In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

ARMENIAN PEOPLE: PAIN, FAITH, & HOPE
Elias Bejjani

American Chronicle, CA
April 25 2008

Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council

On the ninety-third anniversary of the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman
Empire government's military forces which took place in 1915 in what
is known today as Turkey, we, from the Lebanese Canadian Coordination
Council (LCCC), offer our heartily felt condolences to the Armenian
people all over the world, share their grief, pain and anguish,
as well as their on going cry for justice.

Many historians believe that contemporary history has not yet witnessed
a more terrible crime - a crime against humanity - than that of the
Armenian genocide. There is no doubt that the faithful and patriotic
Armenian People shall keep vivid this sad memory that has touched
deeply and extensively their lives, hearts, conscience, and hopes.

With the Armenians, and all people world-wide who believe in Human
Rights, justice and enforcement of law and order, we ask Almighty God
to grant the souls of the genocide 1.5 million victims the eternal
resting peace dwelling in His Holy Heaven alongside saints and angels.

With great admiration, we salute the Armenian people for their great
courage, tireless perseverance and stanched witnessing for what is
righteous and just. For ninety three hard and tough painful years
they've held their cause alive and never allowed themselves or the
world to forget the genocide crime that the Ottoman Empire inflicted
with cold blood on their families.

It is worth mentioning that on April 1915 the Ottoman government
embarked upon the systematic decimation of its civilian Armenian
population. The persecutions continued with varying intensity until
1923 when the Ottoman Empire ceased to exist and was replaced by the
Republic of Turkey. The Armenian population of the Ottoman state was
reported at about two million in 1915. An estimated one million had
perished by 1918, while hundreds of thousands had become homeless and
stateless refugees. By 1923 virtually the entire Armenian population
of Anatolian Turkey had disappeared.

The Ottoman Empire was ruled by the Turks who had conquered lands
extending across West Asia, North Africa and Southeast Europe. The
Ottoman government was centered in Istanbul (Constantinople) and
was headed by a sultan who was vested with absolute power. The Turks
practiced Islam and were a martial people. The Armenians, a Christian
minority, lived as second class citizens subject to legal restrictions
which denied them normal safeguards. Neither their lives nor their
properties were guaranteed security. As non-Muslims they were also
obligated to pay discriminatory taxes and denied participation in
government. Scattered across the empire, the status of the Armenians
was further complicated by the fact that the territory of historic
Armenia was divided between the Ottomans and the Russians.

The Armenian Genocide was carried out by the "Young Turk" government
of the Ottoman Empire in 1915-1916 (with subsidiaries to 1922-23). One
and a half million Armenians were killed, out of a total of three
million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Armenians all over the world
commemorate this great tragedy on April 24, because it was on that day
in 1915 when 300 Armenian leaders, writers, thinkers and professionals
in Constantinople (present day Istanbul) were rounded up, deported
and killed. Also on that day in Constantinople, 5,000 of the poorest
Armenians were butchered in the streets and in their homes.

The Armenian Genocide was masterminded by the Central Committee of
the Young Turk Party (Committee for Union and Progress [Ittihad ve
Terakki Cemiyet, in Turkish]) which was dominated by Mehmed Talât
[Pasha], Ismail Enver [Pasha], and Ahmed Djemal [Pasha]. They were a
racist group whose ideology was articulated by Zia Gökalp, Dr. Mehmed
Nazim, and Dr. Behaeddin Shakir.

The Turkish government today denies that there was an Armenian
genocide and claims that Armenians were only removed from the eastern
"war zone." The Armenian Genocide, however, occurred all over
Anatolia [present-day Turkey], and not just in the so-called "war
zone." Deportations and killings occurred in the west, in and around
Ismid (Izmit) and Broussa (Bursa); in the center, in and around Angora
(Ankara); in the south-west, in and around Konia (Konya) and Adana
(which is near the Mediterranean Sea); in the central portion of
Anatolia, in and around Diyarbekir (Diyarbakir), Harpout (Harput),
Marash, Sivas (Sepastia), Shabin Kara-Hissar (þebin Karahisar), and
Ourfa (Urfa); and on the Black Sea coast, in and around Trebizond
(Trabzon), all of which are not part of a war zone. Only Erzeroum,
Bitlis, and Van in the east were in the war zone.

The Armenian Genocide was condemned at the time by representatives of
the British, French, Russian, German, and Austrian governments--namely
all the major Powers. The first three were foes of the Ottoman Empire,
the latter two, allies of the Ottoman Empire. The United States,
neutral towards the Ottoman Empire, also condemned the Armenian
Genocide and was the chief spokesman in behalf of the Armenians.

Up until now, the Turkish government has consistently refused to
recognize the Armenian genocide and keeps on exerting a great deal
of pressure on countries that do. Meanwhile more than 20 countries,
including Belgium, Canada, Poland and Switzerland, have officially
recognized the killings as genocide. In 2006, French lawmakers voted
to make it a criminal offence to deny that Armenians were victims of
genocide. But still many countries, including Britain and the United
States, refuse to use the term to describe the events, mindful of
relations with Turkey. The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee's
endorsement of a resolution labeling the killings as genocide last
October sparked fury in Ankara, which recalled its ambassador to
Washington. Under intense pressure from the White House, the authors
of the bill later asked Congress not to hold a debate on the issue.

We call on all the European countries to make the full scale
recognition of the Armenian genocide conditional for Turkey's future
membership in their Union, and we urge all the free world countries
to pressure Turkey to recognize the horrible Armenian massacre and
accordingly abide by all due international laws that needs to be
enforced in such cases like apologies, recognition and compensations.

The entire free world should not rest until justice is served to
the Armenian people and the Ottoman genocide against them is fully
recognized.

Elias Bejjani Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council
(LCCC) Human Rights activist, journalist & political commentator.

Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF)
E.Mail [email protected] LCCC Web Site http://www.10452lccc.com
CLHRF Website http://www.clhrf.com

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/59824

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Was Watertown a Turning Point?
(See Watertown Armenians in arow over ADL's anti-genocide stance)

NANCY K. KAUFMAN: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND HOLOCAUST - TWO OF MOST HORRENDOUS EVENTS OF 20TH CENTURY

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.04.2008 12:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On April 18, Nancy K. Kaufman, Executive Director,
Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston appeared before
the Massachusetts State House, where she represented her organization
in support of remembrance and recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Following is a portion of her speech, made available through the
cooperation of the Armenian Assembly of America and the JCRC.

As the Jewish community prepares to celebrate Passover, the festival
that speaks to us about freedom from tyranny and oppression, I want
to share with you a few thoughts about what lessons we might learn
from the experiences of our two communities in the last century.

In the history of the world, the 20th century will be remembered as
a time of some good, some real evil, and many challenges, including
tragedy and transformation.

