Author: Tavakalian Edgar

Sydney Morning Herald , Australia
Jan 13 2005

Bring down the dictator
January 14, 2005

Page Tools

“The last one to dodge the train is the band leader.” Daron Malakian
(right) settles the issue the old way.

Sex, drugs, rock’n’roll … and politics. Daron Malakian – sorry,
System of a Down – likes it with the lot. Kelsey Munro has attitude
with hers.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN
Hordern Pavilion, Driver Avenue, Moore Park
January 25, 7pm
$66.40
Bookings 9266 4800
They will also play the Big Day Out on January 26. Win tickets to the
sold-out event in next week’s Metro

You couldn’t have predicted System of a Down’s success. Mixing
intelligent, experimental, heavy music with a generous dose of
left-wing politics is not a proven recipe for chart success.

But their 2001 album Toxicity sold more than 4 million copies,
propelled by the furiously tight smash hit Chop Suey! The four
Armenian-Americans went from being an underground Californian band to
international success.

Live, they have a bone-buzzing intensity and frenetic
teenage-boy-laden mosh pits, but this is not easy music. How did they
get so big?

“We just stuck to our guns,” says guitarist and chief songwriter
Daron Malakian.

The band has had a dogged policy of non-compromise since their
formation in the mid-’90s. A buzz built around the quartet throughout
the Californian scene on the strength of their live sound and a
three-song demo that circulated among fans. System’s ferocious,
precise sound got pushed to bigger and bigger audiences. But not even
the band expected the mainstream to embrace Toxicity.

Advertisement
Advertisement”Yes, I’m very surprised that the world has grabbed onto
it the way it has because it was an experiment for us,” Malakian
says. “We’re lucky because we are a very artsy-fartsy band, and
people get it.”

Malakian is putting the finishing touches on two new studio albums.
He says he’s not a perfectionist: “I just want it to be right, I
don’t nitpick at shit. I get the production credit on the record, and
I get to be the [AC/DC guitarist] Malcolm Young of System of a Down.”

He laughs uproariously.

“I respect those people. You look at Slayer and you see Kerry King. I
look at Slayer and I see [songwriter-guitarist] Jeff Hanneman.”

He says this as though everyone would know what he means – that he
respects the behind-the-scenes musicmakers in bands over those showy
frontmen.

By his own reckoning, Malakian writes about 95 per cent of System’s
music, including the lyrics. He bristles slightly at the suggestion
that his band is a dictatorship.

“It’s a democracy, everyone respects the way the band works, I don’t
step over anybody,” he says. “I really don’t want to sound like I’m
discrediting my band members here because I’m not. It’s really how
System works. Serj [Tankian] writes songs but not in bulk the way I
write songs … It works as a team.”

All of the band – singer Tankian, bass player Shavo Odadjian and
drummer John Dolmayan – share Malakian’s eclectic taste in music,
ranging from Slayer to the Doors.

Frontman Tankian co-founded the activist group Axis of Justice with
Audioslave’s Tom Morello, which has worked for causes such as
homeless people and voting issues in the US. Some of System’s songs
have anti-war themes.

But Malakian is uncomfortable with System being tagged a “political”
band.

“We just sing about what the world, about what’s around us,” he says.
“We have political songs and we have songs about, y’know,
psycho-groupie-cocaine crazy.

“Somebody asked me, ‘Are you guys about sex, drugs, rock’n’roll,
politics, having a good time?’ I said, ‘Yes!’ We’re not about a
history lesson, like, ‘You gotta learn all about the Armenian
genocide’ or all about politics. We’re not only about that and we’re
not only about sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, we’re like a f—ed-up
mutation of all that shit.”

Turkey-Israel Military Arrangement

Hellenic News of America
January 10, 2005

By Gene Rossides

The Turkey-Israel military arrangement initiated in 1996 is not in the
best interests of the United States nor is it in the best interests of
Israel.

That arrangement was initiated primarily to obtain profits for
Israel’s arms industry, and not for reasons related to Israel’s
security as a nation.

The late Professor Amos Perlmutter, a Middle East expert, stated on
June 21, 1999 at an American Hellenic Institute noon forum that the
goal of the military cooperation understanding from Israel’s viewpoint
was to provide jobs and profits for the Israeli arms industry.

In response to a question he stated it was not aimed at Greece. It was
simply arms cooperation with Turkey for profits. In 2003, Defense News
ranked Israel number 3 in arms exports based on 2002 contracts
including significant sales to Turkey.

Israel does not need Turkey to defend itself. As was astutely observed
long ago by Israeli General Moshe Dayan, Turkey is not within Israel’s
defense perimeter. Turkey is thus of limited value to Israel.

The Turkey-Israel military arrangement can be considered harmful to
Israel as it has been an impediment to the Israeli-Palestinian peace
process and the road map because of its misguided emphasis on the
military instead of diplomacy.

It is also tragic that part of the understanding between Israel and
Turkey was that Israel would continue to deny the Armenian Genocide
and would not comment on Turkey’s human rights violations against
Turkey’s 20% Kurdish minority.

Furthermore, Israel’s military cooperation with Turkey makes Israel an
accessory to Turkey’s ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity and
genocide against its 15-20 million Kurdish minority. It should also be
noted that the U.S. military and economic assistance to Turkey these
past decades has made the U.S. the prime accessory to Turkey’s massive
human rights violations against the Kurds.

Israel’s failure to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide mirrors those
nations and individuals who do not acknowledge the Jewish
Holocaust. Unfortunately, Israel does not stand alone in this regard:
the U.S. Executive Branch has also failed to acknowledge the Armenian
Genocide. The U.S. and Israel also need to acknowledge the genocide by
Turkey between 1914-1923 of 350,000 Greeks of the Pontos, Black Sea
region.

