THE RISE OF THE HOLOCAUST (DAY) DENIERS
by Michael Stickings
>>From the (London) Times:
The Moderate Voice
Sept 12 2005
ADVISERS appointed by Tony Blair after the London bombings are
proposing to scrap the Jewish Holocaust Memorial Day because it is
regarded as offensive to Muslims.
They want to replace it with a Genocide Day that would recognise the
mass murder of Muslims in Palestine, Chechnya and Bosnia as well as
people of other faiths.
The draft proposals have been prepared by committees appointed by
Blair to tackle extremism. He has promised to respond to the plans,
but the threat to the Holocaust Day has provoked a fierce backlash
from the Jewish community.
Holocaust Day was established by Blair in 2001 after a sustained
campaign by Jewish leaders to create a lasting memorial to the 6m
victims of Hitler. It is marked each year on January 27.
The Queen is patron of the charity that organises the event and the
Home Office pays £500,000 a year to fund it. The committees argue
that the special status of Holocaust Memorial Day fuels extremists’
sense of alienation because it “excludes” Muslims.
A member of one of the committees, made up of Muslims, said it gave
the impression that “western lives have more value than non-western
lives”. That perception needed to be changed. “One way of doing that
is if the government were to sponsor a national Genocide Memorial Day.
“The very name Holocaust Memorial Day sounds too exclusive to many
young Muslims. It sends out the wrong signals: that the lives of one
people are to be remembered more than others. It’s a grievance that
extremists are able to exploit.”
Come on, really?
Look, I have no problem with a day to remember victims of genocide more
generally, nor even specifically: It’s certainly true that the victims
of genocide in, say, Armenia and Cambodia, or Bosnia and Rwanda,
or even Stalin’s Russia, are often forgotten, or at least subject
to far less official remembrance than the victims of the Holocaust
(and, even there, largely the Jewish victims of the Holocaust). Is
this fair? Is it even a matter of fairness of victimhood? Maybe,
maybe not. I’ll let you decide that for yourselves.
But the fact is, there was, in my view, something truly exceptional
about the Holocaust. It was the culmination of centuries and centuries
of persecution. It was an attempt to wipe out an entire people –
even the memory of an entire people. I realize that there have been
similar genocides throughout history, but it’s difficult, at least
for me, not to view the Holocaust independently of, or at least as
the ultimate event in, the history of genocide.
It could be argued, I suppose, that the Holocaust has been granted
this “special” status as a result of highly effective lobbying and
marketing by a powerful interest group – namely, Judaism as a whole,
backed up by the state of Israel and its supporters throughout
Europe and America. But this misses the point. We’re talking about
the United Kingdom here. It seems to me that the Holocaust means
something there (and here in North America) that it may not mean,
at least not to the same degree or in the same way) in other parts
of the world. Obviously, jurisdictions with, say, large Armenian or
Cambodian populations would likely afford those two genocides greater
emphasis in terms of official remembrance.
To me, lumping genocides together means, ultimately, neglecting the
singularities of each one. I see nothing wrong with recognizing a
Holocaust Day, but then I see nothing wrong with recognizing a day
for another genocide (or other genocides). That should be up to
individual jurisdictions.
I realize that this is an incredibly sensitive topic, and I must
admit that I was hesitant to write anything about it. It’s too easy
to write off this latest effort to do away with a Holocaust Memorial
Day as anti-Semitism (as Andrew Sullivan does). It surely is for
some, but there is indeed a case to be made, and not just for the
sake of Muslim youth, for lumping together all genocides into a
generic Genocide Memorial Day. But why do that? It’s important to
remember the Holocaust as the Holocaust, not as yet another example
of humanity at its worst. It needs to be remembered on its own, just
as all other genocides need to remembered on their own, independently
of one another, whatever the similarities that bind them.
–Boundary_(ID_1vOySNUHX+WmmsK+5Sz8eg)–

INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP EXPECTS RESULTS FROM AZERI, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS’ TALKS
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2005
Baku, September 9, AssA-Irada
The International Crisis Group, an organization working to prevent
conflicts worldwide, has praised the recent talks between the Azeri
and Armenian presidents in the Russian Volga river city of Kazan.
The meetings are of great importance for the peaceful resolution of
the Upper Garabagh conflict, ICG vice-president Alain Deletroz told
a press conference in Baku on Friday.
“Hope remains after the Kazan meeting for the positive outcome of
negotiations, as neither the Azeri nor the Armenian side made any
negative comments following the meeting. Both sides expressed hopes
for the results in the peace process.”
Deletroz added that ICG does not see a conflict resolution without
compromises and therefore calls on both sides to be constructive.*