Two of the most horrendous events were the genocide of Armenians,
at the hands of the Turks, in the beginning of the century,
and the Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis during the middle of
the century. It is our responsibility, as the next generation,
to tell the story of our ancestors who were the victims of these
atrocities. In doing so, we bear witness to the dark chapter of our
particular histories. Only by doing that will we ensure that people
will not forget and will learn that "never again" will not ring hollow,
www.jcrcboston.org reports.

http://www.armtown.com/news/en/pan/20080425/25892/

ANTHONY BARSAMIAN: NO JEWISH SERIOUS SCIENTIST DENIES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.04.2008 16:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Jewish attitude about the Armenian Genocide
has changed recently, Armenian Assembly of America Board of Trustees
Public Affairs Chair Anthony Barsamian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"The Jews do not insist on exceptionality of the Holocaust any
longer. We do work with Jewish organizations and they admit that the
mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire constituted Genocide.

There is no Jewish serious scientist who would deny the Armenian
Genocide," Mr Barsamian said.

http://www.armtown.com/news/en/pan/20080425/25900/

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Argentina

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS REMEMBERED IN ARGENTINA

Noyan Tapan
April 24, 2008

BUENOS AIRES, APRIL 24, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. A minute of
silence in memory of the Armenian Genocide victims was observed in
football stadiums of Argentina.

According to the press service of the Ramkavar Azatakan Party, the
council of the Buenos Aires Province accepted the proposal of Serjio
Nahapetian, deputy of this province, and applied to the Argentine
Football Federation so that a minute of silence in memory of the
victims of the Armenian Genocide will be observed before all football
matches held in Argentina in April.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg229999.html

TURKEY SLAMS ARGENTINIAN STATEMENT ON ARMENIAN CLAIMS

Hurriyet, Turkey
April 25 2008

A Turkish foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday necessary
initiatives were underway pertaining to the new text adopted by the
Argentine Senate supporting Armenian allegations regarding the 1915
events, the Anatolian Agency reported.

"The Argentine Senate has approved a new text supporting the baseless
Armenian allegations... (which) we strongly condemn and fully reject,"
the foreign ministry said.

The spokesman said Turkish State Minister Mehmet Aydin cancelled his
visit to Argentina following this adoption of the resolution.

Aydin has been scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires on April 28-29 for a
gathering of the U.N.-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations initiative,
which aims to foster dialogue between Islamic and Western societies
and is co-chaired by Spain and Turkey.

"Decision of the Argentina Senate contradicts historical facts and
violates principles of international law," Turkish foreign ministry
spokesman said.

The newly elected Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian vowed on Thursday
to redouble efforts to have the 1915 events recognised as "genocide",
AFP reported.

Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5 million
of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings during the
last years of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey rejects the claims, saying
that 300,000 Armenians along with at least as many Turks died in civil
strife that emerged when the Armenians took up arms for independence
in eastern Anatolia.

Turkey is of the view that parliaments and other political institutions
are not the appropriate forums to debate and pass judgment on
disputed periods of history. Past events and controversial periods
of history should be left to historians for their dispassionate study
and evaluation.

In 2005, Turkey has officially proposed the establishment of a joint
commission comprised of historians and other experts from both sides
to study the events of 1915, utilizing not only Turkish and Armenian
archives, but also those of relevant third-party countries and to share
their findings with the public. Armenia has not responded positively
to this initiative, as yet.

The parliaments of Argentina, Belgium, France, Netherlands,
Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Lebanon, the Russian Federation, Slovakia,
Uruguay, Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration, Poland, Germany,
Lithuania, Chile, Venezuela and the European Parliament passed either
resolutions or issued statements on the events. In addition, some
local parliaments in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia, Argentina
and Switzerland passed similar resolutions.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230047.html

[The following is an automatic translation using SYSTRAN. Siamanto]

In a session without surprises the Senate repudia the Armenian genocide

.......
Nevertheless, the Buenosairean Senate yes approved a project presented/displayed by the pro-government legislator Ravale Robert, who unanimously declared repudio to the Genocide committed against the Armenian town, when commemorating itself this 24 of April a new anniversary of the massacre.
......


[The original Spanish text. Siamanto]
En una sesión sin sorpresas el Senado repudia el genocidio armenio

Los legisladores de la provincia tienen varios temas “candentes” que discutir, como la autonomía de lezama o la ley de expropiación y “fábricas recuperadas”. Sin embargo en el encuentro de hoy no hubo lugar para el debate

El senado bonaerense secionó hoy sin ningún sobresalto, es más el encuentro sólo sirvió para que tomen estado parlamentario proyectos que se debatirán a futuro , además de aprobarse el proyecto de Ley a través del cual se crea un Fondo para la promoción y fomento de los Biocombustibles. Los temas conflictivos no fueron tratados.

Entre estos proyectos que merecen una discusión profunda se encuentran la ley de expropiaciones y “fábricas recuperadas” ,aprobada en la última sesión de diputados, la pelea por la Autonomía de algunos Municipios como Lezama y la cuestión vinculada a los terrenos del Bosque platense. Tampoco se debatió sobre la figura del Defensor Ciudadano, ni la Emergencia Policial.

Sin embargo, el Senado bonaerense sí aprobó un proyecto presentado por el legislador oficialista Roberto Ravale, que por unanimidad declaró el repudio al Genocidio cometido contra el pueblo armenio, al conmemorarse este 24 de abril un nuevo aniversario de la masacre.

Sin embargo, la sesión permitió que los ex representantes de Unión Pro en el Senado bonaerense formalizaran su desvinculación. Así las cosas Viviana Arcidiácono su monobloque PRO y José Nieto tendrá el propio de Unión Celeste y Blanco. “Vieron dijo un oficialista a los periodistas presentes- ustedes que dicen que se parte el FpV/PJ pero al final lo que se parte es la oposición”.

http://www.diariohoy.net/notas/verNoticia.phtml/html/268566311/1835/En-una-sesi%F3n-sin-sorpresas-el-Senado-repudia-el-genocidio-armenio/

Clarin, Argentina
24 Abril 2008


La condena de los genocidios

Hoy se conmemora un nuevo aniversario del genocidio cometido contra el
pueblo armenio casi un siglo atrás. Este recuerdo invoca a la
tolerancia, el derecho a la verdad histórica y el respeto por la
dignidad humana como base del respeto entre los pueblos.

Por: Leandro Despouy Fuente: JURISTA RELATOR ESPECIAL DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS Y PRESIDENTE DE LA AUDITORIA GENERAL DE LA NACION

La consagración del derecho a la verdad como un derecho fundamental,
de carácter autónomo e inalienable, traduce la dimensión ética de los
nuevos parámetros que regulan la vida internacional. La lucha contra
el olvido y la impunidad ha adquirido una legitimidad tal que desborda
el hermetismo de las relaciones interestatales y se proyecta incluso
sobre aquellas realidades nacionales sometidas históricamente a la
dictadura del silencio.

En el caso del genocidio cometido por el Imperio Otomano contra los
armenios entre 1915 y 1923, esto se expresa en una sucesión de
reconocimientos en todo el mundo: decenas de países, parlamentos,
comunas, etc. lo han hecho en forma expresa. La Argentina -donde el
tema es política de Estado- es un ejemplo de ello: dio sustento y
amparo a la comunidad armenia, apoyó su causa y además de participar
activamente en su reconocimiento en las distintas esferas
internacionales lo hizo también por ley, como Francia y Suiza.

