BALAKIAN’S THE BURNING TIGRIS WINS RAPHAEL LEMKIN PRIZE
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 27 2005
LOS ANGELES, SEPTEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Peter
Balakian’s The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s
Response has been awarded the 2005 Raphael Lemkin Prize for best
scholarly book in the preceding two years on the subject of genocide,
mass killings, gross human rights violations, and the prevention of
such crimes, Asbarez Online reported.
The award is given by the Institute for the Study of Genocide at
John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY Graduate Center in New
York City. The prize, which comes with a cash award, commemorates
Raphael Lemkin, the legal scholar who pioneered the international
legal concept of genocide. Helen Fein, chair of the prize committee,
called The Burning Tigris “a book of enduring scholarly value and of
important contemporary meaning.” Previous winners include Samantha
Power’s A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide (winner
of the Pulitzer Prize), and Alison Des Forges’s Leave None To Tell
The Story: Genocide In Rwanda.
The Burning Tigris was a New York Times bestseller and a Times notable
book of 2003. Balakian is the author of seven other books, including
Black Dog of Fate, which won the 1998 PEN/Albrand Prize for memoir,
and June-tree: New and Selected Poems.

KOCHARIAN: THERE ARE SOME HOPES OF SUCCESS IN NEGOTIATION PROCESS OF SETTLEMENT OF NK PROBLEM
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 27 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. At present the process of peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem “goes on rather actively,
and there are some hopes that, nevertheless, we can reach success.” RA
President Robert Kocharian stated about this answering a question of
a Finn journalist at the September 27 press-conference.
He emphasized that Armenia considers its participation in international
organizations only positive. In his opinion, this participation should
exist particularly after reaching an agreement in the sense of both
in political and economic assistance.
Tarja Halonen, the President of Finland, in her turn, mentioned that
the international involvement in the issue of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict still will have things to do. It’s always been mentioned
within the OSCE framework that if an agreement is reached and two
countries agreed with it, placing of international peacekeeping
forces is also possible, which may become the great role of the
international community in the issue of a peaceful settlement of the
Karabakh conflict,” Mrs. Halonen emphasized.

ARMENIAN TABOO
By Derya Sazak
Turkish Press
Sept 27 2005
MILLIYET- Another taboo has been broken. The Armenian conference was
held, and the world didn’t come to an end. These are the headlines
of newspapers published in Turkey. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times
characterized the issue as follows: ‘a groundbreaking event where
Turkish academics could for the first time publicly challenge their
country’s official version of the events leading to the slaughter
of Armenians.’ People immediately paid attention to the fact that
the conference was held, because some tried to block the meeting at
Bogazici University with a court order. Three rectors, namely Ayse
Soysal, Tosun Terzioglu and Aydin Ugur, resisted the judiciary’s
intervention in academic autonomy and ensured the meeting was held.
However, demonstrators protested the participants in front of
Bilgi University, which was nothing but thuggery. Another series of
conferences can be held on Turkey’s Armenian thesis, but demonizing
a conference as ‘biased’ in front of universities is outmoded behavior.
What’s more, such acts took place even before any speeches were made.
The thesis of ‘genocide’ didn’t stand out, but speeches were made
stating that as long as the policy of ‘recognition, then compensation
and land’ isn’t abandoned, the process of dialogue will be difficult.
Professor Baskin Oran made striking remarks on the issue. ‘The effect
on the Turkish people of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation
of Armenia’s (ASALA) killing Turkish diplomats and the murderers being
left unpunished is similar to the criticisms from Armenians over the
massacre which occurred in 1915, and this situation strengthened the
Armenian taboo,’ he said. ‘Some of our colleagues say that genocide
is a term in the social sciences. Genocide is a legal term. When the
Convention on the Prevention and Repression of the Crimes of Genocide
was passed in 1948, Armenians shaped the term so it could constitute a
similarity to the Holocaust. The Armenian issue isn’t a taboo anymore,
and this conference confirms this.’ As long as democracy grows
stronger in Turkey and hurdles to freedom of expression are removed,
the atmosphere of discussion will grow more mature. The common judgment
of participants was that a similar conference couldn’t be organized
in Yerevan. The academics who organized the conference contributed
to the development of Turkey’s democratic structure, just like the
intellectuals who took the initiative for disarmament in southeastern
Anatolia. We should congratulate them.

