EU Parliament Calls for Talks With Turkey
By CONSTANT BRAND
.c The Associated Press
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) – The European Parliament urged European Union
leaders Wednesday to open membership talks with Turkey as soon as
possible, but it also said Ankara should carry out more democratic
reforms and move toward recognizing Cyprus.
The European Parliament, meeting in Strasbourg, France, voted 407-262,
with 29 abstentions, to pass the resolution, which is nonbinding but
nevertheless likely to influence leaders on the eve of a historic
summit in Brussels on Turkey’s membership application.
The resolution calls on leaders to “open the negotiations with Turkey
without undue delay.”
During their two-day summit, the 25 EU leaders are expected to approve
opening membership talks with Ankara sometime next year.
Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, also said the
talks should begin immediately, even though Turkey has not met all the
requirements.
“In 10 years, Turkey won’t be the same Turkey as today … and
certain fears that exist today can be put aside,” Barroso told
France-2 television station.
“I believe this is the moment,” Barroso said, adding that Turkey has
made “an enormous effort to come join the European Union” and its
membership “would be very positive for Europe.”
The parliament urged Ankara to meet demands for a “zero-tolerance”
approach to torture, which the legislature says is still being carried
out by authorities in Turkey.
The resolution also said the opening of negotiations would
“presuppose recognition by Turkey” of Cyprus, which joined the EU in
May.
It urged Turkey to acknowledge “the genocide perpetrated against the
Armenians” nearly a century ago. Turkey has been accused of killing
as many as 1.5 million Armenians during a 1915-23 campaign to force
them from eastern Turkey. Ankara vehemently denies this.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the parliament
vote.
“This decision is very important. … There are still many issues
against (Turkey) but despite that, it is very meaningful,” Erdogan
said in Ankara.
Erdogan, meanwhile, reiterated that Turkey won’t hesitate to say no to
the EU if the bloc imposed unacceptable conditions on starting
membership talks with Turkey.
Also Wednesday, EU governments debated the merits of bringing Turkey
into the EU but also reflected on lingering misgivings – notably in
Austria, Denmark, Slovakia, the Netherlands and France.
The 25 leaders will likely agree to open membership talks without
setting a deadline on when the negotiations should end. Many say they
could last up to 15 years.
12/15/04 14:07 EST
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian leader, visiting Russian speaker praise improved trade
Noyan Tapan news agency
15 Dec 04
YEREVAN
The development of Russian-Armenian relations in the context of
bringing the two countries’ political and economic legislation closer
together and prospects for international cooperation were discussed by
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Speaker of the [Russian] State
Duma Boris Gryzlov today.
Boris Gryzlov is in Yerevan on an official visit.
Robert Kocharyan expressed his satisfaction with the fact that 2004
saw an improved trade structure between the two countries. For his
part, the speaker of the Russian State Duma said this was laying the
basis for boosting bilateral relations even further.
[Passage omitted: Reported details]
The sides also touched on ways of improving the transport link between
Armenia and Russia, namely issues concerning the railway and the
Kavkaz ferryboat lines, the press service of the Armenian president
told Noyan-Tapan.
The sides also exchanged views on regional and international problems.

Armenian president keen to see Russia making full use of Yerevan enterprises
Mediamax news agency
15 Dec 04
YEREVAN
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said today that he attaches great
importance to the meeting of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental
commission, planned for the end of December in Moscow, “during which
resolutions are expected to be found to speed up the process of
putting into operation the enterprises that have been transferred to
Russian Federation ownership to repay Armenian debts”.
The Armenian president talked about this today at a meeting with the
speaker of the Russian State Duma, Boris Gryzlov, who is in Yerevan on
an official visit, Mediamax agency reports.
The sides in particular declared the need for active work to modernize
and to put into full operation the Yerevan Mars [radio electronics]
plant. Boris Gryzlov said that the Russian side regards the issue of
Mars as paramount and is already debating the possibility of placing
orders at the plant.
The Armenian president and speaker of the lower house of the Russian
parliament also considered issues connected with stepping up transport
links between the two countries.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
December 15, 2004
___________________
ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL COMMUNITY LEADER FINDS HOME IN SANCTUARY
If you’ve ever been to a service at New York City’s St. Vartan
Cathedral, chances are you’ve seen Araxie Cherishian. Her smiling face
and warm inviting spirit can fill the sanctuary, where she has served as
senior usher for more than two decades.
“She embraces all who come through the doors of this Cathedral, offering
a kind word, a listening ear, or a word of encouragement to all those
who need it,” said Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan Cathedral.