Según la Ley Nø 26199 el 24 de abril es en nuestro país el "Día de
Acción por la Tolerancia y el Respeto entre los Pueblos" y "Día de
recordación de las víctimas del Genocidio Armenio". Esta tendencia
universal que ha adquirido en la actualidad, al extremo de que el
Parlamento Europeo condiciona la incorporación de Turquía al
reconocimiento de dicho genocidio, contrasta con el autismo
negacionista que dominaba el mundo hasta 1985, cuando, en el seno de
un grupo de expertos de las Naciones Unidas, por primera vez la
palabra "genocidio" pudo acompañar a la palabra "armenio".

Pero lo que está en juego hoy, no es la discusión sobre la verdad
histórica, sino la falta de su asunción por parte del Estado turco y
las consecuencias traumáticas que tiene para la sociedad de ese país
la imposición del negacionismo, así como también para las
instituciones y el ejercicio de los derechos humanos -en particular el
derecho a la vida y a la libertad de expresión-. Acredita esta
afirmación el asesinato en 2007 del periodista de origen armenio Hrant
Dink en manos de un nacionalista turco, en represalia por su prédica a
favor del reconocimiento. Su entierro fue acompañado por más de
100.000 personas que colmaron las calles de Estambul bajo la consigna
"todos somos armenios".

Otra consecuencia es el tétrico artículo 301 del Código Penal que
identifica el reconocimiento del genocidio como un atentado contra la
"identidad turca" y por el que están acusados más de un centenar de
intelectuales turcos -se considera que quien lo infringe "humilla a la
patria"- entre ellos Orhan Pamuk, Premio Nobel de literatura.

A 93 años de aquellas atroces matanzas, estas medidas aparecen como un
intento para frenar la emergencia inexorable de una realidad que ha
permanecido soterrada en la memoria colectiva y en particular en la de
millares de armenios y otras minorías que viven en Turquía y que, a
pesar de que en muchos casos se vieron obligados a cambiar de religión
o de nombre para salvar su vida, conservan intacta su identidad.

En 1985, cuando debatíamos en la ONU la aprobación del Informe de
Whitaker que hacía mención del genocidio armenio, uno de los
argumentos que esgrimía la delegación turca para oponerse a su
reconocimiento, era la posibilidad de que este hecho estimulara
acciones violentas de jóvenes armenios que se habían lanzado a hacer
justicia por mano propia contra diplomáticos turcos.

Sin embargo, esto no fue así y luego de la histórica sesión en la que
se aprobó, no se registró un solo atentado terrorista por parte de la
Diáspora armenia. La verdad entrañó la paz y, por el contrario el
negacionismo continúa cobrando víctimas. En un día como hoy, en que se
memora a las víctimas del genocidio armenio invocando a la tolerancia
como la base del respeto entre los pueblos, los argentinos y armenios
que tanto hemos luchado por la verdad, debemos tener presente el
ingrato destino de quienes, todavía, en Turquía, no han podido ni
siquiera relatar su silenciado infortunio.

Leandro Despouy integró la Subcomisión de expertos de la ONU que en
1985 aprobó la Resolución de reconocimiento del Genocidio Armenio.

http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/04/24/opinion/o-03101.htm

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Armen Manvelian

AZG Armenian Daily
26/04/2008

ARMENOCIDE

Armenocide - this was how the known Arab historian Musa Pren
characterized the tragedy that occurred 93 years ago in the Ottoman
Empire. By creating the word "genocide" through uniting the Latin-Greek
"race" and "murder" words, Famous Polish attorney Rafael Lemken
wanted to show the whole horror that threatens peoples subject to
mass assassinations, while Pren's "Armenocide" concretizes and gives
an ethnic characteristic of the matter.

According to Pr. Nikolay Hovhannissian, the word "Armenocide" "has
not only a linguistic but also a political side that has a concrete
ethno-political content that clearly mentions annihilation of Armens -
Armenians as an ethnos. The word is so lucid and concrete that cannot
give rise to alternative interpretation.

At the start of the 20th century, the tragedy that happened in Western
Armenia, on the territory of Ottoman Empire, changed the fate of a
whole nation, and penetrating into the memory of peoples, it turned
into a desire to live and to strive.

The tragedy left a fatal spot, making a whole people suffer a
complex. Such complexes, however, are not cured through short memory
or through the loss of the latter. These are cured to spite the
organizers of the Genocide, due to life, development and victory. To
exclude repetition of similar tragedies it is important to understand
the historic and political motivations of it. Historic and Political
Reasons of the Armenocide If we speak about the history of the
Armenian nation, we can divide it into two parts - before and after
the Genocide. This watershed, which we call genocide, assassination,
Armenian massacres and at last Armenocide, needs serious study and
analysis, particularly from the point of view of developing security
of the second independent Republic of Armenia.

Turning to the Armenian Genocide - the Armenocide - we should note
that it became possible because of a number of historic events: it
occurred under the conditions of collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the
World War Two and the strengthening of the idea of creating the state
of Turan. We can state that these events, however, came to complete
the policy the Ottoman Empire was executing against Armenians since
the day of its creation. Generally, turning to the history of creation
and existence of the Ottoman Empire, we should mention that it was
some kind of totalitarian Empire. Preceding that or in that period
similar empires were being created not only owing to military power,
but also due to economic and cultural expansion.

Before, the metropolises forming the Empire were superior over the
peoples under their domination in regard to the level of economic,
military and cultural development, which allowed them to actively
influence these people and keep them under their domination.

Different from this, from the above-mentioned economic, military and
cultural factors only the military one was vital in Turkey. That is
to say that being on a lower level of development, the people forming
the Empire - the Turks - could control other peoples of the Empire
only with the military force.

Thus, there was no ideological, political, ethnic or cultural unity
within the Empire. It was solely the power of arms that provided the
opportunity to retain the Empire for centuries. Being on a lower
level of economic, cultural and political development than other
peoples of the Empire, Turks could only grab.

This found its expression also in the fact that the nomadic tribe that
penetrated into Small Asia from Central Asia aimed at evading also
these territories to make these a permanent place of their inhabitance.

There were only two ways to do this, either by assimilating the local
nations or by annihilating them. The first one seemed to be a rather
complex problem, since, as it was mentioned, the nations living here -
the Armenians, Greeks, Arabs and Syrians were ahead of dominant Turks
in regard to the level of their development. While the second way was
rather simple and dear to them, considering also that the latter had
great experience of it, since they were keeping the Empire only with
the military force and cruelty. However, if in the period of power
and flourishing of the Ottoman Empire the idea of having a homeland
was not primary, then in the 19th century it turned essential for
the founders of the collapsing Empire - the Turks. We can say that
this was also one of the peculiarities of this Empire. Other Empires -
the Roman, the Russian or the British - had their original motherland,
a historic land, where they could continue to live after the collapse
of the Empire. The homeland of Turks was Central Asia and Siberia,
where they were not going to return. Therefore, an own motherland -
the metropolis - had to be created. Small Asia could become such
motherland for Turks, since it had strategic importance both due
to its geographical position and in respect to the possibility of
establishing a new Empire in the future. However, the Armenians,
Greeks and Assyrians had been living here for centuries. And because
Armenians occupied the heart of this territory, they became the
primary targets of attack.

