AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT STILL BELIEVES FRENCH GOVERNMENT WILL NOT LEGALIZE DOCUMENT ON SO-CALLED ‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’
Author: P. Kesamanski
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 30 2006
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, stated in his interview
with the foreign media accredited in Russia that Azerbaijan’s
official position on the adoption of the legislation penalizing
for denial of the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ was commented in an
official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this
respect. Azerbaijan is very much concerned on the initiatives on the
consideration of the issue and voting.
The President noted that Azerbaijan is satisfied with the statement
by French officials urging that the government will never support
this law. The position has been recently sounded in a meeting of the
Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and France in Paris, as well as the
French embassy in Baku.
“We are cooperating with the MPs, and the government of France on
this matter. We are satisfied with the standpoints by this country’s
officials. We believe that France will never allow the legalization of
such anti-democratic document, based on unfair shuffling of historic
facts, because ideas sounded at the French parliament violate the
democracy and its major principles. It would be very difficult for MPs,
who voted for this legislation, to speak about democracy and teach
democracy representatives of different countries,” the Azerbaijani
Present assured.
“We negatively estimate the legislation and state that it does not
meet the truth. The so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ is an illusion of
the Armenian lobby. To justify their belligerent policy in respect
to Azerbaijan they introduce themselves as victims and consider they
are right in taking similar steps in respect to Azerbaijanis. The
Armenian committed genocide in Khojaly, where the Armenian armed forces
killed over 600 people, including children, women and elderly ones,”
Mr Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani President also backed Turkey’s imitative in the
commencement of the talks with Armenian on the issue and publication
of the archive material.

WHAT IT TAKES TO BE ARMENIAN IN BULGARIA
A report by Dafina Boshnakova
Sofia Echo, Bulgaria
Oct 30 2006
PRESERVANCE: Priest Kusan from Holy Virgin Mary church keeps faith
and language alive for the Armenians in Sofia.A look at the past,
present and future of a community that has become an integral part
of Bulgarian life.
“I remember my childhood days in Varna when my family visited
relatives. Having guests is a ritual for Armenians. There would
always be a meal prepared and everybody would sit at the table eating,
drinking and talking. Sometimes we would go there at noon and leave
at late evening.
“The funniest part of the visit would start when someone would say
it was about time we had left. Then, all of a sudden, the hosts would
bring one more dish or start pouring coffee. In this fashion we would
spend another hour. When we would manage to get up and start for the
door, our relatives would stop us at the top of the staircase (for
the dining room in their house was on the first floor) and everybody
would continue chatting as if they hadn’t met for ages. Half an hour
more would pass.
“When we would finally get to the door on the ground floor, our
hosts would keep us there 30 minutes more, talking incessantly. So
traditionally it would take us about two hours to be actually able
to leave our relatives’ house.”
This story is one of the numerous memories of Mishel Gutsuzian, 27,
a representative of the youngest generation of Bulgarian Armenians.
Despite that his mother is a Bulgarian and that he presently lives
in Sofia, away from his relatives, Mishel feels proud of his Armenian
origin.
But what does it mean to be Armenian in Bulgaria? One general thing
could be said – Bulgarians don’t consider them different. They are
so well integrated, that usually only their surname ending with the
typical -ian gives them away. It strange but true – Bulgarians don’t
fancy Turks too much and they quite dislike Roma people. At the same
time, Bulgarians feel Armenians to be part of their nation and have
no negative stereotypes about them.
It could be the result of the hundreds of years of peaceful
co-existence. Protobulgarians and Armenians had their first interaction
1900 years ago, and Armenians have lived on the Balkans for more than
1500 years. Throughout this time, political changes have obviously
strengthened all the more the relationship between the two nations.
Armenians have a unique fate that probably could be likened only to
that of Jews. This talented nation has put its grandest historical
achievements not in its own state and culture, wrote English
Byzantologist R Genkins.
Centuries of trial Although Armenia is one of the most ancient and
still-existing countries, it has suffered numerous dominations and vast
parts of its territory were torn apart by its neighbours. In 387 the
Roman Empire and Persia finally divided Armenia in two parts. Since
then, over 1600 years now, the state of existence of two Armenias –
East and West – has continued. Their sovereignty and their belonging to
one or another foreign country changed through the centuries depending
on the geopolitical situation in the region and the world as a whole.
One sole fact speaks for itself – the present Armenian country is
fully within the borders of East Armenia. The rest of the historical
Armenian lands are in Turkey.
Armenians might very well be called a nation of fugitives. Today
there are about three million people living in Armenia, and another
10 million scattered all around the world. Migrating has become their
fate – Armenian mercenary armies were first settled in the lands of
nowadays Bulgaria by the Byzantine emperors in the sixth century.
