Author: Nahapetian Samvel

Génocide arménien
L’Europe se dérobe

Les Arméniens commémoraient hier le 90e anniversaire du massacre. Mais l’UE
ne fait pas de sa reconnaissance par la Turquie une condition préalableà son
adhésion.

Par Nathalie DUBOIS

lundi 25 avril 2005 (Liberation – 06:00)

ulipes, jonquilles et oeillets à la main, des centaines de milliers
d’Arméniens se sont recueillis hier à Erevan, la capitale, devant le monument dressé en
mémoire du million des leurs massacrés par les Turcs ottomans de 1915à 1917.
Un quatre-vingt-dixième anniversaire auquel l’Arménie a tenu à donnercette
année une ampleur sans précédent, avec l’espoir que la Turquie accepte enfin de
reconnaître ce génocide dont elle a toujours nié la nature et l’ampleur. Pour
Ankara, il ne s’agissait que d’une répression dans un contexte de guerre
civile, les Arméniens s’étant alliés aux troupes russes qui avaient envahi la
Turquie. Et le bilan des victimes n’atteindrait que 300 000 à 500 000 morts, alors
que l’Arménie en comptabilise 1,5 million.
Obligations. La Turquie peut-elle adhérer à l’Union européenne sans
reconnaître ce génocide ? En théorie, ceci ne fait pas partie des «critères de
Copenhague» qui exigent des pays candidats le respect de la démocratie,des droits de
l’homme et des minorités, ainsi qu’une économie de marché viable. Mais pas
l’obligation d’un travail de mémoire. Il n’empêche que la pression monte sur
Ankara depuis que les Européens, lors du sommet de Bruxelles de décembre, ont
accepté d’ouvrir le 3 octobre 2005 les négociations avec la Turquie. Aux six Etats
de l’UE qui reconnaissaient déjà le génocide arménien – par ordre
chronologique, Chypre, la Grèce, la Belgique, la Suède, l’Italie et la France -, trois
autres se sont très récemment adjoints : la Slovaquie, les Pays-Bas et,pas plus
tard que la semaine dernière, la Pologne. Enfin, en Allemagne, un premier
débat s’est tenu jeudi au Bundestag, à la demande de l’opposition
chrétienne-démocrate, autour d’une motion appelant la Turquie à regarder en face la page la
plus noire de son histoire.
Pour Hilda Tchoboian, présidente de la Fédération euro-arménienne,«la
Turquie doit maintenant assumer ses responsabilités par une reconnaissance sincère
et explicite du génocide avant que de postuler à l’Union européenne». Mais,
n’en déplaise aux Arméniens, cette démarche n’a aucune chance de devenir une
condition préalable à l’entrée des Turcs dans l’Union, à la différence de la
reconnaissance officielle, par Ankara, de la république de Chypre, Etat membre
depuis janvier 2004. Lors du fameux sommet de Bruxelles qui a ouvert la porte aux
Turcs, Jacques Chirac fut le seul chef d’Etat à évoquer la question arménienne
durant sa conférence de presse : «Toute l’histoire de la construction
européenne est l’histoire du dialogue, du respect de l’autre et de la reconnaissance
des erreurs que nous avons pu faire dans le passé. (…) Le travail de mémoire
doit être considéré comme une nécessité incontournable, je dis bien
incontournable. Je ne doute pas un instant que, si ce travail n’est pas fait, les
Français en tiendront le plus grand compte dans le jugement qu’ils porteront [par
référendum, ndlr] sur l’éventuel traité d’adhésion» de la Turquie. Mais comme
le député UMP Pierre Lellouche le déclarait à l’époque, la diaspora arménienne
«commettrait une erreur si elle faisait de cette reconnaissance un préalable à
toute adhésion ou rapprochement avec la Turquie. Il ne faut pas en faire un
préalable, mais l’une des conditions du processus».
Amendements. Le Parlement européen, qui, depuis 1987, a reconnu à plusieurs
reprises la réalité du génocide, n’en fait pas non plus une conditionsine qua
non. Il n’empêche que dans leur feu vert à l’ouverture de pourparlers avec
Ankara les eurodéputés ont adopté deux amendements relatifs à l’Arménie. Le
premier, proposé par le communiste français Francis Wurtz, «invite laTurquie à
promouvoir le processus de réconciliation avec le peuple arménien en
reconnaissant le génocide». Le second, déposé par l’UMP Jacques Toubon, «appelle la
Commission et le Conseil à exiger des autorités turques la reconnaissance formelle
de la réalité historique du génocide des Arméniens» et la rapide réouverture
des frontières avec l’Arménie.

