Conferderacy of Morons: The New Thread

[Joseph]

ERDOĐAN SAYS ISRAEL~RS GAZA BLOCKADE UNACCEPTABLE

Today's Zaman
Jan 23 2008
Turkey

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdođan yesterday condemned Israel for
a blockade it has imposed on the Gaza Strip, saying the Palestinians
there are faced with a "humanitarian tragedy."

Israel blockaded Gaza on Thursday after rocket attacks by Palestinian
militants, halting fuel shipments. Three days later, Gaza's only
power plant, which provides electricity to about one-third of Gaza's
1.5 million residents, shut down. Under heavy international pressure,
Israel allowed fuel for the plant back into Gaza on Tuesday.

"Palestine is already an open air prison. People living in Gaza are
faced with severe difficulties in the supply of water, electricity,
medicine and food. These people face a humanitarian tragedy,"
Erdođan told members of his ruling Justice and Development Party
(AK Party) at a weekly meeting in Parliament. "We have difficulties
in understanding this [blockade]."

He also criticized Israeli officials for remarks linking the blockade
to rocket attacks, saying they fail to explain how many Israelis died
in these attacks. "It is not possible to accept such acts that punish
2 million people. It is not understandable to collectively punish a
community because some of them are doing wrong things."

This was the second time Erdođan criticized Israel for its actions
against the Palestinians. Earlier this month, he said the United
States, not Israel, should man a barrier between Israel and Palestinian
territories and complained that even his car had been forced to wait
for half an hour while trying to cross to the Palestinian side after
talks in Israel during an official visit in the past.

Israel largely closed Gaza's crossings to all but humanitarian goods
in June after Hamas seized control of the territory.

Warning to Obama

Erdođan also responded to US presidential candidate Barack Obama after
he pledged he would support Armenian claims of genocide at the hands
of the late Ottoman Empire if he wins the race. He reiterated that
Turkish-US ties would receive a serious blow if the Congress passes
a resolution recognizing Armenian claims of genocide.

"Everybody knows that passage of such a resolution would lead
to irremediable wounds in Turkey-US relations," Erdođan said in
Parliament. According to the prime minister, such remarks stem
from lack of sufficient information on the part of the presidential
candidates about US foreign policy in general.

"These unfortunate remarks by a presidential candidate risk casting
a shadow on our relations," Erdođan said. "Our relations should not
be sacrificed due to slander campaigns by certain lobbies."

Obama pledged to support passage of the resolution, shelved twice in
the US Congress under pressure from the administration, which feared
it risked spoiling ties with NATO ally Turkey, in a letter sent to a
leading American-Armenian group, the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).

Obama wrote in the Jan. 19 letter that he had a "firmly held conviction
that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion,
or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by
an overwhelming body of historical evidence."

"The facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats
to distort historical facts is an untenable policy. As a senator,
I strongly support passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, and
as president I will recognize the Armenian genocide," Obama said in
the letter.

Last year, despite pleas from the George W. Bush administration,
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US House of Representatives
passed a nonbinding resolution that described the events of 1915 as
genocide. Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House and an ardent supporter of
the Armenian claims, has so far not brought the resolution to the House
floor after a strong appeal from the Bush administration that passage
of the resolution would deeply harm relations with NATO ally Turkey.

------------------------------------------------
I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to puke from the irony!

Good catch phantom. I just read out that quote to my wife and she gave me a very sour look and shook her head.

[imported_crusader1492]

BASHIR IN TURKEY: THE UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Morton Abramowitz

Century Foundation
Jan 24 2008
NY

One would think Turkey's leaders would be a little more careful before
laying down the red carpet for the likes of President Omar al Bashir
of Sudan.

Bashir is widely viewed in most parts of the world as an illegitimate
dictator presiding over a pariah state guilty of crimes against
humanity. He is a seemingly strange bedfellow for Turkey's AKP
(Justice and Development Party) trying to prove to many domestic and
Western observers of its balanced, well-calibrated foreign policy,
and its attachment to international norms.

Turkey has been trying to persuade the world, not very successfully,
that there was no Armenian genocide in 1915. The picture of President
Abdullah Gul smiling at a joint press conference is hardly going to
convince skeptics that Turkey even knows what genocide means, and
it will certainly raise doubts in supporters of Turkey. After all,
Bashir's Sudan has been accused of a relentless campaign of ethnic
cleansing that has left over 200,000 Sudanese dead and more than 2
million driven from their homes. This has prompted some (including the
United States government) to suggest rightly or wrongly, it amounts
to genocide. To many around the world, Bashir whitewashes his massive
crimes against humanity and Gul and Erdođan avert their gaze.