PRESIDENT OF FINLAND WELCOMES ARMENIA’S INVOLVEMENT IN NEW NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAM
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 27 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. At the invitation of RA President
Robert Kocharian, Mrs Tarja Halonen, the President of the Republic
of Finland and her husband Pentti Arajarvi arrived in Armenia on an
official visit on September 26
Robert Kocharian’s and Tarja Halonen’s private conversation took
place after the official ceremony of meeting the high-ranking guest
at the RA President’s residense on September 27. The heads of the
two countries discussed issues concerning the bilateral relations,
the European Union-Armenia cooperation, regional problems as well as
exchanged opinions concerning issues of mutual interest.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA President’s Press Office, Mrs.
Halonen welcame Armenia’s involvement in the New Neighborhood Program
of the European Union and mentioned that in its foreign policy,
Finland gives a greater role to developing of relations with the
South Caucasian coutries, particularly for Finland will undertake
the chairmanship of the European Union the next year.
Then negotiations with the participation of Robert Kocharian and
Tarja Halonen took place in a enlarged staff. Primary directions
of the economic cooperation and possibilities of their activization
were discussed.

“WE WON’T PUT OUR HANDS DOWN UNTIL TURKEY RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE,” URFA ARMENIANS DECLARE
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 27 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On September
23-25, events dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Urfa heroic
struggle were held in Armenia on the initiative of RA National Academy
of Sciences and Urfa Compatriot Union. Urfa Armenians that arrived
from South America, the US, Lebanon, Syria on those days visited the
Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex to victims of Armenian Genocide,
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, as well as participated in the
opening of the S.Astvatsatsin church founded by Mihran Safarian’s
family and the reservoir built by Vazgen Gasparian’s benefaction in
the settlement of Nor Yedesia of Aragatsotn region.
Urfa Compatriot Union was founded in 1975 in the US and Lebanon. As
Karpis Gazanchian, Chairman of Urfa Compatriot Union of US, noted
in his interview to Noyan Tapan’s correspondent, the Union also has
branches in Syria and South America.
Armenians lived in Urfa since ancient times. For centuries Urfa
has been a center of trade and communication. The trade of Turkey’s
internal provinces was carried out through Urfa. Before the First
World War the population of the town of Urfa was nearly 55 thousand
people. Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Jews lived there. The number
of Armenians living in the town fluctuated from 12 to 20 thousand
people. They were engaged in small trade, crafts and agriculture.
There were three Armenian churches and three Armenian schools in the
town. In the period of Abdul Hamid’s reign the Urfa Armenians felt
the consequences of the destructive policy carried on by Turkey on
their back. In 1895 Urfa like other regions of the Ottoman Empire
populated with Armenians became a place of slaughter. Cruelly killing
many Armenians, the Turks robbed their property, destroyed their houses
and cultural centers. After 1895 a great migration of Armenians started
in the Ottoman Empire. But the Urfa Armenians didn’t abandon their
houses and managed to have the 1915 heroic struggle with joint efforts.
After the 1915 massacres the Urfa Armenians spread all over the
world, they also repatriated to Soviet Armenia where they founded the
settlement of Nor Yedesia. According to K.Gazanchian, by approximate
calculations, at present 15 thousand former residents of Urfa live in
different countries of the world, 3.5 thousand of them live in Lebanon.
K.Gazanchian noted that today Urfa Armenians living in Spyurk want to
make friends with the residents of the village of Yedesia, as well as
try to assist the village. “Nor Yedesia seems to be the native land
of our parents to us. We want our children to visit this settlement
frequently so that they will know their past and history as the more
they stick to their roots the more Armenian they will remain,” Karpis
Gazanchian mentioned.
Touching upon preservation of the Armenian nation, he mentioned
that the number of those speaking Armenian reduces year by year in
Spyurk, as well as marriages of Armenians with foreigners have become
frequent. “The new generation is assimilated with different nations
and we can’t oblige our children to marry only Armenians as starting
from school they mix with representatives of different nations.”
Speaking about the Armenian-Turkish relations, Mihran Safarian,
member of Urfa Compatriot Union of South America, gave assurance
that the Turkish government must condemn the Armenian Genocide: “We
demand justice. We won’t put our hands down until Turkey recognizes
the Armenian Genocide.”
According to M.Safarian, today Turkey spends enormous sums on
anti-propaganda and Turkish ambassadors and intellectuals try to
deny the crime committed by their grandfathers at the beginning of
the 20th century. “If there hasn’t been a genocide, from where have
the Armenians spread all over the world come? Nearly 2-3 thousand
Armenians lived in South America before 1915 and after 1915 their
number reached 200-300 thousand,” he highlighted.