A1plus

| 13:06:41 | 25-04-2005 | Official |

BUSH DID NOT USE THE WORD «GENOCIDE»

On April 24 the US President George Bush has made a statement in connection
with the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. It is said in the
statement:

On Armenian Remembrance Day, we remember the forced exile and mass killings
of as many as 1.5 million Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman
Empire. This terrible event is what many Armenian people have come to call
the “Great Calamity.”

I join my fellow Americans and Armenian people around the world in
expressing my deepest condolences for this horrible loss of life. Today, as
we commemorate the 90th anniversary of this human tragedy and reflect on the
suffering of the Armenian people, we also look toward a promising future for
an independent Armenian state.

The United States is grateful for Armenia’s contributions to the war on
terror and to efforts to build a democratic and peaceful Iraq. We remain
committed to supporting the historic reforms Armenia has pursued for over a
decade. We call on the Government of Armenia to advance democratic freedoms
that will further advance the aspirations of the Armenian people. We remain
committed to a lasting and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. We also seek a deeper partnership with Armenia that includes
security cooperation and is rooted in the shared values of democratic and
market economic freedoms.

I applaud individuals in Armenia and Turkey who have sought to examine the
historical events of the early 20th century with honesty and sensitivity.
The recent analysis by the International Center for Transitional Justice did
not provide the final word, yet marked a significant step toward
reconciliation and restoration of the spirit of tolerance and cultural
richness that has connected the people of the Caucasus and Anatolia for
centuries. We look to a future of freedom, peace, and prosperity in Armenia
and Turkey and hope that Prime Minister Erdogan’s recent proposal for a
joint Turkish-Armenian commission can help advance these processes.

Millions of Americans proudly trace their ancestry to Armenia. Their faith,
traditions, and patriotism enrich the cultural, political, and economic life
of the United States. I appreciate all individuals who work to promote
peace, tolerance, and reconciliation. On this solemn day of remembrance, I
send my best wishes and expressions of solidarity to Armenian people around
the world.

Pan Armenian News

NORWAY DOES NOT RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FEARING FOR RELATIONS WITH
TURKEY

25.04.2005 05:16

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Official Norway does not recognize the Armenian Genocide,
since it does not want to worsen relations with the NATO partners and
proceeding from interest in Azerbaijani oil, Mayor on Norwegian town of
Kragero Arling Lala stated, Arminfo agency reports. He said it is his
personal opinion and it does not reflect the opinion of the Norwegian
political circles. In his turn, member of the Armenian-Norwegian Association
Fleming Klemer Yusing noted that even though the Norwegian society is aware
of the Armenian Genocide few steps are undertaken for its recognition. He
informed that a website, where the diary of a Norwegian missionary, a
witness to the barbarities of the Young Turks will be placed, is being
developed in Norway. According to the representatives of the Norwegian
delegation, the non-recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Norway is
conditioned by the fear of the Norwegian political circles to worsen
relations with Turkey.

Jerusalem Post
April 24 2005

J’lem Armenians mark 90th anniversary of Genocide
By SARA FISCHER

Photo: Armenian demonstration in front of Turkish Consulate in
Jerusalem
Sara Fischer

Hundreds of Armenians demonstrated in front of the Turkish Consulate
in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah Sunday, as they marked
the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

A memorial mass service was held earlier Sunday at the Armenian
Catholic Patriarch, followed by a rally at the Turkish Consulate
aimed at placing pressure on the Turkish government to recognize the
atrocities carried out so many years ago.

During World War I, the Turks have reportedly murdered more than 1.5
million Armenians. The Turks have denied the allegations, saying only
several thousands where killed during the war.

A remembrance service and ceremony at St. James Church will take
place on Monday in the Armenian quarter of the Old City, as the
Armenian Orthodox Palm Sunday has lead the Armenian community in
Jerusalem to commemorate the genocide on Monday, April 25th, instead
of the traditional April 24th.