“As our senior usher, Araxie takes her outreach mission and
responsibilities seriously. She has been a gift to St. Vartan
Cathedral, the Armenian Church, and to the greater community.”
Recently, she was recognized by the Council of Churches of the City of
New York, during a banquet held at St. Vartan Cathedral. In front of
hundreds of people, she was presented with the 2004 Recognition Award by
the organization’s president, Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts III, pastor of the
Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.
Araxie was one of only four lay leaders throughout New York City to be
honored by the ecumenical group during its 10th annual awards
presentation on October 21, 2004. She was recognized for her “pious,
loving soul” that has given strength and inspiration to the Armenian
community. Saying we do God’s work and serve as His hands, she told the
attendees that her service stems from seeing her parents give back and
support the community and church. She is merely following their
example.
Along with serving as St. Vartan Cathedral’s senior usher for 20 years,
she is also charged with coordinating community outreach for the
cathedral. She has served as the chair of the St. Vartan Cathedral
Guild and as a leader of the St. Gregory Church parish council and
Sunday School. She is a member of the board of directors of the
Armenian Home for the Aged in Flushing, NY, and chair of the Union of
Marash Armenians (Compatriotic Union/New York Chapter).
“Araxie’s spirit is the spirit of the Armenian people,” said Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America (Eastern). “She is a tireless servant of God, answering His
call to stewardship in a humble and loving way. She truly is an
embodiment of Christian giving.”
She is more than a servant of the church: Araxie is also an active
member of her community. Araxie is the president of the Friends of St.
Vartan Park, which oversees the city park next to the cathedral. She is
a member of the board of directors of the Murray Hill Committee, the
Manhattan East Community Association, and the New York Police
Department’s 17th Precinct Community Council. For 17 years she worked
as a volunteer reading tutor with the Volunteer Services for Children
project.
“The qualities that define Araxie best are her spirit of service to her
community, Armenian and non-Armenian, and a compulsion to care for her
fellow men for their material and moral needs,” said her brother-in-law
Onnig Halajian. “Such qualities are rare and do not come by chance. I
see her as a product of an upbringing by parents who have also made an
impression on me by virtue of their unadvertised love for people, for
their community, and for their ancestral church.”
— 12/15/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Joined by Fr. Mardiros Chevian, dean of St. Vartan
Cathedral, Araxie Cherishian, the cathedral’s senior usher, is presented
with the Council of Churches of the City of New York’s 2004 Recognition
Award by the organization’s president, Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts, III.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Araxie Cherishian speaks of how her parents
instilled in her a devotion to the church and community during a banquet
hosted by the Council of Churches of the City of New York.
PHOTO CAPTION (3): St. Vartan Cathedral’s senior usher, Araxie
Cherishian, center in black, takes a moment to reflect in prayer in the
sanctuary.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
December 15, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA WELCOMES EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTE
PRESSING TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) today welcomed the adoption by the European Parliament of
three strongly worded measures calling on Turkey to properly
recognize the Armenian Genocide. These measures were actively
supported by the Brussels-based European Armenian Federation
[ANC-Europe], which represents more than two hundred Armenian
associations across Europe.
The provisions were added, on the eve of the December 17th vote
of the European Council on opening European Union membership
talks with Turkey, as amendments to a Parliamentary report on
Turkey’s progress toward accession to the European Union. This
report, prepared by Camiel Eurlings (PPE/The Netherlands) was
passed by a vote of 407 to 262. Significantly, the report
stressed, in Paragraph 55, that, “the opening of negotiations
will be the starting point for a long-lasting process […] and
does not lead ‘a priori’ and automatically to accession.” An
amendment to the report suggesting that Turkey be granted a
“privileged partnership” rather than actual membership in the
European Union was rejected by a secret ballot.
“Armenian Americans join with the European Armenian Federation
and Armenians across Europe in welcoming this historic vote
reaffirming the international consensus that Turkey must
recognize the Armenian Genocide, lift its blockade of Armenia,
and abandon it hostile policies toward Armenia and the Armenian
people,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “The
strong support for these measures across the European political
spectrum has resonance around the world, including here in the
United States, where a growing number of American legislators
are growing tired of increasingly strident – often desperate –
Turkish efforts to dictate U.S. policy on the Armenian
Genocide.”
The Eurling Report made specific reference to Armenian issues in
eight separate paragraphs, with three dealing specifically with
Armenian Genocide recognition. Amendments on the Genocide were
brought to the floor by four political groups (EPP, PSE, ALDE,
United Left, Independence/Democracy), respectively by Mr. Toubon
(EPP/France), Mr. Poignant (PSE/France) and Mrs. Carlotti
(PSE/France), Mrs. De Sarnez (ALDE/France), Mr. Wurtz (United
Left/France) and Mr. Belder ( IND/DEM / Netherlands).
