Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

[bell-the-kat]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

Sedat Laciner's articles are laughable and so is "Turkish Weekly."

I agree with you, but in your opinion, what does the average Turk think of this guy's writings? Do they consider him legitimate?

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

Regarding previous posters name...

WTF?

[Siamanto]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

Turkish CDA members gone due to Armenia-row

NOS (Dutch news agency)
26 September 2006

The Turkish CDA (Christian Democrats) members Tonca and Elmaci are no longer
candidate MPs. The CDA decided to remove them from the list after commotion
over the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Tonca and Elmaci have continuously denied that Turks committed genocide
against the Armenians in 1915. As candidate MPs, they subscribed this week
to the CDA's standpoint that a genocide was committed. Today, they
nevertheless took those words back in a Turkish newspaper.

Earlier, the PvdA (Labor Party) administration removed Erdinc Sacan from the
candidate's list. He did not subscribe to the PvdA's standpoint on the
genocide by Turks.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg162948.html

[Siamanto]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

CDA Candidates Deny Genocide by Turks
By our correspondents

Trouw (Dutch national newspaper)
21-09-06

Two candidates on CDA's (Christian Democrats) list for the
parliamentary elections in November deny the Armenian Genocide,
while the party believes that Turkey should recognize the genocide.

It concerns two candidates of Turkish descent: Ayhan Tonca (in 35th
place) and Osman Elmaci (56). For a long time, Tonca has called the
genocide a lie. Elmaci recently clarified his views in a letter to the
Parliament. The letter is available on the website of TV-program NOVA,
which explored this issue yesterday.

Elmaci writes that ChristenUnie's proposal to penalize the denial of
genocide goes against the pillars of freedom of speech. He points
to the fact that there are 300,000 Turks in the Netherlands who do
not believe in the Armenian Genocide of 1915 and sums up the Turkish
arguments.

Tonca is the chairman of the Islamic Foundation in the Netherlands
(ISN), the Dutch chapter of Diyanet, the Turkish Ministry of
Religious Affairs. ISN also oversees most of the Turkish mosques in
the Netherlands. In Turkish circles, people are questioning how Tonca
can function as a representative of the people when he is tied hands
and feet to the Turkish government.

On Elmaci's website (www.osmanelmaci.nl), there are indications
that he is affiliated with right-winged nationalist Turkish
organizations. Earlier, both Elmaci and Tonca criticized the
proposal of the ChristenUnie in an e-mail discussion with local
Turkish politicians.

CDA's chairwoman, Marja van Blijsterveldt, responds in a reaction
that she respects Tonca's views, but that they are not the views of
the fraction, nor of the party.

The Armenian Genocide happened in 1915, when Turkey was allied with
Germany. Turks deported Armenians to Syria when they began to question
their loyalty.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg162620.html

[Siamanto]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

CDA candidates recognize Armenian Genocide

ANP
22 September 2006

THE HAGUE (ANP) - CDA parliamentary members Ayhan Tonca and Osman
Elmaci recognize that Turkey committed a genocide against the Armenians
in 1915. In a statement, they said that they conform to the motion
of the ChristenUnie, in which the Armenian Genocide is addressed.

In December 2004, the Parliament, initiated by the ChristenUnie,
unanimously agreed that the Dutch government should continuously raise
the Armenian massacres in all of its negotiations with Turkey in the
framework of Turkey's accession to the EU. According to the Armenian
community in the Netherlands, the two CDA candidates had, until now,
only expressed Turkey's official view that an Armenian Genocide was
never committed.

This week, the Federation of Armenian Organizations in the Netherlands
(FAON) asked the CDA party administration about Tonca's (35th place
on the concept-candidate list) and Elmaci's (56) standpoint on the
genocide. The genocide has been recognized as fact by the United
Nations since 1985. In 1915, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians
perished.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg162623.html

[Siamanto]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

ARGENTINA MAY PASS LAW TO DESIGNATE APRIL 24 AS GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY

Armenpress

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian ambassador to Argentina,
Vladimir Karmirshalian, told Armenpress that this Latin American
nation may pass a law to designate April 24 as the official Armenian
Genocide Remembrance Day.