With each new conqueror, new groups of Armenians were displaced and
very often sent to the Balkan Peninsula. Armenians left their lands
not only because of the oppression of foreign rulers. The unfavourable
natural resources and conditions in their territory were one more
reason that besides foreign occupations that urged Armenians to find
other places to live.
Even bigger were the migration waves during the period of Ottoman
domination. At that time, both Bulgaria and Armenia were within the
borders of the Turkish empire. Travelling for the purposes of trade
and crafts fostered the relations between the two peoples. Probably
that is the time when the Armenians realised they would stay in
Bulgarian lands for good. So they started building churches and
founding schools. The common faith – Christianity – also helped
Bulgarians and Armenians to grow closer.
The sad events in the history of the Armenian nation at the end of
the 19th and the beginning of the 20 century turned Armenians and
Bulgarians into close friends once and for all. Armenians still fight
for a worldwide recognition of the genocide inflicted on them.
Bulgaria is one of the few countries that openly accepted the refugees
from that period, and that is why Armenians are ever thankful to
the Bulgarians.
A nation of fugitives But let’s give it a clear explanation. By the
end of the 19th century, Bulgaria was already a free country. Its
liberation had been acquired through a war between Russia and the
Ottoman Empire, the battles held on Bulgarian lands with the active
participation of many Bulgarian volunteer detachments. Although
unstable and just starting to make its way through the complicated
situation of the day, Bulgaria was free. At the same time, the Ottoman
Empire was already on the deathbed, striving to survive and crumbling
under the pretence of its own ruler.
The sultan Abdul Hamit II feared to death that someone might undermine
his unlimited authority. Hence he had become hostile to every kind of
national-liberation movement in the empire. Armenians were first on his
list of culprits. During the 1880s, a vast plan for their genocide was
developed. It included depriving Armenians of the protection of law,
seizing by force of Armenian property, organisation to systematically
massacre them. Of course, everything was carried on unofficially. The
aim of the sultan was that Armenians revolt against such treatment,
which reaction would be the perfect pretext to officially use armed
force against them.
The result of the sultan’s 1894-1896 campaign: 300 000 victims and
500 000 refugees. Bulgaria reacted immediately: the ships Bulgaria,
Knyaz Boris and Istanbul transported Armenians to the Bulgarian Black
Sea ports for free. The government granted the refugees money and
exempted from taxation all petty tradesmen, craftsmen and those who
had managed to receive agricultural land.
Like everybody, Armenians hoped that the downfall of the Ottoman Empire
would mean end to the oppression. Wrong. The Young Turks proved to
be more barbaric even than the retrograde sultan had been.
Only one generation, 20 years, had passed. Armenians had fresh memories
of the loss of friends and relatives. And everything repeated all over
again, but on a grander, more horrifying scale, from between 1915-1916
and until there was mass Armenian deportation to the most distant
desert parts of Turkey. People were simply left out there and were
told they had to find a way to survive. Men, who were more likely to
fight against the Turks, were collected from around the towns and shot.
That period saw the loss of 1.5 million Armenian lives and the flight
of another 800 000 people. The fact that Bulgaria officially opened
its borders for the refugees is a credit to the state. Actually,
Bulgaria had just gone through three wars (two Balkan wars and World
War 1) that had exhausted its resources to the utmost extent.
Nevertheless Knyaz Boris III ordered with a decree that all Armenians
should be accepted into the country. They numbered about 20 000.
Nowadays, Armenians from all over the world celebrate April 24 as a
memorial day to the victims of the genocide. The date is used to launch
campaigns for recognition of the genocide, appointed by the respective
country’s parliament. Although the UN had acknowledged the genocide
back in 1945, many states still have no official standpoint on the
topic. The greatest problem probably is with Turkey, which stubbornly
continues denying that something like that had ever happened.
According to the official census from 2001, presently in Bulgaria
there live about 13 000 Armenians. Unofficial data of the Armenian
church gives even a larger number – about 20 000. Almost all of them
(about 95 per cent) live in towns and their occupation is very often
connected on trade, crafts or arts. There even exists such a stereotype
in Bulgarian minds about Armenians – that they are goldsmiths (or
other craftsmen, who are skilful in producing exquisite things),
and that they have never practiced hard physical work.
“Usually when I say my name, people recognise my Armenian origin,”
Anton Hekimian, 22, a student at Sofia University, explains. “Next
thing that happens is that everybody starts talking about us being
goldsmiths and so on,” he smiles. As a matter of fact, his grandfather,
one of the refugees from 1915-1922, had been a shoemaker. The other
curious fact is that only when his father married a Bulgarian,
did he “discover” the difference between the various agricultural
implements. “So it’s not true that Armenians never worked in the
fields. My farther did. Because of his love for my mother,” said Anton.
The role of faith There is one thing most characteristic of the
Armenian communities outside their home country. They keep tight
relationships, support each other and do their best to preserve their
cultural identity.