In the end, the European Parliament urged Turkey to “promote the
process of reconciliation with the Armenian people by
acknowledging the genocide” and called on the European Council
and Commission to demand this country to “formally acknowledge
the historic reality” of the Genocide.
The European Armenian Federation (EAFJD) welcomed the adoption
of the Eurling Report and the three amendments clearly
articulating the European consensus that Turkey must acknowledge
the Armenian Genocide. “On the eve of the European Summit,
heads of state must, as they chart a course for the future, take
into account the democratic will of the European electorate and
our elected representatives in the European Parliament,” stated
Hilda Tchoboian, Chairperson of the European Armenian
Federation. “This is a tremendous victory for Europeans who want
to preserve European values in the face of Turkey’s ongoing
denial of the Genocide,” she continued.
Since the European Parliament resolution of 1987, which set the
recognition of the Armenian genocide as a precondition to the
consideration of Turkish accession to the Union, the European
Parliament has continuously restated this principled position in
successive resolutions. This message was reinforced earlier
this week by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, who called
on Turkey to recognize the genocide against the Armenians. The
clear consensus within European circles remains: Turkey cannot
join the Union without giving up its ultra-nationalist and
aggressive policy towards Armenia. European Armenians urge the
upcoming meeting of the European Council to reflect the will of
the European public, to honor this vote of the European
Parliament, and to respect the European values on which the
European project is based,” concluded the chairperson of the
European Armenian Federation.
The full text of the Armenia related paragraphs in the Eurling
resolution are provided below.
#####
—————————————————————–
* Amendments Introduced and Adopted at the European Parliament
December 15th plenary session
—————————————————————–
Amendment 80 – Bernard Poignant, Pierre Moscovici, Marie-Arlette
Carlotti, Harlem Désir, Martine Roure and others adopted by 470
against 198
EEa. whereas the Turkish authorities have likewise still not
complied with the calls concerning the other Armenian issues
made by Parliament in its resolution of 18 June 1987,
Amendment 18 – Francis Wurtz and Dimitrios Papadimoulis adopted
by 395 against 273
34a Calls on Turkey to promote the process of reconciliation
with the Armenian people by acknowledging the genocide
perpetrated against the Armenians as expressed in Parliament’s
earlier resolutions with regard to Turkey’s candidate status
(from 18 June 1987 to 1 April 2004);
Amendment 83 – Jacques Toubon and others adopted by 332 against
325
35a. Calls on the Commission and the Council to demand that the
Turkish authorities formally acknowledge the historic reality of
the genocide perpetrated against the Armenians in 1915 and open
the border between Turkey and Armenia at an early date, in
accordance with the resolutions adopted by the European
Parliament between 1987 and 2004;
—————————————————————–
* Amendments first drafted and adopted by the European
Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee later approved by the
European Parliament plenary session
—————————————————————–
EE whereas the border between Turkey and Armenia has still
not been re-opened by the Turkish authorities, who have thereby
missed an opportunity to promote good neighbourly relations with
Armenia.
7. Welcomes in particular the reform of criminal
procedure, strengthening the rights of the defence; considers
however that Article 305 of the new Turkish Penal Code, which
sanctions alleged “threats to fundamental national interests”,
and the explanatory statement of which targets freedom of
expression, in particular related to the Cyprus and Armenia
issues, is incompatible with the 1950 Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; calls
therefore for its repeal;
35. Believes that the Governments of Turkey and Armenia have
to continue their process of reconciliation, possibly with the
assistance of a bilateral committee of independent experts, in
order to overcome explicitly the tragic experience of the past,
and requests the Turkish Government to re-open the borders with
Armenia as soon as possible.

Turkey angered by French statement
15.12.2004 15:30
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Turkey has reacted angrily to a demand by France
that it accept responsibility for a genocide against Armenians,
Armenpress reported citing The Times.
In response, a Turkish government spokesman said: `There was no such
genocide, so there is no question of recognizing a genocide that did
not happen.’
One Turkish official said: `They are just trying to make us angry. It
is their last chance to cause trouble against us.’

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Dec 15 2004
Topographic map of Upper Garabagh to be drawn

A new topographic map of Upper Garabagh is being drawn, MP Jamil
Hasanli told a Tuesday meeting of the Milli Majlis (parliament). He
said that 2.2 billion manats has been allocated from the state budget
for the purpose.