The ambassador said the local Armenian community is working hard to
push for such a law. He said two major Argentinean states of Buenos
Aires and Cordoba have passed laws designating April 24 as the Day
of Armenian Genocide Remembrance.

These state laws make teaching genocide at schools an obligatory
subject of curriculum. The town of Buenos Aires has also passed a law
designating April 24 as the Day of Remembrance of Armenian Genocide.

Argentina's parliament has passed several resolutions since 1985
condemning the Armenian genocide and demanding that Turkey acknowledges
this crime. The Senate of Argentina passed a harsh resolution in 2005
July demanding that Turkey admits this crime, but Argentine has passed
no law to recognize the Armenian genocide officially.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg164317.html

[Siamanto]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

TURKS IN NETHERLANDS REJECT POLITICS OVER ARMENIAN ISSUE

Playfuls.com, Romania
Oct 5 2006

The large Turkish minority in the Netherlands is considering a boycott
of the Dutch elections in November as a result of pressure on Turkish
candidates to acknowledge that Armenians suffered genocide in 1915,
the daily Volkskrant reported Thursday.

"Many of the 400,000 Turks in the Netherlands regard themselves as
no longer welcome and are turning their backs on politics," Sabri
Kenan Bagci, chairman of the IOT organization that speaks for Turkish
interests, told the daily Volkskrant.

Bagci said he had called a national meeting of leading Turks in
Utrecht on Sunday in response to a growing crisis over the issue
within the community.

Turkish candidates for the November 22 elections have come under
pressure from their parties to publicly acknowledge the deaths of
hundreds of thousands of Armenians during World War I as an act
of genocide.

The largest party in the Dutch parliament, the Christian Democrats
(CDA), has pulled two Turkish candidates from its electoral list,
while the main opposition Labour Party (PvdA) has dropped one.

Over the weekend the CDA placed another Turk on its list, but was
immediately accused of "tokenism."

Talip Demirhan, who spent eight years on the CDA's management board,
expressed his anger over the pressure on Turkish candidates.

"We are being asked whether our great-grandfather was a mass
murderer. If he was, then as far as I'm concerned he can go to hell,
but why should I have to acknowledge responsibility to the average
Dutch citizen," Demirhan, 63, told the Volkskrant.

He poured scorn on the notion that this had to do with Dutch "norms
and values."

The issue is highly sensitive in Turkey itself. The European Parliament
last week voted to withdraw a requirement that Turkey acknowledge the
Armenian genocide as part of the conditions for Turkish membership
of the European Union.

Turkish public opinion has taken a keen interest in the controversy in
the Netherlands, where official statistics put the number of residents
of Turkish origin at 365,000 in a population of 16.3 million.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg164391.html

[Siamanto]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

Armenian Genocide Denial by a Few Candidates May Upset Dutch Election

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.10.2006 17:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Dutch MP candidates had clearly stated in the past
that, in their view, the Genocide of Armenians in Turkey in 1915 had
not taken place.

This view is contrary to the official policy of the Dutch government
and of the parties themselves, stated columnist RadioNetherlands
Andy Clark, the Federation of Armenian Communities of Holland
told PanARMENIAN.Net. "It might seem a little strange but the
Armenian Genocide of 1915 has become an issue in the run up to the
Dutch elections. The two leading parties in the opinion polls have
kicked out prospective MPs because they deny that the Genocide took
place. The candidates, one from the opposition Labour Party and two
from the biggest coalition party - the Christian Democrat CDA - are
Dutch/Turkish politicians. It made the headlines after questions were
raised by the Armenian community in the Netherlands when the names of
the candidates were made public on the party lists for the November
elections, and a heated discussion soon followed," the columnist notes.

