Polish Press Agency
PAP News Wire
April 21, 2005 Thursday

Nothing anti-Turkish in Sejm resolution – Cimoszewicz

Warsaw, April 21

The Sejm resolution marking the 90th anniversary of genocide on Turkish
Armenians has no anti-Turkish bias; Turkey still finds it difficult
to reconcile with historical truth, but we considered paying homage
to the victims an obvious thing – is how Sejm speaker Wlodzimierz
Cimoszewicz reacted Thursday to Turkish official protest of Wednesday.

The Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday criticised Tuesday’s
resolution by the Polish Sejm condemning and recognising as genocide
the mass killing of Armenians during World War I.

The Turkish side accused Polish politicians of being
“irresponsible.” The Turkish foreign ministry said that Turkey strongly
condemned the Polish Parliament’s resolution and warned deputies to
avoid “initiatives that could provoke vengeance and hatred between
nations.”

Cimoszewicz said Thursday that the MPs adopted the resolution knowing
full well that “Turkish authorities continue to refuse admitting
Turkey’s responsibility for the extermination of Armenians in 1915.”

“I understand that such admittance is politically and psychologically
hard for the Turks, even though the events took place three generations
ago,” Cimoszewicz went on.

“The Turkish foreign ministry is in the wrong and I do not accept
its criticisms,” the Sejm speaker said flatly.

He added that it was in the interests of Turkey and Poland to avoid
a dispute or conflict over this historical issue. “It would make no
sense,” Cimoszewicz argued, adding that the adoption of the resolution
was not anti-Turkish in the least.

The Sejm speaker noted that the Poles remembered well Turkey’s
approach to the Polish cause when Poland had been partitioned. Now
Poland was among the most fervent supporters of talks with Turkey on
its EU admission, Cimoszewicz remarked.

“The Turkish foreign ministry did what it considered politically
indispensable but I do hope that a few days from now the problem
between us will disappear,” the speaker declared.

Armenia not yet sending resolution to UN to condemn 1915 genocide
By Tigran Liloyan

-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 21, 2005 Thursday 11:57 AM Eastern Time

YEREVAN, April 21 — Armenia does not yet intend to submit to the
United Nations a draft resolution condemning the 1915 genocide of
Armenians in the Ottoman empire, Vartan Oskanyan, the Armenian foreign
minister, said on Thursday upon the conclusion of the international
conference “Ultimate Crime. Ultimate Challenge. Human Rights and
Genocide”. “The time is not yet ripe for this,” the minister said. The
forum was devoted to the 90th anniversary of the events that took
the toll of 1.5 million.

The minister spoke highly of the participation in the Yerevan
forum of Juan Mendez, the special adviser to the United Nations
secretary-general on the prevention of genocide, as well as of
historians, jurists and public figures from twenty countries. The
United Nations has not yet adopted the resolution on the genocide
of Armenians, but the tragic events at the beginning of last century
were mentioned in the report presented in the 80s, the minister said.

“Armenia is ready for normal relations with Turkey without any
preliminary conditions, and all the outstanding questions can be
discussed in this framework,” the minister said. He believes, “The
time has come to normalize relations” between the two neighbour
countries. The territorial issue, the problem of the return to
Armenia of its historic territories seized by Turkey in the early
20th century, “is not on the agenda of the republic’s foreign policy,”
the minister said.

The Armenian foreign minister has no doubt that the conference in
Yerevan will be of importance for the international recognition of
the genocide of Armenians. “There is a need for consistent work,
bit-by-bit,” Oskanyan said.

-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 21, 2005 Thursday 11:57 AM Eastern Time

Armenia may better relations with Turkey without preconditions

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN, April 21

Armenia’s government is ready to establish good relations with Turkey
without preliminary conditions, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
said Thursday.

Turkey’s recognition and condemnation of the genocide of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire would be the touchstone in Armenian-Turkish
relations, Margarian said.

“Gradual restoration of confidence would promote regional security
and cooperation, settlement of conflicts and neighborliness in the
South Caucasus,” Margarian told a conference devoted to the 90th
anniversary of Armenian genocide.

“Armenia sees eye to eye with those political quarters in Europe who
argue that Turkey as a country that wants to join the European Union
should at least display the ability to critically reconsider its
past, and to admit its historical guilt,” Margarian said. “We want to
see Turkey as a country that has relieved itself of the legacy of its
past and distanced itself from its nihilistic position and policy.”