The new map will suggest the administrative zone of Upper Garabagh
based on historical facts. Moreover, the towns and villages, which
have already been renamed, will be presented with their original
names.*

Turkey ups the stakes in diplomatic battle over EU bid
AFP: 12/15/2004
ANKARA, Dec 15 (AFP) – Raising its tone on the eve of a critical
summit, Turkey warned the European Union Wednesday that it would not
hesitate to give up its 40-year dream of joining the bloc if it is
offered a status falling short of full membership.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul,
in a frantic 11th-hour campaign to soften conditions for Turkey, drew
up so-called “red lines” they would not cross, at the risk of a
showdown with EU leaders at a Brussels summit Thursday and Friday.
“Turkey will not hesitate to say ‘no’ to the European Union if
unacceptable conditions are put forward,” Erdogan told EU ambassadors
here at a meeting on Tuesday, an aide to the prime minister told AFP.
He said that Ankara would treat any offer of a “priviliged
partnership” — rather than full membership — as unacceptable, along
with any offer to establish a special relationship between Turkey and
the EU if accession talks fail or are suspended.
The aide, speaking under cover of anonymity, could not say whether
Turkey’s eventual rejection of accession talks would amount to a
withdrawal of its candidacy for EU membership.
“I am not able to say what he (Erdogan) meant, but withdrawing the
candidacy may be an option in such a case,” he said.
EU leaders are likely to give the go-ahead to start accession talks
with Turkey, but Ankara fears tough conditions they are expected to
attach to that will ultimately lead not to full membership but an
alternative status widely referred to as a “privileged partnership.”
The idea for special status is being pushed by some EU members who
believe this vast, predominantly Muslim country is not fit for
full-fledged integration with the bloc.
EU heavyweight France, under pressure from a public opinion largely
hostile to Turkey, says it would like to see provisions for an
alternative relationship with Ankara in case negotiations for full
membership fail.
“We will not say ‘yes’ at any price,” Foreign Minister Gul told the
daily Milliyet in comments published Wednesday. “What we demand is
nothing more than our legitimate rights. We will not accept any
injustice.”
Gul laid down what he described as four “red lines” that Turkey would
not cross:
– Negotiations must have as their final aim full EU membership;
– The EU must not oblige Turkey to endorse the
internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government of EU-member
Cyprus before a settlement is found to the 30-year division of the
island’s Turkish and Greek communities;
– The decision to open membership talks with Turkey must be clear-cut,
and not conditional on any subsequent decision by EU leaders;
– There should be no permanent restrictions on Turkey once it becomes
a member.
Observers said permanent restrictions on such basic EU freedoms such
as the free circulation of people and labor would erode Turkey’s
eventual membership to an alternative status, even if it is not
explicitly described as such.
“The imposition of permanent safeguards means second-class
membership,” Cengiz Aktar, a specialist on EU affairs from Istanbul’s
Galatasaray University said. “Turkey would be right to turn its back
to the EU in such a case.”
Turkey has been an official candidate for membership since 1999, but
its first association agreement with the bloc dates back to 1963.
12/15/2004 12:07 GMT – AFP

The Turkish Paradox, Part I
FrontPageMagazine.com
December 16, 2004
By Gamaliel Issac
In my previous article, Turkey’s Dark Past[i] I exposed the falseness
of the claims of Mr. Akyol that ?Turkey has had an Islamic heritage
free of anti-Westernism and anti-Semitism? Mr. Akyol wrote a
rebuttal, What?s Right With Turkey[ii], in which he argued that the
Turks have a great record when it comes to the Jews and that when the
Jews were expelled from Spain, they were welcomed by the Sultan. In
addition he writes that Jews expelled from Hungary in 1376, from
France by Charles VI in September 1394, and from Sicily early in the
15th century, found refuge in the Ottoman Empire.
Mustapha Akyol points out that the blood libel and other such standard
anti-Semitic nonsense was unknown in Muslim lands until the 19th
century and that these were introduced to the Middle East by the
“westernized” elite, who had been infected by the anti-Semitic plague
from its ultimate source: Europe. He points out that Mr. Salahattin
Ulkumen, Consul General at Rhodes in 1943-1944, was recognized by the
Yad Vashem as a Righteous Gentile “Hassid Umot ha’Olam” in June 1990
for his efforts to save Jews and how Marseilles vice-consul Necdet
Kent, boarded a railway car full of Jews bound for Auschwitz, risking
his own life in an attempt to persuade the Germans to send them back
to France.