He cites Tineke Huizinga from the Christian Union - a small party
in the parliament which introduced an initiative in 2004 saying that
the government has to push for recognition of the genocide in Turkey
as part of the negotiations for Turkey's desired accession to the
EU. That initiative was unanimously accepted. Ms Huzinga explains
the official Dutch position: "More than one and a half million people
were murdered during the time of World War I by Turkey and this was
a genocide and you can absolutely compare this with the Holocaust."

It was a clash with this position that brought the CDA candidates
Ayhan Tonca, Osman Elamci and Labour Party candidate Erdinc Sacan
into problems with their parties. Ayhan Tonca has constantly denied
the genocide occurred: "The genocide that people talk about never
took place." Although he doesn't deny that hundreds of thousands of
people died, he argues that there needs to be further investigation
to see if the killings were consciously carried out by the Turkish
government at that time. Deliberate and conscious persecution would
constitute genocide, the Dutch Radio columnist underscored.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg164391.html

[Siamanto]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

Turkey warns France Armenian bill will hit trade, bilateral ties

Agence France Presse -- English
October 6, 2006 Friday

Turkey warned France on Friday that bilateral political and economic
ties will suffer if the French parliament approves a law making it
a punishable offence to deny the Armenian "genocide."

"The Armenian issue has poisoned bilateral ties in the past, but the
bill will inflict irreparable damage on our relationship," foreign
ministry spokesman Namik Tan told a press conference here.

He warned the move could jeopardise "investments, the fruit of years
of work, and France will -- so to speak -- lose Turkey."

France is one of Turkey's main trade partners, with a volume of 8.2
billion euros (10 billion dolars) in 2005.

Tan appealed to the French parliament to block the bill.

"Our expectation is that France will to avoid taking the wrong step,"
he said, arguing that adoption of the bill would mean the elimination
of freedom of expression in France.

The French National Assembly is expected to convene on October 12 to
discuss the bill that would make denying Armenians were the victims
of a genocide during World War I punishable by up to five years in
prison and a fine of 45,000 euros (57,000 dollars).

The bill follows on a 2001 French law officially recognizing the
massacres as genocide.

In French law, the same punishment is applicable to those deny that
the xxxish Holocaust took place.

"If the bill is adopted on October 12, the Turkish people will see
it as a hostile act by France ... It will not be possible to contain
public reaction," Tan said, referring to a possible boycott of French
goods in Turkey.

The Armenian bill, drawn up by the Socialist opposition, was first
brought to the French assembly in May, but the vote was postponed to
October after filibustering by the ruling party.

Turkey had at the time threatened trade sanctions against France and
briefly summoned its ambassador in Paris back for consultations.

Tan said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would meet the
French business community in Turkey in Istanbul on Saturday to discuss
the bill.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was expected to call his French
counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy, an opponent of the bill, later
Friday, he added.

The Armenian massacres constitute one of the most controversial
episodes in Turkish history, often sending nationalist feelings
into frenzy.

Armenians allege up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917 when the Ottoman Empire,
the predecessor of modern Turkey, was falling apart.

Turkey denies the claim, saying 300,000 Armenians and at least as
many Turks died in civil strife when the Armenians took up arms for
independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with invading Russian
troops; it categorically rejects the genocide label.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg164367.html

[Siamanto]

Re: Armenian Genocide in the news. Recent and noteworthy articles and news.

BLOCHER'S REMARKS CAUSE A STORM IN SWITZERLAND

Swiss Info, Switzerland
Oct 5 2006

The Swiss justice minister has attacked Swiss anti-racism laws that
have led to investigations against two Turks for allegedly denying
the 1915 Armenian massacre.

Christoph Blocher made his comments during an official visit to Turkey
on Wednesday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Turkey's adoption
of the Swiss civil code. His words raised a storm of protest back home.

"Article 216 bis [of the Swiss penal code] gives me a real headache,"
the justice minister told the media, referring to Swiss anti-racism
legislation adopted in 1994 to prevent revisionist views about the
Holocaust.