ICG MAKES PROPOSALS ON GARABAGH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2005
Baku, September 9, AssA-Irada
The International Crisis Group has prepared two reports on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh, its vice-president
Alain Deletroz said.
The first document covers the current situation in Upper Garabagh and
the socio-economic plight of refugees and displaced persons, while
the other one provides analysis of talks on the conflict resolution.
In conclusion of the reports, the ICG provides numerous recommendations
to the Azerbaijani government, Deletroz told a press conference
on Friday.
The ICG representative said that two of the recommendations are of
particular importance. First, the organization suggests that Azerbaijan
restore its relations with Armenia.
“Azerbaijan imposed a ban on its ties with Armenia a long time ago.
The ICG understands its position in this respect but believes it
impedes the conflict settlement. We therefore suggest that the ban
be lifted.”
The second pivotal issue in ICG recommendations is preventing the
description of Armenians as Azerbaijan’s historic enemies. The ICG
came to this conclusion after monitoring the work of local media and
reviewing historic materials, said Deletroz.
Besides, Armenians are often termed as historic enemies in the
statements of Azerbaijani officials.
The ICG representative said that if the Garabagh conflict is resolved
at some point, Armenians living in Upper Garabagh will be considered
Azerbaijani citizens. Calling Armenians ‘historic enemies’ is therefore
unacceptable, he said.
The ICG is expected to release the final version of its report on
the Garabagh conflict next Wednesday.
The International Crisis Group, established in 1995, is working on
the prevention of conflicts in 44 countries. The organization is
represented by former foreign ministers and prime ministers.*

ARINC CONFIDENT ABOUT THE START OF EU TALKS ON OCT 3
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Sept 12 2005
Turkish Parliament Speaker expressed yesterday his confidence about
the start of negotiations between Turkey and the European Union on
Oct 3, as scheduled.
Arinc made the remarks at a press conference at the conclusion of
the Second World Parliament Speakers’ Conference in New York .
“There are some circles in the EU who don’t wish to see Turkey in
the Union ,” said Arinc. “We are bothered by the acts and statements
of some European politicians who have made the issue of Turkey into
fodder for domestic political debates.”
Arinc also touched on the recent street demonstrations in various
Turkish cities, saying, “These will not deter Turkey from its path of
democracy and freedom. The Turkish government is taking the necessary
steps so that such demonstrations will not hurt democracy or innocent
citizens.”
Arinc: Instead of being rewarded, Turkish Cypriots were punished
Arinc also held a press conference in New York on Saturday where he
said the Turkish Cypriots who voted in favor of a solution in Cyprus
last year were punished instead of getting a reward.
He also touched on the controversial Armenian genocide issue,
condemning the one-sided recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide
claims by some parliaments.