Their solidarity is so popular that Bulgarians started joking that all
you need is put three Armenians together and they will immediately
build a church, found a school and start publishing a newspaper. At
the same time, Armenians are not insular and they actively co-operate
to establish connection between themselves and the “host” peoples.
That is how Armenians in Bulgaria have both managed to keep their
traditions and still be active citizens, bringing prosperity to
the country. According to Kusan Hadavian, a priest at Sofia’s Holy
Virgin Mary church, the Armenian minority alone stand closest to the
Bulgarian nation. And that is why they have never created problems
for the government. “We have come here knowing clearly that we need to
obey local laws. But meanwhile we are called to preserve our language,
religion and culture. We shouldn’t allow what we call ‘djermak chart’
to happen – that means we shouldn’t give our traditions up,” Father
Kusan explained.
In the past, because of the numerous dominations that the people
of Armenia had suffered, the church played the role of a uniting
centre for all Armenians. It substituted the government, the court,
the schools. Today, with Armenians living abroad, the church again
plays as the centre of their universe.
It is at church service where most of the Bulgarian-Armenians talk
their native language. There people meet not only to pray to God,
but to socialise and to find out what’s new with their friends.
“Conditions of life have changed,” admits Father Kusan, “and they
have become more difficult”. That’s why the regular-goers have grown
fewer. But at least for tradition’s sake, the temple fills up on
Sundays and major feasts like Easter and at the Nativity.
Maybe preserving the Armenian consciousness is truly in their genes, as
a man from the congregation said. Religion, Christianity to be exact,
is a vital part of that consciousness. It is very unlikely that you
meet an Armenian who doesn’t know how Christianity was spread in his
country. Everybody you ask surely takes pride in the fact that the
religion had been widely popular in Armenia from the very beginning of
its existence in the first century CE. Another thing that you might
hear very often is the fact that the country officially accepted
Christianity even before the Roman Empire did, in 301.
Even though, at present, the Armenians in Bulgaria are less religious
than they were some 20 years ago, they still feel hurt if you neglect
the ancient history of their church. They also insist on making its
actual name clear. Officially it is the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox
Church, and they call it such because the first people to spread
Christianity in the lands of Armenia were two of Jesus’ disciples –
Thaddeus and Bartholomew. One other name for it is Lusavorchagan, after
the most-honoured Armenian saint. He is Krikor Lusavorich (257?-337?),
or Gregory the Illuminator, a reformer of the church during whose
time Christianity was proclaimed the official religion of the country.
Unfortunately, a misunderstanding about these names appeared. In
the 19th century Echmiadzin – the spiritual centre of Armenia – fell
within the borders of the Russian empire. The Russian constitution
demanded that the church bear the name of its founder. That’s why
Armenians started calling it Lusavorchagan, Russians – Enlightener’s,
and in Western Europe it became popular as Armeno-Gregorian. In truth,
the last name created a lot of confusion. Although it was attributed
to Gregory the Illuminator, Western people tend to believe it has
a relation to the Roman Catholic pope Gregory. Armenians deny this
concept as absolutely untrue. Actually this is one main reason why
they insist hard on the name Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church.
The other reason, of course, is the fact that they want to uphold
their 2000-year-old heritage, starting with Thaddeus and Bartholomew.
Language during service turns out to be both a privilege and a
problem. For many Armenians, the church is the only place where they
can speak it in their otherwise Bulgarian habitat. On the other hand,
it’s so rich and complicated that sometimes it’s hard to understand
the words and chants of the priest. “In order to make ourselves clear
and to attract more pilgrims to service, we ought to use plainer
vocabulary,” Father Kusan admits. In his view, another tactic that
could bring more people to the church is publishing a booklet with
the order and texts of service in both Armenian and Bulgarian. That
could also stimulate people to learn the Armenian language better.
Recent challenges During the communist period, in the 1960s,
Armenian schools in Bulgaria were closed. The effects were all
negative. The interest in the study of Armenian language was lost to
a great extent. Twenty years later, when teaching could be resumed,
there were neither qualified professors, nor adequate books, which
created a lot of problems. The contemporary young prefer to study
Bulgarian because they live and work among Bulgarians. While in
past years, 76th elementary school William Saroyan in Sofia has
had classes full of Armenian children, now things have changed:
“There are more than 300 kids here,” said Headmistress Stefanova,
“but out of them only about 20 study Armenian language. I believe the
reason is the difference between the generations. The grandparents
insisted much more on knowing the traditions and language. Nowadays
parents are not so much up to that”. And there are some the adults,
too, who don’t speak Armenian even at home with their relatives.
It all seems to be connected – the young Armenians in Bulgaria tend
to break the dogmas of their ancestors. You should go to church,
you should speak Armenian, you shouldn’t marry a person who is from a
different nationality… Keeping the “purity” of the blood used to be
an obligation out of question for every Armenian in the country. But
some of its validity was lost 30 years ago, when intermarriages
started.