How can we reconcile the refuge provided by Turkey for the Jews of
Europe and the heroic efforts made by Turkish politicians such as
Mr. Ulkumen and Mr. Kent with the atrocities committed by the Turks
against the Armenians and against the Jews of Palestine which I
described in my article, Turkey’s Dark Past?
Mr. Akyol?s explanation is that what the West sees as an unjust
massacre of the Armenians was simply fighting between Turks and
Armenians. In his article What?s Right With Turkey he wrote: ?What
happened in 1915, and beforehand, was mutual killing in which the
Armenian loss was greater than that of the Muslims (Turks and Kurds),
but in which the brutality was pretty similar on both sides.? Another
rationale for the Turkish ?fighting? provided by Mr. Akyol was that of
Armenian revolutionary agitation and aid given the invading Russians
by Anatolian Armenians.
In my article Turkey’s Dark Past I quote passages from Serge
Trifkovic?s book, The Sword of the Prophet[iii], which convincingly
demonstrate that what happened at Smyrna was a massacre. Mr. Akyol
dismisses my quotes from Serge Trifkovic?s book on the grounds that
Mr. Trifkovic is not a reliable source and that he is an advocate of
?aggressive Serbian nationalism, which was responsible for the ethnic
cleansing and the related war crimes committed against the Muslims of
Bosnia Herzegovina during 1992-95.? In regards to Mr. Trifkovic?s
comments about the Turkish destruction of the city of Smyrna,
Mr. Akyol writes that Smyrna was an Ottoman city that was liberated
from the occupying Greek army, an army that had committed atrocities
against the Turks while occupying the city.
Mr. Akyol addressed my arguments about the role of Islam in the
massacre of the Armenians by referring the reader to two articles he
has written, two articles which do shed light on the massacres of the
Armenians but not in the way he intended.
In this article I will point out the errors in Mr. Akyol?s arguments
and provide an alternative explanation for the paradox of Turkish
tolerance to the Jews of Europe and cruelty to the Armenian
Christians. In addition I will discuss the paradox of the refuge
given the European Jews by the Turks in Anatolia in the context of the
intolerance of the Turks towards the Jews of Palestine. Finally I
will discuss the relevance of Turkish history to the question of
whether or not Turkey should be accepted into the European Union.
Smyrna, A Greek or an Ottoman City?
Mustafa Akyol wrote that[iv] ?The truth is that Smyrna (known as Izmir
in Turkish) was an Ottoman city that included a Greek quarter, and the
Turks were not invading Smyrna, they were liberating the city from the
occupying Greek army.?
Mr. Akyol?s argument that Smyrna was an Ottoman and not a Greek city
ignores over a thousand years of history. According to the
Encyclopedia Brittanica Online:
?Greek settlement is first clearly attested by the presence of pottery
dating from about 1000 BC. According to the Greek historian Herodotus
, the Greek city was founded by Aeolians but soon was seized by
Ionians. From modest beginnings, it grew into a stately city in the
7th century, with massive fortifications and blocks of two-storied
houses. Captured by Alyattes of Lydia about 600 BC, it ceased to
exist as a city for about 300 years until it was refounded by either
Alexander the Great or his lieutenants in the 4th century BC at a new
site on and around Mount Pagus. It soon emerged as one of the
principal cities of Asia Minor and was later the centre of a civil
diocese in the Roman province of Asia, vying with Ephesus and Pergamum
for the title ?first city of Asia.? Roman emperors visited there, and
it was celebrated for its wealth, beauty, library, school of medicine,
and rhetorical tradition. The stream of Meles is associated in local
tradition with Homer, who is reputed to have been born by its banks.
Smyrna was one of the early seats of Christianity.
Capital of the naval theme (province) of Samos under the Byzantine
emperors, Smyrna was taken by the Turkmen Aydin principality in the
early 14th century AD. After being conquered in turn by the crusaders
sponsored by Pope Clement VI and the Central Asian conqueror Timur
(Tamerlane), it was annexed to the Ottoman Empire about 1425. Although
severely damaged by earthquakes in 1688 and 1778, it remained a
prosperous Ottoman port with a large European population.
Izmir [Smyrna] was occupied by Greek forces in May 1919 and recaptured
by Turkish forces under Mustafa Kemal (later Kemal Atatürk) on
September 9, 1922.”
One problem with the encyclopedic summary above is that as a necessary
consequence of its brevity we do not realize what the events described
really entail. Here is what Marjorie Housepian Dobkin, wrote about
the first conquest of Smyrna in 1402 by Tamerlane and his Muslim army
in her book The Smyrna Affair[v].