“However, today’s Turkey as a successor of the Ottoman Empire denies
the very instance of Armenian genocide, and by doing so it has put
itself on the sidelines of the process of repentance and
reconciliation with its own history,” Margarian said.

TASS News Agency
TASS
April 21, 2005 Thursday

Speaker supports idea of Caucasian Four meeting in May

By Tamara Ivanova, Viktor Schulman

BAKU, April 21

The chairman of the Russian Federation Council upper house of
parliament supported on Thursday the idea of holding a meeting of
parliament speakers of the Caucasian Four group in Moscow late in
May.

The idea came from the speaker of Azerbaijani parliament, Murtuza
Aleskerov. The Russian speaker, Sergei Mironov, is in Baku for an
official visit at the head of a parliamentary delegation.

>>From May 24 to 27, an Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation will pay
an official visit to Russia. Aleskerov believes the Caucasian Four
meeting could take place during that visit. Mironov confirmed that
the date and the venue were acceptable. He said he would discuss it
with the Georgian parliament speaker as well as with the leadership
of Armenian parliament.

“We are ready to meet and discuss any problems without restrictions
and with utmost sincerity,” the speaker said. There have already been
five meetings of the Caucasian Four. He explained a pause in them
with organizational issues, as well as election campaigns in Georgia
and Armenia. Mironov believes “a lot of issues and information for
discussions have amassed”.

He stressed that the main value of these meetings is their utmost
sincerity. “It is not always pleasant,” he admitted. However, “all
participants in the meetings benefit from that and begin to
understand each other better,” he stressed.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PLEASE DIFFUSE WIDELY

ARMENIAN YOUTH ORGANIZATION OF CANADA
3401 rue Olivar-Asselin
Montréal, Qc
H4J 1L5
Tél: 514-331-6548
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
April 17, 2005
Contacts: Hagop Mksyartinian 519-933-8425
Lalai Manjikian 514-262-9339

For immediate release:
Nations converge to Ottawa to “End Genocide”
Peoples victim of crimes against humanity commemorate the 90th Anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide

Montr̩al РCanadian youth representing all victims of injustice converge to the
nation’s capital in order to participate in a vigil that will be held in front
of the Human Rights monument in Ottawa, on Saturday, April 23rd, 2005 at 8pm.
The vigil will pay tribute to the countless victims of the unpunished crime of
genocide committed against the Armenian people between 1915 and 1921. This
commemorative event, spearheaded by the Armenian Youth Organization of Canada,
also aims to raise awareness about all those who have fallen victim of genocide
during the 20th and 21st centuries.

At 8pm, members of the Armenian Youth Organization of Canada as well as the
Armenian community, leaders and diplomatic corps representatives of the Greek,
Tibetan, Rwandan, Guatemalan, Ukrainian, Jewish and Sudanese communities in
Canada, along with representatives of humanitarian non governmental
organizations will gather in front of the Canadian Human Rights monument in
Ottawa. The official program of the event will comprise of statements made by
the representatives of cultural and humanitarian organizations such as Amnesty
International of Canada and the Canadian Council for Refugees. Among the guest
speakers scheduled are Ms Tragi Mustafa, founder of Save Women from Sudan
Organization and representative of the Darfur Association of Canada as well as
Mr. Toros Dimitian, vice-president of the Armenian National Committee of
Canada. Moreover, the program will include poetry readings and screenings of
documentaries on genocide. The vigil will resume with a solemn candle lighting
ceremony, to commemorate the victims of all genocides. Organizers are expecting
hundreds of supporters and activists from across the country to partake in this
event.

“This is a first effort on the part of the Armenian Youth Organization to bring
together all nations that have suffered such heinous crimes. We should not only
remember the past, but strive to unite our voices in order to put an end to the
cycle of genocide,” said Mr. Hamlet Djeredjian, president of the A.R.F. Youth
organization of Canada, “I am confident that this event will open peoples’ eyes
to the threat that genocide poses for all of humanity. As Canadian-Armenians, we
bear a special responsibility in this matter. The recent events in Sudan are the
direct consequence of the unpunished nature of the Armenian Genocide. It’s time
to raise our level of activism and put an end to the cycle of genocide,” said
Mr. Djeredjian.