“The genocide is a sign of memory and resurrection and an important
ritual which has been denied,” Armenian historian Albert Aghazarian
told The Jerusalem Post. “What we want is recognition.”

;cid=1114322082590

Pan Armenian News

ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN MET DELEGATION OF CANADIAN MPs

23.04.2005 05:53

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Parliament Speaker Artur Baghdasarian today met
with the delegation of Canadian MPs, the Press Service of the National
Assembly reported. A. Baghdasarian thanked Canadian Deputies for their
Parliament adopting resolutions denouncing the Armenian Genocide. In the
course of the meeting the parties underscored the importance of
intensification of trade and economic, scientific and cultural relations and
opening Canadian Embassy in Yerevan, as well as noted the large potential
for development of the relations. «Armenia is always by your side,» Artur
Baghdasarian told the Canadian parliamentarians among whom Armenians form
the majority.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
23. April 2005

Das aktuelle Buch;
Leben trotz Geschichte; Der Vernichtung entronnen: armenische
Schicksale in labyrinthischen Biographien

Das aktuelle Buch

Huberta von Voss (Hg.): Porträt einer Hoffnung. Die Armenier. Verlag
Hans Schiler, Berlin 2005, 415 Seiten, 28 Euro.

Vor neunzig Jahren, am 24. April 1915, ließ die osmanische Regierung
die in Istanbul lebende intellektuelle Führung der armenischen
Gemeinde verhaften. Am 20. April hatte es in der Stadt Van einen
armenischen Aufruhr gegeben. Die Festnahmen waren der Auftakt zu
jenen Armeniermassakern des Ersten Weltkrieges, die heute wieder
Anlaß geben zu Polemiken zwischen der Türkei und den Armeniern (mit
der Republik Armenien ebenso wie mit den Auslandsarmeniern der
Diaspora), aber auch mit jenen europäischen Regierungen, die der
Türkei vorhalten, sie müsse dieses dunkle Kapitel der Geschichte
endlich aufarbeiten. Der Friedensnobelpreisträger Elie Wiesel nannte
die Armeniermassaker einmal “den Holocaust vor dem Holocaust”,
während die offizielle Türkei von solchen Interpretationen der
Vorgänge nichts wissen will. Einzelne türkische Stimmen, die
abweichende Auffassungen ausdrücken, beginnen sich zu mehren. Das
Thema wird nicht von der Tagesordnung verschwinden, ganz im
Gegenteil; Türken wie Armenier müssen eines Tages damit beginnen,
jene Tragödie, deren Mitwisser und Dulder auch das kaiserliche
Deutschland war, anhand der Quellen gemeinsam aufzuarbeiten und zu
bewältigen.

“Porträt einer Hoffnung. Die Armenier” heißt ein Buch, das jetzt in
dem kleinen, doch ambitionierten Berliner Verlag Hans Schiler
erschienen ist. Schon sein Titel sagt, daß Türken und Armenier eines
Tages nur dann gutnachbarlich miteinander leben werden, wenn das
durch die Geschichte belastete Verhältnis Hoffnung auf einen
Neuanfang weckt. “Leben trotz Geschichte”, wie es der polnische
Philosoph Leszek Kolakowski formuliert hat. Die Herausgeberin Huberta
von Voss hat Armenienforscher wie Tessa Hoffmann, Vahakn N. Dadrian,
Taner Akçam und Wolfgang Gust für den einführenden, landeskundlichen
und historisch-systematischen Teil des Buches gewinnen können. Doch
den größten Teil des Textes bilden Biographien von Armeniern, die von
bekannten deutschsprachigen Korrespondenten und Schriftstellern
verfaßt worden sind; unter ihnen sind auch Mitarbeiter dieser
Zeitung, die auf armenische Spurensuche gingen: von Beirut nach
Jerusalem, von Istanbul nach Kairo, von Venedig nach Teheran, Madras,
New York, Moskau, Paris, Berlin, Eriwan und Karabach – bis zu dem
berühmten Musa Dagh und nach Südamerika reichen die biographischen
Recherchen der Autoren.