The attempts to deny the Jewish Holocaust have been vigorously
denounced and rightly so by Israel and the U.S., in books, articles,
speeches and in the media. Yet where is the outcry against Turkey’s
and Israel’s denial of the Armenian Genocide? And where is the outcry
against Turkey’s horrendous crimes against its Kurdish minority?

It is imperative that the U.S. change its policy towards Turkey. If
nothing else, Turkey’s refusal on March 1, 2003 to allow U.S. troops
to use bases in Turkey to open a northern front on Iraq should have
resulted in a critical review of U.S. policy towards Turkey. The
successful prosecution of the war by the U.S. against Iraq without
Turkey’s help proved Turkey’s marginality as a strategic resource in
the region.

Unfortunately, a critical review of U.S.-Turkey relations has been
blocked by the handful of Turkey’s proponents to the detriment of
U.S. interests. The handful of Turkey’s proponents is comprised of
present and former U.S. officials, think tank advocates and Turkey’s
paid U.S. foreign agents registered with the Department of Justice.

Leading the pack are Defense Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Defense
Under Secretary for Policy, Douglas Feith, former Defense Advisory
Board member Richard Perle, State Under Secretary for Political
Affairs, Marc Grossman and U.S. registered foreign agents for Turkey,
former Congressmen Bob Livingston (R-LA) and Stephen Solarz (D-NY) who
are paid $1.8 million annually by Turkey. Mr. Feith is a former paid
agent of Turkey who headed International Advisors Inc. (IAI) from
1989-1994 and received $60,000 annually. IAI was initiated by Richard
Perle and was registered with the U.S. Department of Justice as a
foreign agent for Turkey. Mr. Perle is a former paid consultant for
Turkey in his capacity as a paid consultant to IAI at $48,000
annually.

U.S. policy regarding Turkey is not being run on the basis of what is
best for the U.S., but on the basis of what Israel’s proponents
believe is best for Israel, which they then equate with what is best
for the U.S. How else can one explain the decades long appeasement and
double standards applied to Turkey on aggression, the rule of law and
human rights. The Cold War has been over for 15 years.

The overwhelming majority of Jewish Americans recognize the Armenian
Genocide and are appalled by Turkey’s horrendous human rights abuses
against its Kurdish minority and citizens generally.

A critical review of U.S. policy towards Turkey and a termination of
the Turkey-Israel military arrangement is needed in the best interests
of the U.S. Included in such a review should be a strong
recommendation for support of Turkey’s human rights organizations and
its leaders.

Gene Rossides is President of the American Hellenic Institute and
former U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.

;lang=US

POPULATION’S DEBTS ON ELECTRICITY ACCUMULATED TILL 2002 TO BE PAID OFF
AT THE EXPENSE OF PROFIT FROM SALE OF ZANGEZUR COPPER-MOLYBDENUM GROUP
OF ENTERPRISES

YEREVAN, December 30 (Noyan Tapan). According to the RA government’s
press service, the Kajaran Council of Elders made a decision: to
transfer 27 mln dollars for the complete payment of the population’s
debts on electricity accumulated as of 1 October 2002 from the funds
transferred to the communal budget of Kajaran as a result of the sale
of the “Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Group of Enterprises” CJSC, which
is situated within the administrative bounds of the town. According to
the same source, the decision was made taking into account the
proposals of the RA President and the RA Prime Minister on the payment
of the debts of the population at the expense of these funds. By the
government’s decision N 1318-A of 28 August 2002, these debts passed
to the “Armgasprom” CJSC after the privatization of the “Electricity
Networks of Armenia” CJSC. On December 28, RA Minister of Energy Armen
Movsisian was instructed to stop the collection of the population’s
debts accumulated till 1 October 2002 and to submit the mechanism of
payment of these debts and the list of debtors within 20 days.

Turkish Daily News
Dec 31 2004

‘A civilization project’

By Gunduz Aktan

TDN- Germanic Europe, from which Western civilization evolved
contrary to the Mediterranean basin, was never multi-cultural in the
sense of being multi-religious. It exterminated the European Jewry
with the Holocaust, which was the apex of a policy of a thousand
years of anti-Semitism. The successful implementation of liberal
democracy and pluralism undoubtedly contributed to the development of
tolerance, together with economic prosperity. However, it was not
enough to turn the European Union into a multi-cultural society. The
EU’s civilization project depends on it being multi-cultural.

After World War II, Europeans, thinking the Holocaust could never be
repeated, started to bring in laborers from outside. With Central and
Eastern Europe being behind the Iron Curtain, it had nowhere to turn
to but the Muslim countries. Either due to imprudence, or believing
they had changed, or even because they thought they could send back
those who had come, they welcomed Muslims who were members of the
other Monotheistic religion. Therein they committed a grave mistake.

The leader of the German Christian Democrats Angela Merkel said
recently that the multi-cultural Europe project had failed. Apart
from a small group, Muslims have not integrated into the parent
society. Ghettos have become common. The proportion of Muslim inmates
in prison and among the unemployed has increased dramatically. An
internal proletariat based on religion and ethnicity has emerged. The
threat of radical Islamist terrorism has appeared.

In reaction to these developments, opinions on assimilating, instead
of integrating the Muslims, are gaining ground in the EU. The
influence of the extreme rightist and racist parties is increasing.
Otto Schily is trying to include the Muslims into German culture,
which he calls `leitkultur.’ Nicolas Sarkozy says it would be better
to introduce the Anglo-Saxon version of secularism to replace the
French Laicism. Both are talking about desperate projects like
creating a German and French version of Islam.

