Author: Madatian Greg

Haaretz
Last update – 21:46 23/10/2007

UNESCO announces plan to battle Holocaust denial, raise awareness

By Barak Ravid

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) announced on Tuesday it would launch a program to promote
awareness of the Holocaust by means of battling every form of
Holocaust denial and formulating educational curriculums.

Over recent months, extensive political efforts have been made to
recruit international support for the program, initiated by Israel.
With the aid of the U.S., Russia, Australia and Canada, Israel
successfully garnered the support of an additional 70 countries for
the program.

UNESCO unanimously adopted the initiative, despite initial concerns
that Arab nations would attempt to torpedo the move.

Under the guidelines of the new program, UNESCO will now be able to
prepare educational and instructional curriculums on Holocaust
remembrance, and promote the incorporation of such studies in core
curriculums, conferences and research worldwide. These activities will
be carried out in tandem with the Holocaust remembrance programs
currently being developed at the United Nations headquarters in New
York.

In addition, a permanent exhibit on the Holocaust is set to open at
the UN headquarters in New York, to be displayed along the path taken
by tourists and visitors on guided tours of the building. The exhibit,
a result of extensive efforts made by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, aims
to balance out the permanent exhibit on Palestinian refugees, also
displayed on site.

Source:

ONLY IN FRANCE CAN ONE LEARN HOW TO COOK AND DO HAIR

KarabakhOpen
22-10-2007 17:29:45

A vocational college was founded in Stepanakert in 2006 where
children go both after their eighth and tenth years of studies,
from the capital and the regions of the country. According to the
director of the college Karen Andryan, the college is facing a number
of problems, including premises and qualification of teachers.

We have already informed that the chair of the Council for Professional
Education of France Garbis Nikoghossian had promised to involve
assistance from the Armenian Diaspora to build a building for the
college. The building has not been built yet but with help from French
benefactors from Saint Denis cooks and hairdressers of Karabakh will
go to France for qualification classes for 2 or 3 months.

EDITORIAL: NEEDLESS: THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION APPEARS LIKELY TO BE DEFEATED IN CONGRESS AND IT SHOULD BE.

Journal-World (Lawrence, Kansas)
October 20, 2007 Saturday

Oct. 20–Evidence is strong that congressional opponents of an
Armenian genocide resolution have enough votes to kill the measure,
and that is good. Supporters of the proposal, such as House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, continue to promote the issue, but they apparently have
not done their homework and are operating on emotion rather than logic.

The resolution describes Ottoman Empire massacres of the 1915-23 period
as genocide. Turkish officials admit that deaths of great consequence
occurred during the period in question but say that conditions of
war existed and many died from a number of causes. An estimated 1.5
million Armenians died, according to the resolution in question,
and 500,000 were expelled by the Ottomans. Those backing the measure
said it amounted to "the elimination of the over 2,500-year presence
of Armenians in their historic homeland."

Pelosi should note that Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., one of her chief
advisers, has been fighting Armenian genocide resolutions since
1987. He has continued to oppose the measure, and it is surprising
that Pelosi seems so dedicated to its approval.

Opponents, including President Bush, consider the resolution an
insult to a key NATO ally, Turkey, which figures prominently in
American activities in the Middle East. The U.S. occupation of Iraq
has intensified White House concern since more than 70 percent of
U.S. military cargo goes through Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.

"Congress has more important work to do than antagonizing a democratic
ally in the Muslim world, especially one that is providing vital
support for our military every day," the president said in a Wednesday
morning news conference.

Resolution backers, perhaps including Pelosi, admit they will not
force the issue if support continues to wane. It is difficult even
for Democrats to understand why the speaker has been so adamant and
forceful on the matter. Republicans, of course, contend she should
turn her attention to more pressing issues.

If members of Congress believe that the judgments of history are not
sufficient in this case, they can always pursue this matter at some
future date. Now is not the time.

The Conservative Voice, NC
Oct 20 2007

Pelosi’s Diplomacy
October 20, 2007 01:00 PM EST

by Jeremy Meister

I’m sorry, once again I don’t understand things. On one side, George
Bush is a cowboy invading other countries unilaterally without help
from anyone else. And now suddenly we discover that (as a matter of
fact) we do have at least one ally: Turkey.