We should note that to prevent the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, in
the 19th century Turks tried to suggest different ideologies, which,
according to them, could unite the peoples of the Empire. The idea of
New Osmanism that emerged in the second half of the 19th century aimed
at uniting the nations of the Empire notwithstanding their religious
or ethnic belongingness. According to ideologists of New Osmanism,
this national ideology could be attractive for other nations of the
Empire and would create the opportunity to prevent the separatist
dispositions of the peoples under Turkish domination. However, from
the very beginning the artificialness and bareness of this ideology
was apparent. Therefore, it could not become the force that would
unite the peoples of the Ottoman Empire. The idea of Islamism or
Pan Islamism suggested by Abdul Hamid Second did not justify itself,
either. The aim of this ideology was to unite Turks with the Muslim
peoples comprising majority in the Empire, particularly Arabs - the
founders of Islam. However, for Arabs Turkish Sultans could not become
founders of a new Caliphate, therefore the unification on the ground
of Islam did not succeed, either. Different from their predecessors,
these aimed at creating a new Empire, the heart of which had to be the
Small Asia. Different from the collapsing Empire, it had to stretch
to Caucasus, to Central Asia and Siberia, i.e. those territories
where Turkic nations lived. In fact, being deeply nationalistic, this
ideology targeted at returning to own roots and uniting all Turkic
nations. Armenians were standing across this route; they stood between
the Turkic tribes of Small Asia and Caucasus. The latter intended
to lead an active policy of "Turkisation," and it is not in vain
that after gaining power, the Young Turks, preaching the ideology of
Pan Turkism, prohibited all national unions - the Armenian, Greek,
Arabic ones, etc.

Thus, judging from the above we can conclude that all attempts
to preserve the Ottoman Empire had failed, so had the policies of
Osmanism and Islamism. There was no time for implementing the policy of
"Turkisation."

Therefore, Turks had put an aim to create a purely Turkic state,
annihilating all non-Turkic peoples. The largest Christian nation
of the Empire - the Armenians - was hindering the accomplishment of
these programs.

Thus, in this period it was already clear that the destiny of Armenians
was predetermined. The Armenocide and the Islam We should mention that
Armenian and foreign historians have written much about the Islamic
factor in the Armenian Genocide. The opinions here are unequivocal -
although the Turks tried to use the religious factor to organize the
massacre of Armenians, it was not a success. The people comprising
majority in the Ottoman Empire - the Arabs - did not back the idea,
therefore, it became impossible to escalate large-scale interreligious
clashes.

Nevertheless, despite these facts, the idea dominates among
the Armenian society that the Armenian Genocide occurred just
on the religious ground, and that being surrounded with Muslims,
Armenians are doomed. From time to time, this idea, having nothing
to do with reality, is being articulated by interior and exterior
political circles to show the fact of lack of alternative in foreign
policy. However, in reality the holy war - the Jihad - declared by
the last Sultan Sehmed Fifth against Christians was targeted at
justifying the brutalities and mass assassination of Armenians,
as well as the involvement of all Muslims in this. However, the
Arab theologians and religious leaders, who enjoyed great respect
in the Muslim world, did not back the idea of Jihad. The Governor
of Hijaz and the Sheriff of Mecca Hussein ibn Ali al-Hashemi, who
was considered the greatest authority in the Muslim word, did not
only refuse to support the Sultan's decision, but also urged all
Orthodox Muslims to help Armenians and defend them. Many Arab leaders
and the Arab people were assisting the Armenians in the desert of
Der Zor. Arab divisions of the Turkish army were refusing to fight
against Armenians. The attempts of Turks to use the Arabs to suppress
the self-defense struggle of Armenians failed. Arab Governors of a
number of Turkish provinces were just refusing to execute the orders
from Constantinople to displace and massacre Armenians. However,
Turks could not keep from noting all this, and many Arabs suffered
for protecting Armenians. It is important to mention here that Sultan
Mehmed Fifth declared the holy war against the Christian population
of the Empire only after getting the "blessing" of allied Christian
Germany. Generally, it should be said that at the time when Muslim
Arabs were sacrificing their lives to help Armenians, the Christian
Europe was either supporting Turkey or was pretending not to see the
mass assassinations in Western Armenia. Generally, turning to the
position of European powers, we should note that on one hand they were
using the Armenian Question to interfere with the interior affairs of
the Empire, thus causing the discontent of Turkey, on the other hand
many times the activeness of Europeans was preventing or suspending the
massacre of Armenians in this or that Province. Nevertheless, to say
that during the war the European countries were unable to influence
the policy of Young Turks would be incorrect, either. Rather, the
factor of political appropriateness played its decisive role here, i.e.

the fact of the massacre of Armenians would later enable the
European powers to present accusations on Turkey to seize additional
concessions from the latter. Historic lessons of the Armenocide To
exclude reoccurrence of the Armenian Genocide and provide for the
security of the nation it is necessary to seriously investigate the
historic and political reasons of the events.

The study of the policy of the most dreadful crime against humanity
- the genocide - is of great importance not only for contemporary
generations but also for current politicians and for all those who
determine or somehow influence the directions of Armenia's interior
and foreign policies. It is essential to understand the most crucial
- the fact that contemporary Turkey has been formed in the result of
the Armenian Genocide, the Armenocide. If not the Armenian Genocide,
there would be no Turkey, either.

This is the truth, which the former and current authorities in
Ankara understand pretty well, and it is this fact that explains
the denunciation that they demonstrate towards the fact of Genocide
recognition.

It can be asserted even that contemporary Turkey avoids recognition of
the Genocide not as much because of the fear of material or territorial
demands, rather it is concerned with the moral side of the question.

Kemal Turkey was built on the basis of a fault value system, where
people carrying the burden of executing the Genocide were considered
divine. In reality, the heroes and famous political figures of this
nation resembled a butcher, whose hands are foul with the blood of
millions of innocent people. Such findings can become the moral blow
and loss of faith for the contemporary Turkish generation, which is
not even aware of the events in the Ottoman Empire at the start of
the 20th century, which can in its turn lead to the collapse of the
country. It is a historic truth that the flattening of own power and
moral characteristics can be destructive for any state and nation.

