Hürriyetim
25.09.2005
Gul: Turkish people are at peace with their history
Istanbul
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul sent a message to the opening session of the
Armenian conference on Saturday:”The Turkish people are at peace with
themselves and with our history,” he added that, ”the approaches of our
government and our people towards our past, including Turkish-Armenian
relations, constitute an indication of our confidence in ourselves and our
future.”
In his message, Gul said, ”the last era of the Ottoman Empire is subject to
discussion and research in academic circles, with increased interest. Nearly
every day new documents from the era emerge and new books, articles and
research papers are published. Yet, it is not possible to say that all data
and documents related to those times have been properly analyzed. With an
aim to help redress this shortcoming, our government is in the process of
taking important steps to enable the Ottoman Archives to serve researchers,
in modern conditions. Our Archives have begun to serve scientists through
documents converted to a digital medium since 2003. Within this context,
many researchers, coming from 75 different countries have completed their
research on the Ottoman Archives. These activities are ongoing.”
”We want not only our own archives but at the same time all other archives
that will shed light on the history of the day to be opened in an organized
fashion, that will serve all researchers. We believe that deeper research
into that era will bring new historical facts to light and serve an
improvement in relations between countries and peoples. Thus, we have
proposed to the Government of Armenia to establish a historical commission
between our two countries, which will research the joint Turkish-American
history and which will make its findings public. We hope to reach a
conclusion on this subject,” indicated Gul.
Gul also said, ”The history of Turkish-Armenian relations is one of
co-existence and common life of almost 1,000 years. During the course of
this period, the Turkish and Armenian peoples have contributed to each
other’s culture, prosperity and security. We should not ignore this reality
when we examine the tragic period when the Ottoman Empire was crumbling and
the Turks and Armenians were deeply suffering, like all other peoples of the
Empire.”
”It is a fact that in some chapters of history, or even today, some
societies cannot tolerate one other’s language, religion, identity or even
very existence. It is an unfortunate reality that such intolerance can turn
into a deep-rooted and destructive ideology, which gets ingrained in the
social subconscious. Some serious and very dangerous trends, from xenophobia
to racism and from anti-Semitism to attitudes against Muslims are present
and are on the rise today, even in societies which represent the highest
level of contemporary civilization,” underlined Gul.
Gul stressed, ”it is a source of pleasure that such a psychology does not
exist between the Turks and Armenians. This also constitutes a major
advantage for the future of relations between the two peoples.”
”Another issue I want to draw your attention to is that, many studies so
far held on the theme of the Conference, particularly outside Turkey, have
been conducted with political motivations, in a manner inconsistent with
scientific ethics and objectivity. Regretfully, humanitarian issues have
been sacrificed to political designs, and double standards have been applied
in determining and presenting human suffering. There were attempts to impose
subjective, non-legal and artificial claims upon Turkey and the Turkish
people, with political motivations. Furthermore, there have been situations
in which some foreign circles could not even tolerate scientific
skepticism,” said Gul.
Gul concluded, ”young generations from all nations must know and draw
lessons from the facts that during the last era of the Ottoman Empire the
imperialist-colonial powers ruthlessly exploited peoples’ ethno-religious
sensitivities for their own gains and that some elements, knowingly or
unknowingly, became instruments to these provocations. I hope that your
Conference will be a contribution to raise awareness on this issue. The
Turkish people is at peace with itself and with its history. The approaches
of our government and our people towards our past, including
Turkish-Armenian relations, constitute an indication of our confidence in
ourselves and our future. I convey my best wishes to all participants and
hope that the Conference will be a success.”

A1+
| 16:01:40 | 25-09-2005 | Politics |
JOURNALISTS HAVE FREE ENTRANCE
Today in several electoral areas, particularly in 9/41 and 9/15, the heads
of the Committees tried to hinder the work of the journalists of «A1+».
In the Kentron community 9/15 area the secretary tried to prove that «A1+»
is not registered and the journalist has not right to take photos or to stay
in the area. They allowed us to enter the area only after calling the
Central Electoral Committee.
And in the area 9/41 the claimed that the journalist certificate is not
enough to take photos. It was allowed again after calling the Central
Electoral Committee.
It is worth reminding that the Central Electoral Committee has announced
that the journalists can enter the electoral areas with their certificates
and highlight the course of elections without any problems.

