Author: Navasardian Karapet

ERDOðAN’S PROPOSAL FOR ARTICLE 301 FAILS TO SATISFY JOURNALISTS
AyÞe Karabat Ankara

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 24 2007

A proposal floated by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan for the
infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), an obstacle to
freedom of expression, has failed to satisfy journalists and human
rights activists.

Erdoðan proposed that the first paragraph of the article, which
suggests "those insulting Turkishness are to be penalized for six
months to three years" should be kept as is. "But the fact that
‘Turkishness’ does not refer to ‘ethnic origin’ but to constitutional
citizenship should be clarified," he said.

Journalist Erdal Þafak from Sabah daily thinks that this
"clarification" will not solve the problem completely. Þafak thinks
that such a clarification will not prevent prosecutors from indicting
people who demand that Armenian claims of genocide be examined by
historians, or those who, at a scientific conference, use expressions
Armenians use. Þafak is of the opinion that accusing a person of
"insulting Turkishness" should be bound to prior authorization by the
Ministry of Justice, a solution already voiced by Cemil Cicek while
he served as the minister of justice in the previous government.

Þafak thinks that going a step further and seeking permission from
the president will be applauded as a much more contemporary solution
that is free from politics.

Human Rights Association (ÝHD) Chairman Husnu Ondul says that no
solution is better than abolishing Article 301 completely. Opposing
Cicek’s view during his term as minister of justice that the problem
could be avoided by the judges during the cases tried under this
law, Ondul thinks that the approach of the judiciary is itself
problematic. "Judges think that this insult is directed toward them
personally. When they preside over Article 301 cases, they think
that they themselves are the state or represent Turkishness," Ondul
complained to Today’s Zaman.

Journalist and sociologist Doðan Týlýc thinks that the government’s
resistance to abolishing Article 301 completely is telling in itself.

"Turkey is moving into a period of extreme sensitivity about national
identity, and the negative perception of the ‘ethnic other’ is at its
all-time peak. In such an atmosphere, a cosmetic change made to the
wording of Article 301 won’t work. It should be abolished completely,"
Týlýc commented to Today’s Zaman.

While Turkey is coping with a seemingly existential terrorist threat,
it seems that the government is not ready to put the country on its
European Union membership track. In an atmosphere where nationalist
sentiments are high and the prestige of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK)
is boosted due to the martyrs lost in the war against terrorism, the
government does not seem to be willing to question the relationship
between criticizing the wrongdoings of some army personnel and
insulting Turkishness. This unwillingness is exactly the reason why
journalists Lale Sarýibrahimoðlu and Ahmet Þýk are going to appear
at the first hearing of a court case against them.

Would a clarification of the meaning of "Turkishness" as
referring to constitutional citizenship, prevent Sarýibrahimoðlu’s
headache? Probably not.

–Boundary_(ID_df9ylr1gt1yVD0pvtN8Ukg)–

MONUMENT TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS INAUGURATED IN TOURS, FRANCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.10.2007 19:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ October 21, Armenian Ambassador to France Edward
Nalbandian and Mayor of Tours Jean Germain unveiled a monument to
Armenian Genocide victims in the central square of Tours.

French MPs, former French minister of culture, leaders of Armenian
Unions and representatives of local self-government attended the
solemn ceremony.

"Setting up such monuments, French nation confirms its adherence to
humanism and its solidarity with Armenian people. It’s symbolic that
the monument was inaugurated in Tours, the heart of France, which
was the first city to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide,"
Ambassador Nalbandian said.

OBJECTION TO LETTER ABOUT ARMENIANS
Reha Oztanyel Uae

7DAYS
tion-to-letter-about-armenians.html
Oct 23 2007
United Arab Emirates

Drawing parallels between the sufferings of the Jews living in
Germany during the second world war and that of the warring Armenians
with in the Ottoman territories is baseless and contrary to the
historical facts (although it could be convenient for some).The so
called thousands of pictures,films,testimonials and other irrefutable
proofs mentioned in Mr.Chaoud ‘s letter are allegations and most of
them have been proven to be fake.

The resolution of the American congress is meant only for internal
consumption.

Ebbing Ottoman Turkey was at war with Russia at the time and is being
stabbed in the back by Armenians instigated by the western missionaries
operating within the Ottoman territories .