And suddenly it’s really, really, really important to condemn the
actions of the Ottoman Empire and their genocide of the Armenians.
Which is an event that happened almost 100 years ago during WW1.

Up to this point, libs have been telling me (rather loudly) that
Islam is a religion of peace. A religion that respects other cultures
and other people and other beliefs. So where is this genocide stuff
coming from?

A quick jaunt in to history reveals that during WW1, the Ottoman
Empire was overrun with the movement of the "Young Turks" – a
political party that was rooted in (surprise, surprise) radical
Islam. They hated other religions such as the Christianity practiced
by the Armenians. So they began a systematic "cleansing" of their
lands. (Some historians speculate that these actions inspired Hitler.
But that is another topic.) The US Congress has twice condemned this
"cleansing".

But that was 100 years ago. Today Turkey is very important to our
actions in Iraq. For starters, a lot of our supply lines go through
the nation. The next problem is border disputes. The Kurds in
Northern Iraq have never got along with the Turks. Kurdish insurgents
like to go north, stir up trouble then race back across the border.

The irony is multileveled. The Kurdish North Iraq is the most stable
in the country. But not if Turkey makes good on its threat to chase
the Kurd militia back to Iraq. There are roughly 60 k Turkish troops
awaiting orders to move in to Iraq.

If Bush is a Cowboy for taking actions against the enemies of the
United States, what do we call a group of people who are determined
to run off our allies?

The House (read Nancy Pelosi) is the one really pushing this. If you
remember correctly, this is the same Feminist broad who (here in the
US) demands men (and religious types) "keep their laws off my body"
but then happily goes to the fundamentalist state of Syria to get
smiling pictures of herself in a burka.

So there you have it: Democrats hate the people who are on our side
and love the people who are fighting against us. I remind you that
Syria is a state that loves terrorists. In fact, Syria is even guilty
of the same kind of invasions that the libs are protesting in the
streets here in the US. Was it not Syria that occupied Lebanon for 20
years and even now after pulling out is still messing with the
internal structure of that state?

I guess it’s okay to do rotten things if you’re a brown skinned
minority. After all, Ahmadinejad said things at Columbia and the libs
cheered. If a white Christian guy had said it Congress would be
threatening to cut funding to the school.

But I’m not questioning their patriotism, their ethics, their common
sense, their logic. I learned long ago libs don’t have any of those
things…

Jeremy Meister graduated with a B.S. in History from the University
of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1998 and a B.S. in Media Production from
Missouri State University at Springfield in 2005. He is also a film
director, producer and author of over seven feature length
screenplays including ‘Hollow Dogs’ and ‘Epic: the Autumn Gales’, as
well as owning his own film company: the famous LWC Productions.
Jeremy is the former host and producer of the Conservative internet
radio program "The Tzimisce Show". Presently he is working behind the
scenes at Lotus Broadcasting on such shows as "The Mr. Sunshine Show"
with occasional work for HBO and UFC. Contact him at
[email protected]">LWC_Produc [email protected] or at
For a complete list of blogs
check out:

http://www.theconse rvativevoice.com/article/28751.html

North County Times, CA
Oct 20 2007

Genocide resolution should pass

By: JIM HORN – Commentary

A brouhaha is brewing regarding the proposed resolution —- the
timing is an issue —- to recognize the Turkish genocide directed at
Armenians ninety years ago when more than 1.5 million Armenians were
slaughtered by Turks. During the two years I lived in Turkey, I got
to know and understand the Turks and Armenians, as well as other
downtrodden minority groups in that country.

The resolution is a Democratic initiative and President Bush is
trying to block it, claiming the resolution will provoke the Turks to
cut off routes used to supply our bases in Iraq.

The Turks are angry at Iraqi Kurds who harbor guerrillas who have
been attacking Turks in support of Turkish Kurds who want
independence from Turk oppression. The Turks are threatening to mount
a significant incursion across the border into Iraq to attack the
Kurds, the most successful of the three major Iraqi groups in
self-government. In this attack, the Turks would cut those supply
lines anyhow.

The resolution is driving the Turks batty because they want to
control how we Americans manage our internal affairs. Their
threatening to cut off routes through Turkey that we use to supply
our bases —- and Iraqi Kurds —- if it passes is just an excuse
they are using in support of their argument to attack Iraq.