?In 1402 Tamerlaine butchered the inhabitants and razed the buildings
in an orgy of cruelty that would become legendary. While the
inhabitants slept, his men stealthily undermined the city’s wall and
propped them up with timber smeared with pitch. Then he applied the
torch, the walls sank into ditches prepared to receive them, and the
city lay open to the invader. Smyrna’s would be defenders, the
Knights of Saint John, escaped to their ships by fighting their way
through a mob of panic-stricken inhabitants. They escaped just in
time, for Tamerlaine ordered a thousand prisoners beheaded and used
their skulls to raise a monument in his honor. He did not linger over
his victory – it was his custom to ravage and ride on. He rode on to
Ephesus, where the city’s children were sent out to greet and appease
him with song. “What is this noise?” he roared, and ordered his
horsemen to trample the children to death.?
Attacking the Messenger
In an attempt to refute my quotes from Mr. Serge Trifkovic?s book, The
Sword of Islam, Mustafa Akyol accused him of supporting Serbian war
criminals and of being ?one of the leaders of the Bosnian Serbs during
the years of ethnic cleansing.? These accusations are recycled
accusations that were made previously by Stephen Schwartz and that
Mr. Trifkovic has already answered in an article in Frontpage Magazine
(see Reply to Stephen Schwartz By Serge Trifkovic[vi]). In the text
preceding that article, David Horowitz apologized to Mr. Trifkovic for
the false accusations made by Steven Schwartz. Mr. Horowitz wrote:
?Frontpage regrets characterizations of Serge Trifkovic, author of
Sword of Islam, that were made in an article by Stephen Schwartz
(CAIR’s Axis of Evil) to the effect that Trifkovic, is an Islamophobe,
is associated with Pravda or Antiwar.com, and “was the main advocate
in the West for the regime of Slobodan Milosevic.” Serge Trifkovic is
not associated with either Pravda or Antiwar.com. He was not a
supporter of Slobodan Milosevic. He is not an Islamophobe nor would
Frontpage have given extensive space to a summary of his book if he
were.?
Corroboration of Mr. Trifkovic
There are independent sources that corroborate the excerpts of
Mr. Trifkovic?s book that I included in my previous article. Here are
a few accounts that corroborate Mr. Trifkovic?s account of the Turkish
massacre of the inhabitants of Smyrna. I include the following
excerpt from Marjorie Housepian?s book, The Smyrna Affair[vii], in
particular to answer the Turkish propaganda that the Greeks, not the
Turks, set fire to the city.
?Anita Chakerian, a young teacher at the [American Collegiate]
Institute, saw the Turkish guards dragging into the building large
sacks, which they deposited in various corners. They were bringing
rice and potatoes the men said, because they knew the people were
hungry and would soon have nothing left to eat. The sacks were not to
be opened until the bread was exhausted. Such unexpected generosity
led one of the sailors to investigate; the bags held gunpowder and
dynamite. On Tuesday night, wagons bearing gasoline drums again moved
through the deserted streets around the College?
At 1:00 A.M. on Wednesday, Mabel Kalfa, a Greek nurse at the
Collegiate Institute, saw three fires in the neighborhood. At 4:00
A.M. fires in a small wooden hut adjoining the College wall and on a
veranda near the school were put out by firemen. At noon on Wednesday
a sailor beckoned Mabel Kalfa and Miss Mills to the window in the
dining room. ?Look there,? he said. ?The Turks are setting the
fires!? The women could see three Turkish officers silhouetted in the
window of a photographer?s shop opposite the school. Moments after
the men emerged, flames poured from the roof and the windows? Said
Miss Mills: ?I could plainly see the Turks carrying tins of petroleum
into the houses, from which, in each instance, fire burst forth
immediately afterward.?
It was not long before all of Smyrna was on fire. Ms. Housepian
writes:
?The spectacle along the waterfront haunted Melvin Johnson for the
rest of his life. ?When we left it was just getting dusk,? he
remembers. ?As we were pulling out I?ll never forget the screams. As
far as we could go you could hear ?em screaming and hollering, and the
fire was going on? most pitiful thing you ever saw in your life. In
your life. Could never hear nothing like it any other place in the
world, I don?t think. And the city was set in a ? a kind of a hill,
and the fire was on back coming this way toward the ship. That was
the only way the people could go, toward the waterfront. A lot of ?em
were jumping in, committing suicide, It was a sight all right.?