Relocation of Armenians within the Ottoman borders was an action of
self defence. Blaming Ottoman Turkey for defending herself instead
of blaming the instigating missionaries and the Armenian militants
(tashnak) for sufferings of the relocation is not fair.

Turkey has offered the Ottoman archives to historians from all
countries and has nothing to hide. There is no empire in the history
of the world with such a clean record despite the fact that it was one
of the longest lasting ones. Middle East lived its longest period of
peace under the administration of the Ottomans and this was not done
done by "shameful butchery" as put by Mr.Chaoud.

Please do not carry your obsessions to your next generations. Let them
leave in peace. Support the initiatives to open the border between
Armenia and Turkey for the benefit of both countries (Already 70
thousand Armenians from Armenia are illegally working in Turkey) .

Support the idea of allowing the historians to all available archives
including the ones in Armenia.

Thinking too much in the lines of racial conflicts of the past only
helps to prepare ground for future sufferings.

TURKEY TO UNDERTAKE EXACT MEASURES IN CASE US CONGRESS RECOGNIZES RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 22 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Òrend corr K. Ramazanova / Turkey will undertake
exact measures in case the US Congress passes the resolution
recognizing ‘Armenian genocide’, Rakib Kilic, the assistant chairman
of the Turkish Police General Directorate’s Department on Smuggling
and Organized Crime, said.

"We hope the resolution will not be passed. But if the United States
passes it, Turkey will undertake exact steps," he said.

US Congress developed a draft resolution stating that at the beginning
of the 20th century Turks committed genocide of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire. Armenians state that over 1.5mln Armenians were
slaughtered on that day.

Turkey has repeatedly warned the United States that in case it
passes resolution 106, the relationships between the two counties
will deteriorate.

Speaking on the relations between Turkey and Iraq, Kilic noted that
the two countries’ officials were negotiating.

–Boundary_(ID_6dWoqbBNzm/9Y4Kwj2NMh w)–

IRAN READY TO SOLVE ME PROBLEMS

Press TV
Oct 22 2007
Iran

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has stressed that Iran is prepared to
help solve the regional problems and would do its best to this end.

He made the remark at a joint press conference with his Armenian
counterpart Robert Koucharian in Yerevan after four cooperation
agreements were signed between the delegates of the two countries.

We are against any tension in the sensitive Middle East region,
said Iran’s chief executive.

Any problem is resolvable through talks based on justice, irrespective
of how complicated it might be, he added.

For his part, President Koucharian named Iran as a significant trade
partner and said that the two countries are working on large-scale
energy, gas pipeline, refinery and railway projects.

The Armenian president told the media that the two sides also agreed
on expansion of foreign policy cooperation.

Author target of Turkish threats following Armenian Genocide book
reading

armradio.am
20.10.2007 11:01

Amid security concerns and ongoing Turkish death-threats, author
Margaret Ajemian Ahnert led the Fort Lauderdale book reading of her
Armenian Genocide family memoir, "The Knock at the Door," reported the
Armenian National Committee (ANC) of South Florida. Over 80 people
attended the event hosted by the Broward County Main Library, sponsored
by the Florida Center for the Book.

The subject of the book, a skillful retelling of her mother’s traumatic
battle to survive as a young girl during the Armenian Genocide, comes
at a crucial time when the United States House of Representatives is
set to vote on H.Res. 106, calling 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.

Among the audience were the influential members of the Writers Network,
and civic leaders from South Florida. Despite a high turnout, "I was
uncomfortable from the threats I received from angry Turks," said Ms.
Ahnert. To assure the safety of the public, the Fort Lauderdale Police
Department (FLPD) provided security for the night.

"Turkish death threats to Ms. Ahnert are an insult to American values
upon which our country was founded. The threats demonstrate the
incompatibility of Turkish nationalism and the first amendment of the
US constitution; the freedom of speech and to assemble," said Albert
Mazmanian, chairman of the ANC of South Florida.

During the Q&A session, a Turkish-American from the audience asked
Ahnert, "if you want to remember something, why do you remember the bad
things," citing Seljuk liberation of the Armenian Church from the
Byzantines. Ahnert rebutted that fifteen of the sixteen chapters of her
book are "happy memories," and only one chapter is a "bad memory."