Bashir's visit is hardly surprising-it is yet another step in a
developing relationship. It follows the visit of Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdođan to Sudan in March 2006 for an Arab League summit. With a
side-trip to Darfur and relatively benign comments about the situation,
Erdođan was perceived as issuing a statement of support for the
Sudanese government. Just two weeks ago, Turkish Defense Minister
Vecdi Gonui was in Khartoum to discuss military cooperation between
the two countries, and what some suspect to be negotiations over
Turkish arms sales to Khartoum. The AKP's leader's actions are in
stark contrast to the Foreign Ministry's advice and former President
Sezer's refusal to accept Bashir's invitation to visit.

Put in these stark terms it is hard to find logic behind the
government's actions, but this may be not giving the Turkish leadership
enough credit. There are some counter-explanations worth considering.

An alternative foreign policy?

Perhaps, the AKP government is carving out an alternative foreign
policy role for itself that of a genuine intermediary, even mediator,
in some of the world's most intractable conflicts involving Arab and
Moslem factions and identity issues. It is certainly true that one
needs to be in communication with all the parties to dispute to convey
to them what needs to be done to resolve it. By perceiving to cozy up
to Bashir, Turkey is also buying much-needed credibility in his eyes,
and may position itself to become an important interlocutor for peace
in Darfur. However, there is little to support this explanation. To
date, talks between Ankara and Khartoum have been dominated by
negotiations over trade, investment, energy and military issues,
all areas that Turkey's would-be partners in the EU are increasingly
avoiding.

Alternatively perhaps Ankara believes that support for Bashir is
the key to peace in Darfur, and that discordant rebel movements must
be brought under control. After all after four years western policy
is virtually bankrupt. Its one major achievement is helping keep 2
million displaced people alive, not in getting them home or bringing
peace to the region. Ankara could be signaling a willingness to go
down a different path to resolving the Darfur conflict real politik
overcoming morality and seeking success where the West has failed, by
bolstering Bashir and his forces to go after the rebels. That would
be a unique policy. In addition, it is conceivable that the Turkish
government believes all Darfur needs is a little more humanitarian
assistance which Erdođan promised a gesture described as indicative
of the Turkish government's profound humanitarian concern for the
people of Darfur. Turkish aid to Darfur's people so far has been minor.

In some countries and perhaps in Turkey many believe the AKP government
is intent on promoting Islamic unity and perceive the Sudan as a
Muslim country being unfairly treated by the West, whatever the scale
of horrors being perpetrated.

One thing is certain: The Turkish government has taken a serious
diplomatic move, opening it up correctly for censure unless it can
better explain its intentions and policies. Failing to do so and
provide relevant details of the meetings with Sudanese leaders,
it will be condemned as a diplomacy that supports a disgraceful
dictatorship without benefiting the innocent victims of Darfur in
any meaningful manner.

No amount of expressions of sympathy for the victims of Darfur will
save Gul and Erdođan from the pointed questions clouding Bashir's
visit.

Morton Abramowitz is Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation and
former U.S. ambassador to Turkey. This article was first published
in the Turkish Daily News.

[Joseph]