While the Turks were a useful ally during the Cold War, the Cold War
is over and that alliance means nothing now. The Turks needed us more
than we needed them because Joe Stalin was ready to trounce them, and
NATO gave the Turks protection.

The Turks sabotaged our pre-invasion plans in Iraq. They have been
the most useless, costly and problematic NATO partner in the
alliance, repeatedly in disputes with a more stalwart NATO partner,
Greece.

If the Turks cut off our supply lines into Iraq or attack Iraq —-
the Iraqi Kurds —- they should be booted out of NATO, and all
American and European military assistance to Turkey should be cut
off. They no longer need it. They are no longer threatened by the
USSR.

A clarifying note: The so-called Turks garnered a reputation of
incredible ferocity during the Korean war. The reality is that the
"Turks" who fought so valiantly were in fact Kurdish conscripts,
along with conscripted Christian Armenians, Assyrians, Bulgars and
Greeks. The only contribution the Turks made was their officers and
senior noncoms who stood behind the conscripts with machine guns at
the ready to gun down any who faltered.

A congressional vote for the resolution would be well-deserved
recognition for the significant contributions Armenian-Americans have
made to America, a lot more than the Turks have contributed.

Jim Horn of Sun City is a retired U.S. diplomat.

/20/opinion/commentarycal/21_09_3110_19_07.txt

WESTWOOD

‘No Place for Hate’ no longer

Town cuts ADL ties over genocide

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff | October 21, 2007

No longer do signs welcome travelers to Westwood as a "No Place for
Hate" community. Those signs, located at four town lines, were taken
down last week.

Selectmen decided Monday night to suspend participation in the
antidiscrimination program because they don’t believe its sponsor, the
Anti-Defamation League, has gone far enough in recognizing the
Armenian genocide of nearly a century ago – an issue that remains a
sensitive matter today, especially for area residents of Armenian
heritage.

Westwood joins Arlington, Belmont, Lexington, Newton, and Watertown in
suspending or cutting ties with the ADL, believing its refusal to
directly acknowledge the historical genocide runs counter to the ADL’s
mission of fighting against hatred and fostering an atmosphere of
mutual respect. About 60 cities and towns across the state, including
many south of Boston, belong to the ADL’s local No Place for Hate
program.

"I think the community wished it didn’t have to come to this," said
Town Administrator Michael Jaillet. "We wish our sponsor had taken a
different position and stood up for the truth."

The ADL acknowledged in August that the Ottoman Empire’s massacres of
Armenians from 1915 to 1923 was "tantamount to genocide." But Westwood
and other critics want the ADL to use sharper language – dropping the
"tantamount to" – and push for congressional passage of a resolution
directly acknowledging the genocide.

Westwood, where some Armenian residents pushed for dropping the ADL
affiliation, will continue promoting cultural harmony, town leaders
say. But the No Place for Hate Committee will now go by a new name,
the Human Rights Committee.

"The town of Westwood has concluded that our ability to carry out the
founding principals of the No Place for Hate program is seriously
compromised by the ADL’s position on the Armenian genocide and the
House and Senate resolution," said Nancy Hyde, chairwoman of the Board
of Selectmen, reading from a letter the town sent to the ADL last week
about their vote.

Al Gordon, a spokesman for the New England region of the ADL, said the
town will find it difficult going it alone in its campaign for
tolerance.

"We think in the long run Westwood will not profit from its decision
to sever ties," Gordon said. "The ADL has internationally recognized
expertise in dealing with hate incidents and promoting cultural
awareness."

Since adopting the No Place for Hate program two years ago, the
committee has done such things as passing out literature on tolerance,
organizing panel discussions, and participating in local cultural
events. The ADL helped the group locate speakers and a choir of
Ugandan orphans for a Martin Luther King Day program this year.

Tom Viti, the town’s library director who cochairs the Human Rights
Committee, acknowledged it would be difficult to replace the
connections the ADL has.

"The ADL has been really involved in high-pressure volatile situations
in responding to hate crimes," he said. "The committee is going to
have to do a bit more work."

But he said the town’s new Human Rights Committee will probably seek
out guidance from other similar groups, and hopes to offer an
increased number of programs and events each year.

The ADL first came under fire this summer in Watertown. At that time,
the ADL did not acknowledge the Armenian genocide, outraging the large
Armenian population in that town. Watertown’s decision to cut ties
prompted other communities to follow and for the ADL’s New England
office to break from the national group’s position of not calling the
massacres a genocide.