It needs to be mentioned that regardless of our will the fact is that
the historic memory of the Armenocide will always endure in the fate of
the Armenian nation, shaping and directing its policy not only toward
neighboring Turkey, but also towards those countries, which somehow
contributed to the execution of the Armenian Genocide. At the same
time, this memory provides the opportunity to exclude reoccurrence
of the Armenocide in the future and to build the national security
system proceeding from the principle of excluding similar tragedies.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230107.html

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Iran

IRANIAN AUTHORITIES THIS YEAR ALSO DO NOT PERMIT ARMENIANS TO ORGANIZE PROCESSION TO TURKISH EMBASSY

Noyan Tapan
April 28, 2008

TEHRAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. A holy liturgy was
served on April 24 in the Saint Sargis Church in the capital city of
Iran, Tehran.

At the end of the liturgy representatives of the local Armenian
community laid flowers to the memorial of victims of Armenian Genocide
of 1915 in the church yard.

As the Zaman daily reports, this year, either, representatives of
Iranian Armenian community were not permitted to organize a procession
towards the Embassy of Turkey in Iran.

It should be mentioned that on April 24, 2007 the Iranian Armenian
community was not allowed to organize a procession, either.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230324.html

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Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Germany

ARMENIANS ORGANIZE ACTION OF PROTEST IN FRONT OF CONSULATE OF TURKEY IN BERLIN ON OCCASION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ANNIVERSARY

Noyan Tapan
April 28, 2008

BERLIN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. On the occasion of
the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, representatives of
the Armenian community organized an action of protest in front of
the Consulate General of Turkey in Berlin.

According to the Cihan agency, during the action the demonstrants
carried placards with content of condemnation of the crime committed
in 1915 by Turks. The action participants also accused Azerbaijan
for hatred for the Armenian nation. The demonstrants grounded their
accusations by the fact that Azerbaijan periodically organizes
discussions on the subject of the so-called "Khojalu genocide."

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230317.html

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Not just genocide
By Garin Hovannisian

Los Angeles Times
Published on April 24, 2008

On the anniversary of genocide, remember that the Turkish massacre of
Armenians also destroyed a homeland.

We mark today the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian genocide. It is a dull
number, 93. It is a good number to forget, or else to spend on old
arguments, old parallels and that famous quote from Hitler who, pondering if
he could get away with a Holocaust of his own, reportedly remarked: "Who now
remembers the Armenians?"

But on this most unremarkable anniversary, please allow me, the
great-grandson of genocide survivors and an Armenian who has spared no
cliche in the service of genocide recognition, to speak freely, to discard
my diaspora's favorite tropes and congressional resolutions, to discard even
the distinction that ours was the first genocide of the 20th century.

Indeed, for a few hundred words, let us forget the term "genocide" itself,
and let us recalculate the terms of our ethnic grief toward a tragedy whose
survivors are mostly dead and whose victims, had they survived, would now be
dead.

It is inadequate to call it genocide. That word is perhaps an efficient but
not an effective substitute for the crime of "murder" that was perpetrated
and should be recorded, separately, 1.5 million times. (The full list of the
names of the victims would fill the pages of four Bibles.) But more than
this, what "genocide" cannot convey is the reality that loss of life in
historic Armenia was accompanied by the loss of homeland, which had been
ours for more than 3,000 years.

The Armenian genocide was, first and foremost, the killing of homeland. The
Ottoman Turkish government intended not a one-generation fix to the
Christian Armenian problem that was festering within its empire; it intended
a permanent solution. Its crime was not mere murder of people; it was
deportation and displacement, that the civilization and all its children be
murdered.

Of course, many children of forced immigrants have grown to bless their
past. The sons and daughters of exiled Russians or enslaved Africans, having
traded rags for riches in the United States, can still return to the old
world for summer vacations or nostalgic visits.

But I cannot return to the homeland of my great-grandparents. I cannot
return to Garin, where in a corner house now occupied by a Turkish woman, my
grandmother's father once lived. Nor to Kharpert, where my grandfather's
father, a teenage boy in 1915, witnessed the massacre of his entire family.

Deportation by design seems now to be the more trivial of Ottoman Turkey's
crimes, but it is the more enduring one, and the one that finds today's
Turkey complicit in its past. The state of modern Turkey is not guilty of
the murders of 1915, but it is guilty of depriving me of the city, Garin,
whose name and identity are my own.

The children of our diaspora are named for Christian saints and Armenian
writers. But we are also named for our towns, counties, rivers and
mountains -- Daron, Van, Sassoun, Ani, Arax, Ararat -- which together make
up a living map of Armenia the homeland that was lost with the genocide. I
myself have seen Ani, the fabled City of 1,001 Churches. The churches, now
crumbled and empty, are just on the other side of the border present-day
Armenia shares with Turkey.

Today is a day to remember the Armenian genocide that began in 1915. But it
is also a day to recognize the Great Armenian Dispossession that continues
in 2008.

I am proud, without a doubt, of the moral victory of the word "genocide."
But you'll forgive me, please, for not being able to forget that the homes,
churches, schools and bones of my forebears are still buried in the soil of
eastern Turkey, which is western Armenia.


Garin Hovannisian is a graduate student at Columbia University's School of
Journalism and blogs at LuckyFrown.com.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oew-hovannisian24apr24,0,4296990.story

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

Italy

Zenit News Agency, Italy
April 26 2008


Mass in Rome Marks Armenian Massacre

Monsignor Hopes World Comes to Recognize Genocide

By Robert Cheaib

ROME, APRIL 25, 2008 (Zenit.org).- A Mass in Rome celebrated by the
rector of the Pontifical Armenian College was among many events
marking the 93rd anniversary of the slaughter of thousands of
Armenians.

Monsignor Hovsep Kelekian celebrated the Mass in the Armenian church
of St. Nicholas of Tolentine.

He lamented the lack of an official international recognition of the
"'metz yeghern (great calamity) of the genocide" and expressed his
hope that "the genocide of the Armenian people be recognized by the
whole world" because "it is a fact."

In 1915 and the following years, vast numbers of Armenians were killed
within the Ottoman Empire as it broke apart. April 24, the day the
massacre began, is marked as Genocide Day in Armenia. The massacre
began that day when hundreds of intellectuals, doctors, lawyers,
journalists, priests and other representatives of the Armenian culture
and politics were arrested and eventually killed.

"We have gathered today to honor our martyrs and give thanks to our
relatives who gave us this life we live today," Monsignor Kelekian
said. "We hope that we can faithfully transmit to our descendants what
we have inherited -- our faith and our Armenian culture."

After the Mass, prayers were said before the Khatc'kar memorial
erected in 2006 in memory of the victims.

The memorial Mass for the some 1.5 million victims was one of the
events of the awareness campaign led by the council of the Armenian
community of Rome.

L'Osservatore Romano today noted a petition from recently elected
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian that the international community
recognize the massacre. He said Thursday that such recognition is a
priority of his presidency.

Armenia's goal is not revenge, Sarkisian added. "We are willing to
establish normal relations with Turkey even tomorrow, without
preconditions, but the denial of the genocide has no future, above all
now that many countries around the world have united their voices to
the chorus of the truth."

L'Osservatore Romano noted that 22 countries recognize the massacre as
genocide. Turkey denies that the killings were a systematic "genocide"
and considers it a crime to use that term to refer to the event.