INTERNATIONAL PEN’S REACTION AGAINST ORHAN PAMUK’S INDICTMENT
Federation Euro-Armenienne (Communiques de presse), Belgium
Sept 12 2005
International PEN greets with shock the news that the world-famous
Turkish writer, Orhan Pamuk, will be brought before an Istanbul court
on 16 December 2005 and that he faces up to three years in prison
for a comment published in a Swiss newspaper earlier this year.
The charges stem from an interview given by Pamuk to the Swiss
newspaper “Das Magazin” on 6 February in which he is quoted as saying
that “thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in
these lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it.” Pamuk was
referring to the killings by Ottoman Empire forces of thousands
of Armenians in 1915-1917. Turkey does not contest the deaths,
but denies that it could be called a “genocide”. His reference to
“30,000” Kurdish deaths refers to those killed since 1984 in the
conflict between Turkish forces and Kurdish separatists. Debate on
these issues have been stifled by stringent laws, some leading to
lengthy lawsuits, fines and in some cases prison terms.
Article 301/1 of the Turkish Penal Code under which Pamuk will be
tried is a case in point. PEN sees it extraordinary that a state that
has ratified both the United Nations International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights,
both of which see freedom of expression as central, should have a
Penal Code that includes a clause that is so clearly contrary to these
very same principles. To quote Article 301/1: A person who explicitly
insults being a Turk, the Republic or Turkish Grand National Assembly,
shall be imposed to a penalty of imprisonment for a term of six months
to three years. To compound matters, Article 301/3 states,
Where insulting being a Turk is committed by a Turkish citizen in a
foreign country, the penalty to be imposed shall be increased by one
third. So, if Pamuk is found guilty, he faces an additional penalty
for having made the statement abroad.
International PEN International Secretary Joanne Leedom Ackerman
states that “International PEN is deeply concerned by the efforts
of the public prosecutor to punish and therefore curb the free
expression of Orhan Pamuk, not only in Turkey, but abroad.” She
adds that “It is a disturbing development when an official of the
government brings criminal charges against a writer for a statement
made in another country, a country where freedom of expression is
allowed and protected by law.”
The trial against Pamuk is likely to follow the pattern of those
against other writers, journalists and publishers similarly
prosecuted. Karin Clark, Chair of PEN’s WiPC, points out that
“PEN has for years been campaigning for an end to Turkish courts
trying and imprisoning writers, journalists and publishers under
laws that clearly breach international standards to the Turkish
government itself has pledged commitment.” Although the numbers of
convictions and prison sentences under laws that penalise free speech
has declined in the past decade, PEN currently has on its records
over 50 writers, journalists and publishers before the courts. This
is despite a series of amendments to the Penal Code in recent years
which were aimed at meeting demands for human rights improvements as a
condition for opening talks into Turkey’s application for membership
of the European Union. The most recent changes were enacted in June
this year. Journalists in Turkey have staged protests against the fact
that there remain considerable problems in the revised Penal Code. In
April, International PEN joined its the International Publisher’s
Association in a statement to the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights which described the newly revised Penal Code as “deeply flawed.”
Pamuk is one of Turkey’s most well known authors, whose works have
been published world-wide in over 20 languages. In 2003, he won
the International IMPAC award for “My Name is Red”. His 2004 novel
“Snow” has met with similar acclaim. His most recent book, “Istanbul”,
is a personal history of his native city.
In early 2005, news of the interview for which Pamuk will stand trial
led to protests and reports that copies of his books were burned. He
also suffered death threats from extremists. PEN members world-wide
then called on the Turkish government to condemn these attacks.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send appeals to authorities: – expressing concern that Pamuk is
to be tried for a statement made in an interview for an overseas
publication – pointing out that this is in direct contravention of
the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the
European Convention on Human Rights, to which the Turkish government
is a signatory – protesting the decision to bring Pamuk to trial
APPEALS TO:
Prime Minister Racep Tayyip Erdogan TC Easbaskanlik Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 0476
Cemil Cicek Minister of Justice TC Adalet Bakanligi Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 3954
Similar appeals should be sent to the Turkish Embassy in your own
country. (WiPC/IFEX, September 2, 2005)
;id_breve=114&lang=en

CRISIS GROUP CALLS FOR PULLOUT OF ARMENIAN FORCES FROM 7 OCCUPIED REGIONS
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2005
The International Crisis Group, an organization working to prevent
conflicts worldwide, has proposed that Armenia withdraw its armed
forces from the seven occupied regions of Azerbaijan.
This is reflected in its reports on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict
over Nagorno Karabakh, ICG vice-president Alain Deletroz told
journalists in Baku on Friday.
The ICG representatives are expected to visit Armenia next week and
submit the reports. On Monday and Tuesday, they will meet Armenian
officials and public.
Deletroz said that Armenia should not insist on the determination
of the Nagorno Karabakh status, as disputes over the issue have
considerably delayed the conflict resolution.
“Therefore, Armenia must withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani
territories, refugees should return home, trust be restored between
the two sides, and at last, the Garabagh status determined.”
Deletroz said that the activities to be carried out prior to the
status determination will take at least 15-20 years.
Deletroz said that just like all other international organizations,
the ICG considers Nagorno Karabakh a part of Azerbaijan. “~TThis is the
legal aspect of the issue and there is no problem with it. The problem
is that Nagorno Karabakh is de-facto in the hands of Armenians.”