Die Zahl der Porträtierten (Historiker, Künstler, Diplomaten,
Schriftsteller, Wissenschaftler, Kleriker) ist zu groß, ihre
Schicksale sind zu vielfältig, als daß sie im einzelnen hier
Erwähnung finden könnten. Gemeinsam sind die traumatischen
Erfahrungen der Deportationen unter den Osmanen in kriegerischer
Zeit. Da viele der in dem Band vorgestellten Armenier schon älter
sind, können sie noch aus eigener Erfahrung sprechen, wie es war, als
die Eltern mit den Kindern fliehen mußten und mit knapper Not dem Tod
entrannen, der auf viele hunderttausend ihrer Leidensgenossen in den
Wüsten Mesopotamiens und Syriens wartete. “Sie riefen ihren Gott an,
als sie starben / Auf der Schwelle zur Kirche oder vor ihrer Haustür
/ Eine schwankende Wüstenherde, als Kohorte ziehend / Vernichtet von
Durst und Hunger, von Waffen und Feuer . . .” singt Varenagh
Aznavourian in einem seiner bekanntesten Chansons. Wir kennen ihn
alle besser als Charles Aznavour – den Chanson-König Frankreichs. Am
22. Mai 1924 wurde er in Paris geboren, als seine Eltern auf der
Flucht vor der Vernichtung schließlich in Frankreich angekommen
waren. Jene Armenier, denen es gelang, den Todesmärschen zu
entfliehen, landeten im Libanon, in Palästina (in Jerusalems Altstadt
gibt es ein Armenierviertel) oder eben in Europa und Amerika.
Geradezu labyrinthisch verschlungen lesen sich die Schicksale der
Davongekommenen, von denen viele es in der Diaspora zu respektablen
Stellungen gebracht haben, aber noch immer von den “Stimmen der
Ermordeten, Verhungerten und Verdursteten” heimgesucht werden. So wie
die Schauspielerin und Schriftstellerin Nouritza Matossian, die unter
dem Stichwort “Erinnerungsorte” ihren Besuch in Deir es Zor
schildert, jenem Schreckensort in der Wüste, wo viele ihres Volkes
umkamen, sofern sie nicht vorher schon erschlagen worden waren.

WOLFGANG GÜNTER LERCH

AZG Armenian Daily #073, 23/04/2005

Press release

STATEMENT OF CEC ON THE OCCASION OF THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE

The Presidium of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) has issued the
following Public Statement on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian genocide:

“On 24 April 2005 the peoples of Armenia will commemorate the 90th
Anniversary of the Genocide under the Ottoman Empire. At the commemoration
in Armenia, the Conference of European Churches (CEC) will be represented by
its President, Rev Jean-Arnold de Clermont, President of the Federation of
Protestant Churches in France.

The Presidium of the Conference of European Churches, meeting in Västerås
(Sweden), 6-10 April 2005, subscribes to the words, which the Catholicos of
All Armenians, Karekin II and Catholicos Aram I have repeatedly expressed:
the horrific crimes in connection with the Armenian genocide should never be
forgotten. Guilt must be admitted and the truth must be told. Reviewing
one’s own history opens the path to forgiveness, to healing bitter memories
and to gaining a common future.

The CEC Presidium joins the World Council of Churches in inviting all its
member churches “to make April 24 a Day of Memory of the Armenian Genocide
and to consider further appropriate actions related to the 90 years
Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide”. Churches all over the European
continent and beyond can play an important role in offering a platform for
encounter and in supporting projects towards reconciliation.

The Presidium urges the Turkish government to initiate a process of
reconciliation between the Turkish and the Armenian peoples, in which the
recognition of guilt and the proclamation of the truth need to be integral
elements. In this regard, the Conference of European Churches welcomes the
announcement of Prime Minister Erdogan to open Turkish archives. It is
important that Armenian and Turkish as well as independent researchers have
full access to the documentation.

We also urge the Turkish government to establish the conditions, which allow
for a free and honest debate in public as well as in educational
institutions about atrocities, deportations and massacres committed against
the Armenian peoples.

Atrocities on the territory of today’s Turkey, however, were not only
committed against the Armenian peoples, but also against other Christian and
ethnic minorities.