[Marta Lago contributed to this article]

http://www.catholic.net/global_catholic_news/template_news.phtml?news_id=22416&channel_id=2

L'Opinione, Italia
19 Aprile 2008

Campagna della comunità armena

In occasione del 93° anniversario del genocidio il Consiglio
per la comunità armena di Roma ha promosso la Campagna di
sensibilizzazione `Una tragedia che non ha parole' con la
pubblicazione di un manifesto in memoria delle vittime del Metz
Yeghern. Si tratta di una campagna unica nel suo genere che prevede
oltre che alla pubblicazione del manifesto su alcuni quotidiani anche
la trasmissione, in formato spot, sui mezzi pubblici provvisti di
video. Lo spot è in programmazione sia sul Canale Moby Tv Metro
sia sul canale Columbus (per gli autobus) già dall'11 aprile e
fino al 30 aprile, con 150 passaggi giornalieri. L'iniziativa riguarda
900 autobus a Roma, la linea A della metropolitana romana e
sarà esteso anche alle città di Milano (20 autobus),
Siena (20 autobus), Firenze (60 autobus) e Bari (70 autobus).

http://www.opinione.it/pages.php?dir=naz&act=art&edi=77&id_art=3172&aa08

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Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

RUBEN SAFRASTIAN NOTES EXPEDIENCY OF TRANSFERING GENOCIDE RECOGNITION ISSUE FROM POLITICAL TO LEGAL PLANE

YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Considerable research is needed to
transfer the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide from the
political to a legal plane, director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies of the RA National Academy of Sciences, turkologist, candidate
of historical science Ruben Safrastian said during a meeting with
reporters.

Accoridng to him, scientists and lawyers from Armenia and the Diaspora,
as well as foreign experts should be involved in the development of
legal documents based on examination of a great number of hsitorical
facts.

R. Safrastian drew attention of reporters to the fact that the possible
outcome of applying to the Hague Tribunal has not so far been explored
neither in Armenia nor in the Diaspora. In his words, while carrying
out research work, it is also necessary to decide whether the Republic
of Armenia, the Armenian Diaspora and several Diasporan organizations
will apply to the Hague Tribunal. He urged to take a serious approach
to preparation of legal documents, taking a number of factors into
account, such as the role and authority of Turkey in the region, its
resources, and the fact that Turkey has struggled against the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide for decades.

Safrastian underlined the necessity of the youth's active participation
in the process of the Genocide's recognition. In his words, this
process is directed not to the past, as some young people believe, but
to the future: "Genocide is a mass violation of rights of a group of
people so participation in the struggle for recognition of the Armenian
Genocide will create an opportunity for our country to play a leading
role in the struggle against genocides," he said. According to him, the
Turkish side too is currently examining the expediency of transfering
the Genocide issue to the legal plane. However, the aspirations of the
Armenian and Turkish sides to transfer the issue to a legal plane
differ markedly: Armenia wants to create conditions for receiving
compensation (territorial, material or moral), while Turkey strives to
stop the recognition process.

The scientist also paid attention to the fact that today the European
Union has increased its pressure on Turkey in connection with
discussion of the issue of Turkey's joining the EU, which has opened an
opportunity for Armenia to get concessions from Turkey in a number of
issues.

http://www.nt.am/news.php?p=1&c=0&t=0&r=0&year=2008&month=04&day=26&shownews=112742&LangID=1#112742

RECOGNIZING GENOCIDE OR RAISING THE ARMENIAN ISSUE?
Kima Yeghyazaryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 24, 2008
Armenia

Political scientist ARMEN AYVAZYAN, Director of "Ararat" strategic
planning center, was the guest speaker of "Hayatsk" (view) club
yesterday. The topic of the discussion was: "Recognizing the Genocide
or Raising the Armenian Issue? Possibilities of Adopting New Positions
in Armenia's Foreign Policy".

The political scientist finds that the international recognition of
the Armenian Genocide, a process that has become an agenda issue
for our country's foreign policy since 1998, was perceived by the
organizations of Armenia and Diaspora in a very narrow sense, i.e. as
a matter of moral assessment. With regard to this issue, the Republic
of Armenia actually adopted the policy of the Diaspora-Armenian
organizations. Such policy was elaborated and conducted before the
collapse of the Soviet Union. And by force of some momentum as well
as due to inadequate response, the same policy is being uncritically
pursued up to date.

A. Ayzvazyan is convinced that, "the use of such policy in the
present-day conditions is obsolete; it leads to a deadlock. The
recognition of the Genocide is viewed separately from all the strategic
security issues concerning Armenia, whereas the Karabakh conflict,
the Turkish blockade and refusal to establish diplomatic relations,
the Turkish-Azerbaijani information-psychological war, the planning of
a new Azerbaijani aggression under the auspices of Turkey, the current
demographic crisis in Armenia and the vulnerable condition of the
Armenians of Javahk are the direct continuation of the Genocide policy.

According to the speaker, this has led several dozen countries to
recognize the Genocide on the level of different structures. Such
recognitions, however, make no direct contribution to Armenia's
security issues which stand acute. "They do not, in any way, touch
upon the current situation of the Armenian-Turkish relations; they do
not demand accountability and redress for the heinous crime against
humanity. All those recognitions remain on the moral level.

Whereas Genocide has created the gravest regional problem in terms of
the Armenian people's secure existence. And since the early 1990s,
the problem has been consistently ignored by the international
community. And the speaker again expressed belief that "Armenia
and Diaspora do not gain serious dividends as a result of pursuing
this policy".

The political scientist believes it's time to shift the policy
recognizing the Genocide to the plane of recognizing and raising
the Armenian issue. And what is the Armenian issue? Both in the
past and at present the heart of the matter has been the same -
creating territorial and political conditions for the Armenian
people to live in their homeland, i.e. the Armenian plateau, freely
and independently. "The Armenian issue can have only one solution:
restoration of the full Armenian statehood at least in such a vast
territory where the long-term secure existence of the Armenian
statehood will be guaranteed. In other words, the Armenian issue is
the issue of the security of the Armenian people," Mr. Ayvazyan said.

Going into detail, the speaker said that there were two preconditions
required for the solution of the problem:

First: creating a full and strong Armenian statehood.

Second: territorial guarantees for the security and viability of that
statehood. Furthermore, ensuring one of these guarantees without the
other is unfeasible.

Thus, "The solution of the Armenian issue does not absolutely consist
in the recognition of the Genocide of Armenians, as some people
mistakenly believe. The Armenian issue is first of all a land issue."

As to why we refuse to make claims for lands, this approach is
unconceivable for the political scientist. And this happens in a
situation when there are still acute territorial disputes among one
another, in addition to a great number of states having land problems
which continue for decades. And the speaker enumerated several cases
familiar to the public: Turkey-Syria, Turkey-Greece, Turkey-Cyprus,
Israel-Syria, Israel-Lebanon, Syria-Lebanon, India-Pakistan,
Russia-Japan and so on.