Turkey’s membership sits on top of this quagmire. Additionally,
Turkey is Europe’s historical other. Their prejudices against us have
become pathological. The grave symptoms of this psychology can be
seen everywhere. They are exaggerating our shortcomings and deflect
their own deficiencies onto us. Their claims of Armenian genocide and
the mistreatment of Kurds make relevant the Holocaust and their own
racist attitude towards Muslims. Because we are backward in an
essentialist sense, they believe we can never implement the
democratization reforms and they see us as unfixable. When they say
`proud nation,’ they insinuate that we have no reason to be proud.
They fear if they include us, the EU will collapse and result in an
identity loss. While the non-recognition of the other is their own
problem, they constantly ask us to promote ourselves. By banning the
freedom of movement, they are trying to tell us that we can live side
by side in accordance with the Theory of Cultural Relativism, but not
in an intermingled manner. They neither let us go nor do they
incorporate us.

All these give the impression that the EU, by trying to make Turkey a
member, has bitten off more than it can chew.

We should understand the EU’s view on the Cyprus issue in terms of
their perspective of the Armenian `genocide’ and the Kurdish
`minority.’ They took the decision to make Greek Cyprus a member in
1995 even without any solution on the island. That’s why if we
satisfy the intransigent Greek Cypriot demands, we will be paying a
very high price. On the other hand, if we cannot resolve the matter,
we won’t be able to become a member.

They say they want our membership in order to show that they can live
in harmony with the Islamic world. However, the biggest fault-line
between Islam and Christianity is between Turkey and the Greece/Greek
Cyprus duo with the EU behind them. If we cannot become a member due
to a pro-Greek stance by anxious EU members the clash between Islam
and Christianity will deepen.

Are we going to create harmony by assimilating the Muslims in Europe
on the one hand and satisfying the lunatic demands of the EU-backed
Greeks and Armenians on the other?

A dangerous process has started, not only for us, but also for the
EU.

RA PRIME MINISTER ADDRESSES MESSAGE OF CONGRATULATION TO PARTICIPANTS OF
INTERNET CHESS TOURNAMENT

YEREVAN, December 20 (Noyan Tapan). RA Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian addressed the message of congratulation to participants
of the international internet chess tournament dedicated to the 75th
anniversary of Tigran Petrosian.

According to the RA government’s press service, the message, in
particular, reads:

“I congratulate all of you on the occasion of the opening of the
tournament. As far as I know, it is the first international team
internet-tournament held on such a high level, in which the leading
teams and chess-players participate. It is pleasant for us that a
number of arrangements dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Armenian
world legendary champion Tigran Petrosian will continue due to it. The
holding of the tournament with the application of modern techologies of
communication is the progress for us. (…) I welcome the initiators
and main organizers of the tournament: the Armenian Chess Federation
and the Armenian Chess Academy. I also want to mention their activities
in the matter of the organization of tournaments dedicated to the
memory of Tigran Petrosian this year. I wish the tournament successful
start and process, and I wish all the participants every success.

–Boundary_(ID_syojRb4S/pCFNRI1TFePsQ)–

RESIDENTS OF OCCUPIED ARMENIAN TERRITORIES APPEAL TO EUROPEAN COURT

PanArmenian News
Dec 16 2004

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Representatives of the families of those deported
in 1991-1992 from the Armenian-populated regions of Getashen and
Shahumian have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights against
Azerbaijan. It is being done on the initiative of Shahumian-Getashen
philanthropic society. The suit will specifically raise the issue of
protection of the right for property of those deported. It should
be reminded that residents of Getashen sub-region of North Artsakh
(Karabakh), populated by Armenians, were deported and partially
killed in the course of Ring joint operation of the soviet army
and the Azeri OMON in 1991. One of the goals of the operation was to
“frighten” Armenians, who headed for the independence from the USSR and
“encourage” the Azeris faithful to the Soviet authorities. The soviet
army launched the cleansing operation in Getashen May 1. Here we cite
an extract from the telegram of Getashen residents of May 4, 1991:
“The soviet army annihilates us. Helicopters fire on us from the sky,
tanks trample us on the ground, Azeri OMON take our children, women and
the elderly hostage from our homes and yards, break their hands and
legs, ribs, scalp them and stab them. We stood firm for three years,
but we cannot resist to the soviet army, our husbands cannot protect
us with hunting guns the army destroys us, making to recognize the
Azerbaijan authority and leave native villages. But they don’t even
let us flee – they fire upon us.” Residents of NKR Shahumian region,
which is at present occupied by Azerbaijan, were banished from their
houses in 1992 after the Azeri managed to seize the region with the
assistance of the bribed Russian generals. You can find addinional
details of the Ring operation and others at

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA CELEBRATES HOLIDAY SEASON WITH MEMBERS, ACTIVISTS

WASHINGTON, December 17 (Noyan Tapan). The Armenian Assembly of
America (AAA) held a series of holiday events across the U.S. this
month, thanking friends and members for their support throughout the
year and encouraging their continued activism in strengthening the
U.S.-Armenia and U.S.-Karabakh relationships in the year ahead.

On December 12, supporters in the nation’s capital were briefed by
Armenian Caucus Member Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Jr. (D-MD), who spoke
about the importance of grassroots activism and reaffirmation of the
Armenian Genocide.

“We have an obligation not to give up,” Van Hollen told supporters at
the Armenian Embassy. “We must make sure that the world never forgets.”