Ms. Housepian wrote how:
?On the Iron Duke, Major Arthur Maxwell of His Majesty?s Royal
Marines, watching through binoculars, distinguished figures pouring
out buckets of liquid among the refugees. At first he took them to be
firemen attempting to extinguish the flames, then he realized, to his
horror, that every time they appeared there was a sudden burst of
flames. ?My God! They?re trying to burn the refugees!? he exclaimed.
Ms. Housepian included the account of reporter John Clayton who wrote:
?Except for the squalid Turkish quarter, Smyrna has ceased to exist.
The problem for the minorities is here solved for all time. No doubt
remains as to the origin of the fire?The torch was applied by Turkish
regular soldiers.?
The Rebellion Excuse:
Mr. Akyol started his article by excusing the Armenian Genocide with
the excuse that the Armenians rebelled against the Turks and helped
the Russians.
One reason that this is a poor excuse is that the Armenians had every
reason to rebel against the Turks. Marjorie Housepian[viii],
describes what Dhimmi life was like under the Turks.
“Beginning in the fifteenth century, Ottoman policy drove the most
unmanageable elements, such as the Kurds, into the six Armenian
provinces in the isolated northeast. Thereafter, the Armenians were
not only subjected to the iniquitous tax-farming system (applicable to
the Moslem peasants as well), the head tax, and the dubious privilege
of the military exemption tax, but also to impositions that gave the
semi barbarous tribes license to abuse them. The hospitality tax,
which entitled government officials “and all who passed as such” to
free lodging and food for three days a year in an Armenian home, was
benign compared to the dreaded kishlak, or winter-quartering tax,
whereby – in return for a fee pocketed by the vali – a Kurd was given
the right to quarter himself and his cattle in Armenian homes during
the long winter months, which often extended to half the year. The
fact that Armenian dwellings were none too spacious and the Kurdish
way of life exceptionally crude proved the least of the burden.
Knowing that the unarmed Armenians had neither physical nor legal
redress, a Kurd, armed to the teeth, could not only make free with his
host’s possessions but if the fancy struck him could rape and kidnap
his women and girls as well.”
Marjorie Housepian wrote about the Armenian ?rebellions? as follows:
?After the Treaty of Berlin, Hamid defiantly gerrymandered the
boundaries in the northern provinces, usurped Armenian lands, moved in
more Kurds, and increased the proportion of Moslems. When the
Armenians were driven to protest to Britain that the Porte was
breaking the terms of the treaty, Hamid denounced them as traitors
conspiring with foreigners to destroy the empire. Yet it was not
until 1887 that a number of Armenian leaders, despairing of every
other means, organized the first of two Armenian revolutionary parties
? the second was organized in 1890. The Church discouraged
revolutionary activity, fearing that it would lead to nothing more
than intensified bloodshed, and the people were on the whole inclined
to agree with their religious leaders. Small bands of Armenian
revolutionaries nonetheless staged a number of demonstrations during
the 1890?s and gave Hamid exactly the pretext he sought. Declaring
that the only way to get rid of the Armenian question is to get rid of
the Armenians,? he proceeded to the task with every means at hand. He
sent masses of unhappy Circassians, who had themselves lately been
driven from Europe, into Eastern Anatolia ? where the Armenian
population had already been reduced by massacre and migration ? and
encouraged them, along with the Kurds, to attack village after
village. He roused the tribesmen to the kill by having his agents
spread rumors that the Armenians were about to attack them, then cited
every instance of self-defense as proof of rebellion and as an excuse
for further massacre. He sent his special Hamidieh regiments to put
down ?revolts? in such districts as Sassoun, where the Armenians were
protesting that they were unable to pay their taxes to the government
because the Kurds had left them nothing with which to pay??
Marjorie Housepian explained that the Armenians went great efforts not
to rebel. She wrote:
?In order to prove the rebelliousness of the victims it was necessary
first to provoke them into acts of self-defense, which could then be
labeled ?Insurrectionary.? A campaign of terror such as had been
practiced earlier in the Balkans was already under way in Armenian
towns and villages near the Russian border, and had been ever since
Enver?s impetuous winter offensive against the Russians had turned
into a disaster; Turkish leaders had publicly ascribed the defeat to
the perfidy of the Armenians on both sides of the Russo-Turkish
frontier. The Turkish Armenians, however, proved themselves
incredibly forbearing in the face of provocation. ?The Armenian
clergy and political leaders saw many evidences that the Turks ? were
[provoking rebellion] and they went among the people cautioning them
to be quiet and bear all insults and even outrages patiently, so as
not to give provocation,? wrote Henry Morgenthau, American Ambassador
to Turkey. ??Even though they burn a few of our villages,? these
leaders would say, ?do not retaliate for it is better than a few be
destroyed than that a whole nation be massacred.??