“A cousin of my father’s fell in love with a Bulgarian girl,” gave
Anton as an example. “After the wedding his parents didn’t speak
a word to him for 10 or more years. They were really mad that he
neglected the tradition.”
You might think that that’s the natural way for a development of
a nation – where young people revolt against the rules created by
their predecessors. And still there are interesting exceptions from
that like mixed families, where the Bulgarian partner speaks Armenian
perfectly. Anyway, the Armenian people have been put to the test of
time and have survived, keeping their identity intact. Massacres,
emigration, insecurity and assimilation proved weak and couldn’t wipe
them out. In spite of their having lived in Bulgaria for so long,
they keep their face and traits. But then again, they have managed
to integrate so well that no one considers them foreigners. That is
a life approach worth envying.
-room-what-it-takes-to-be-armenian/id_18374/catid_ 29

RELEVANT BULGARIAN PHRASEOLOGY
Sofia Echo, Bulgaria
Oct 30 2006
“Go and complain to the Armenian priest” is a very popular idiom in
Bulgarian. Loosely it means that complaining is useless and you are
not going to find any help. The phrase mocks the person at whom it
is pointed because of his futile and irritating attempts to grasp
someone’s attention by whining.
Although nowadays Bulgarians use it in a negative, derisive way,
history scholars and many Armenians oppose this and call it a misuse.
They cite the memoirs of Bulgarian revolutionaries from the times
of the Ottoman domination who were exiled to the town of Diarbekir
(Turkish Armenia) suspected of plotting against the sultan and the
empire. Many of them managed to escape prison thanks to the local
Armenian priests – people with great influence on the Ottoman governors
– who fostered the Bulgarians both morally and financially.
Anyway, there are two views on that. Valya Pirova, assistant professor
at Sofia University, Bulgarian philology chair, says the expression
has always had a negative meaning. According to her, the Bulgarian
exiles had the right to post a complaint to the closest Christian
cleric (and that was the Armenian patriarch) once a year, but those
letters were never answered.
Brush up your joke repertoire
Every Balkan country tells jokes about its neighbours. Bulgaria makes
no difference but the anecdotes about Armenians aberrate slightly.
Actually, as the Armenian ethnic group is probably the best integrated
into the Bulgarian society, there are no “neighbourhood” jokes about
them. On the whole, Bulgarian humour contains no negative attitude
towards Armenians and although sometimes ridicules them, it is never
offensive.
Three types of anecdotes could be specified:
Where Armenians boast with their abilities, might, wealth. Very often
these jokes feature the characteristic desire of the Armenian to be
first in everything.
A Bulgarian, an American and an Armenian talk about their sports
facilities. The Bulgarian says: “We have a wonderful big stadium –
it holds 40 000 people”. The American laughs and says: “Our biggest
one has a capacity of 120 000”. Then comes the Armenian’s turn: “The
capacity of the biggest stadium in my country is 120 000 seats in
the first row”. The other two ask amazed: “Why in the first row only?”
The answer comes with a grin: “Have you ever seen an Armenian sitting
in the second row?”
Where Bulgarians highlight Armenians’ affinity for plump women.
Radio Sofia: What shall one do if a woman is fat?
Radio Yerevan: Let her spin a hoop around her hips.
Radio Sofia: And if she can’t make it through the hoop?
Radio Yerevan: Then don’t spoil the fine lady!
Where Armenian people/institutions are used to discuss politics and
international affairs, to criticise over problematic issues. In such
cases, jokes usually have nothing to do with Armenians themselves.
Bulgarians simply use the frankness of Armenians to disguise biting
jokes, says Valya Pirova, assistant professor at Sofia University,
Bulgarian philology chair. The above-mentioned Radio Yerevan (Yerevan
is the capital of Armenia) and the Armenian guys Kirkor and Garabed
are most popular.
Radio Sofia: What would have happened had they shot Kruschchev during
his speech before the UN, instead of John Kennedy in Dallas?
Radio Yerevan is silent for a moment. Then says: It is difficult to
give an answer but one thing’s for sure – Aristotle Onassis would
have never married Nina Krushcheva.
Simply delicious
If you are fed up with ordinary restaurants, try one where they serve
Armenian cuisine. Almost all big towns with large groups of Armenian
residents offer that chance. One of the most popular places here is
Egur, Egur (literally Come, Come) in Sofia, owned by Hilda Kazasian,
a famous jazz singer.