According to the AAA, the afternoon program, which was led by Board
of Directors Vice Chair Annie Totah and Capital Region Host Committee
Members Clara Andonian and Doris George, included remarks by Armenia’s
Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Arman Kirakossian and Assembly Executive
Director Ross Vartian. The event, which was organized by members of
the Assembly’s Capital Region Host Committee, also included a slide
presentation of presidential photos by White House photographer Joyce
Naltchayan Boghosian.

>>From his home base in Massachusetts, Board of Directors Chairman
Anthony Barsamian participated in events in Arlington and Charlestown,
as well as an event in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Starting in Rhode
Island on December 7, Barsamian joined Board of Directors Member
Corinne Heditsian and RI District Chair Nathalie Yaghoobian in honoring
outgoing District Chair Jake Harpootian. A Fellow Trustee since 1991,
Harpootian was credited with rallying local activists and advocating
for congressional support of Armenian-American issues. That event was
organized and led by Development Co-Chair Lu Ann Ohanian and the New
England Regional Council.

The Council’s two other events were held at the Armenian Cultural
Center in Arlington and at the Meze Restaurant in Charlestown. The
first event held on December 8, welcomed Board of Trustees President
Carolyn Mugar and local officials including State Representative
Rachel Kaprielian (D-Watertown.) The second event, dubbed the
“The Next Leadership Group Party,” was a holiday mixer for young
professionals. Held on December 9, the event was organized by
Assembly supporter Joanne Tashjian and her children, Christopher,
Joy and Noelle. The events in New England also included a year-end
update from Executive Director Vartian.

The Assembly’s Great Lakes Regional Council hosted its annual holiday
event at Council Chairman Edgar Hagopian’s Roche Bobois store in
Novi, Michigan on December 5. More than 80 people turned out for the
event which included legislative briefings by Congressional Caucus
on Armenian Issues Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) and Board Chairman
Barsamian. Guests also included State Representative Shelly Taub
(R-Bloomfield Hills) and several other community leaders. The Great
Lakes Regional Council assisted in planning the evening.

On the West Coast, Los Angeles-area supporters kicked-off the season
with a reception at the Four Season’s Hotel on December 3. Assembly
Western Office Chairman Richard Mushegain and Board Member Lisa
Kalustian welcomed 60 area supporters to the event, which included
a briefing by Mushegain on the Assembly’s legislative achievements
in 2004.

Also in California, Assembly Life Trustees Roger Strauch and Dr. Julie
Kulhanjian Strauch opened their suburban Piedmont home on December
5, helping the Assembly and its members celebrate another successful
year. Among the highlights of the evening was a presentation by Roger
Strauch on the organization’s achievements in the San Francisco Bay
Area. Deputy Executive Director Peter Abajian was also on hand to
provide a report on the Assembly’s national activities.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
Dec 17 2004

SPEAKER MEETS WITH UZBEK AMBASSADOR
[December 17, 2004, 15:01:09]

Speaker of the Milli Majlis /Parliament/ of Azerbaijan Murtuz
Alasgarov received Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan Abdugafur
Abdurahmanov in connection with completion of his diplomatic mission
in Azerbaijan. The Speaker noted that after gaining independence,
relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan entered the new era, and
that reciprocal visits of the Heads of State had played an important
role in deepening of bilateral cooperation. He also mentioned the
successfully developing contacts of the two countries’ parliaments.
Mr. Alasgarov also touched upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh expressing gratitude to the government and people of
Uzbekistan for the support of the fair position of Azerbaijan in
relation to this issue.

The Speaker finally thanked the Ambassador for his contribution to
development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan
and wished him every success in his future activities.

Ambassador Abdugafur Abdurahmanov said for his part that his country
attaches importance to development of relations with Azerbaijan.
Noting he has felt at home in Azerbaijan, he stressed he would always
support the right cause of the country wherever he works. The
diplomat expressed hope that members of the Milli Majlis would
observe the upcoming parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan. He also
expressed confidence that the newly appointed ambassador who is
expected to arrive in Baku within a few next days would work hard to
promote strengthening and deepening of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan
relationship.

The parties also exchanged views on a number of other issues of
mutual interest.

News and information about Kurds and Kurdistan since 4th August 1998

Kurdish PEN Centre and human rights in modern Kurdish literature

16 December 2004

KurdishMedia.com – By Dr Zorab Aloian

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear friends!
Goede Middag! Of dag, fijn dat u er bent!

I wish to thank Mildred Anna Middendorp, Stef de Niet, Shirley van
de Steen and other organizers of today’s Program “Turkish and Kurdish
Literature at Literair Theater Branoul” which is a part of the Festival
Horen Zien en Schrijven. I appreciate that Janá Beranová from the
Netherlands PEN Centre and Kurdish lady poet Beri Bihar proposed my
name as a representative of the Kurdish PEN Centre. I am happy to see
here all the guests and especially our close friend Ragip Zarakolu,
who through his Publishing House has been tirelessly promoting freedom
of speech and overcoming taboo topics for the readers in Turkey. I
greet Nisan Erdogan and Ibrahim Roglu who will guide us to the world
of modern Turkish poetry.

I should like to draw some schematic picture of the activities of
the Kurdish PEN Centre and the human rights topics in modern Kurdish
literature. No more than a tiny glimpse of these two very serious
issues can be given here. Therefore, I may elaborate certain points
afterwards, if you come up with your questions and ideas.