WAR THREATENS DESTRUCTION TO AZERI, ARMENIAN ECONOMY – ICG VICE-PRESIDENT
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2005
The possible resumption of hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia
could destroy the economies of the two countries, said Alain Deletroz,
vice-president of the International Crisis Group. Moreover, war would
threaten the future of the entire region, he said.
“South Caucasus has a geo-political geographic location that requires
friendly relations between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia to ensure
stability and development.”
Deletroz said that ICG considered the use of force appropriate in
resolution of numerous conflicts around the world, but believes
this alternative is unacceptable for settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. “Both Azeri and Armenian politicians
realize this”, he said.
ICG is expected to release the final version of its report on the
Karabagh conflict Wednesday.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BOOK “KARABAKH. REAL HISTORY, FACTS, DOCUMENTS” WINS MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL CONTEST “ART OF BOOK”
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2005
Azerbaijani book titled “Karabakh. Real History, Facts, Documents” won
the “Book of Interesting Destiny” award at the second international
contest “Art of Book” held August 18-19 in Moscow. It gained highest
marks by garnering 51 points out of 55.
The book written by doctor of historical sciences, professor, honored
worker of science Yagub Mahmudov and candidate of historical sciences
Kerim Shukurov narrates on the poorly known historical facts and
comments on the Armenian-Azerbaijani, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
discloses the criminal policy and actions of the Armenian aggressors
throughout the years.
It is noteworthy that preface of this unique book was written by
chairperson of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador
Mehriban Aliyeva.
The international contest “Art of Book” presented over 250 books on a
variety of topics. The contest awards are as follows: “Commonwealth”,
“Dialogue of Cultures”, “Victory”, “Our Contemporary”, “Book of
Interesting Destiny”, “Art Book” and others. The book “Karabakh. Real
History, Facts, Documents” is presented in the separate exposition
in the 18th Moscow International Book Fair.
The book-winners of the second international contest “Art of Book”
will be given to the CIS Executive Committee Museum Fund.

MOSCOW TO HOST CONFERENCE OF SELF-PROCLAIMED REPUBLICS
RIA news agency
12 Sep 05
Moscow, 12 September: The conference “Parallel CIS: Abkhazia,
Dniester region, South Ossetia and Nagornyy Karabakh as realities of
the post-Soviet space” will be held in Moscow on 14-15 September,
RIA-Novosti learnt today at the press service of the Institute of
CIS Countries, which is one of the organizers of the event.
The agency’s source said the forum will be attended by representatives
of self-proclaimed states, Russian State Duma deputies, scientists,
experts and famous Russian political scientists. The Dniester region
will be represented by the president of this self-proclaimed republic,
Igor Smirnov, Abkhazia by Security Council secretary Stanislav Lakoba,
South Ossetia by culture minister Konstantin Pukhayev and Nagornyy
Karabakh by minister for education, culture and sport Kamo Atayan.
As part of the conference, a round table discussion, “The right to
religious freedom in conflict zones”, will be held on 15 September. The
discussion will be chaired by the human rights commission of the
Interparliamentary Orthodox assembly. The press service of the
institute reported that the discussion will be attended by MPs from
Russia, Syria, the Palestinian National Authority, Estonia and Armenia
and by clergymen for conflict zones.

CIS COLLECTIVE SECURITY CHIEF TO INSPECT RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN DRILL
Interfax-AVN military news agency website
12 Sep 05
Moscow, 12 September: Secretary-General of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization [CSTO] Nikolay Bordyuzha will assess the teamwork
of Russian and Armenian military units which are part of the CSTO
Caucasus regional force in the course of the active part of an exercise
under way in Armenia.
“This exercise is important for us as an element of combat training
of the joint force,” Bordyuzha told Interfax-AVN today before flying
to Yerevan.
He said two motor-rifle regiments, representing each side, and support
subunits were taking part in the manoeuvres.
Assessing Armenia’s overall contribution to ensuring collective
security, the CSTO secretary-general described the republic as
“one of the organization’s most active members”. [Passage omitted:
Bordyuzha praises Armenian leadership]
He noted that the Russian-Armenian force set up within the CSTO
“holds joint exercises every year, just like the Russian-Belarusian
force to the west and the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces in the
Central Asian region”.
According to the CSTO secretariat, the joint tactical Russian-Armenian
exercise is being held in Armenia on 10-13 September. In the course
of the manoeuvres, the actions of units and subunits to protect and
defend the territory of CSTO member states are being practised. The
exercise involves ground units, the Armenian air force and personnel
of the 102nd military base of the Russian Defence Ministry. [Passage
omitted: Live firing will be held as part of the drill]