Toledo Blade, OH
Oct 19 2007

Klein wants real conversation

By TAHREE LANE
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Americans might be ready, journalist Joe Klein suggested hopefully,
for a presidential campaign that’s got genuine conversation about
essential issues: how we can best deal with radical Islam, global
warming, and health care, for example.

If the United States hopes to continue being the greatest country on
earth at a time when 70 percent of its citizens believe it’s moving
in the wrong direction, there has to be deep discussion, and some
solutions won’t be popular.

"This may be the time when the only way to have credibility as a
candidate is to tell people something they don’t want to hear," said
Klein, Time magazine columnist and author of six books, including
Primary Colors. He addressed an audience of about 400 at last night’s
Authors! Authors! lecture in the Great Hall of the Stranahan Theater,
sponsored by The Blade and the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.

"We’re going to have to sacrifice, we’re going to have to change,
we’re going to have to get tougher, we’re going to have to think
harder."

Klein’s talk drew on his 38 years in journalism, most covering
Washington politics.

Not only did the 2004 presidential election lack depth on issues, he
said, it boiled down to one simplistic, defining idea per candidate:
John Kerry waffling on his support of the Iraq war; George Bush
promoting the idea that "you may not agree with me, but you’ll always
know where I stand."

"How did America decide such an important election on such a shallow
basis?" he asked. He attempted to answer that question in his 2006
analysis, Politics Lost, about how the people who handle candidates
steer dialogue away from deep problems and thorny solutions.

President Bush could have, on Sept. 12, 2001, told the nation that
the price of fossil fuel had to increase as a security measure to
help the United States become less dependent on foreign oil, he said.
But sacrifice wasn’t requested.

The greatest threat to the United States is what Klein termed "viral"
power, meaning terrorism, global warming, and unscrupulous
international corporate actions. "You don’t treat a virus with a
sledgehammer; you treat it with a vaccine."

Klein noted the United States generated good will by helping the AIDS
crisis in Africa and sending Marines to tsunami victims in Southeast
Asia.

Responding to a query about a proposed resolution to label the
century-old deaths of Armenians in Turkey as genocide, he said those
experts he’s interviewed in Iraq are more concerned about stability
in Turkey, where a secessionist movement in the Kurdish area is
possible, than other countries in the region. "This is a matter of
tremendous concern and we need to have the best possible relationship
with Turkey."

l/article?AID=/20071019/ART02/710190344

PELOSI BACKS OFF PLEDGE TO CALL VOTE ON ARMENIAN BILL (UPDATE3)
By Laura Litvan and Nicholas Johnston

Bloomberg
Oct 17 2007

Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed off her
pledge to call a floor vote on a measure declaring the World War
I-era killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks an act of genocide after
support for the resolution eroded.

"Whether it will come up or not and what the action will be remains
to be seen," Pelosi told reporters today. She said that it will be up
to the bill’s sponsors, led by Democratic Representative Adam Schiff
of California, to decide whether the resolution gets a vote in the
full U.S. House this year.

At least 11 lawmakers have withdrawn their support for the resolution
since a congressional panel approved the legislation last week. The
panel’s action set off a backlash from Turkey and raised broad concerns
about the effect on U.S. security interests.

Schiff told reporters today that he won’t ask Pelosi to keep her
pledge if he decides that the measure lacks enough votes to pass. He
said he is gauging support among lawmakers this week.

"We want to win this, and I don’t think the cause would be advanced
by taking up a vote and not succeeding," Schiff said.

President George W. Bush said today at a press conference that
"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."

Iraq War

Turkey, which helps the U.S. move supplies into Iraq war zones,
recalled its ambassador to Washington for consultations the day after
a House panel approved the resolution last week by a vote of 27-21.

Turkey denies that a systematic slaughter of Armenians took place,
saying Armenians and Turks alike were killed in the clashes after
Armenian groups sided with Russia in World War I. Turkey has threatened
to cut cooperation with the U.S., which uses an air base there as a
re-supply hub for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The resolution
has been strongly supported by Armenian-American groups in the U.S.

Bush personally called Pelosi yesterday to urge her to cancel plans
for a House vote.