The Essence of Kurdish PEN Centre

Your may well know that the International PEN was founded in 1921 in
London by Mrs. Amy Dawson Scott. After the World War I, the nationalist
wave was escalating in Europe and beyond. The first activists of the
International PEN movement headed by John Galsworthy (1867-1933),
a holder of Nobel Prize in Literature, started to work for the sake
of cultural and literary freedoms. The underlying idea of the PEN
has always been “the co-operation between writers themselves” as a
counteract against fascist and totalitarian regimes worldwide. Today,
there are 135 national PEN Centres with 100 of them being state-framed,
or representing existing states, although politically independent. In
addition, there are few PEN Centres without states of their own such
as the Gypsy, Catalan, Esperanto, Basque, Palestinian, Kurdish and
other PEN Centres. What matters for the writers is not the state
boundaries or government blessing but a language in which we create.

At the International PEN Congress in Cambridge, which took place in
April 1988, all the delegates voted for the foundation of the Kurdish
PEN Centre with no vote against and no abstention. This process has
been initiated by the Kurdish author Hüseyin Erdem and several other
writers. This was the first time in history that a national Kurdish
organisation became a member of an international body having equal
rights with others. By doing so, the PEN International exercised
its right to pressure those totalitarian regimes which are sued
to silencing freedom of speech and destroying cultural diversity
in their countries. This achievement was an important step for the
Kurdish language and literature enabling them to gather respect and
strength and to gain an international acceptance.

>> From the very beginning, the Kurdish PEN Centre has been
representing the Kurdish writers living both in the four divided
parts of Kurdish homeland, known as Kurdistan, and abroad thus
refusing to play a role of an exiled Centre. Since 2003 we have a
new Board of the Kurdish PEN Centre headed by Dr. Zaradachet Hajo
and Moustafa Rechid with me being the secretary. We try our utmost
to work for all four existing Committees of the International PEN,
that is, Writers in Prison Committee, Committee of Writers for Peace,
Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee and The Women Writers’
Committee. We have more than 60 members who live in the Middle East,
Europe and the post-Soviet states. The members of the Kurdish PEN
Centre’s Extended Board live in Germany and the UK, we have a Bureau in
Istanbul and next year we are going to visit Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan
to set up a local Bureau over there, too. We are working on organising
a linguistic and literary conference, probably in Arbil, to discuss
the issue of the united Kurdish alphabet based on Latin script. lIt
must be pointed our that due to historical vicissitudes, the modern
Kurdish literature – although essentially united – evolves in three
major dialects and two alphabets. All are represented in our Centre.

With support of our friends and intellectuals from all nations the
PEN International backs the rights of Kurdish language and literature
and speaks up for release of Kurdish authors who had been detained
and imprisoned in the past. I can only refer to the PEN International
Congress in Mexico City, 2003. Out of 32 resolutions adopted there,
three were related to the Kurdish case: “Resolution on the Linguistic
Rights of the Kurds in Turkey, Iran and Syria”, “Resolution on Syria
concerning the detention of Marwan Osman” and “Resolution on Turkey
Concerning the Detention of Leyla Zana”.

Another important developments is the upcoming Diyarbakir Seminar
on Cultural Diversity jointly organised by Turkish and Kurdish PEN
Centres under the supervision of the International PEN and UNESCO. It
is planned for March, 2005, in the main Kurdish city of Turkey,
Diyarbakir. I am honoured to stress that recently we have developed
a very fruitful contacts with our colleagues from the Turkish PEN
Centre especially with the head of the Linguistic Rights Committee
of the Turkish Centre Mrs. Aysu Erden and our friend here Mr. Ragip
Zarakolu. Now I should rather turn to a literary part of my short
presentation, in which I exclusively deal with the writers who are
members of our PEN Centre.

Human Rights in Modern Kurdish Literature

Certainly, the men and women of literature, while creating, have no
direct goal to embody textually human rights issues. However, the
main motivation of literature lies in the premises that a person with
his or her hopes, joy, pains, spirit and talent is in a preference
to ideological and state interests. That is also exactly what human
rights movement is about. Indeed, a human being must have a certain
fascination. And this is always relevant, whether we call it human
rights or literary mastery.

Arguably the most prominent poet from South (Iraqi) Kurdistan Shêrko
Bêkes, who had been living in exile in Sweden and became a Tucholsky
Prize winner and now is back in his country, describes how inevitable
for a poet it is to be a free creator: “If you take freedom from my
poems and throw it away, I cannot survive.”

Eger le naw shîirekanim
gul derawêjine derewe
le çwar werz werzêkim emrê.
Eger yar bênine derewe
Duwanim emrin
Eger nan bênine derewe
Sêyanim emrin
Ger azadî bênine derewe
Salim emrê û
Xoyþim emrim

Amid the patriotic theme Shêrko Bêkes, while admitting that there might be
better places under the Sun, makes us feel that his native piece of land
deserve affection, too:

Wilat zor e le Kurdistan
shoxushengtir
Xwêngermtir.
Wilat zor e le Kurdistan
Chawî geshtir
Esksoktir.
Wilat zor e le Kurdistan
Qisexoþtir
Destrengîntir.
Belam ey Kurdistanekem!
Wilat niye
Hergîz le to xoþewîsttir.
(Gulbijêrek ji Helbestên Shêrko Bêkes, Stockholm: APEC, 1991, pp. 14, 69)

The famous novelist Mehmed Uzun, who lives in Sweden, dedicated his
novel “Hawara Dîcleyê” to the forgotten peoples of Mesopotamia –
“jibîrbûyî”. He claims that the Kurds and many other ethnic and
religious communities – whether alive or extinct – are natives of
Mesopotamia, share its rich heritage and need to be remembered of.