On 1 October 2005, negotiations will begin between the European Union and
Turkey with the aim of Turkey becoming a member state of the European Union.
As already stated on 3 October 2004 by the Conference of European Churches,
the Copenhagen criteria for accession must be fulfilled and the accession
negotiations need to be accompanied by an honest elaboration of history,
particularly that part of it which concerns the relationship of Turkey with
its neighbouring states and which includes recognition of wounds and
offences inflicted. This is a pre-condition to healing of memories and to
true reconciliation in society, which has not yet been reached in Turkey.
The relationship with the Armenian peoples as well as with other Christian
and ethnic minorities is, in this respect, of special importance.

The Conference of European Churches will continue to monitor the
negotiations between the European Union and the government of Turkey very
closely. The EU is a community of States, which is built on human rights,
democracy and the rule of law and in which values of justice and peace,
solidarity and pluralism, reconciliation and tolerance, freedom of speech
and mutual respect are declared by the documents the EU committed itself to;
effort are underway to make them an integral part of everyday life. The
commitment to implementing these values in Turkey, not at least with regard
to its minorities and the relations to its neighbouring countries, will be a
pre-condition for Turkey’s accession to the European Union”.

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) is a fellowship of some 125
Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches from all countries
of Europe, plus 40 associated organizations. CEC was founded in 1959. It has
offices in Geneva, Brussels and Strasbourg.

Fresno Bee
April 22 2005

Armenians’ memory lives

Rally recognizes state support of genocide remembrance day.

SACRAMENTO – They walked 215 miles in the sun, rain and wind to keep
alive the memory of 1.5 million Armenians killed by rulers of the
Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923.

The 20-day journey for 15 Armenian-Americans – including four Fresnans
– ended Thursday at the state Capitol, where about 1,200 people
gathered to thank the state Legislature for supporting a bill to
permanently recognize the Armenian genocide on April 24 of each year.

“The younger generation still hasn’t forgotten,” said Vahan Aramian,
20, of Fresno, who took a three-week break from his construction job
to join the March for Humanity from Fresno to Sacramento.

Gov. Schwarzenegger on Thursday signed Senate Bill 424 by Sen. Chuck
Poochigian, R-Fresno, which cements the remembrance date into state
law. Until now, the Legislature’s recognition had been inconsistent.

“We must recognize crimes against humanity if we are to prevent them,”
Schwarzenegger said in his signing message. “Silence in the face of
genocide effectively encourages those who would commit such atrocities
in the future.” March organizers said 36 other state legislatures
officially recognize the Armenian genocide. Armenian-Americans hope
the Bush administration will follow in California’s footsteps.

The Turkish government – 90 years after the genocide – doesn’t accept
responsibility for the deaths, Armenian-Americans say.

“Justice begins with truth, and truth is being hidden,” said
Poochigian, whose grandparents lost family members during the
genocide. “We stand up to the deniers. We stand up for truth.”

Assembly Member Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton, said it’s important
not to forget history: “If we do not learn the lessons of the past,
we are destined to repeat them.”

On April 24, 1915, the Armenian leadership in Istanbul and other
Armenian centers was executed. The surviving women, children and
elderly were sent on death marches in the desert, where many of them
were raped and tortured.

Participants in the March for Humanity educated people they met
along the way. Some knew nothing of the genocide or Armenian culture.
Others had a skewed understanding of history.

Most people were supportive. “We did get a lot of honks and thumbs up,”
said marcher Chris Torossian, 19, of Fresno.

Hundreds of people joined the full-time marchers on parts of the
route. They walked down country roads and slept in churches and
schools.

At the Capitol on Thursday, a crowd cheered for the marchers.
Supporters waved Armenian and American flags and held signs that read,
“We will never forget” and “Remember the Armenian genocide of 1915
R.I.P. 1.5 million.”

“This is a rally in support of all those who seek the truth and
all those who understand that genocide cannot go by with impunity,”
said Steven Dadaian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of
America’s western region.

About 200 people from Fresno, home to about 60,000 Armenian-Americans,
attended the rally in Sacramento.

“We believe in our roots,” said Avedis Krikorian, 43, of Fresno, who
helped organize the trip. “We think that each person, if he adheres
to his principles and roots, can become a better person.”

ISSUE ON RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY ISRAEL IS CONNECTED
DIRECTLY WITH POSITION OF USA: ISRAELI SCIENTIST

YEREVAN, APRIL 20. ARMINFO. “As soon as the USA recognizes Armenian
Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915, Israel will not wait a little to
follow its example”, Scientific adviser of Commission on memory of
victims and heroes of Holocaust Yad Washema Yehuda Bauer stated in
an interview to ARMINFO.