ARMENIAN CULTURE DAYS IN POLAND
Pan Armenian News
27.09.2005 02:59
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ September 21-22 Armenian Culture Days were held in
Pruj Gdansk, Poland. These marked the Independence Day of Armenia
and the 1600th anniversary of Armenian written language. The event
was organized by the Pruj Gdansk administration, Armenian national
cultural autonomy of Kaliningrad region and artist Gagik Parsamyan,
who lives in Poland. Within the framework of the Armenian Culture
Days exhibition of Gagik Parsamyan’s works, facsimile copies of
Armenian ancient manuscripts and icons from Matenadaran depository
was organized. A large concert program of creative groups of the
Armenian community of Kaliningrad and tasting of Armenian national
meals were also arranged. September 22 an Armenian Apostolic Church
service was held at St. Jacek church. It was offered by archimandrite
of Armenian Diocese of Germany Serop Isahanyan, who had arrived from
Frankfurt am Mein specially for the celebration. The province governor,
Armenian Ambassador to Poland Ashot Hayrapetyan, head of the Polish
Catholic Church of Gdansk, MPs, representatives of national minority
communities, prominent public figures and creative intelligentsia
took part in the holiday.
Armenians and Poles gathered at a friendship party at the end of the
festivities. Local authorities have organized a large trip program
for the Kaliningrad guests, reported the Nairi Kaliningrad newspaper.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KOCHARIAN: “WE CONSIDER PRESENCE OF RUSSIAN FULCRUM IN ARMENIA AS A COMPONENT OF OUR SAFETY”
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 27 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. “We have no problem of widening
the Russian military fulcrum in Armenia, but the one, what there is,
is settled in legal way, envisaged by the conception of the safety
of Armenia,” RA President Robert Kocharian stated at the September
27 press-conference.
The President interpreted that the Russian military fulcrum in Armenia
is placed based on mutual agreement. Armenia was also interested in
having that military fulcrum, as, according to Robert Kocharian, the
impression created by some publications of the press that placing
of the fulcrum is imposed is wrong. “We are in rather difficult
region where relations among countries are still in the process of
settlement, and we consider the presence of that fulcrum in Armenia
as one of components of safety,” the RA President emphasized.

THE “MODEL” OF THE STATE
Aram Abrahamian
Aravot (Morning), Armenia
Sept 27 2005
Nobody will be beaten in the coming parliamentary and presidential
elections, the activists of the opposition won’t be taken to
Police, ballot boxes will be filled a little and numbers won’t be
drawn. At the same time those elections will be too far from European
standards. Violence against the voters is in the second plan in modern
Armenian “technologies”. Power and administrative levers came to the
first plan and certainly money.
In that case elections held in the Kentron aren’t specific. Here
the DPA chose a wrong strategy from the beginning not nominating a
person who has experience of economic and administrative activities but
chose our colleague Rusan Khachaturian who yields the current district
ruler by objective showings. Beglarian’s victory was natural that is
he would win without using the above-mentioned levers and without
bribing the voters. And it doesn’t have reasonable explanation why
it did in the Kentron somewhere.
The “model” of our state was seen more clearly in the elections of
Arabkir. Both candidates Hovhannes Shahinian and David Gyulumian could
work theoretically as a district ruler. But ULP party which was for
D. Gyulumian refused of the fight before the elections. It happened
so as Serge Sargsian and Alraghaci Lyov assisted H.
Shahinian and on the other hand the criminals of the community,
“district authorities”. The ULP leader Gurgen Arsenian is a big
businessman consequently he has something to loose from both sides.
On the one hand the authority can examine his business in the way that
if it isn’t closed it will loose. On the other hand the hooligan of
the district may explode his cars, for example.
And what about the people? A white microbus 67ss653 by numbers stopped
in front of my building. Young people “with convincing appearance”
came out from the car with the lists in their cars. My neighbors sat
into that microbus, in particularly old people. They went for voting
after which the same bus gave them back.
Here in this way, without any violence, with flower branches in
their hands our voters would go and say, “yes” to the constitutional
amendments and then they will give their votes to the candidates of
the authority in the parliamentary and presidential elections.

