Author: Khondkarian Raffi

CUTTING THE GORDIONS KNOT – ARE THE QUESTIONS SINCE 1915 GOING TO BE ANSWERED?
By Irem Guney, JTW

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Feb 12 2007

The assassination of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink has
stimulated the debates about the minority rights in Turkey as well
as the questions about facing the history regarding the year 1915.

The recent news about the mass grave in Nusaybin, a town in the
southeast region of Turkey, deepened the discussions not only between
Armenians and Turks but also between the international community
whose majority asks for the recognition of the "genocide" and the
Turkish people who mostly perceive the happenings as a tragedy for
both nations during the First World War and refer to the incidences
as the displacement of Armenians.

The genocide researcher Prof. David Gaunt from Sodertorns University
argued that these graves in Nusaybin town belong to Armenians and
Suryanis and took up the topic to the Swedish Parlament. Following
this, Prof. Yusuf Halacoðlu, the head of the Turkish Historical Society
addressed to Mr. Gaunt and other academics who are researching in this
field, in that he suggested cooperated field work on the graveyards and
to open up them together. Mr. Gaunt responded to this affirmatively
whereas his conditions such as absolute freedom in his work, the
allowance to interview those who have a knowledge about the graves,
and the entrance to other mass graves around Mardin were also accepted
by the Turkish Historical Society that is also willing to cover the
expenses and needs of the researchers who will start their work in
March. This project is going to be the first of his kind regarding
the international cooperation, says Mr. Halacoðlu.

Prof. Yusuf Halacoðlu also commented on the assassination of the
Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink and referred to it as an important
loss for Turkish society. Currently, the Turkish Historical Society
expects the final reply from Mr. Gaunt and his colleagues who, in
Halacoðlu’s view, should apologise if the outcomes would show that
the graves belong to neither Armenians nor Suryanis but Turkish
people. Halacoðlu finally stated that they would apologise if the
researches support the hypothesis of Prof. Gaunt.

The importance of this cooperation does not only lie in its
international character but also in its possible outcomes. The lack
of a mass grave is one of the mostly claimed points of the Turkish
side against the Armenian arguments. In this view, there must be a
mass grave for Armenians in the Eastern Turkey or in former Ottoman
Syria’s territories who were displaced in 1915 if one is talking about
genocide. In Turkish point of view, the hypothesis that most of the
Armenians were killed on their way is also not very plausible since
nevertheless there would have been a mass grave for so many people.

In the last 20 years, there had been some field work on the graveyards
led by the Turkish Historical Society and some universities like
Erzurum Ataturk University. However, in these projects there was no
Armenian researchers who refused the appeal of the Turkish Historical
Society regarding the cooperation.

Another crucial point in the research for the possible Armenian graves
is with respect to the route of the displacement. The significant
amount of Armenians who were directed to Syria-a province of the
Ottoman Empire at that time- should, in Turkish point of view, indicate
to the possibility of mass graves in Syria if there had been the
genocide against Armenian people. Yet despite its possibility there
has not been any opening up works in this region which, in Turkish
perspective, strengthens the position that Armenians want to reach
conclusions that are based on subjectivity.

The expected cooperation in Mardin would probably reveal important
results for both of the parties. On the other hand, one should not
expect a quick resolution after the research on the mass grave. As the
experience until today has demonstrated, no matter what the current
debates are, there is one certain point in the whole debate about
what happened in 1915. That it will continue for a long time.

–Boundary_(ID_QMK0CmwVxnds7euEWaUuNA)–

ARMENIA PLANS TO ACCOMPLISH REFORM OF THE ARMED FORCES IN 2015
Translated by Pavel Pushkin

Source: Krasnaya Zvezda, February 09, 2007, p. 3
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
February 12, 2007 Monday

Lieutenant General Artur Agabekyan, Deputy Defense Minister of
Armenia, reports that his country plans to accomplish a reform of
the national armed forces in 2015. Agabekyan adds, "Between 2007 and
2008, we plan to reform the legislative base and in 2008 we will also
start development of the defense doctrine of Armenia." According to
Agabekyan, for this purpose the ministry organized two commissions.

He stresses that reforming the armed forces will impact all aspects of
military buildup including the legislative base and democratization
of the army through implementation of a larger quantity of civilians
into the army command.

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Feb 8 2007

US official says Armenian genocide resolution could damage ties with
Turkey

Ankara, 8 February: Adoption of the resolution on so-called Armenian
genocide by the US House of Representatives would damage Turkish-US
relations and it would not serve Turkish-Armenian dialogue, said the
US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs,
Dan Fried.