- Commentary
Erdogan's Insulting Words about Obama
May Haunt Turkey after the Elections
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Armenians can always count on Turkish leaders to make berserk and emotional
statements that inadvertently further publicize the issue of the Armenian
Genocide.
Last week, when presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Hillary
Clinton, former Sen. John Edwards, as well as Sen. Joe Biden, Chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued statements reaffirming the Armenian
Genocide, Turkish Prime Minister Rejeb Tayyip Erdogan made rude and insulting
comments about Sen. Obama, thus attracting further media attention to the Genocide
committed by Ottoman Turkey.
Sen. Obama called for Congressional passage of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution and pledged that he would recognize the Armenian Genocide, if elected
President. He said: "I share with Armenian Americans -- so many of whom are
descended from genocide survivors -- a principled commitment to commemorating and
ending genocide. That starts with acknowledging the tragic instances of genocide
in world history. As a U.S. Senator, I have stood with the Armenian American
community in calling for Turkey's acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide. Two
years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term 'genocide' to
describe Turkey's slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. I shared
with Secretary Rice my firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide isnot
an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely
documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence. The
facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats to distortthe
historical facts is an untenable policy. As a senator, I strongly support
passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as
President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide."
Sen. Obama also pledged to maintain U.S. assistance to Armenia, strengthen
its democracy, seek an end to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, work for a
lasting and durable settlement of the Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh) conflict,
promote growth and development through expanded trade and targeted aid, and
strengthen the commercial, political, military, developmental, and cultural
relationships between the U.S. and Armenian governments.
Sen. Joe Biden, who until recently was a presidential candidate, followed
suit by officially announcing his support for the Congressional reaffirmation of
the Armenian Genocide. He thus became the 34th Senator to cosponsor the
Genocide Resolution. Sen. Biden is a longtime supporter of U.S. recognitionof the
Armenian Genocide and many other Armenian issues.
Sen. Hillary followed by issuing her own statement supporting the adoption of
the Congressional Resolution on the Armenian Genocide and pledging to
recognize it, if elected President. She said: "Alone among the Presidential
candidates, I have been a longstanding supporter of the Armenian Genocide Resolution. I
have been a co-sponsor of the Resolution since 2002, and I support adoption
of this legislation by both Houses of Congress. I believe the horrible events
perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians constitute a clear caseof
genocide. I have twice written to President Bush calling on him to refer to
the Armenian Genocide in his annual commemorative statement and, as President, I
will recognize the Armenian Genocide. Our common morality and our nation's
credibility as a voice for human rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian
Genocide be recognized and remembered by the Congress and the President of
the United States."
Sen. Clinton also said that she valued her friendship with the vibrant
Armenian American community: "This is in keeping with my dedication to the causes of
the Armenian American community over many years. I was privileged as First
Lady to speak at the first-ever White House gathering in 1994 for leaders from
Armenia and the Armenian American community to celebrate the historic occasion
of Armenia's reborn independence. I will, as President, work to expand and
improve U.S.-Armenia relations in addressing the common issues facing our two
nations: increasing trade, fostering closer economic ties, fighting terrorism,
strengthening democratic institutions, pursuing our military partnership and
deepening cooperation with NATO, and cooperating on regional concerns, among them
a fair and democratic resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict. As
President, I will expand U.S. assistance programs to Armenia and to the people of
Nagorno-Karabagh."
Finally, presidential candidate John Edwards issued his own very supportive
statement: "I am proud of my record in the U.S. Senate fighting hard for the
concerns of our nation's one and a half million Americans of Armenian heritage.
In the Senate, I stood against threats to Armenia's security, including the
blockades it continues to endure. As President, I will prioritize our special
relationship with Armenia and the goal of a lasting peace to Nagorno Karabagh
and the entire region. I strongly believe that the United States must standfor
telling the truth about all genocides. I support the Congressional resolution
declaring the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915
a genocide. We must also continue to strengthen our relationship with Turkey,
an important democratic ally against the forces of tyranny in the region. The
resolution should therefore be integrated with a comprehensive diplomatic
effort to make sure that our friends in Turkey today understand that the
resolution is not aimed at them but instead at atrocities committed almost a century
ago by the Ottoman Empire."
The Armenian American community naturally welcomes all four statements.
However, given the long chain of not kept promises by previous presidential
candidates, Armenians should not judge these candidates by the above statements
alone. They should evaluate the candidates' long-standing commitment to Armenian
American issues and be suspicious of opportunistic statements made on the eve of
the decisive upcoming primary elections. The Armenian American community
should also judge these candidates by their circle of close advisors. If that core
group includes individuals that have been antagonistic to Armenian issues in
the past, there is a good chance that the next president would be dissuaded
>From carrying out his or her promises after the election.
Despite the distinct possibility that the statements issued last week may be
useless after the election, they have already had a very positive effect on
propagating the Armenian Cause, thanks to the rude reaction of Prime Minister
Erdogan. According to the Turkish press, Prime Minister Erdogan called Sen.
Obama "an amateur of politics. A day may come when you will have to choose between
70 million Turkey and two million Armenia. One has to think carefully before
uttering such words. I suggest that he outgrow the amateur period of is
political career." It appears that Prime Minister Erdogan is more concernedabout
numbers than choosing between right and wrong -- truth and lies!
Should Sen. Obama be elected President, he may not look kindly at Turkish
Prime Minister's insulting words. Armenians would hope that Erdogan would
similarly lash out at all the presidential candidates who have issued similar
statements. That way, no matter which candidate gets elected, there would be a
backlash on U.S.-Turkish relations, lessening the likelihood that Turkish leaders
would get away with blackmailing the White House again in the future!