However, professor expressed regret that the USA is not amongst
those countries ready to recognize Armenian Genocide. “Policy of
official Tel-Aviv does not advance to the direction of recognizing
Armenian Genocide, considering that Israel-Turkey relations may suffer
greatly”, Bauer noted and stressed that Israeli opposition and mass
media insisting on recognizing Genocide are in minority.

FEATURE: The deal that never was – Cyprus limps into Europe
By Masis der Parthogh, dpa =

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
April 20, 2005, Wednesday
05:12:23 Central European Time

Nicosia (dpa) – Many Cypriots saw their life-long ambition of belonging
to Europe finally realised on May 1, 2004, when the tiny Mediterranean
island joined the 25-strong enlarged family that comprised the new
European Union.

Despite the pomp and cheer, however, Cyprus has remained isolated
from the rest of the Union, not least because large bodies of sea
water separate it from the Old Continent.

The date of accession came and went with little if any significant
change in the day-to-day lives of the 800,000 souls “stranded” on
the island. Being the easternmost fort among the ten new members,
Cyprus should have kick-started a celebration, but the mood was muted.

A week earlier, the island’s two main communities – the Greek Cypriots
majority living in the south and the Turkish Cypriots in the north –
had failed to agree to a United Nations reunification plan to end
the 30-year divide caused by Turkey’s invasion and occupation.

A successful outcome would have seen both communities signing the
accession agreement in Athens, evolving into a federal state with equal
political rights, under one flag, two languages and two religions.

Instead, activity on both sides has now reached a standstill, where the
economy was expected to boom and part of the occupied land should have
been returned to the Greek Cypriot refugees, with other humanitarian
issues on their way to a resolve.

As a result, trucks with goods have not rolled to either side,
services have not boomed and structural aid remains tied in accounts
in Brussels due to stubbornness from both sides to give in a little.

The Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos, who urged his people
to outright reject the U.N. agreement in a tear-jerk public appearance,
has shown little enthusiasm to resume talks on the basis of the Annan
plan that has been modified five times in as many years.

The new status of the unrecognised statelet in the north, however,
has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors from Cyprus as well
as foreign tourists, who have so far pumped some 150 million dollars
to the Turkish Cypriot economy.

The north’s vague legal status has not prevented German and British
vacationers from spending half as much as they would in the south for
fish and ‘meze tavernas’ while spending their reserves in the many
casinos and gambling houses, mostly operating with Ankara’s blessing.

This is where Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots sit together around
a roulette table or black jack, as if no conflict had ever divided
their people.

Serving them are waitresses from eastern Europe seeking a better
fortune who have strayed and are often abused by pimps in what amounts
to white slavery.

Turkish Cypriot Dervis (pronounced Dair Veesh) and his Armenian friend
George, both resident in the south and classmates from the century-old
English School decades before division, want all these to disappear.

“We want our children and our grandchildren to move freely and become
friends, as we were some 60 years ago,” say the old gentlemen, in
the old market of the Turkish part of the capital Nicosia.

Despite all the changes on the Turkish side, however, there is little
hope of any progress towards reviving the stalled talks, with die-hard
veterans such as pro-Ankara Rauf Denktash still clinging to power.

Even U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, whose name adorns the ill-
fated peace plan, wants a firm commitment from both sides in order
to return and offer his kind offices for negotiation.

Elections in the north have seen major upheavals, but they turned
out to be nothing more than cosmetic.

The real decision lies in Ankara, where a power struggle between the
secular generals and Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamist society must
first be fought to see how genuine Turkey is in its wishes to join
the E.U. in a decade or so from now.

The nationalists on the Greek Cypriot side, fearful of sharing power
with whom they call their “Turkish Cypriot brothers”, are willing
to stand this one out, waiting on the sidelines, blaming Turkey’s
intransigence.

They have convinced their people that Brussels will solve their
problems from them.

Whatever the outcome, Dervis and George are patient and happy to have
finally gained the partial freedom to cross over to each other’s side
and see old friends and revive old memories.

But their grandchildren do not know if they will live in a unified
country based on European values. At least not very soon. dpa mdp
emc ct