Once having made up your mind that you want to try Armenian food,
you’d better be warned that it’s savoury but often either spicy or
quite sweet. If you’ve already eaten Bulgarian sarmi you’ll find
a similar thing on the Armenian menu, only the vine leave rolls
are stuffed not simply with rice but also with caramelised onions
and raisins. A lot of the dishes include eggplant – like Shtoratz,
where it is fried in thin slices and then rolled with milk filling,
or Carna salad, which includes also white cheese and tomatoes. If you
like meat, you might find Veal with sauce of green and black olives
a true delicacy. Although dessert comes last, in Armenian cuisine
sweeties are obviously held in honour. The must here is Anush abur.
It is translated as “sweet soup” and is a type of frumenty with boiled
wheat, dried fruit (figs, apricots, raisins) and various nuts.
In truth, cooking typical food is one of the traditions which the
Armenian families in Bulgaria keep longest. The recipes are passed on
to each new generation. Many Bulgarian girls, married to Armenians,
also get to know the secrets of their cuisine.

PUTIN, KOCHARYAN TO DISCUSS NATGAS COOPERATION, SECURITY ISSUES
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Oct 30 2006
MOSCOW, October 30 (Itar-Tass) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on
Monday will for the fourth time this year meet his Armenian counterpart
Robert Kocharyan. A high-ranking Kremlin administration official told
Itar-Tass that the sides will focus on cooperation in the natural
gas supply sphere and improvement of the situation in the Caucasus.
Kocharyan is arriving in the Russian capital on a two-day working
visit on Monday.
The two presidents’ meeting “will be continuation of the active
political dialogue between Russia and Armenia that matches the
strategic character of Russo-Armenian partnership,” the Kremlin
administration representative believes.
According to the source, “the agenda of the meeting will centre on
issues of bilateral relations, new opportunities of economic ties,
and cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, investments, and
real economy where Russian interests are considerably represented
in the financial sphere and key branches.” He also stressed that
“there will be a detailed discussion of prospects of cooperation in
the natural gas sector.”
The Kremlin official said that “the discussion of interaction in the
trade and economy sphere will be one of the central subjects of the
meeting.” The official noted in this connection “a positive tendency in
this sphere” – in the first eight months of 2006 trade between Russia
and Armenia reached 278 million US dollars, a 60-percent increase
from the same period last year. “Russia is the most important trade
partner of Armenia and one of major investors in its economy,” he said.
The Kremlin official also highly assessed the existing “solid legal
base” of relations between Moscow and Yerevan. Thus, in 1997 the sides
signed a treaty on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance and
declaration on ally partnership into the 21st century.
Over 160 interstate, intergovernmental, and interdepartmental treaties
and agreements have been concluded between Russia and Armenia.
“It is planned that in the course of the visit, the parties will
exchange opinions on the most important international and regional
problems. In principle, the two countries’ stances are very close or
coincide here,” the official said.
According to him, the sides intend “to discuss issues of further
interaction within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
– the improvement and reforming of the CIS structure.” He said,
“The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Eurasian
Economic Community (EurAsEC) where Armenia has obtained the status
of observer will also be a subject for discussion.”
“It is planned to discuss issues related to the coordination of the
two countries’ efforts aimed at the improvement of the situation in
the Caucasus, using the potential of diverse cooperation, prevention
of new conflicts and settlement of remaining problems, in particular,
Nagorno Karabakh,” the Kremlin administration representative said.
From: Baghdasarian

UNION OF TURKISH ASSOCIATIONS IN EUROPE PROTESTS FRANCE
Anatolian Times, Turkey
Oct 30 2006
BERLIN – The Union of Turkish Associations in Europe laid black
wreaths in front of French consulates general in four German cities
–Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Munich and Stuttgart– to protest the bill
criminalizing denial of so-called Armenian genocide that was approved
by French national assembly on October 12th, 2006.
Recep Yildirim, chairman of the Union of Turkish Associations in
Europe, said that France, which defended human rights and freedom of
expression, has blackened its history due to adoption of the bill.
Yildirim added, “we hope that the bill will not be approved in the
Senate.”

WHY FRANCE SHOULDN’T LEGISLATE TURKEY’S PAST.
by Philip H. Gordon & Omer Taspinar
The New Republic, DC
Oct 30 2006
Historical Crimes
Only at TNR Online | Post date 10.30.06 Discuss this article
As European nations debate the idea of accepting Turkey
into their ranks, vestiges of the country’s authoritarian
nationalism–particularly its tendency to constrain free speech in
the name of national honor and unity–have antagonized proponents
of the European Union’s accepted liberal values. For example, when
Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk was recently prosecuted for claiming that
a million Armenians were massacred by the Ottomans during World War
I–in violation of a Turkish law that prohibits “insulting Turkish
identity”–Europeans howled in protest until the charges were finally
dropped. In recognition of his politics and his writing, Pamuk was
awarded the Nobel Prize for literature.
More recently, the Turkish stance on the Armenian massacres themselves
is becoming an obstacle to its entry into the EU. On a recent visit
to Armenia, for example, French President Jacques Chirac suggested
that Turkey should not be allowed to join the EU until it recognizes
the Armenian genocide. The European Parliament has similarly requested
that Turkey “acknowledge” the genocide, although it has so far avoided
making that a formal condition for membership.