[Joseph]

DOGU ERGIL [email protected] Columnists
Ergenekon: The abyss of nationalism

"Ergenekon" is the imaginary valley surrounded by mountains of metal where the sole surviving Turk, who was maimed in a decisive battle, was carried to safety by a female wolf. What is nice about legends is that everything is possible.
The injured Turk healed by the she-wolf had children that grew in number until there were enough to reenter the outside world. A blacksmith among them started a large fire that melted a part of the mountain where they lived and they emerged to conquer the world. Ergenekon symbolizes the rebirth of Turks through overcoming the worst that had befallen them. That imaginary day is celebrated every year by the nationalists, who turn it into a present day reality by driving the point home that we Turks can be born out of our own ashes in times of duress.
Another symbol of our past grandeur is the coat of arms of the presidency, depicted as a sun surrounded by 15 stars. The sun is the present Republic of Turkey, while the stars are past states (mostly empires) that were either founded or ruled by the Turks.

With such a grandiose historical background -- real or imagined -- it is very hard for a regular Turk to accept the stark reality that their country is an insufficiently developed, second-rate power, incessantly fighting political and economic instability. Many Turks look back and idealize the power and affluence of the empires left behind and they look at the present to see the US and the EU far more prosperous, developed and powerful than their country is. How do you think this corrosive feeling of relative deprivation and powerlessness can be compensated for? Especially when you do not have the ability of critical thinking to assess where we went wrong and fell behind "contemporary civilization," which we aspire to be a part of. Well, you do two things; in your thinking, you blame the others for what you have lost or been "denied," thus building a conspiratorial view of the world and life in general. Secondly, you organize structures beyond legal boundaries and institutions to take affairs into your own hands and try to win the past power and glory of your failing state. There are no moral or legal boundaries in such a quest.

Recently a clandestine organization called Ergenekon was discovered that plotted to pit ethnic and cultural groups against each other, assassinate public opinion leaders to agitate the people and invite the army to stage a coup. Most of the members of Ergenekon are ex-army officers and intelligence personnel with civilian affiliates in ultranationalist organizations. Although they are no longer on active duty, they have close and intricate relations with some of the active personnel in their old institutions. This is what the investigation initiated against this organization, labeled "the Ergenekon terrorist network," by the prosecutor's office has revealed.

Although the name of the organization has been publicized only recently, the public knows about the alleged criminal activities of most of its members. One example is retired Brig. Gen. Veli Küçük, who has been accused of sanctioning numerous political assassinations as the head of the notorious gendarmerie intelligence unit JİTEM, facilitating the bloody takeover of gambling houses and seeing that some drug revenues in the hands of the Kurdish mafia made their way to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Further evidence from the hidden documents of retired Maj. Mehmet Zekeriya Öztürk revealed that Ergenekon had close links to the ambush of the Council of State (Ankara) on May 17, 2006, in which a judge was murdered and several others were wounded in a shooting by an ultranationalist lawyer. The same dossiers included intimate information on both the bombing of the daily Cumhuriyet (carefully chosen as a Kemalist publication to garner hatred against non-Kemalists) and the Şemdinli bombing, where two non-commissioned officers were caught red handed bombing a book store.

Hrant Dink, the celebrated journalist of Armenian descent, was assassinated on a street in Istanbul in broad daylight and the nationalist thug who did it is on record chanting, "I killed an Armenian." Ergenekon's link to this murder has not been substantiated yet, but some of its members, including Küçük, are on record as threatening him. But there are strong clues that these criminal "patriots" had planned to kill the only Nobel laureate Turkey has ever had, namely Orhan Pamuk.

What kind of nationalism divides the nation and wages war against an internally generated enemy that is our citizens? What kind of patriotism is it that hires and trains assassins to kill their own nationals just because they do not think, act and believe the way they do? They are not honest, either. They bomb, kill and steal and blame others for these deeds, which they claim would come to an end if they came to power.

Fortunately, neither the state bureaucracy nor the nation gave in to these criminals, but instead initiated a cleansing process. It is obvious that no state can build legitimacy and no nation may survive with these parasites sucking its blood and darkening its future.