A1+
| 15:04:48 | 25-09-2005 | Politics |
SEIZURE OF PLACES
Today the NA deputy Grigor Haroutyunyan was not able to fulfill his duty as
confidant of Rouzan Khachatryan. Visiting the Kentron Community electoral
area 934 he found out that there was another confidant there named Rouben
Saroukhanyan.
No one knows who he is and with what certificate he has come, as they
informed from the pre-electoral headquarters of Rouzan Khachatryan that
Rouben Saroukhanyan is not in the lists they have represented. By the way,
the latter refused to leave the area and give his place to the real
confidant.
Alongside with this case, there were many «self-invited confidants» of
Rouzan Khachatryan in different electoral areas. They informed from the
headquarters that their representatives went to the areas early in the
morning and learned that other have already taken their places. They managed
to oust the self-invited confidants from the areas with difficulty.

A1+
| 14:23:24 | 25-09-2005 | Politics |
DO NOT GO TO ANOTHER AREA
At about 12:45 120 citizens had visited the Kentron community electoral area
9/30. The head of the community Sargis Khachaturyan claimed that there have
been no mistakes except four in the electoral rolls, that is 4 people did
not find their names in the rolls, `We sent them to the court, but one of
the did not come back’, Sargis Khachaturyan said.
`Everything is fine, there are no errors’, announced member of the
Committee, representative of the Justice bloc Juleta Ovanesova.
By the way, at that very moment the CoE observer David Lloyd-Williams was in
the electoral area alarmed by information about violations of law there. It
turned out that an elector of another area tried to elect there.
No other violations have been recorded.

A1+
| 14:15:16 | 25-09-2005 | Politics |
COURT MAKES DECISIONS
There may be no elections without the court interference. Today at about
01:00 p.m. 132 citizens had applied to court to restore their suffrage.
The numbers were distributed the following way: Kentron – 2, Arabkir – 11,
Shengavit – 50, Malatia-Sebastia – 3, Ajapnyak – 46, and Davtashen – 20. The
number of the people who did not find their names in the electoral rolls but
did not apply to court is not yet known.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMINFO News Agency
September 24, 2005
ARMENIAN TRADITIONAL PARTIES OF EUROPE URGE ARMENIANS TO GATHER IN
LUXEMBOURG TO PRESSURE TURKEY AND EU
PARIS, SEPTEMBER 24. ARMINFO. THe Armenian traditional parties of
Europe – Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsoutyun,
Ramkavar-Azatakan and Hnchakyan – have urged the Armenian communities
of Europe to gather in Luxembourg to pressure Turkey and the EU
during the Oct 3 talks for Turkey’s admission into the EU.
ARMINFO’s correspondent in Paris reports the parties to have urged
their Europe-based compatriots to demand that the EU and Turkey
recognize the Armenian Genocide and that this be made a primary and
obligatory precondition for Turkey’s admission into the EU. The
Armenians will actively participate in the talks and will be
consolidated and consistent in their demands in the 10-15 years
following Turkey’s admission into the EU.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
KATRINA HURRICANE CAUSES DAMAGE TO 26 ARMENIAN FAMILIES
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. RFE/RL reports Armenian St. Karapet
Church, Louisiana State, as saying that 26 Armenian families suffered
big losses because of Katrina Hurricane. The Armenian families have
already received assistance from the US Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church and privates, St. Karapet Church reports, calling on
the public for further assistance. To note, the Armenian community of
Louisiana State was formed 30 years ago, when Armenians from Syria,
Lebanon, Egypt, Iran and Armenia started settling there. The local
Armenian church launched its activity in the current year.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 23, 2005
CO-CHAIRS OF INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP TO SEARCH FOR MISSING,
HOSTAGES AND PRISONERS IN KARABAKH CONFLICT ZONE TO VISIT REGION IN
LATE OCT
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23. ARMINFO. The co-chairs of the International
Working Group to Search for the Missing, Hostages and Prisoners in
the Karabakh conflict zone will visit the region in late Oct, says
the director of the Center for Protecting the Rights of POWs,
Hostages and MIA and the group Armenian coordinator Karine Minassyan.
The visit will take place despite lack of financing. The co-chairs
will discuss the possibilities of establishing contacts and arranging
the meetings of representatives of the relevant national commissions.
The Armenian and Azeri commissioners already met in Tbilisi Mar 18
2005.
Much had been done for the meeting but then the contacts stopped.
Responsible for this were both sides as either of them waited for the
other to act the first. During the Mar meeting the sides had even
agreed to involve NKR representatives in the following meeting. The
Armenian side proposed forming a mixed Armenia-NKR-Azerbaijan.
Until the commissions establish direct contacts the search for the
missing will not be effective, says Minassyan. The Mar meeting was
held on the initiative of Armenia who has always advocated active
contacts and has constantly faced Azerbaijan’s opposition.
There are other inefficiency factors too. Until the conflict is
resolved political the problem of the missing will be pending.
Besides the sides do not trust each other and fear that the
information they will give might be used for propaganda. Many unique
programs like legal and psychological aid to former POWs and hostages
have been stopped for lack of financing (the group is financed by the
German Government).
The search for the missing is an thankless task as there is no
immediate result and its is often negative. It will not give you a
name but we do not lose hope, says Minassyan.