"As you see, this dispute covers big and small, strong and weak states,
but it doesn't occur to any of them to waive their rights to and claims
for lands 'just for nothing'. As, unfortunately, is the leadership
of Armenia trying to do," A. Ayvazyan noted.

The speaker is surprised by the fact that the Armenian side does
not advance its preconditions. "Turkey has advanced preconditions
to us. We say we have no preconditions for Turkey. To what extent is
such policy effective?

As shown by the experience of the past 17 years, this policy is
absolutely worthless. Whereas we ourselves should have a great number
of preconditions and speak about them."

http://www.armtown.com/news/en/has/20080424/249380361/

THE WAY TOWARDS PREVENTING GENOCIDE
Naira Khachatryan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 23, 2008
Armenia

"There was a group of people among the Armenians for whom April 24
also became a day of struggle. They made political appeals under the
Soviet rule.

These were the people who chanted 'our lands', a slogan behind
which lay the idea of eliminating the consequences of Genocide,"
PARUYR HAYRIKYAN, Head of the National Self-Determination Union,
said yesterday in "Urbat" club, recalling the events of April 24, 1965.

According the leader of the National Self-Determination Union,
April 24 is also a day of learning lessons from history. "We tried to
understand what were the historical regularities that led to Genocide
and how it was possible to prevent them. My colleague Movses Gorgisyan,
a national hero, used to say that the shortest way towards recognizing
Genocide is restoring the statehood."

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the elimination of its
consequences is a strategic issue, and it is necessary to reveal its
political and legal background. "We have a potential; we have serious
legal and political opportunities in the form of an international
document, and all this should be summed up."

Among those strategic issues, P. Hayrikyan singled out the questions
concerning the Armenian-Turkish relations. In particular, he offered
to reject the agreement signed on March 16, 1921. "The Turks are
well-aware that the agreement is illegal. They are also aware that
the issue will be raised sooner or later."

He is convinced that other politicians, political scientists and
scholars will advance a proposal on the elimination of the consequences
of Genocide, but the issue may be resolved only through a coordinated
state approach.

"In my opinion, from the first day of establishing our statehood, it
was necessary to set up a committee elaborating packages applicable
to different situations and specifying the strategic trends."

The times when the publication of a book written by a historian or an
opinion expressed by the latter could arouse happiness are in the past.

"The state has to sum up and bring to life the interests which are
to its benefit."

According to the leader of the National Self-Determination
Union, no matter how much we may try to build the Armenia-Turkish
relations without any preconditions, they have fallen to our lot by
destiny, and the 1921 treaty is one of those preconditions. "After
declaring it null and void, there emerges the problem of Kars,
Ardahan and Nakhijevan. These are not only political-moral but
also legal opportunities. Two states signed a treaty concerning a
third state. From the point of view of international law, this is
unacceptable, and I believe the relations with Turkey should be
started at this point."

P. Hayrikyan insisted that it is impossible to build relations with a
state which denies the fact of genocide, a fact that was recognized
by around 20 countries of the world. "Turkey is the successor of a
criminal state that committed murders and now it tries to deny the
fact of Genocide by its policy, whereas the world recognizes it. The
European Union recognized the fact back in 1987."

By the way, this period of time is favorable in terms of introducing
a turning point in the Armenian-Turkish relations since our
country's president is supported by the overwhelming majority of the
parliamentary factions. "The President should feel that 80 percent of
the entire political arena supports him and he can really undertake
serious steps."

The leader of the National Self-Determination Union also submitted his
proposals to the political coalition. Perhaps, they seem unfeasible
at present, but he always has the hope of bringing them to life. "The
Supreme Council used to condemn us for desiring to have a 'national
army' and refusing to admit the absurd principle that said, 'our
protection consists in our being unprotected'. When we spoke about
the constitution, they would say we didn't need any constitution at
all. And today, these are usual, regular achievements. Ideas should
be put into circulation, developed and represented."

http://www.armtown.com/news/en/has/20080423/248980313/

......

[Siamanto]

Re: In Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 2008

France

CEREMONY IN MEMORY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS HELD UNDER TRIUMPHAL ARCH IN PARIS

Noyan Tapan
April 23, 2008

PARIS, APRIL 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian foreign minister Edward
Nalbandian, who is on a working visit to Paris, met with the Secretary
General of ruling UMP party Patrick Devejian on April 23.

Later on the same day E. Nalbandian took part in a ceremony in memory
of the victims of the Armenian Genocide under the Arc de Triomphe
(Triumphal Arch) in Paris. He laid a wreath at the grave of the Unknown
Soldier. The national anthems of Armenia and France were performed,
the battle flags were lowered, and those present observed a minute
of silence in memory of the victims.

According to a press release of the RA MFA Press and Information
Department, the ceremony was attended by French statesmen, political
figures, mayors, high-ranking officers, and hundreds of French
Armenians.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg229750.html

EVENT DEDICATED TO MEMORY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE HELD IN PARIS MAYOR'S OFFICE

Noyan Tapan
April 25, 2008

PARIS, APRIL 25, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 24, RA Minister of Foreign
Affairs Eduard Nalbandian, who was in France on a working visit,
visited Paris Mayor's Office and made a speech at the reception in
memory of the Armenian Genocide organized by the Mayor's Office. State,
political, and public officials of France, leaders of Armenian,
xxxish, and Islamic organizations of France, intellectuals, nearly
one thousand French Armenians were present at the reception.

Thanking Mayor Bertrand Delanoe on the occasion of this civil event
which has already become a tradition, E. Nalbandian highly appreciated
wisdom and political courage of the post-war European leaders to
reconcile the peoples of Europe paralysed from wars and hatred for
the sake of peace and solidary future.

"The symbolic characters of Francois Mitterand and Helmut Kohl revive
in our memories, who hand in hand bend their heads in front of the
graves of French and German soldiers who have fallen victims to three
fatal wars from 1870 to 1945. Like their great predecessors General
Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Adenauer, they gained the benefit of
their peoples and entered the mankind's history forever," said the RA
Minister of Foreign Affairs, adding."I hope that one day the Armenian
and Turkish leaders will together bend their heads in front of the
symbol in memory of the Armenian Genocide and our peoples together
will build a secure future free of the heavy burden of the past "

In his speech, B. Delanoe said that meeting E. Nalbandian's suggestion,
the park near the monument to Komitas which is in the center of Paris
will be named Yerevan park.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Press and
Information Department of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the same
day in the morning a tete-a-tete talk of E. Nalbandian and B. Delanoe
was held during which the interlocutors exchanged thoughts concerning
the deepening of the Armenian-French discentralized cooperation,
as well as possibilities of implementing a number of programs within
the framework of partnership between Paris and Yerevan.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230023.html

ACTION OF PROTEST WITH PARTICIPATION OF MANY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ORGANIZED IN PARIS ON OCCASION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ANNIVERSARY

Noyan Tapan
April 28, 2008

PARIS, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. An action of protest
with the participation of many thousands of people, dedicated to
the 93rd anniversary of Armenian Genocide, was organized in Paris,
near the monument to Komitas.