Let us see how far this cleansing goes in purging Turkey of a cancerous nationalism that is the enemy of the very nation it claims to serve and exalt.

06.02.2008
Comments |

[Joseph]

Erdogan, making friends and leaving a good impression worldwide

In Munich Erdoghan demanded that Turkey is integrated into the EU
Turkey vigorously rejects the compromise in the form of the status of a privileged partner, which was suggested particularly by Germany.
12.02.2008 GMT+04:00
During the 44th conference on security policy issues held in Munich the problems of NATO’s functioning and the prospect of its expansion, the issues of disarmament, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, the calls of the European security, the situation in Afghanistan and prospective of its resolution, the basic course of development of Russia, and the issues of security in Asia were discussed. Much attention was focused particularly to the discussion of the Kosovo issue, Iranian nuclear program, Turkey’s European course, and its policy in the field of security.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The conference was opened by the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Erdoghan, who said in his speech that his country is actively involved in many processes and events in different parts of the world. In this regard he also mentioned that Turkey has always been and will remain a reliable for NATO, and the main message to the participants of the conference was the demand to integrate Turkey in the European Union.

According to Erdoghan, Turkey vigorously rejects the compromise in the form of the status of a privileged partner, suggested particularly by Germany. But the most interesting things happened during the debate. An example was brought by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vartan Oskanyan. “You confirmed the decision of your country to become the full member of the EU. Armenia is also for Turkey’s integration into the EU, this is the neighbor we need. But you know that at present the border between the two countries are closed from Turkey’s side,” said the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs in answer to Erdoghan’s speech. Vartan Oskanyan mentioned that the Turkish side has two main reasons for closing the borders. “The first reason is RA’s participation in Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, and the second reason is Armenia’s foreign policy, directed towards the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. I must say that the parties of the Karabakh conflict are the Armenians and the Azeri, and the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is the historical and moral imperative of the Armenian Nation. Mr. Prime Minister, now our countries are not at a war with each other and are your arguments enough to preserve the blockade of the Armenian-Turkish border in this situation?” asked Oskanyan to Recep Erdoghan.

However, the Turkish Prime Minister left Oskanyan’s questions unanswered and once again repeated the sentence about establishing the Armenian-Turkish historical commission, declaring that the slaughter of 1915 has not historically been proven and that it is the issue to be discussed by the historians. The notion of Genocide doesn’t exist in Turkish culture,” said Erdoghan.

Erdoghan also touched upon the Kurdish problem. According to him, the Turkish Army has concentrated around 100.000 soldiers on the border with Iraq, but hasn’t started any serious operations against them yet, only confining to short term raids, and bombardment of the positions of Kurdish terrorists.

“Turkey’s struggle against the Kurdish separatists will continue till the final victory is obtained. It is the part of the fight of the World Community against terrorism. It should be clear to everyone that we are going to fight till the last minute,” said the Turkish Prime Minister. Recep Erdoghan also publicly denied the Kremlin’s affirmation, which said that Chechen terrorists have found shelter in Turkey. “There are people of Chechen origins in Turkey, but let’s not call them terrorists,” he said.

[Joseph]

This one is rich. Gee, I guess the Soviets were the ones who built the Hittite Fortress of Erebuni


Azerbaijani scientist: “Marking the 2790th anniversary of Yerevan has no scientific ground”

[ 03 Apr 2008 15:55 ]

Baku. Laura Jabrayilli-APA. “Marking the 2790th anniversary of Yerevan within the framework of the International Assembly of Capitals and Big Cities on October 11 this year has no scientific or historical grounds.

