result of these processes, and Armenia
will never gain anything". According to him, the possible outcome of
the adoption of the resolution may be the delay of the Armenia-Turkey
relations stabilization.

As whether Armenia needs to have normal and friendly relations with
our neighbor, Stepan Grigoryan noted: "The Armenian Genocide will
definitely be adopted, but the Turkish society should mature for
it. They are not ready to face the historical truth, and the Congress
resolutions do not involve this function. Thus, we should at least
try to stabilize our relations without preconditions", considers
the politician.

Turkey and America

Judging genocide

Oct 11th 2007 | ANKARA AND NEW YORK
>From Economist.com

Relations between America and Turkey may be badly strained by
Congress’s wish to make a ruling on history

"THE Mohammedans in their fanaticism seemed determined not only to
exterminate the Christian population but to remove all traces of their
religion and…civilisation." So wrote an American consul in Turkey, in
1915, about an incipient campaign by Ottoman Turkey against its
Armenian population. Today, Turkey explains the killings of huge
numbers of Armenians – as many as 1.5m died – as an unpleasant by-product
of the first world war’s viciousness, in which Turks suffered too. But
Armenians have long campaigned for recognition of what they say was
genocide.

On Wednesday October 10th America’s Congress stepped closer to
endorsing the latter view. The foreign-affairs committee of the House
of Representatives passed a bill stating that "the Armenian Genocide
was conceived and carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to
1923." The bill has enough co-sponsors that it seems likely to pass
the full House. The speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has a large number of
Armenians in her home district and has promised the measure a vote on
the floor. As a foretaste of the trouble this could stir up in Turkey,
the country’s president, Abdullah Gul, immediately condemned the
passage of the bill. He called it "unacceptable" and accused American
politicians of being willing to cause "big problems for small domestic
political games".

Turkey is enormously important to American military efforts in the
Middle East. So leading American politicians past and present have
lined up to oppose the resolution. President George Bush has said
historians, not legislators, should decide the matter. Turkey has
hired Dick Gephardt, a former leader of the Democrats in the House, to
lobby against the bill. All eight living former secretaries of state,
>From Henry Kissinger to Madeleine Albright, who lost three
grandparents in the Nazi Holocaust, oppose the bill. So does
Condoleezza Rice, who holds the post now. Jane Harman, a powerful and
hawkish Democrat, initially co-sponsored the measure. But last week
she urged its withdrawal. A trip to Turkey, where she met the prime
minister and the Armenian Orthodox patriarch, changed her mind.

Ms Harman echoed an argument that others have made against the
resolution: that Turkey itself is tiptoeing towards normal relations
with neighbouring Armenia. The resolution could throw that process off
course. But in other ways Turkey has not helped its own case: its
criminal code has been used against writers within the country who
dare to mention genocide.

And other Turkish behaviour has further distanced it from America.
Turkey recently signed a deal to develop oil and gas with Iran, and
has made overtures to Hamas, which runs part of the Palestinian
Authority and continues to refuse to recognise Israel. Such behaviour
has cost Turkey some support among Jewish Americans – formerly ardent
supporters of Turkey as a moderate Muslim republic that is friendly to
Israel. Some even worry that a freshly insulted Turkey will not heed
America’s opinion when, for example, it thinks about crossing the
border into Iraq to pound Kurdish fighters.

It is hardly surprising that Turkey is feeling put-upon. Last year,
France’s National Assembly passed a bill not only declaring that the
Armenian massacres constituted genocide, but making it a crime to deny
it. Had the bill made it into law this would have resulted in an
absurd situation in which Turkish law forbade mention of genocide
while French law forbade its denial, all during Turkey’s application
to join the European Union. Turks complained that the French bill had
less to do with Armenians, and more to do with deterring Turkey’s EU
membership. The mood has not improved since. France’s new president,
Nicolas Sarkozy, is an outspoken opponent of Turkish membership.

Hurt feelings on both sides are pushing Turkey and the West apart:
Turkey feels mistreated, and acts in such a way. But the deal with
Iran and its pell-mell pursuit of Kurdish terrorists into Iraq
antagonise Americans and Europeans further. At the least, the panicky
reaction of the Bush administration over the genocide resolution shows
that policymakers realise that they can no longer take Turkey ‘s
friendship for granted.

Source: fm?story_id=9946751&top_story=1