Ji bîr mekin: ji-bîr-bû-yî…
Berî ku hûn bipirsin, ez bibêjim we ka jibîrbûyî kî ne.
Jibîrbûyî, ez im,,,, Biroyê Ezdî
Jibîrbûyî, Ester e…
Jibîrbûyî êzdî ne, ku bav û kalên min in, ku hertim li serê çiya û newalên kûr
ên welatê êzdiyan, tên kuþtin, hertim ferman û talana wan radibe…
Jibîrbûyî, suryan, keldan û nastûrî ne, ku bav û kalên Stêra min a gorbehîþt
in, ku nikarin li welatê xwe yê bav û kalan… azad û serbest li tîrêjên
berbangan… binêrin…Jibîrbûyî cihû ne…
…Hûn ê niha bipirsin ka ev… çima jibîrbûyî ne. Ez bibêjim we: ev…
jibîrbûyî ne, ji ber ku bindest in, biserneketine û têk çûne…Gotina min,
gotina wan e; dengê min, dengê wan e.

“Please do not forget the forgotten peoples. I’m forgotten, Biroyê
Ezdî and my sweet Ester is also forgotten. The Yezidi Kurds, my
forefathers, are forgotten since they had to hide in the mounts to
avoid massacres. The Syrian Christians, Chaldeans and Nestorians
living amongst the Kurds are also forgotten peoples, they are unable
to look freely in the ray of the Sun. The Jews of Mesopotamia are
forgotten. If you ask, why are they forgotten, I’ll tell you: they are
oppressed and already destroyed. Therefore my voice is their voice.”
(My abridged translation from: Mehmed Uzun, Hawara Dîcleyê, Istanbul:
Avesta, 2001, part I, pp. 15-17)

Another variant of creative patriotic writing is demonstrated by Haydar
Isik, the novelist from Dêrsîm (re-named to Tunceli by the Turkish
authorities). Since the literary works become often independent of
their authors, one could use a portion of imagination to put Haydar
Isik’s short story “Raya Uþen” within the framework of the current
trend towards foreigners in Europe who are blamed to be over-attached
to their home countries. Certainly, the writer’s inspiration was
different. A young Kurd Uþen (derived from Huseyn) was born and
grew up in Germany, had a friendship circle with German youths but
one day, by a virtue of free choice, he decided to go to his native
Kurdistan. His return, terrible images sawn there and his fate are
poetically shown in Haydar Isik’s ancient dialect of Dimilî-Zazakî,
the musical sounds of which are irresistible:

Uþe Almanya de ame dina, bi pîl, þi dibistane Almanu, terbiye dinu
gurete, ita bi xort. Kare dey duzena dey, waxt sero bimayena dey
þivero Almanu. Dorme Uþen’de Kirmanç çinebi. Hevale dey Alman bi û
ey zone Almanu je dine qeseykerdene. Por cirakerdena Uþen, kaye dey,
yareniya dey je Almani bi.

A sere pero piya ci welat. Ma u pi zu çim, zu dil wasteneke dewa xo biwene, le
Uþen welate pi ye xo hona nediwi. Welate pi çutiriyo, meraxe dey her roz biyene
girs…
Uþen cenc bi, semt bi, o ke feteliyene, alvoz vatene: “Maye camerd ardo dina.”
Deyde ters çinebi, serva azadiya millete xo sond û sodir xebetiya.

Le qersuna bebextu ilam girana. Qersuna xayin tenena jedera. Qersuna Reywer.
Uþen ke bi dirvetin virare estera welat. Goniya dey harde welat kerd cenc. Koye
welat tenena sare kerd berz, nika alvoz raya Uþen ra sone, þahine gile koyune.

(Haydar Isik, Raya Uþeno, 1995, Manusrcipt).

The Kurdish language and culture in the 20th century to a big
part owes to the those mostly Yezidi Kurds who escaped the Ottoman
massacres and found refuge in Armenia. The Soviet state in general
and Armenian intelligentsia in particular promoted the preservation
and developments of Kurdish literature. The first Latin-based Kurdish
alphabet was created in 1928 in Armenia, the first Kurdish novel –
roman – was written by Arab Shamilov, an Armenian Kurd. The first
theatre, the first movie, the first section of Kurdish writers,
Kurdish schools and academic institutions in Armenia – they are a
very positive reverberation of common Armenian-Kurdish destiny. The
Kurds, on their part, highlight this memory and display their sympathy
towards the Armenian wounds.

Thus, the writer, Felat Dilgesh from Istanbul wrote a short story
called Zûra (Anosh). It is about an Armenian girl saved by a Kurdish
family during the genocide campaign after the World War 1. The
girl received a new name Zûra, remained in the Kurdish family, but
her separation from the repressed family was a heavy burden on her
soul. The author describes, how Zûra was every day looking for her
mummy, checking every room in the house.

Anosh dotira rojê bi veciniqîn ji nav nivînan rabû û cardin bi lez û
bez li hemû odeyên malê li diya xwe geriya. Belê wê ne diya xwe û ne
jî xwîshk û birayên xwe dît. Anosh wê rojê jî heta êvarê giriya. Di
serî de maliyên Shêx Muhemed, der û cîranan kirin nekirin, kesî
nikaribû pariyek nan jî bidinê. Berê êvarê tenê firek av vexwar.
(Felat Dilgeþ, Dilþa, Istanbul: Elma, 2003, p. 105).