Ultimately, the ADL’s national director, Abraham H. Foxman, in a
carefully worded statement, acknowledged the massacres was "tantamount
to genocide." The group, however, did not offer to support a
resolution in Congress that would officially call the massacres a
genocide. Support for that legislation, which had been building
momentum, appeared to be eroding last week as the Bush administration
worried it might offend the Turkish government, an ally of US military
troops in Iraq.

Westwood officials say they would restore the town’s affiliation with
the ADL if the group adopts sharper language and backs a Congressional
resolution acknowledging the genocide.

"We are looking for an unequivical statement," Viti said. "A word like
tantamount starts to qualify things."

James Vaznis can be reached at [email protected].

(c) Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Source: icles/2007/10/21/no_place_for_hate_no_longer/

Turan News Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 19 2007

Azeri opposition MPs urge support for Turkey’s Iraq operation

Baku, 19 October: At today’s session of parliament, numerous
opposition MPs came up with a proposal concerning the decision of the
US Congress [House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee] to
recognize the Armenian genocide and Turkey’s actions against the PKK
[Kurdistan Workers’ Party] separatists.

[Chairman of the opposition Hope Party] Iqbal Agazada said that the
Azerbaijani parliament should recognize the PKK as a terrorist
organization. According to him, if Turkey carries out a military
operation against separatists in northern Iraq, then the Azerbaijani
military should take part in it

[Chairman of the opposition of the Great Creation Party] Fazil
Qazanfaroglu urged the parliament to condemn the decision of the US
Congress committee and send an official protest note to Washington.
MP Aydin Mirzazada from the ruling [New Azerbaijan] party expressed a
similar opinion. He said that the recognition of the Armenian
genocide in Ottoman Turkey may be followed by other decisions which
will have an impact on Azerbaijan’s interests. Baku should show
solidarity with Ankara and recall its ambassador for consultations.

In response, Speaker Oqtay Asadov said that the proposals that were
made resemble "slogans". The proposals to "declare war on Iraq sound
superficial" and it is necessary to act competently and in a
well-thought out manner. It is necessary to work with Congress and
congressmen to persuade them that the decision they have adopted is a
mistake, the speaker said.

Finally, the proposals to send a protest note to Washington and
recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization were not adopted.

Bloomberg
Oct 19 2007

Pelosi Makes Political Misstep in Reversal on Armenian Genocide

By Laura Litvan and Nicholas Johnston

Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) — The two meetings House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
attended before a vote on a resolution labeling the massacre of
Armenians in Ottoman Turkey a genocide foreshadowed the biggest
political misstep of her speakership.

In the hours before a House panel approved the resolution Oct. 10,
Pelosi was told in a tense meeting with Turkey’s ambassador that the
vote would endanger his country’s alliance with the U.S. She had a
warmer session with an Armenian cleric and representatives of
Armenian-Americans, who have a large presence in her home state of
California. In both, she made clear she intended to bring the
resolution to a full House vote.

Since then, Pelosi, 67, has been in retreat. Her vow to bring the
measure to a vote outraged Turkey, which recalled its ambassador and
threatened to cut off the use of its military bases to resupply U.S.
troops in Iraq. On Oct. 17, Pelosi said it “remains to be seen”
whether the vote would occur after more than a dozen lawmakers pulled
their names from the measure and some Democrats asked her to drop it.

“It’s a good resolution but a horrible time to be considering it on
the House floor,” said Representative Mike Ross of Arkansas, one of
the Democrats who withdrew his support.

“She dug in her heels to find that she didn’t have her members with
her,” said Representative Ray LaHood, an Illinois Republican. “If
you get too far out in front of them, it can be embarrassing.”

Democrats’ Agenda

The turnaround is the first major failure for Pelosi, who has
successfully muscled through the agenda she set out when she became
leader of the Democratic majority in January. This year, the House
has passed a measure calling for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from
Iraq, a minimum-wage increase, a five-year farm bill and a $35
billion expansion of health coverage for children.

Until now, her biggest obstacles had been President George W. Bush’s
veto power — which he used this month to block the children’s
health-care measure — and the inability of Senate Democratic leaders
to overcome Republican opposition.