Turkish press hail Armenia congress amid protests
By Gareth Jones
ANKARA, Sept 25 (Reuters) – Turkey’s press hailed as a victory for
democracy a controversial conference on the massacres of Armenians 90
years ago but nationalists protesting outside Sunday’s gathering
called it a betrayal of the nation.
The conference, twice cancelled due to the acute sensitivity of the
Armenian question, has been billed as a litmus test for freedom of
expression in Turkey just days before it begins long-delayed European
Union membership talks.
Nationalist demonstrators hurled eggs and tomatoes at participants as
they arrived at Istanbul’s private Bilgi University to discuss claims
that Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians during and
after World War One.
Protesters waved Turkish flags and chanted slogans accusing the
conference participants of betraying the nation.
But the mere fact that the conference had gone ahead prompted strong
praise from local media.
“Another taboo is destroyed. The conference began but the day of
judgement did not come,” said the Milliyet daily.
The liberal Radikal newspaper took a similar line.
“Even the word ‘genocide’ was uttered at the conference, but the world
is still turning and Turkey is still in its place,” its front-page
headline said.
“Free discussion, free protest,” said Turkey’s top-selling Hurriyet
newspaper, noting that both conference participants and demonstrators
were freely expressing their opinions.
Armenia and its supporters around the world say some 1.5 million
Armenians perished in a systematic genocide committed by Ottoman
Turkish forces between 1915 and 1923.
Ankara accepts many Armenians were killed on Turkish soil, but says
they were victims of a partisan conflict that claimed even more
Turkish Muslim lives as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing. It denies
any genocide.
PEACE WITH HISTORY
In a message to the conference, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
expressed Turkey’s official view that many citizens of the Ottoman
Empire suffered terribly during the war but that claims of an Armenian
genocide were false and politically motivated.
“The Turkish people are at peace with themselves and with their
history,” Gul said.
Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s
Party, said on Sunday he thought the conference was too one-sided in
its approach to the Armenian issue, but he defended the right of
academics to debate freely.
The conference had originally been scheduled for May but was cancelled
after a government minister accused those backing Armenian genocide
claims of “stabbing Turkey in the back.”
After a storm of criticism from the EU and elsewhere, the government
agreed to let the conference go ahead, but a last-minute court order
prevented it from opening on Friday, to Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan’s acute embarrassment.
The organisers then circumvented the court ban by moving the two-day
conference to a third venue, Bilgi University. It opened on Saturday
to noisy nationalist protests.
Despite a flurry of EU-inspired liberal reforms in recent years,
promoting certain interpretations of Turkish history can still be
deemed a criminal offence under the revised penal code.
Turkey is due to begin EU entry talks on Oct. 3, though it is not seen
joining the bloc before 2015 at the earliest.
09/25/05 06:46 ET

Turkish prime minister opens meeting bringing together leaders of
different religions
.c The Associated Press
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened a
conference bringing together Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious
leaders in southeastern Turkey with a speech Sunday calling for an
alliance rather than a clash of civilizations.
The six-day conference in Hatay, near Syria, was being attended some
2,000 delegates, including Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew I, Turkey’s chief rabbi, the Armenian patriarch of Turkey
and Turkey’s religious affairs minister.
Pope Benedict XVI was invited but did not attend, though the Vatican
sent official representatives.
Erdogan sees Turkey, a secular country that is 99 percent Muslim, as
playing a key role in interfaith dialogue.
He and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of predominantly
Catholic Spain are planning to chair a U.N.-supported project titled
“The Alliance of Civilizations,” to foster further interreligious
dialogue.
Turkey on Oct. 3 begins negotiations to join the European Union, and
would be the only Muslim member of the bloc.
“Our differences are not inevitably pushing us toward a clash; they
must not,” Erdogan said at the opening ceremony Sunday. “To those
wishing for a clash of civilizations we must be able to say this: no
to a clash of civilizations, yes to an alliance of civilizations.”
09/25/05 15:50 EDT