Speaking of the memories, which are mostly a trauma on personal and
national psyche, one needs to refer to the notorious Anfal campaign
carried out by Saddam Hussein’s regime. According to Western officials,
more than 180,000 Kurds were murdered sometimes with gas on that
year. The Kurdish sources estimate not less than 300,000. The lady
writer from South (Iraqi) Kurdistan Sarfiraz Nakshabandy, who lived
in Berlin and now is back to her homeland, writes a series of novels,
one of them being “Uneasy Balance” about April 1, 1991, events in the
city of Arbil (known as Hewlêr in Kurdish). On that day, the Iraqi
troops quelled the Kurdish uprising. The Iraqi commander comes across
two brothers and gives them a demoniac chance:

“- Both of you must think it over, who is ready to die. I’ll set free
the other. I give you this choice. So that you know how democratic we
are. Even in death we give you the right to choose. We’re not those
dictators as you constantly blame us. Let God curse and punish you,
Kurds! You are nothing but the Devil’s offspring!”

Understandably every brother wants himself to die to save another
one. But as time passes, they try to justify their desire to live
on and think: maybe my brother can die, I have more important things
to do. At the end, however, the Iraqi officer, who amused himself of
that game, kills both brothers:

But they [the brothers] overcame the tremble of death and strongly
took in each other’s arms accreted as the Corinthian column. Now they
wouldn’t care of the things around them. The brothers have already
entered the world of the dead. Indeed, such a death of the two equals
one free life.

Sound of bullets again were heard under the sky of Hewlêr. Voiceless
secrecy covered fear, dignity and love of life.

(Sarfaraz Nakshabandy, Uneasy Balance, Journal Havîbûn (Berlin),
1998/No 4, pp. 167-169, my translation)

A journey follows and a Kurd from Iraq, described by a young writer
Yasîn Banîxelanî, comes to Germany to open a new page here. Currently
we are full of narrations about integration. Yasîn Banîxelanî’s hero
from a short story “Min û piyawe roboteke” (Me and the Robot-like man),
too, cannot get along the society, superficially believing that the
people in Germany live and work like robots. Yet having a necessary
impulse to understand the host society, he approaches a German worker
and hears his tragic story. Indeed, tragedy is a specificity of
every society, be it even seemingly happy. The man tells the Kurdish
immigrant of his grief, cries and the Kurd exclaims: “Oh my dear God,
I thought there is nothing from soul and human emotion to be detected
in this person!”

“Ay Xway Giyan! Min wam dezanî, hîç hestêkî mirovane le rûhî ew piyaw
da nemawe, ke çî êsta debînim, degirî, giriyan lay min le lebizwandinî
heste mirovayetiyekan ziyatir hîç watayekî niye.”

(Yasîn Banîxelanî, Min û piyawe roboteke, Manuscript, my translation)

The desperation must be so high that the people cannot utter
it. Another writer in Zazaki-Dimilî dialect Munzur Çem bases his
story entitled “The Voice of the Forest” on real events of 1994 in
the village of Mirig, Dêrsîm. Since the Turkish state forbids the
people to speak their language and their mind, the author chose to
let animals speak about the military assault presenting the story in
the form of fable.

“What happened, Brother Bear? Why did you come back?”
“What happened! Look around you. I thought I’d find a way of escape out of this
hell, but it’s no good, I couldn’t. The fire hasn’t left even the smallest
passage.”
“You mean there’s nowhere at all to get through?”
“Absolutely not: not even for an insect, let alone me.”
“And what about the others? Did any of them survive the fire?”
“I noticed only the goats. They lost their way like me and turned back,
shouting and crying. Perhaps, you’ll see them soon.”…
“The snake could not stop grieving on account of the wound he had received…
“And so I came back like many others. Just as I was about to meet with you, a
piece of fire broke off from the falling branch and caught me. Look how badly
I’m burned.”…
Seeking the answer to all these problems, our little tortoise certainly did not
know about the people far, far off in the capital city of Ankara. He did not
know, he could not know, that the administrators there talked about “the
successes achieved in the struggle against terrorism”…
“I am just a tortoise. I know I can’t do much….. Even if I do nothing else, I
shall be the voice of the forest. I’ll… try to tell everyone the story of its
suffering…”

(Munzur, Çem, The Vocie of the Forest, Stories, translated by Chris Buchanan,
Cologne: Komkar Publications, 2002, pp. 99-125).

The emancipation of the Kurdish society is stipulated by a higher
prestige of women. The lady poet from Meletî (Malatya) Nilgün Demirkaya
defies traditional descriptions of Oriental women in a patriarchal
way: the women are objects of lust, beautiful, attractive and with
red lips. Nilgün Demirkaya’s poems, erratic and impatient, merge
Kurdish theme of liberation with women’s dignity:

My mother bears
her heart
in her hand
and
rocks the empty
cradle
My shot is full of cries
gathered in the heavens.
My voice
Is the voice of mounts.
Can you comprehend what I’m saying?

(Nilgün Demirkaya, Durch unsere halbgeöffneten Türen, Manuscript, my
translation).

Another lady poet from Kurdish region of Turkey Evîn Cîcek looks for a
salvation from the exhausting fate:
“Pain makes these people writers, poets, bards, but also orphans, prisoners and
dead.”
Jan wan dike nivîskar,
Jan wan dike helbestvan,
Jan wan dike dengbêj,
Jan wan dike hunermend,
Jan wan dike hêsîr,
Jan wan dike girtî,
Jan wan dike mirî.

(Evîn Cîcek, Awaza Serpêhatiyan, Istanbul: Perî, 2004, vol. 3, p. 104).

All the mentioned writers are born in the conflict zone. They
experienced destructions of war, detentions with tortures and bans of
self-expression. Nonetheless they constantly remind us: love of native
culture and nature is a very human instinct. If I had to generalise
about the lines above and say what single quality strikes me most,
I would say that cherishing one’s own feelings without harming others
is their most memorable characteristic.

Such is an immediate identity of Kurdish literati.