But, while liberal states that demand accountability for the past are
usually well-intentioned, they can also go too far–as new legislation
in France clearly shows. In a blatant ploy to win over France’s 500,000
residents of Armenian origin, the lower house of France’s parliament
passed a bill on October 12 that, if agreed to by the Senate, will make
it illegal to deny that the 1915 massacres of Armenians constituted
genocide. The Socialist-proposed bill, which gives sentences of up
to a year in jail or up to a ~@45,000 fine, passed by a lopsided vote
of 106-19, and it was supported by the two leading candidates in the
presidential election scheduled for next spring, Nicolas Sarkozy and
Segolène Royal. The parliament even rejected a proposed amendment to
exempt scholarly research from the reach of the bill.
Not surprisingly, the reaction in Turkey to all of this has been
furious. Well beyond the extremists demonstrating in the streets,
nearly all Turks–including the most liberal and pro-European
ones–resent seeing one of the most sensitive issues in their history
being used as a pawn in French politics. Pamuk himself, no flack for
the Turkish government, has criticized the French legislation. Turks
rightly see the legislation as a cynical ploy not only to win
Armenian votes but to put one more obstacle on the path to Turkey’s
EU membership, which France has formally, if unenthusiastically,
promised to negotiate. The backers of the new law claim that its
purpose is to facilitate Turkish-Armenian reconciliation; its effect
will likely be the opposite.
Worse, the French parliament’s vote is a dangerous step down a slippery
slope. If it is a crime to disagree that what happened to Armenians
90 years ago should be considered genocide, why stop there?
Shouldn’t it be a crime to minimize the impact of other historical
tragedies, such as colonialism or the slave trade? Should the
Turkish parliament pass a law making it a criminal offense to deny
that France practiced torture in Algeria or that a million Muslims
were killed there? Should African governments make it illegal to
deny that genocide took place in Rwanda? Once you go down that road,
it is hard to see where the line should be drawn.
Indeed, the new French legislation is just the latest illiberal
policy in Europe masquerading as liberalism. Since the end of World
War II, a number of European countries, including Germany, Austria,
and France, have passed laws against Holocaust denial. Proponents of
the laws argue that they allow these nations to atone politically for
their past sins, while working to ensure that Holocaust deniers could
not foster the same sort of anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust in
the first place. Now, however, they could also serve as inspiration to
scores of different ethnic and religious groups that wish to win legal
acknowledgement of their own past suffering and historical grievances,
as the Armenians have. But parliaments across Europe would be better
off taking the current legislation off the books than giving equal
treatment to every group’s claims. Do we really want the government to
start deciding that some historical views are acceptable but others
merit prison sentences? And would the historical narratives that won
legislative protection be those most clearly supported by “the facts”
or those which had the most powerful political support?
Moreover, though the laws against Holocaust denial were–emotionally
and politically–difficult to oppose, the consequences of compromising
free speech are becoming clear. This February, for example, several
months after European leaders defended the right of a Danish newspaper
to publish a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad that offended Muslims,
an Austrian Court sentenced historian David Irving to prison for
Holocaust denial. The trial exposed European free speech advocates to
charges of hypocrisy and undermined their efforts to convince Muslims
that their tolerance of the cartoons was based on principle–and not
a double standard.
To his credit–and despite his wish that Turkey acknowledge
the Armenian genocide–Chirac and his government opposed the new
legislation, arguing that history should be left up to historians,
not lawmakers. He took the same principled stance last year, when he
successfully opposed a law, backed by a majority in his coalition,
that praised the “positive role” of colonialism.
As Pamuk’s prosecution reminds us, Turkey’s own record on free speech
is far from pristine, and Turks would do well to be more open about
their past. Instead of prosecuting those who challenge the official
history, Ankara should support debating it openly and accepting its
scars. Already, there are signs that this is taking place. Last year,
Istanbul’s Bilgi University held a conference on Armenian history at
which a range of views were presented. Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan supported that conference, and he has also come out
in favor of a joint Turkish-American committee of historians to study
and report on the issue.
Turks should keep moving in this direction and do more to
acknowledge that atrocities–however characterized–occurred. But
these initiatives need to come from Turks themselves in a spirit of
reconciliation, instead of being imposed from the outside under threat
of prosecution. Ultimately, historians, not governments, should be the
ones to decide these sensitive issues. The response to illiberalism in
Turkey must not be illiberalism in France. What an irony if Turkey is
kept out of the EU because of its position on free speech by a country
that would put historians in jail for questioning the official line.
Philip H. Gordon is a senior fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the
Brookings Institution. Omer Taspinar is a professor at the National
War College and a research fellow at the Brookings Institution.