Yerevan was established during the Arabic period. Yerevan and Western Azerbaijan do not belong to Armenians or Armenian history”, Deputy Director of History Institute of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Jabi Bahramov told APA. He said that Urartu sources, scientific works by outstanding Russian historians, Igor Dyakonov, Azerbaijani academician Igrar Aliyev, American scientist Armenian by origin Nina Garsia and others showed that the Armenians had nothing to do with this territory.
“After the spread of Christianity, churches, as well as Grigoryan church started missionary activity beginning from the fifth century. The churches sent missionaries to different places, as well as to the territories around Van Lake in Turkey. In the first half of the 19th century Armenians started to settle in the North Azerbaijan occupied by Russia and Irevan khanate, a part of Azerbaijan. Armenian state had existed neither in Turkey, nor in the territory of Azerbaijan by 1918. On May 29, 1918 Yerevan was yielded to Armenians, as a result of it they managed to establish state with support of the English, Americans and French. After North Azerbaijan was occupied by Soviet Russia in 1920, measures were taken to extend Armenians’ territory and 19.800 sq km territory of Soviet Azerbaijan was yielded to Armenians as a result of direct pressure exerted by Soviet Russia”, he said.
According to historical data, the history of ancient Azerbaijani land - Yerevan as a city, castle started after the collapse of the caliphate. The territory belonged to the Sajis of Turkish origin, then Salaris and Ravvadis, Saljug Empire, Atabeys, Hulakis and in the 15th century belonged to Garagoyunlus, Aggoyunlus and Sefevids. In the reign of Sefevids, Yerevan became administrative center of Chukhursheher beylerbeylik, finally Yerevan khanate, and with the occupation of North Azerbaijan Yerevan province was established, and Republic of Armenia was established after Yerevan was yielded on May 29, 1918.
Bahramov said these were historical facts and underlined that Azerbaijan’s related bodies should take a stance on marking the 2790th anniversary of Yerevan on the international level.

[Joseph]

Uh oh, someone in the Turkish Ministry of Education is in deep, deep, trouble

Noyan Tapan
April 8, 2008


BIBLICAL MOUNTAIN PRESENTED UNDER NAME OF ARARAT IN TURKISH SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS

Noyan Tapan
April 8, 2008

ANKARA, APRIL 8, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The Turkish ministry of
education in 2007 prepared and published geography textbooks intended
for senior school pupils, in which the biblical mountain is presented
not as Agri Dagi but as Ararat (the official name of Mount Ararat in
Turkey is Agri Dagi).

According to Cihan news agency, the trade union of Turkish employees
of education and science expressed its concern over the "inexusable
mistake" of the ministry of education: "This error in geography
textbooks approved by the ministry in 2007 is inexusable because the
name "Ararat" has become a symbol of the so-called Armenian Genocide
today," the chairman of the trade union Ismail Koncuk stated, adding
that such activities of the Turkish ministry of education "contribute
to Armenian propaganda".

[Joseph]

This is very telling. Apparently Gomitas was a terrorist and the Dashnaks were not elected members of the Ottoman Parliament. And oh yeah, many of the prisoners were released even though they were never seen or heard from again by anyone.



Turkish historian: "No genocide was committed on April 24, only 556
> Armenian terrorists were arrested"
>
> [ 26 Apr 2008 16:04 ]
>
> Ankara. Mais Alizadeh-APA.
>
> Head of the Armenian studies unit of Turkish Institute of History,
> Professor Kamal Chichek's interview with APA.
>
> -On May 27, 1915 Interior Minister Talat Pasha signed resolution on the
> movement of Armenians to other areas for prevention of their treason
> against Ottoman Empire. Why Armenians mourn April 24 every year?
>
> -The historic documents show that the resolution on the Armenian movement
> was signed not on April 24. On that day leaders of Armenian gangs, who
> committed treason against Ottoman Empire were arrested and sent to the
> Chankir and Ayash prisons near Ankara. 235 leaders of Armenian terrorist
> gangs were arrested in Istanbul and 321 arrested in other provinces on
> April 24. One of them well-known terrorist Komitas was released 13 days
> later and interior ministry allowed him to leave for Vienna and later he
> died in Paris. We have the historic documents, which show that 556
> Armenian gang leaders were arrested, but some foreign historians lie that
> 2500 were arrested and most of them were executed. The arrested terrorists
> were accompanied by 75 police officers on their way to prison for their
> security. Most of the arrested persons were allowed to walk in the city
> and to visit police office for confirmation of their presences. If the
> history of April 24 contains these facts, why Armenians mourned it as a
> day of so-called genocide? It is a scenario written by Vahakin Dadriyan.
> He wrote that 1915 events should meet the UN "Genocide Convention" adopted
> in 1948. Ottoman Empire declared mobilization in August, 1914 and
> Armenians were also involved in the Army. Therefore more Armenian gangs
> remained without their leaders. According to the second part of Dadriyan's
> scenario, Armenians' legs were broken when their leaders were arrested and
> after the May 27 resolution of movement the defenseless Armenians took the
> way of death. Were the people arrested on April 24 innocent? No, they were
> members and leaders of "Dashnak", "Hnchak", "Ramgavar" and other terrorist
> organizations. A lot of weapons were confiscated in their places. They
> were rebels against the war-involved country and Ottoman Empire like every
> country undertook preventive measures. They were not killed after the
> arresting. They were taken to prisons under the strong control and 55 of
> them were released in a short time. 57 persons were deported and many of
> them exiled to other cities. The Government aimed not to kill the gang
> members and leaders, but to make them passive. For that Armenians
> symbolically mourn on April 24.
>
> - Prime Minister Erdogan sent a letter to Armenian president Robert
> Kocharyan on May 8, 2005 and suggested to establish joint commission for
> researching of historical realities, but he didn't receive positive
> respond. Do Armenians refuse to establish the joint commission because
> they know that they falsified the historical realities?
>
> -Yes, they know. Kocharyan said in his respond that "they cannot accept
> this suggestion, which opens discussions on the "Armenian genocide" and as
> it was a historical reality, it couldn't be discussed". Kocharyan intended
> to establish intergovernmental commission, but not the commission of
> historians. In fact the events turn into history and Kocharyan intended to
> politicize the issue. Armenia said it intended to improve relations with
> Turkey. Armenia, which occupied the lands of our Azerbaijani brothers, has
> no right to make a condition before Turkey. Only Turkey can make the
> conditions. Our main demand is the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the
> occupied Azerbaijani lands. Unfortunately no country except Turkey makes
> remark for Armenia, which occupied Azerbaijani lands. All over the world
> imposed sanctions against Saddam Huseyn because he occupied Kuwait. The
> world countries should impose embargo against Armenia too. If Armenia
> intends to be our friend, it should leave history for historians and
> recognize our borders - it is our other demands. Armenian should leave
> their claims for recognition of so-called "genocide" and Anatolian lands.
> It is unserious policy.