Dr Zorab Aloian, Kurdish P.E.N. Center. In 1988 during the
International PEN Conference all delegates voted for the foundation of
the Kurdish PEN Center. In 1990 they were officially registered. This
was the first time in Kurdish history that a national Kurdish
organisation became a member of an international body having equal
rights with others. This achievement was an important step for the
Kurdish language and literature enabling them to gather dignity and
strength and to gain an international acceptance.

Republication and redistribution of KurdishMedia.com content is expressly
prohibited without the prior written consent of KurdishMedia.com.

KurdishMedia.com
Copyright © KurdishMedia.com – 1998-2003
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JUEVES 16 de Diciembre de 2004 – ENVIAR POR E-MAIL

Cumbre de la Unión Europea en Bruselas
El ingreso de Turquía provoca una fuerte división en la UE

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Debatirán hoy las condiciones para la adhesión del primer socio musulmán

* Francia, Austria, Chipre y Dinamarca se muestran renuentes
* Gran Bretaña, Alemania, Italia y España creen que es esencial
* Ankara, desafiante

BRUSELAS.- La Unión Europea (UE) enfrenta hoy en Bruselas una de sus más
duras pruebas en una cumbre de dos días en la que deberá adoptar la
histórica decisión de abrir negociaciones con Turquía, el primer país
musulmán que podría sumarse al bloque y cuya incorporación abre
profundas divisiones.

Horas antes del crucial pronunciamiento, el Parlamento Europeo dio ayer
su visto bueno para que “los 25” -el nuevo número de socios de la Europa
ampliada este año- comiencen las negociaciones con Ankara para su
adhesión plena a la UE, un proceso extenso que se prevé culminará no
antes de 2014.

Holanda, en la presidencia temporaria de la UE, buscará dar a cada
Estado la posibilidad de evitar una oleada de inmigrantes desde Turquía;
en tanto, existe consenso para exigir al país árabe mayores reformas
económicas, políticas y militares.

A pocas horas de la votación sobre las condiciones del ingreso, las
profundas divisiones aparecieron, una vez más, en una Europa que a
medida que se extiende encuentra mayores dificultades para mantener la
cohesión política.

Tras su ampliación hacia el Este y la incorporación de 10 nuevos Estados
este año, los próximos pasos generan mayor controversia. Por un lado, la
posibilidad de un futuro ingreso de Turquía es vista, especialmente por
Gran Bretaña, Alemania, España e Italia, como una ocasión única para
tender puentes hacia el mundo musulmán y mejorar las relaciones dañadas
por la guerra antiterrorista.

Sin embargo, otro grupo de países lideran una férrea oposición a que
Turquía se sume a la Unión Europea por el tamaño de su territorio, por
sus diferencias culturales y por la pobreza que lo afecta. Francia,
Austria, Chipre y Dinamarca consideran que la incorporación turca es
inviable y plantean, en cambio, la alternativa de una “colaboración
privilegiada” con Ankara.

Turquía, un país musulmán de 70 millones de habitantes, ha esperado
durante 40 años la oportunidad de ingresar a la UE. Sin embargo, el
primer ministro turco, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, amenazó ayer con retirar la
candidatura de su país a la UE -que fue aceptada sólo en 1999- si los
dirigentes europeos “imponen condiciones inaceptables”.

La fecha, el objetivo y el carácter de las negociaciones, que la UE
parece dispuesta a entablar con Turquía, son los tres parámetros que
todavía faltan decidir en las conclusiones de la cumbre de dos días que
comienza hoy.

A esos temas clave se añadió a última hora la exigencia greco-chipriota
de que Ankara reconozca previamente a la República de Chipre. La isla
está dividida desde la invasión turca de 1974, y sólo la parte sur se
convirtió en miembro pleno de la UE el pasado 1° de mayo.

Francia, por su parte, exige que Turquía reconozca su responsabilidad en
el genocidio armenio a principios del siglo pasado como condición para
apoyar su ingreso al bloque comunitario. Con reacciones muy dispares en
cada país ante la posibilidad del ingreso de un socio musulmán, en
Francia, una encuesta difundida ayer reflejó que el 67% de la población
está en contra de la adhesión turca. Una realidad totalmente distinta de
la que se vive en España, donde existe total indiferencia ante el
asunto.

Pese a todo, después de que la Comisión Europea recomendara el pasado 6
de octubre la apertura de las negociaciones -aunque bajo duras
condiciones- y de que el Parlamento Europeo votara ayer a favor de lo
mismo, nadie duda de que los líderes europeos terminarán dando esta vez
una respuesta positiva a Turquía.

Fuentes comunitarias señalan que en las conclusiones que se esperan en
Bruselas, los 25 recordarán que Turquía es “un país-candidato llamado a
ingresar en la Unión atendiendo a los mismos criterios que se aplican a
los demás estados candidatos”. Sin embargo, por primera vez, a
diferencia de lo ocurrido en las cinco ampliaciones anteriores, se
planteará que la apertura de cada capítulo de negociación no será
automática. Además, “podrían plantearse períodos transitorios
prolongados, excepciones, disposiciones específicas o cláusulas de
salvaguardia permanentes”.

En ese sentido, la UE advertirá que las negociaciones podrán quedar
suspendidas en caso de que el Estado candidato “viole de manera grave y
persistente los principios de libertad, democracia, respeto de los
derechos humanos y del Estado de Derecho en los que se basa la Unión”.

Agencias EFE, Reuters y AFP

Si desea acceder a más información, contenidos relacionados, material
audiovisual y opiniones de nuestros lectores ingrese en :

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Copyright S. A. LA NACION 2004. Todos los derechos reservados.

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