THE MAYOR IS ACCUSED OF MURDER
Naira Mamikonian
Aravot (Morning), Armenia
Sept 27 2005
Economic and “pre-election” versions of the murder.
The mayor of New Hachn city of Kotayk region 1966 year born Armen
Keshishian fired 7 shots by his factory weapon of “Winking” MR-446
production 9mm caliber, 0244601675 series the director of Arzni branch
of “Power circuit” 1967 year born Ashot Mkhitarian in the crossroad
of Haroutiunian-Torozian streets of New Hachn city of Kotayk region
on Saturday, 24 of September at 10:20. A. Mkhitarian was sent to
the hospital of Abovian with body injuries where he died in half an
hour. The mayor is arrested, a criminal case is brought against him,
which carries on the prosecutory of Kotayk region. By the way the
weapon by which the murder was done is Andranik Margarian’s personal
present to the mayor A. Keshishian. Yesterday the press secretary of
the RA Prime Minister Marry Haroutiunian affirmed this fact. There
are two hypothesis round the incident one of which the assistant of
Eghvard prosecutor Albert Mkrtchian in his interview to “Azatutiun”
b/s. According to him the mayor with some of his officials tried to
prevent A. Mkhitarian’s illegal construction.
They began quarrel as the result and the mayor killed A. Mkhitarian.
According to the next hypothesis the quarrel between the killer and
killed person has had “pre-election” pretext. The point is that the
elections of Mayor will be held in New Hachn on 9 of November. The
current mayor Armen Keshishian and the member of the RA NA deputy
Manuk Gasparian’s party Babken Margarian have nominated their
candidacy. According to our information the killed Ashot Mkhitarian
also wanted to be nominated but he was “asked” not to nominate. A.
Mkhitarian had to not nominate but he assisted the mayor’s rival B.
Margarian round his possibilities what became the reason of the
quarrel with the mayor. By the way the chairman of Eghvard regional
committee Gnel Ghalumian in the interview to “Azatutiun” b/s. By his
words the killed A. Mkhitarian also wanted to nominate his candidacy
in the coming elections but then changed his mind. According to the
chairman Armen Keshishian might have a serious rival in that case and
“discrepancies between them began from that time”.
But other sources say that something came between A. Mkhitarian
and Armen Keshishian before the elections. According to one of the
inhabitants of New Hachn they were friends of childhood. And more
according to the inhabitants of the city A. Keshishian was elected as
a district ruler three years ago with A. Mkhitarian’s assistance. By
the way the latter was accused of the murder one of the citizens in
1990’s but it seemed it wasn’t proved. The relations between A.
Keshishian and A. Mkhitarian become strained and on the threshold
of the elections of Local self-governing when A. Mkhitarian didn’t
allowed to be nominated he began mocking at him everywhere. By other
sources he was simply criticizing the mayor for bad work. As regards
the coming elections of New Hachn mayor the current mayor A.
Keshishian can take part in it unless court decree is brought.
Irrespective of all hypothesizes a murder took place and the killer
must be punished.

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND THE ASSYRIAN FACTOR
By Nora Vosbigian
Assyrian International News Agency
Sept 27 2005
British historian, Ara Sarafian (Gomidas Institute, London), was one of
the main speakers at a recent commemoration of the Assyrian Genocide
(or Seyfo) of 1915 (AINA, 9-22-2005). The event was at Aula Magna,
Stockholm University on 24 September and was organised by the Assyrian
Youth Federation in Sweden, who asked Sarafian to give a lecture on
the 1916 British Parliamentary report, The Treatment of Armenian in
the Ottoman Empire 1915-16.
One of the central questions in Sarafian’s paper dealt with the
relative absence of the destruction of Assyrian Christians in the
British report. Was it an oversight or was the report prejudiced?
This question arose in more forceful terms at the conference, when a
member of the audience suggested that there was a 200 page Assyrian
section to the blue book which was stolen by Armenians and was never
published as a consequence.
Sarafian pointed out that the British blue book covered the Assyrian
issue within the context of what happened in North-West Persia, but
it missed the core of the Assyrian experience because there were no
key communicants and witnesses in the key Assyrian populated areas
of Mardin-Midiyat in Ottoman Turkey. Elsewhere, the destruction of
Assyrians was subsumed in descriptions of the destruction of the much
more numerous Armenian communities.
This lack of information about Assyrians was mainly because the
accounts informing the British about events in the Ottoman Empire
were communicated by United States consuls and missionaries. Since
there were no United States consulates near the main Assyrian regions
of the Ottoman Empire, there were no ready channels of open to the
outside world. Furthermore, the few American missionaries in Mardin
and Diyarbekir who might also have reported on the destruction of
Assyrians were expelled from these regions in the Spring of 1915.
Consequently, there was little information available about the
destruction of Assyrian communities to the British in 1916, except
from North-Western Persia, where American missionaries bore witness
to the carnage that took place.
Sarafian related some accounts of the destruction of Assyrians he had
read, such as the memoirs of Raphael de Nogales describing what he
saw in Siirt, or the private letters of Dr. Floyd Smith in Diyarbekir
describing Assyrian victims of a massacre at Karabash he treated in
Diyarbekir in May 1915.
Sarafian pointed out that since 1915 there has been a lot of
information about the Assyrian issue, but mainstream Armenian
historians have generally ignored the destruction of Assyrians due to
poor scholarship, chauvinism, or both. Consequently, many Armenians
today remain ignorant of the destruction of Assyrian Christians in
Ottoman Turkey in 1915. This is clearly wrong and should be changed
with education he argued.
However, it should be added that not all Armenian historians have
avoided the destruction of Assyrian Christians in Ottoman Turkey.
Only three years ago, the French Armenian Revue d’histoire armenienne
contemporaine published a special issue, “Mardin 1915: Anatomie
pathologique d’une destruction” (edited by Yves Ternon).