[Joseph]

In Turkish logic, the only genocide that ever was or ever could be was the Jewish Holocaust. It does not count unless victims are sent gas chambers. All other genocides are false, "so-called" genocides. How logical. Nor has the Armenians Genocide ever been taboo in Turkey...no way...that is why the subject has always been handled with maturity and moderations...just ask Hrant Dink, Taner Akcam, Orhan Pamuk, etc.

In Turkish logic the fact that a fraction of Armenian churches are still standing-even though many of those that remain are now mosques and the vast majority of their congregations have been murdered-constitutes Turkish goodwill.

If believing in equality, safety, commerce, and democracy were "foreign forces" within the Ottoman Empire, than I guess the Armenians were guilty

It was certainly not the case that those Armenians allowed to remain were granted a stay of execution because they provided much needed services that could not be found among the Muslim population. No, that would never be the case

http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/turkey/8966309.asp?gid=231&sz=98727

Gul responding to a question about Armenian claims said, these claims were not a "taboo" in Turkey, adding that, "we are sorry over what had occurred in the past. However, this is not a genocide which the Jews had to experience in Europe. The incidents erupted after revolt of Armenians with the affect of some foreign forces. But one thing is important, all the churches were open even during the incidents and the Armenians, who were in important posts in the Ottoman administration, continued to work."

[Joseph]

This is news to me...it seems the Armenians were asked kindly to leave and not deported en masse and removed to the Middle East because the Turks cared about their safety. According to the author it is not possible to deport from their homes if they were moved within the empire despite the fact that they were forced hundreds of miles away from their ancestral homes. Some logic.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/yazarDetay.do?haberno=142342

"The Armenian genocide allegations occupy a central place on Turkey’s agenda. Some Turkish intellectuals rely on an Armenian tragedy discourse. Don’t the people who currently constitute half of the population in Turkey and had to migrate to Turkish soil because of genocidal campaigns in their homelands in the last 150 years have a tragedy? Don’t the Crimean Tatars and Cretan Turks have a tragedy? Is it impossible for non-Christians to suffer a tragedy? Turkish intellectuals should investigate the details of the tragedy of their fellows first instead of the tragedies of neighbors. They should stress that Armenians were asked to migrate and not deported because the Armenians were displaced within the Ottoman soil. They were moved from Anatolia to the Middle East because of the war conditions during World War I. They were not deported. However the Turks and Muslims were deported from the Russian Empire. It is not possible to speak of deportation without exile and cross-border migration. May 21 should be observed in Turkey as a remembrance day for our ancestors."