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–Boundary_(ID_39t6 MRDa4UWN/4MPFyYFZA)–

TOBB CHAIRMAN HISARCýKLýOðLU: THE MOOD IN BUSINESS CIRCLES IS BAD
The New Anatolian, Turkey
EkoTurk News Agency / Artvin
Oct 30 2006
Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Rifat
Hisarcýklýoðlu has said the mood in business circles is bad due to
latest economic developments.
Participating in a joint meeting of the provincial chamber in the
northeastern city of Artvin, Hisarcýklýoðlu assessed the economic
and political situation in Turkey.
The TOBB chairman reminded that protested bills rose by 47 pct in
the first half of the year over the last year’s same period, adding,
32 pct of business people think course of economic affairs will get
better while 30 pct think will get and that indicates “The mood in
business circles is bad”.
Stating that he never allowed his institution to become a backyard
or frontyard of any political party, Hisarcýklýoðlu said he was
as close to Erdoðan, the Premier, as Baykal, the leader of main
opposition party.
The chairman underlined that the TOBB was over domestic politics and
he was well aware of that.
TOBB chairman Hisarcýklýoðlu drew attention to the importance of
foreign policies, and said, ‘If you cannot manage your foreign
politics, then you shake your economy. The mistakes at this field
costs much. It is not enough to be rightful in the international
arena. We landed in Cyprus in 1974 for just reasons, but who faced
embargoes? We accepted Annan Plan in 2004 despite some negative
aspects, but no promises were kept anyway. In Armenian issue, we said
we would open our archives, but Armenians are getting what they want
across the world. The important thing is to tell your just position
to the world not to react or do something. We could not achieve that.
We cannot make lobbying and promotion.’ On the pure economic front,
Hisarcýklýoðlu said, ‘They say let’s cut imports. But, that would lead
for the worse. The only solution is to raise production. Turkey may
enter the top 10 most developed countries in 20 years. On the condition
that the state to free us from shackles in our feet. Sectoral and
regional incentives must be introduced in Turkey. Only 6 provinces
are pleased about the current practice. We believe we can achieve
everything. Turkey which made only $2 bln exports 20 years ago,
now make $80 bln exports. Moreover, we make 64 pct of our exports
to EU countries. This has been done with Turkish entrepreneurs and
industrialists. We can achieve more.
We demand from the state to free us from our shackles.’
–Boundary_(ID_K6gkOzDFOKBn7RnNpEyGlQ) —

DJORKAEFF RETIRES AFTER NY DEFEAT
CNN International
Oct 30 2006
PARIS, France — Former France striker Youri Djorkaeff has retired
after his New York Red Bulls side were knocked out of the MLS playoffs
by D.C. United on Sunday.
A world champion on home turf in 1998 and a European champion two
years later, the 38-year-old was a hero in France for his spectacular
goals and never-say-die attitude.
Djorkaeff won his first medal in 1991 in the French Cup with Monaco
alongside future national team mate Emmanuel Petit.
Both have now called it a day, with Djorkaeff becoming the 17th of
the 1998 world champions to hang up his boots.
“Now we’re back to square one,” said Djorkaeff . “I don’t feel
nostalgic. I’ve known everything and I had the feeling it was time
for me to go.
“Physically, I was still in good shape but mentally I was not there
anymore.”
Djorkaeff, nicknamed the Snake, will live in New York City with his
wife and children until the end of the school year.
He said his best memory as a player was the 1998 World Cup, when
France beat Brazil 3-0 in the final at the Stade de France.
“There was something magical in that team,” he said.
Djorkaeff, who has Armenian origins, scored 28 goals in 82
internationals, the most important being a superb volley from
outside the box that gave France a 2-1 win over Spain in the Euro
2000 quarterfinals.
Born in Lyon on March 9, 1968, Djorkaeff started his career in Grenoble
at the age of 16, before leaving for second-division Racing Strasbourg
in 1989.
He was then transferred to Monaco a year later, becoming the league’s
top scorer in 1994 with the principality team.
In 1996, he won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with Paris St Germain
before leaving for Inter Milan, where he spent three years, helping
the club win the UEFA Cup in 1998.
Before moving to the other side of the Atlantic, Djorkaeff played
for Kaiserslautern and spent over two years in the English Premier
League with Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers.

DIGGING FOR LOST TREASURE IN DARBANDYKHAN
By Lara Fatah
Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq
Oct 30 2006
An Italian team of archeologists travel to the Berkl area near
Darbandykhan to lay the groundwork for an extensive excavation of a
Sassanian monument, due to take place in the Spring.
Once upon a time, or as the Kurds would say, habu nabu, there was an
Armenian King, Nerses, that ruled the Sassanian Empire (226-651 AD),
which included Kurdistan within its borders. Standing high on a hill
in the Berkl area near Darbandykhan is one of the only known remaining
Sassanian monuments, and it is a monument to King Nerses.