"The president and the speaker exchanged candid views on the subject,
and the speaker explained the strong bipartisan support in the House
for the resolution," said Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for Pelosi.

`Threats’ Cited

A Washington-based Armenian-American group accused Turkey today of
"blackmailing" the Congress. "I truly hope that no member of Congress
is persuaded to jump ship on such a critical vote as this simply
because of some threats by a foreign government," said Armenian
Assembly of America Executive Director Bryan Ardouny in a statement.

Bush today reiterated American efforts to persuade Turkey to exercise
restraint in dealing with Kurdish rebels launching attacks from the
mountainous border area in northern Iraq.

"We don’t think it’s in their interest to send more troops in,"
Bush said.

The president spoke as the Turkish parliament voted to give Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan authorization for an assault across the
border sometime within a year, citing failed U.S. and Iraqi attempts
to curb attacks.

Turkish Ties

Turkey is the only Muslim member of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization and one of the few Muslim nations to have close ties
with Israel as well as Arab countries. Erdogan was re- elected in
July with the biggest popular mandate in Turkey in four decades,
a result hailed by the U.S. as a victory for democracy in the region.

The country has benefited from a surge of U.S. investment during the
past five years, especially into its expanding banking industry.

Lawmakers who co-sponsored the resolution and then withdrew their
support this week include Democratic Representatives Allen Boyd of
Florida and Mike Ross of Arkansas.

Pennsylvania Democrat John Murtha told reporters today that as many
as 30 Democrats have expressed concern about the resolution, and
"if it came to the floor today it wouldn’t pass."

Murtha and four other Democrats held a press conference today calling
on Pelosi to not bring the resolution before the entire House for a
vote because it would damage the country’s relationship with Turkey
and imperil U.S. forces in Iraq.

"What we are asking is for our own leadership to do what is right
for the American national and strategic interests," Florida Democrat
Robert Wexler said.

"Sometimes your head has to give in to your heart and do what makes
sense for your country," Tennessee Democrat Stephen Cohen said.

"It’s just bad, bad, bad timing."

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
October 17, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY URGES MURTHA TO REMEMBER TIBET AND REJECT
"BLACKMAIL" BY TURKEY

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America today called upon
House Members not to give in to pressure from the government of
Turkey, which is opposed to an important and bi-partisan resolution
that affirms the Armenian Genocide. The call from the Assembly came as
Congress and President Bush met today with the Dali Lama – despite
intense political and diplomatic pressure from China, which opposes
the U.S. having any relationship with Tibet.

"I truly hope that no Member of Congress is persuaded to jump ship on
such a critical vote as this simply because of some threats by a
foreign government," said Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny. "The government of Turkey and its million-dollar lobbyists
are effectively blackmailing the Congress and the government of the
United States. We should stand up to the threats and demand that
Turkey immediately cease its campaign of misinformation and threats."

Ardouny noted that the Bush Administration has decided to meet with
the Dali Lama today in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, despite threats
and intense diplomatic and political pressure from the government of
China. "If we can stand up to China why on earth we are afraid of
standing up to Turkey," Ardouny said.

"The community commends House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for standing strong
in the face of such threats and for her willingness to bring this
long-delayed resolution to a vote before the full House. As she said
over the weekend, this resolution is long overdue and it’s time for
Congress to stand up and speak out forcefully on a human rights issue
that will reverberate for generations," added Ardouny.

The resolution, H.R. 106, is non-binding and has been introduced in
several previous sessions of Congress. It was approved 27-21 last week
by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public
understanding and awareness of Armenian issues.  It is a 501 (c) (3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

###
NR#2007-122

THE HISTORY NOT TO BE REPEATED

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
Oct 16 2007
Armenia

MP of NKR parliament Maxim Mirzoyan said," Ex President first visited
Karabakh in 1988, July 26. They were four, the first President,
Vano Siradeghyan, Vazgen Manukyan and Ashot Manucharyan.

The visit was aimed at preparing good ground for their future
activity. I hope you haven’t forgotten what happened then. The center
of "Karabakh Movement" was shifted from Stepanakert to Yerevan, later
to the Presidential Palace. If this visit also pursues the same goal,
in my view, it is intolerable.