-30-

–Boundary_(ID_jNE5QxdzhIr2df4DNlxKHw)–

Congressional Record: April 20, 2005 (Senate)]
[Page S4012]
>>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr20ap05-113]

THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OF 1915-1923

Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, this is in observance of the 90th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide where atrocities were committed
against the Armenian people of the Ottoman Empire during the First
World War. In April 1915, the Ottoman government embarked upon the
systematic decimation of its civilian Armenian population. The Armenian
genocide was centrally planned and administered against the entire
Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian people were
subjected to deportation, expropriation, abduction, torture, massacre,
and starvation. The great bulk of the Armenian population was forcibly
removed from Armenia and Anatolia to Syria, where the vast majority was
sent into the desert to die of thirst and hunger.
Large numbers of Armenians were methodically massacred throughout the
Ottoman Empire. Women and children were abducted and horribly abused.
After only a little more than a year of calm at the end of WWI, the
atrocities were renewed between 1920 and 1923, and the remaining
Armenians were subjected to further massacres and expulsions. In 1915,
33 years before the UN Genocide Convention was adopted, the Armenian
Genocide was condemned by the international community as a crime
against humanity.
In 1923, the people of the region overthrew the Ottoman government
and established modern day Turkey. Since its establishment, the
Republic of Turkey has disputed the tragic suffering inflicted on the
Armenian people during this period. Sadly, it is estimated that 1.5
million Armenians perished between 1915 and 1923.
Affirming the truth about the Armenian genocide has become an issue
of international significance. The recurrence of genocide in the
twentieth century has made the recognition of the criminal mistreatment
of the Armenians by Turkey all the more a compelling obligation for the
international community. It is a testament to the perseverance and
determination of the Armenian people that they were able to overcome
one of the most egregious acts in history. I support this important
annual commemoration of a horrible chapter of history so that it is
never repeated again. Congress should continue to show support for
Armenia and their struggle to set the historical record straight on
this tragedy.
Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, we solemnly remember the men and women
who perished in the Armenian genocide 90 years ago. A million and a
half Armenians were systematically massacred at the hands of the
Ottoman Empire and more than 500,000 fled their homeland.
When the Armenian genocide occurred from 1915 to 1923, the
international community lacked a name for such atrocities. In January
1951, the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide entered into force to affirm the international commitment to
prevent genocide and protect basic human decency. Today, we have the
words to describe this evil, and we have an obligation to prevent it.
But we must also have the will to act.
During the Holocaust, and later in the former Yugoslavia and in
Rwanda, the world has seen the crimes of ethnic cleansing and genocide
recur again and again. Too often, the will to stop atrocities has been
lacking, or far too late in coming. Today, as we read report after
report detailing the horrific plight of the people of Darfur, Sudan, we
must muster the will and the sense of urgency required to save lives.
The international community has made the first steps, but it has a
long way to go in punishing and, especially, preventing genocide. As we
move forward, we must learn the lessons of Armenia’s genocide. We
cannot be misled by the rhetorical veils of murderous leaders, thrown
up to disguise the agenda at hand. We cannot respond to evidence of
methodical, brutal violence by wringing our hands and waiting for some
definitive proof that these events qualify as genocide. Enforcing a
collective, international commitment to prevent and stop genocides from
occurring is imperative. We owe the victims of the Armenian genocide
this commitment.
This is why we must remember the Armenian genocide. To forget it is
to enable more genocides and ethnic cleansing to occur. We must honor
its victims by reaffirming our resolve to not let it happen again.

Congressional Record: April 20, 2005 (Senate)
[Page S4011]
>>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr20ap05-111]

OBSERVANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the victims and
commemorate the 90th anniversary of the tragic Armenian Genocide, where
over 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children were systematically
killed, and over 500,000 Armenians were displaced. This was the first
genocide of the 20th century, and one where the international community
failed to intervene to stop the killing.
We have learned a great deal since those dark days. We learned that
the world cannot sit on the sidelines as systematic massacres of
innocents take place. We learned that the rule of law must be upheld,
and that violations of law must have consequences. And, we learned that
the Armenian people are a strong, proud and persevering people who
could not be defeated. Today, hundreds of thousands of Armenian
Americans live in the United States, and I am proud to represent a
thriving Armenian-American population–3,000 strong–in Nevada.
But we must never forget the painful lessons learned from the
Armenian Genocide. This week, events around my State and the Nation
will recognize this important anniversary. I am grateful for the strong
and active work of the Armenian-American community in Las Vegas, who
will hold their annual commemoration on April 24. To the Armenian
American Cultural Society of Las Vegas and to the work of Mr. John
Dadaian, I say thank you for all that you have done for the people of
Nevada, and Armenia.
I am also proud of the fine work done by the University of Nevada’s
Center of Holocaust, Genocide and Peace Studies to inform the public
about the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. Raising awareness and
educating today’s generations about the horrors of genocide is crucial
for a safer, more peaceful future. That is why I was so proud to join
my friend and colleague, Senator Ensign, in cosponsoring a resolution
commemorating the signing of the Genocide Convention.
The people of Armenia suffered greatly during the 20th century. We
cannot allow genocide to occur ever again. So today I come to the
Senate floor to honor the victims of the Armenian Genocide and pledge
to uphold their sacrifice by standing against genocide and the
systematic killing of innocents wherever it may occur again.