Answering questions of Turkish journalists at a video conference
organized by the US embassy in Turkish capital of Ankara, Fried said
that several matters concerning both the US and Turkey were discussed
during Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s talks in the USA,
stating that Turkish and US authorities exchanged views on Iraq,
Afghanistan, Israel-Palestine conflict, Lebanon, Caucasus and Central
Asia.

Stressing that the United States considered PKK [Kurdistan Workers’
Party] a terrorist organization, Fried said that they welcomed
operations against terrorist organization in some European countries.
Noting that Turkey and the USA had cooperation with their European
friends on this matter, Fried indicated that they would continue to
fight against terrorist organization PKK not only in Europe but also
in the north of Iraq.

Replying to a question on referendum in Kirkuk, Fried said Turkey was
free to explain its views on this matter but Iraqi people should make
a decision on it by themselves.

Fried summarized the US administration’s policy about the resolution
on the so-called Armenian genocide presented to the US House of
Representatives as the "administration does not support it".

Answering a question on possible outcomes of adoption of the
resolution, Fried said that its adoption would damage Turkish-US
relations and would not serve Turkish-Armenian dialogue. Turkish-US
relations are important than any particular issue, Fried underlined
and stated that Turkey and the USA had common interests in several
regions.

Fried noted that democratic countries should look at their dark sides
in their histories, stating that the USA also had some dark sides in
its history.

Stating that he felt deep sad over killing of journalist Hrant Dink,
Fried said the reaction that was shown during the funeral of Dink was
a strong and sound one.

Asked whether Turkey made some advices to the United States, Fried
noted that they welcomed Turkey’s advices, stating that Foreign
Minister Gul made some suggestions on several issues, including the
Middle East, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan.

ACCUSATIONS FLY BETWEEN SUSPECTS IN DINK MURDER

ASBAREZ
2/9/2007

ISTANBUL–A prime suspect in last month’s murder of journalist Hrant
Dink Wednesday put the blame on another arrested suspect, who has
turned out to be a police informant, for the murder, New Anatolia
news agency reported.

Yasin Hayal, the alleged second man in the murder who ordered gunman
Ogun Samast to kill Dink, claimed during interrogation at prison that
Erhan Tuncel engineered both Dink’s murder and a McDonald’s restaurant
bombing three years ago, private news channel CNN Turk reported.

Tuncel was arrested on charges of soliciting the murder but it
latter came to light that he was once a police informant and passed
a tip-off to the police about the murder almost one year before
the killing. Hayal was convicted on charges of bombing a McDonald’s
restaurant in the northern province of Trabzon. He had said that he
committed the crime under influence of personal hatred towards the U.S.

Dink was gunned down last month by Samast, a teenager who was caught
by police a day after the murder. Hayal’s father said earlier in the
week that his son called him and said that if he talks Tuncel would
spend a lifetime in prison.

Hayal was charged with providing money and the murder weapon to Samast,
who is also a Trabzon resident.

The testimony of a relative of Hayal’s also stirred the country as
he claimed that Hayal had spent quite a long time in acquiring a
weapon and that certain Gendarmerie officers were informed about
Hayal’s quest.

Hayal was given a six-month prison sentence for the bombing but
the decision was appealed based on insufficient investigation and
evidence. The Court of Appeals started to hear the appeal case
on Tuesday after the file had waited almost seven months in the
archives. It was alleged last week that Tuncel told police last
February that Hayal planed to kill Dink, but that police didn’t give
any credit to the tip-off.

In related news, the Interior Ministry late on Tuesday gave permission
to launch a probe into Istanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah after
intense political and public pressure.

Earlier this week Istanbul police head of intelligence Ahmet Ilhan
Guler, who said, "I admit all my guilt for not sharing the intelligence
I received regarding the assassination plot," was removed from office,
following the suspension of five police and five Gendarmerie officers
in Samsun.

Trabizon Governor Huseyin Yavuzdemir and Police Chief Resat Altay
were also suspended soon after the murder.