The controversy also handed Bush and House Republicans an opening to
attack Pelosi’s foreign-policy credentials. “Congress has more
important work to do than antagonizing a democratic ally in the
Muslim world, especially one that’s providing vital support for our
military every day,” Bush said Oct. 17.

Some Democrats say Pelosi couldn’t have anticipated the backlash. Yet
Representative Jack Murtha of Pennsylvania, one of her closest
allies, said he had warned her in February that the resolution could
erode U.S. support in the Middle East. “This is not a way to help us
in an area where we need allies,” Murtha said.

Moral Obligation

Pelosi said Oct. 11 that she decided to advance the legislation
because the U.S. has a moral obligation to take a stand and declare
the World War I-era killings of 1.5 million Armenians genocide.

“There’s never a good time,” Pelosi said, adding that the entire
Democratic leadership team, and a bipartisan coalition comprising
most of the House’s 435 members, supported it.

The reaction was swift. One day after the House Foreign Affairs
Committee approved the resolution, 27-21, Turkey withdrew its
ambassador for consultations, and Turkish legislators on Oct. 17
authorized the use of military force against Kurdish rebels in
northern Iraq, a step that may further destabilize Iraq and disrupt
oil supplies.

Pelosi said Turkey may be using the resolution to justify taking
action in Iraq. “This is about Turkey’s plans,” she said. “This
isn’t about our resolution.”

`Home-State Politics’

The legislation, which has been introduced for decades, often
originates from California lawmakers, said John Pitney, a political
science professor with Claremont McKenna College in Claremont,
California. About 232,000 Armenian Americans live in the state, 54
percent of the U.S. total, according to 2006 Census data.
“Home-state politics is a large portion of it,” Pitney said.

This year’s resolution was co-sponsored by California Democrat Adam
Schiff and Pelosi has said she promised him and other supporters that
they would get a vote if the measure was approved by committee.

When it was approved in committee last week, the resolution had 226
co-sponsors, more that the 218 needed to pass. But by yesterday, more
than 12 co-sponsors had withdrawn their support.

This week, Pelosi backed away from her pledge to advance the bill
this year, saying it would be up to its sponsors to decide whether it
comes up for a vote. Schiff said he would ask her to bring the
measure to the floor only if he has enough votes to win.

Murtha said he is working to persuade Pelosi to drop the matter, and
that as many as 60 Democrats would oppose the resolution and it would
fail any vote of the full House.

“It’s impractical at this point to go forward with it,” Murtha
said.

The dispute has cost Pelosi some credibility, Pitney said. “This is
proving to be a lesson to the leadership to think through the
long-term consequences,” he said. “There’s a great deal of
difference between taking positions in the minority and moving
legislation in the majority.”

d601070&sid=aD5_dx1DQhrA&refer=home

TURKISH PRIME MINISTER ERDOGAN’S FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR, EGEMEN BAGIS, CALLS TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON ARMENIA

ArmInfo.
2007-10-18 12:08:00

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s foreign policy advisor, Egemen
Bagis, calls to impose sanctions on Armenia because of adoption
of the Resolution on the Armenian genocide by US Congress House of
Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, he said in an interview
with CNN Turk.

,- Egemen Bagis said. He also added that "Bush and his team should not
be punished. The reaction should be against Pelosi and her team." He
reiterated that "Turkey must impose sanctions on Armenia," adding
that Turkey has already prepared a list of what and when it will do
and the prime minister has already issued the necessary orders.

Bagis also said Erdogan should go ahead with a planned meeting next
month with Bush in the United States. "The prime minister should meet
Bush and try to record progress on issues where the administration
can help, – he concluded.

PELOSI SAYS THE FATE OF H. RES. 106 IS DIM

armradio.am
18.10.2007 14:00

Prospects for a US House of Representatives resolution calling the
1915 massacre of Armenians genocide looks dim. "Whether it will come
up or not, what the action will be, remains to be seen," House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, told reporters on Wednesday,
Reuters reports. She had vowed it would get a vote of the full chamber
sometime this year.

Pelosi said she had always supported the nonbinding, "largely symbolic"
resolution, but she would be working with other advocates to see what
they wanted to do now.

Let us remind that over the past days Congressmen from both Democratic
and Republican Parties have begun to withdraw their support from a
resolution, giving in to the pressure from Turkey and the White House.