Moonlight Pizza and Chicken
by GUSTAVO ARELLANO

OC Weekly, CA
April 21 2005

There’s a Lebanese pizzeria in Orange County (Al-Sanabel in Anaheim),
as well as pizzerias with a Pakistani (Ali Baba’s Kitchen), Persian
(Ray’s Pizza), Argentine (Regina’s), Greek (Christakis) and even
Mexican bent-La Pizza Loca bakes its namesake with carne asada! But
the best local ethnic pizzeria remains Moonlight Pizza and Chicken
in Fountain Valley, she of the crescent-and-hen logo, sturdy Middle
Eastern lunchtime buffet and a pizza encrusted with the wondrous
Armenian sausage called soujouk.

Soujouk is a dry, spicy length of beef similar to chorizo that
Armenians traditionally stuff inside a pita or speckle on their rice.
But on Moonlight Pizza’s splendid pie, the soujouk acts as an ideal
partner to the milky cheese, yeasty crust and relishy tomato sauce.
This soujouk pizza is grander than mere foodstuff: it’s an ambassador
for that mythical melting pot, for the entrepreneurial spirit and
innovation of owners Vazgen Akoyan and Karine Karpetyan. Add pineapple,
and you have the best retort to the anti-immigrant crowd since the
Statue of Liberty.

There’s more to Moonlight than pizza, even if the restaurant’s
layout-big-screen television in one corner, Little League team
photos and trophies toward the back, and wide booths ringing the
walls-suggests the type of place only a Pee Wee Dodgers squad could
appreciate. The lunchtime buffet is like chowing through a neighborhood
souk. There’s thick, sharp hummus sprinkled with olive oil, a moutabel
eggplant dip smokier than that babaghanoush spread you choked on at
your last Green Party mixer, and a fragrant, glistening mound of
tabbouleh. Almonds peek out within steamed, puffy mounds of white
rice, and a spicy beef soup bubbles in a pot. All of those appetizers
are also available at dinner-this is when Vazgen and Karine prepare
bulky gyros and charred, moist kebabs of multiple chicken, beef and
lamb cuts.

If you visit an Armenian restaurant, though, it’s a culinary
commandment that you leave stomach space for at least a drumstick of
rotisserie chicken. It’s part of the lunch buffet, and you can also
ask for shreds of it on a pizza, but order it separately-that way,
you can guarantee that the plump, crispy hen just recently left its
spit limbo and the cascading juices and scents of its still-captive
sisters. Served with rectangular slices of purple pickled turnips
and a small dollop of hummus, a whole bird costs eight freakin’
bucks-or around the cost of a regular pizza (get the two and some
other sides for only $16). An order of rotisserie chicken also comes
with a thimble of fierce garlic sauce. Apply it judiciously, though:
this gritty, reeking paste will sear taste buds as much as it does
your nostril hairs.

Don’t forget dessert-gooey baklava and a couple of steamed carrots.
What, never had the latter? Oh, the sweet, earthy pleasure you’ve
missed out on all these years.

MOONLIGHT PIZZA AND CHICKEN, 9895 WARNER AVE., STE. G, FOUNTAIN VALLEY,
(714) 963-4488.

Armenian National Committee of Illinois
1701 North Greenwood Road
Glenview, IL 60026
Contact: Greg Bedian
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2005

Illinois Governor Blagojevich Designates April 24
“Armenian Martyrs Day”

Chicago, IL – On the occasion of the 90th anniversary
of the genocide of over 1.5 million Armenians at the
hands of the Ottoman Turks, Illinois Governor Rod
Blagojevich has issued a proclamation naming April 24,
2005, “Armenian Martyrs Day” in the state of Illinois.