ARMENIA IS INTERESTED IN PROMOTION OF TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION WITH TURKMENISTAN

Noyan Tapan
Feb 08 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Receiving on February 8 Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to Armenia Khidir
Saparliyev who is completing his diplomatic mission in Armenia,
RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian expressed gratitude to him for
efficient activity during his tenure, which contributed to development
of friendly relations between the two countries. The Prime Minister
emphasized Armenian side’s interest in promotion of trade and economic
cooperation with Turkmenistan attaching importance to the issue
of resumption of activities of Armenian-Turkmen Intergovernmental
Commission. Expressing gratitude to the head of RA government for
cooperation and assistance in the whole process of carrying out
his diplomatic mission, K. Saparliyev said that he has been always
treated well in Armenia during his cooperation with all high-ranking
officials. He also spoke with satisfaction about mutually beneficial
cooperation of Armenia and Turkmenistan at international structures. As
Noyan Tapan was informed from RA government Information and Public
Relations Department, at the end of the meeting the Prime Minister
wishing the diplomat success in his future activities expressed
confidence that during the tenure of the new Ambassador the relations
between the two countries will continue to develop with the same
success.

MATTHEW BRYZA: KOSOVO CANNOT BE A PRECEDENT FOR KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

ArmRadio.am
07.02.2007 13:55

"The scenario of settlement of the Kosovo conflict cannot become a
precedent for resolution of the Karabakh conflict," US Co-Chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza told the journalists in Baku.

He said that every conflict in the world has its peculiarities,
therefore one should not draw parallels between the methods of
settlement of these."

Speaking of the opportunities to resolve the conflict this year,
the diplomat noted that "the situation is somehow complex connected
with the parliamentary elections in Armenia and in such situation
it is necessary to demonstrate caution in the attempts to achieve
progress." Nevertheless, he emphasized the optimism on the resolution
of the issue and added that "the political will of the Presidents of
both countries is necessary."

Matthew Bryza informed that "common approaches have been found on
the main components of the peace treaty, but the technical components
are now being discussed."

He found it difficult to answer when the recurrent round of
negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan will take place."

"LOS ANGELES TIMES": RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE ADOPTED THIS TIME BY CONGRESS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Feb 06 2007

LOS ANGELER, FEBRUARY 6, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. It is mentioned
in the article entitled "New Hope for Draft on Genocide" published
in the Los Angeles Times newspaper being published in California that
the resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide will be adopted this
time by the Congress.

"The probability of adoption of the resolution is very big, the main
reasons of which are the democrates’ presence at the Congress and
Hrant Dink’s murder," the newspaper wrote.

According to the Turkish "Milliyet" newspaper, the American periodical
paid attention to the circumstance that George Bush promised during his
2000 electoral campaign to use the word "genocide": "Ankara has great
influence and Turkey is the valuable ally from which one may not refuse
because of decisions made by the Congress. But the time came for the
U.S. when the reality must be given preference," the newspaper wrote.

COUCHEPIN BUILDS BRIDGES WITH TURKEY

Swissinfo, Switzerland
Feb 5 2007

Swiss Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin has begun his weeklong trip to
Turkey by approving a cultural goods treaty between the two countries.

But the visit looks set to be overshadowed by the "Armenian question"
– whether Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of Turks almost
100 years ago. Couchepin said he would raise the issue.

Couchepin, who holds the culture portfolio, met Atilla Koc, the
Turkish minister for culture and tourism, in Ankara on Monday and
the pair agreed to pursue an accord aimed at returning cultural goods.

Turkey has many significant classical antiques, from the Byzantine era
as well as modern times. Switzerland is the world’s fourth-largest
art trade hub – behind the United States, Britain and France – with
a market worth SFr1.5 billion ($1.2 billion).

Couchepin is also set to meet the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan and other ministers on Tuesday.

He will then spend two days in the southeastern part of the country,
populated mostly by Kurds, where he will meet local dignitaries and
visit projects supported by Switzerland. On Friday, he will attend
a meeting with Turkish intellectuals.

Genocide?

Couchepin is visiting Turkey at a tense time. On January 19 Hrant Dink,
a Turkish-Armenian editor who wrote articles referring to a "genocide"
of Armenians, was murdered in Istanbul by an ultra-nationalist Turk.

Armenians say Ottoman Turks slaughtered up to 1.8 million Armenians in
a planned genocide between 1915 and 1919. Turkey vehemently denies that
the mass killings were genocide, saying the death toll is inflated and
Armenians were killed in civil unrest as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

In an interview on Swiss radio on Sunday, Couchepin said the topic
would be brought up in the course of his visit, adding that the
Swiss government’s position was clear: "History should be left to
the historians".

He said an important step would be the creation of an international
commission that would "examine the issues and look for the causes of
the events of that time – including the massacre".

The Swiss government does not officially speak of genocide.

Rocky

Previous visits by Swiss politicians to Turkey have hardly gone
smoothly – if at all.

On an official visit in October to commemorate the 80th anniversary
of Turkey’s adoption of the Swiss civil code, Swiss Justice Minister
Christoph Blocher attacked Swiss anti-racism laws that have led to
investigations against two Turks for denying the 1915 massacre.