"No one would have imagined that this law would have resulted in
proceedings against a prominent Turkish historian," he said, following
his talks with his Turkish counterpart, Cemil Cicek.

Blocher added that the justice ministry would be "examining what it
could do to prevent this situation from re-occurring", and that it
was up to parliament and the government to decide on any possible
changes to the law.

In 2005, Swiss authorities launched criminal investigations against
the historian Yusuf Halacoglu, the president of the Turkish History
Organisation, and the politician Dogu Perincek for allegedly making
comments in Switzerland denying the 1915 Armenian massacre.

Armenians say around 1.8 million of their people were killed. Turkey
disputes this, putting the figure closer to 200,000. Under Swiss law
any act of denying, belittling or justifying genocide is a violation
of the country's anti-racism legislation.

Scolding

Blocher's remarks in Turkey met with sharp criticism back home.

Georg Kreis, president of the Federal Commission against Racism,
criticised Blocher for once again ignoring the separation of executive
and judicial powers.

"As a Swiss citizen I find it disturbing to learn from the foreign
press that changes to Swiss legislation are being considered,"
he noted.

Christophe Darbellay, president of the centre-right Christian
Democrats, was equally vexed: "It's strange to see a justice minister
go to another country, which is not exactly a model for human rights,
to criticise a Swiss parliamentary decision."

The heads of two other two parties in government - the centre-right
Radical Party and the centre-left Social Democrat party - also
criticised Blocher's statement. Blocher's own rightwing Swiss People's
Party - the fourth party in government - declined to comment.

"We regret such irresponsible statements," said Sarkis Shahinian,
co-president of the Switzerland-Armenia association. The justice
minister, he said, makes a mockery of Switzerland by "giving the
worst-possible revisionists the red-carpet treatment".

Regarding the Armenian question, which has dogged Swiss-Turkish
relations over recent years, Blocher said that it was not up to
politicians to comment, alluding to decisions by canton Vaud's
parliament and the House of Representatives, which have both voted
to recognise the Armenian genocide.

"We are convinced that the solution of an international commission
of historians [to shed light on the 1915 massacre] is a good one,"
he added.

During the official visit the Swiss justice minister also held
"extremely open" discussions with Cemil Cicek on asylum and the fight
against terrorism.

Anti-terrorism collaboration is said to have helped improve relations
between the two countries. Bern has recently handed over to Ankara a
suspected terrorist, and three other Turkish citizens also accused
of terrorism are being held in Switzerland pending extradition,
declared Blocher.

Earlier in the day the justice minister gave a speech at Ankara
University to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the adoption of
the Swiss civil code by Turkey, in which he underlined the solid,
long-standing historical ties between both countries.

Later he met Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, and before
leaving Ankara laid flowers at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
the founder of modern Turkey.

CONTEXT

Despite having a long history, Swiss-Turkish relations have recently
been strained. 2005 was an "annus horribilis":

In March 2005 Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey visited
Turkey and raised the sensitive issue of the massacre of Armenians
in Turkey early last century.

In June the Swiss public prosecutor launched a criminal investigation
against a Turkish historian in Switzerland who had denied the genocide,
a violation of Switzerland's anti-racism laws.

In July Turkey's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, described the Swiss
investigation as "unacceptable" and "absolutely contrary to the
principle of free speech".

In August the Turkish authorities postponed a visit by Swiss
Economics Minister Joseph Deiss citing agenda problems of his Turkish
counterpart.

In November Switzerland beat Turkey in a vital World Cup playoff match,
triggering ugly scenes between players.

KEY FACTS

80,000 Turks live in Switzerland.

In 2004, Swiss exports to Turkey were worth SFr1.9 billion ($1.45
billion), 17% more than in 2003.

Swiss imports from Turkey in 2004 came to $410 million.

Among Swiss firms established in Turkey are Novartis, Nestle, ABB,
Ciba, Roche, Givaudan and Syngenta.

http://groong.usc.edu/news/msg164139.html