NOTES
[i] Isaac G, ?Turkey?s Dark Past?,
FrontPageMagazine.com, 11/22/04
[ii] Akyol M., “What’s Right with Turkey”,
FrontPageMagazine.com, 12/3/04
[iii] Trifkovic, S. The Sword of the Prophet: Islam:
history, theology, impact on the world, Regina
Orthodox Press, c2002
[iv] Akyol M., “What’s Right with Turkey”,
FrontPageMagazine.com, 12/3/04
[v] Dobkin, M., The Smyrna Affair, Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, [1st ed.] 1971
[vi] Trifkovic, S., ?Apology and Correction?,
FrontPageMagazine.com, 1/15/03
[vii] [vii] Dobkin, M., The Smyrna Affair, Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich, [1st ed.] 1971
[viii] Dobkin, M., The Smyrna Affair, Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, [1st ed.] 1971

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website
PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
AGBU YPGNY IN MIDST OF FIFTH BUSY SEASON
FUNDRAISES FOR AGBU HYE GREEN PREGNANT WOMEN’S CENTER IN GYUMRI &
ANTRANIG DANCE ENSEMBLE
In step with its continuing dedication to the local community, the
AGBU Young Professionals of Greater New York (YPGNY) has stirred up
yet another season full of diverse and exciting activities. Over the
past few months, YPGNY has gathered hundreds in various venues to
perpetuate its mission of providing young Armenian professionals with
an outlet to volunteer for worthwhile causes, interact and socialize
with their peers, and stay close to their heritage – all under the
AGBU umbrella. Recent YPGNY-sponsored events included two evenings at
Manhattan lounges, one of which benefited a fellow AGBU auxiliary –
the AGBU Antranig Dance Ensemble. The YP group organized this event as
an expression of gratitude to the Ensemble for providing three decades
worth of fond memories to the Armenian community.
Additionally, YPGNY held a fundraising brunch event for AGBU Hye Geen,
another group within the global organization. Established in 1994 and
based in Southern California, Hye Geen is committed to empowering
women, making them more aware of their changing roles and shedding
light on women’s issues. Recognizing the high infant mortality and
complicated pregnancy rate in Armenia, Hye Geen also operates a
Pregnant Women’s Center in Gyumri, which provides vital pre-natal care
to almost thirty women on a daily basis. Participants of the program
receive daily counseling and medical exams from visiting doctors, in
addition to building unique bonds with fellow mothers-to-be. To date,
over seventy-five healthy babies have been born as a result of this
project.
Guests at the November 14 brunch enjoyed a Provençale-style atmosphere
and learned more about the importance of pre-natal care through a
presentation by Dr. Carol Dersarkissian. Through the generosity of
attendees and other donors, tiered gifts covering the cost of one
trimester or an entire pregnancy for one woman brought in over $2,200
for the Hye Geen Pregnant Women’s Center in Gyumri. Those interested
in YPGNY’s “Sponsor a Mom” project should contact: [email protected] or
212.319.6383 ext. 128. Donations of $35 or $70 will cover one or two
trimesters of a pregnancy respectively; gifts at the $100 level will
cover the costs incurred during one full-term pregnancy.
As always, never content to rest on its laurels, AGBU YPGNY has two
more events on the way this winter to bring together young Armenian
professionals and raise awareness about AGBU’s many endeavors. The
group is planning its third annual New Year’s Eve party at the Union
Square Ballroom. The December 31st evening includes six hours of
premium host bar, dinner buffet, midnight champagne toast and dancing
to the international beats of DJ Fares. Tickets, priced at $175, must
be purchased in advance, please call 917.882.4999 to make
reservations.
YPGNY’s second “must-attend” evening, its Armenian Christmas
Reception, is slated to take place in January 2005. The event, which
has become a staple of the group’s annual activity roster, supports
AGBU’s three Children’s Centers in Armenia. Providing after-school
curriculums in a variety of fields, including the arts, athletics,
computers and religion, the program has become an invaluable
institution for Armenia’s youth. Event proceeds will be added to the
AGBU Young Professionals Endowment Fund for AGBU’s Children’s Centers,
which to date totals over $18,000, thanks to fundraising efforts by
YPGNY and YP committees in Los Angeles and Northern California. The
highlight of the evening this year will be a silent auction featuring
artworks created by the students at the Centers.
For more information on AGBU YPGNY, please visit: ,
email [email protected] or call the AGBU Central Office: 212.319.6383.