Blocher’s comments raised a storm of protest in Switzerland and
Couchepin described them as "unacceptable".

In August 2005 the Turkish authorities postponed a visit by the then
economics minister, Joseph Deiss, citing "agenda problems" of his
Turkish counterpart.

Cultural goods

A cultural goods treaty with Turkey is the latest in a series of
measures by Switzerland to combat trafficking in stolen antiquities.

In December Couchepin signed an accord with Peru aimed at returning
stolen goods, particularly archaeological artefacts, and in October
Switzerland and neighbouring Italy agreed a similar deal against the
traffic of illicit goods.

The authorities say the measures have already boosted Switzerland’s
standing as a place for dealing in art and antiquities.

Previously the country had gained an unwelcome reputation as a transit
point for stolen artefacts because of its previous reluctance to
tighten its laws on the transfer of cultural goods.

–Boundary_(ID_Nud6rzb4R50/K2QtTcX6zw)–

ARMENIAN ACTING LEGISLATION HAMPERS ARMED FORCES REFORM

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.02.2007 13:53 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An interdepartmental commission that includes
officials of the RA Defense Ministry and NATO proceeded to work in
order to promote the military reform in Armenia, RA Deputy Defense
Minister, lieutenant general Artur Aghabekian said at a seminar
titled "Military reform in Armenia: provision of Defense Ministry
with civil personnel and introduction of amendments in the law On
Defense", initiated by the George C. Marshall Center. In his words,
the cooperation with NATO is developing both within the Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and in the framework of planning and
coordination of reforms.

"Our reforms will be carried out in three stages: reconsideration of
the strategy of military security to be completed in 2008, reforms in
the armed forces in 2008-2010 and ensuring of sustainable development
of the RA armed forces proceeding from international standards and
commitments Armenia undertook to European structures. The last stage
is planned for 2010-2015," Aghabekian said.

At that the RA Deputy Defense Minister remarked that the acting
Armenian legislation is outdated and hampers the armed forces’
reform. "The law On Defense should be reconsidered. Changes are
needed in provisions on call-up and engagement of civilians in the
army structures. We have to elaborate a military doctrine that along
with the national security strategy will raise the efficiency of the
Armenian armed forces. The law On Defense was adopted in 1997 and does
not answer modern demands especially in the light of the reviewed
Constitution. We also have to establish civil control over the army
and elaborate a law on peacekeeping forces," Aghabekian underscored.

SLAIN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST REMEMBERED ON ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH IN TURKEY

AP Worldstream
Feb 05, 2007

The head of Italy’s bishops on Monday led a memorial Mass for a
Catholic priest slain in Turkey at the time of widespread anger in
the Islamic world over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet
Muhammad.

The Rev. Andrea Santoro was shot dead Feb. 5, 2006, as he knelt
in prayer in his church in the Black Sea port city of Trabzon. A
16-year-old youth is serving an 18-year prison sentence for the
murder that was believed linked to the outrage over publication of
the caricatures in European newspapers.

"I hope this service will help deepen friendship," Cardinal Camillo
Ruini, accompanied by Santoro’s mother and two sisters, told reporters
upon arrival in Trabzon. "I hope it will help us to find the truth
and bring us closer to God."

The city, on Turkey’s eastern Black Sea coast has come under intense
scrutiny after the killing last month of ethnic Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, who spoke out about the mass killings of Armenians in
the early 20th century and drew the ire of nationalists.

Prosecutors have charged eight people in connection with the killing,
including a teenage gunman and an alleged instigator _ who, like
Santoro’s killer, were from Trabzon.

Pope Benedict XVI remembered Santoro, who worked for dialogue
between the Christian and Muslim faiths, during his visit to Turkey
in November.

Santoro’s killing was one of many recent attacks against Christians
in this predominantly Muslim country. Two other Catholic priests were
attacked last year in Turkey, where Christians have often complained
of discrimination and persecution.

A group of young men attacked and threatened a Catholic priest in
the Aegean port city of Izmir. The priest, a Slovenian, told Italian
state TV at the time that the men grabbed him by the throat, threw
him into a garden and threatened to kill him.

A French priest, Pierre Brunissen, 74, was injured in the hip and leg
when a man stabbed him. That attack took place in the Black Sea port
of Samsun.

Of Turkey’s 70 million people, some 65,000 are Armenian Orthodox
Christians, 20,000 are Roman Catholic, and 3,500 are Protestant,
mostly converts from Islam. Around 2,000 are Greek Orthodox and 23,000
are Jewish.