The French politicians and representatives of French Armenian community
taking part in the action of protest criticized Turkey for its negation
position adopted in the issue of Armenian Genocide.

The Zaman Turkish daily mentioned that one of the representatives
of Masonic lodge of France participating in the action of protest
stated that "members of Masonic lodge should exert efforts for the
law criminalizing denial of Armenian Genocide adopted by the French
National Assembly to be adopted by the Senate, as well."

The demonstrants organized a procession from the territory near the
monument to Komitas.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg230327.html

Commémoration à Sarcelles
Discours de François Pupponi - Député Maire

dimanche20 avril 2008, par Arsène/armenews

Chaque année au mois d’avril, nous sommes nombreux aux côtés de la communauté arménienne pour nous associer à la mémoire des victimes du génocide de 1915, mais pour rappeler également notre volonté de ne voir jamais ce crime contre l’humanité tomber dans les oubliettes de l’Histoire. Etre Arménien, ou descendant d’Arménien, en France, à Sarcelles et ou dans ses environs, cela veut dire appartenir à une communauté dont la riche culture est une source de fierté ; mais c’est aussi être l’héritier d’une blessure qui ne se fermera que lorsque la justice aura été rendue aux victimes. Pourtant dès 1918, le président américain Theodore Roosevelt déclarait : « Le massacre des Arméniens a été le plus grave crime de guerre, et l’incapacité d’agir contre la Turquie revient à tolérer ce massacre ... l’incapacité de mettre radicalement un terme à l’horreur turque signifie que tous les discours visant à garantir la paix dans le monde à l’avenir ne sont que sottises malveillantes. » Pouvait-il imaginer que presque un siècle plus tard, alors qu’on estime que plus d’un million et demi d’Arméniens ont été exilés ou tués par l’Empire ottoman, leurs enfants seraient toujours à la recherche d’une reconnaissance officielle du génocide ? Ce déni, orchestré depuis 1915 jusqu’à aujourd’hui par l’Etat turc a trop longtemps été relayé par le silence gêné de nombreuses nations. Les rescapés de 1915 ont d’abord du fuir, puis se reconstruire et réapprendre à vivre, souvent dans un autre pays. Dans un premier temps, la transmission de la mémoire du génocide s’est parfois faite de parent à enfant. C’est seulement vers les années soixante que les enfants de la diaspora arménienne ont exigé que le génocide soit reconnu par nos consciences endormies. Quant à l’Europe, il lui reste encore du chemin à parcourir ; car si en 1987, le Parlement européen adoptait enfin une résolution qui qualifiait les événements de 1915 de génocide, elle refusait, en revanche, de pointer la Turquie actuelle du doigt en la désignant officiellement comme responsable. Il aura fallu que l’Arménie accède à l’indépendance en 1995, et que la Turquie frappe à la porte de l’Europe, pour qu’enfin les commémorations se multiplient. Le génocide arménien touche 1’humanité dans son ensemble et sa négation est une question en suspens posée à tous les défenseurs de la liberté, en France et dans le monde. Car si peu à peu, beaucoup des pays viennent à qualifier les événements de 1915 comme crime contre 1 ’humanité, la reconnaissance officielle et unilatérale se fait encore attendre. D’autant que l’Etat turc veille à ce que le mensonge perdure à coup de désinformation et de répression. Faut-il rappeler qu’en Turquie, le simple fait d’évoquer ce génocide est encore considéré comme un délit, voire un crime. Pourtant, la voix de certains intellectuels turcs s’élèvent aussi pour dénoncer le négationnisme dont est victime le peuple arménien. Qu’il s’agisse d’Ohan Pamuk, prix Nobel de littérature, obligé de fuir à l’étranger, pour avoir déclaré en 2005 : « Sur cette terre, un million d’Arméniens, 30 000 Kurdes ont été tués. » ou Hrant Dink, journaliste d’origine arménienne assassiné en pleine rue en 2007, la défense du génocide arménien se paie encore très cher à Ankara. Si l’on veut qu’un jour les descendants de victimes, comme les enfants des assassins puissent un jour partager l’avenir, il faudra bien dépasser ce crime en faisant le choix de reconnaître la souffrance des uns et la responsabilité des autres.

http://www.armenews.com/article.php3?id_article=40584

REVUE DE PRESSE
Nice : La « grande marche » des Arméniens

jeudi1er mai 2008, par Stéphane/armenews

Des poussettes, des enfants juchés sur les épaules de leurs parents, d’autres serrant des bouquets, des jeunes déployant des banderoles, les plus anciens se serrant la main... l’heure était au grand rassemblement de la communauté arménienne, hier matin à l’heure de commémorer le génocide du 24 avril 1915.

A 10 h 15, le cortège s’est d’abord déplacé sur le trottoir de la Promenade des Anglais, avant d’investir la chaussée (fermée à la circulation pour l’occasion) jusqu’au monument aux Morts de Rauba-Capeu.

En tête, Gaspard Kayadjanian, président du Conseil Communautaire Arménien de la Côte d’Azur (CCAF), mais aussi Christian Estrosi, maire et président du Conseil général et de nombreux élus (1) de tous bords. Affirmation des liens qui unissent notre pays à la patrie de Charles Aznavour.

« Reconnaissance du génocide arménien : merci la France », indiquait d’ailleurs une banderole.

Une autre clamait au contraire : « Stop au négationnisme turc. »

Preuve que les générations passent, mais que la mémoire demeure toujours aussi vivace et douloureuse, au sein de la communauté.

« Le 24 avril 1915, 1 500 000 martyrs arméniens ont été méthodiquement et froidement assassinés dans l’empire ottoman, sous le gouvernement des jeunes turcs », a rappelé Gaspard Kayadjanian. Et le président du CCAF de revendiquer l’inscription à l’ordre du jour du Sénat d’une loi sanctionnant la non-reconnaissance de ce génocide (négationnisme).

Commémoration du massacre de 1915, mais aussi hommage aux soldats d’origine arménienne tombés pour la France durant les deux grandes guerres. Des fleurs ont été déposées par les enfants des écoles arméniennes, puis au nom des anciens combattants et résistants, du CCAF, du Conseil Régional, de la Ville et du Conseil général, de la préfecture, avant une prière des pères Vatché Ayarapetyan et Antonin Blanchi.

(1) Eric Ciotti, Muriel Marland-Militello et Rudy salles, députés ; Patrick Allemand, vice-président du Conseil régional ; Joseph Calza, Jacques Victor, Paul Cuturello, Gilbert Mary, Patrick Mottard conseillers généraux ; Dominique Estrosi-Sassone, Benoît Kandel, adjoints ; Annie Kassighian, Frédérique Grégoire-Concas, Lauriano Azinheirinha, Maty Diouf, conseillers municipaux ; Christian Vialle représentant Richard Camou maire de Villeneuve-Loubet ; Eric Djamakorzian, sous-préfet des A-M., représentant le préfet Dominique Vian...

Nice-Matin

http://www.armenews.com/article.php3?id_article=40766