“Armenian Americans across Illinois, from Chicago to
Granite City, deeply appreciate the Governor’s efforts
to mark the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide,” stated Greg Bedian, Chairperson of the
Armenian National Committee of Illinois. “It is
especially important to know that the people of
Illinois will be joining with Armenians and others
worldwide as we pause to remember this horrible
tragedy.”

Under the cover of WWI, the Turkish government
implemented a systematic plan to annihilate the
indigenous Armenian population of Turkey. From 1915
to 1923, over 1.5 million Armenians perished as a
result of massacre and deportation, resulting in the
complete erasure of over 3000 years of Armenian
existence an area which is now located in eastern
Turkey. Armenians traditionally commemorate the
Armenian Genocide on April 24 as it was the day when
the Turkish government set its plans into motion in
1915 by arresting several hundred prominent Armenians
including members of the Turkish parliament, newspaper
editors and political party leaders.

Blagojevich is the most recent in a long line of
Illinois governors who have issues similar
proclamations. Various other Illinois public figures
have also joined the Armenian community in remembering
the victims of the Armenian Genocide, including
Cardinal Francis George of the Chicago Archdiocese and
Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas.

The proclamation will be officially presented to the
Armenian community on Saturday, April 23, 2005, at a
commemorative event held in Glenview, IL, honoring
genocide victims and survivors. Armenian Americans in
Illinois have organized a series of events throughout
the state to mark the date when the Turkish government
began its systematic annihilation of the indigenous
Armenian population of Turkey. Numerous events are
scheduled in Chicago, Glenview, Waukegan, Evanston,
Palos Heights as well as in Champaign-Urbana, Granite
City, and Fairview Heights in southern Illinois.

The Armenian National Committee of Illinois is a
grassroots public affairs organization serving to
inform, educate, and act on a wide range of issues
concerning Armenian Americans throughout the state of
Illinois.

———————————————
Text of Proclamation
———————————————

WHEREAS, the Armenian community, as well as the
global community, remembers the Armenian Genocide,
which occurred 90 years ago; and

WHEREAS, during this tragic historical period between
the years of 1915 and 1923, Armenians were forced to
witness the genocide of their loved ones, and the loss
of their ancestral homelands; and

WHEREAS, this extermination and forced relocation of
over 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks is
recognized every year; and

WHEREAS, Armenians continue to be a people full of
hope, courage, faith and pride in their heritage,
working together to rebuild a firm foundation for
Armenia; and

WHEREAS, many of the fifteen-thousand
Armenian-Americans in Illinois are descendents or
survivors of the Armenian genocide, and have been
forthright in their efforts to preserve their culture,
heritage and language, while contributing much to our
state and our nation ‘s diverse society and economy;
and

WHEREAS, both recognition and education concerning
past atrocities such as the Armenian Genocide is
crucial in the prevention of future crimes against
humanity:

THEREFORE, I, Rod Blagojevich, Governor of the State
of Illinois, do hereby proclaim April 24, 2005 as
ARMENIAN MARTYRS DAY in Illinois, in honor of the 90th
Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and
caused the Great Seal of the State of Illinois to be
affixed. Done at the Capitol, in the City of
Springfield, this eleventh day of March, in the Year
of Our Lord two thousand and five, and of the State of
Illinois the one hundred and eighty-seventh.

Rod Blagojevich
GOVERNOR

Jesse White
SECRETARY OF STATE

TURKEY BLACKMAILS AND INTERFERES IN INTERNAL AFFAIRS OF
GERMANY, PREVENTING LOBBYING OF ARMENIAN PROBLEMS

YEREVAN, APRIL 20. ARMINFO. Turkey blackmails and always interferes in
the internal affairs of Germany, hindering the lobbying of Armenian
problems. Tessa Hoffman, Professor of Berlin’s Freie University,
author of 13 books dedicated to history and culture of Armenia,
stated in the interview to ARMINFO.

According to her, the evidence of this policy is the number f
recent incidents in Germany, among which the attempt to remove from
text-books the topic of Armenian Genocide. Besides, recently the
Armenian diaspora of Berlin appealed to the parliament of Berlin with
a request to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Armenian Genocide,
where the former mayor of Berlin must have a speech. The documentary
film “Genocide of Armenians” was demonstrated in France recently,
and in Germany the same film was demonstrated under the name “Turks
against Armenians”. “Why Germany submits to this blackmail and permits
Turkey constantly to interference in its affairs, and what facts of
general history it is afraid of? One may only surmise whether it is
fear of possible compensation to Armenians or simply accusations of
participation in this tragedy”, the scientist said.