The location of the monument has been known since the turn of the
last century, but due to the unrest that followed in the region, it
was not until the present day that the site could be professionally
excavated. In conjunction with the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG), an Italian team of archeologists from the Instituto Italiano
per l’Africa e l’Oriente, is currently carrying out a short research
dig at the site, in order to prepare for the full excavation they
intend to do in the spring.
Examining the actual monument has not been easy, because not only are
there later constructions on top of it, an earlier excavation that
removed some of the inscribed stones of the monument, had caused
other stones to become scattered. The Italian team also fears that
some of the bricks may have been looted over the past 10-15 years.
“We have known for a few years what the general gist of what is
inscribed on the two main walls, but fully excavating the site, will
allow us to understand the inscription and how it fits into what we
already know,” says Barbara Faticoni, one of the archeologists.
“This is the second most important known inscription from the Sassanian
period, so it is very important that we now have the chance to study
it in depth,” she adds.
Faticoni is looking to when the team returns in the spring to complete
their work and is excited to learn more about the actual structure
of the monument; “Because there are so few surviving examples of
Sassanian architecture, I’m looking forward to determining how the
monument actually looked, it’s important for us to learn these things,
we will hopefully be able to reconstruct some of the monument too,”
she enthuses.
Faticoni is obviously passionate about the site as she confidently
strides around its perimeter in her dusty work clothes and her
sun-kissed face. She is a stark contrast with the three young Kurdish
girls the Italians are training, who in their clean and pressed
jeans with large sombrero-esque hats perched on their heads hover
uncertainly on the perifieries of the site.
“I think they are a little scared of doing something wrong and I’m
not sure they realized we would actually involve them in the process,
but it is the best way for them to learn,” says Faticoni.
Working with Faticoni on the dig is Fabrizio Sinisi, the linguistic
expert, who says that the only real problem that they have encountered
is a language barrier.
“Communicating with the Kurdish workers has been fun at times, but
even that is not too big a problem because we are used to working
in foreign countries,” he says. Sinisi also says that while the
monument may look impressive sitting on its hill in the countryside
around Darbandykhan, its distance from the town has given them a
few logistical problems. Although the team was winding down its
research dig and refilling all the trenches that they had dug, they
were enthusiastically anticipating their return when they will not
only complete the excavation but open an Italian cultural center in
Erbil and start teaching at the University of Salahaddin.
etail.asp?LangNr=12&RubricNr=&ArticleNr=14 528&LNNr=28&RNNr=70

TRIAL LAWYER ‘BULLIED’ BY DISTRICT PROSECUTOR
By Karine Kalantarian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 30 2006
Armenia’s bar association demanded on Monday tough disciplinary action
against a district prosecutor in Yerevan who allegedly intimidated
and threatened to imprison a trial lawyer representing a criminal
suspect. The Office of the Prosecutor-General was quick to reject
the demand.
The attorney, Liana Balian, says that Gevorg Tovmasian, the chief
prosecutor of the city’s Avan and Nor Nork districts, and two other
law-enforcement officials visited her on Saturday after she refused
to obey his verbal orders to come to his office.
“Without a court order or any other legal grounds, they burst into my
apartment and started threatening me in the presence of my parents and
my daughter,” Balian told RFE/RL. She claimed that Tovmasian shouted
abuse and threatened to prosecute and beat her if she continues to
vigorously defend a man charged with rape.
The suspect, Norayk Rubenian, was taken into custody earlier this year
despite protesting his innocence. In a rare setback for prosecutors,
Balian succeeded in having a district court release him on bail on
Friday, the day before the alleged incidents. However, the court
allowed the prosecutors on Sunday to again arrest the suspect, citing
“additional accusations” leveled against him.
The lawyer’s allegations were picked up by the leadership of Armenia’s
Chamber of Advocates that held an emergency meeting on Monday and
demanded that Tovmasian be brought to account. “Why did the prosecutor
go to the lawyer’s home?” its chairman, Ruben Sahakian, said. “What
was he doing there on Saturday?”
But the Office of the Prosecutor-General defended the prosecutor’s
actions, saying that he visited Balian to “explain” that she and
her client have to cooperate with the ongoing criminal investigation
into the rape allegedly committed in 2004. “The district prosecutor
acted within the boundaries of his powers,” a spokeswoman for the
law-enforcement agency, Sona Truzian, told RFE/RL. She said the
suspect was planning to flee the country and therefore has to be kept
in pre-trial detention.
Acquittal of individuals charged with various crimes is extremely rare
in Armenia, with judges siding with prosecutors in the vast majority
of cases. According to official statistics, Armenian courts handed
down some 1,500 verdicts on criminal cases in the first half of this
year and only four of them cleared defendants of any wrongdoing.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress