Nothing to apologise for says Erdogan‏

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ERDOGAN SAYS THERE IS NOTHING TO APOLOGISE FOR, AS GENOCIDE APOLOGY CONTINUES AND ONLINE CAMPAIGN BY TURKISH INTELLECTUALS RISES TO 20,000 SIGNATURES

ANKARA – Combined sources - Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, refused to join a rapidly growing online petition by Turks apologising for the "Great Catastrophe" of 1915, saying that it is "unreasonable to apologise when there is no reason." The unprecedented apology was initiated earlier this month by a group of 200 Turkish academics, journalists, writers and artists disagreeing with the official Turkish version denying the Armenian Genocide. Their petition, entitled “I apologise,” was posted on a special website (www.ozurdiliyoruz.com) last week. “I cannot conscientiously accept the indifference to the Great Catastrophe that Ottoman Armenians suffered in 1915, and its denial,” read the petition. “I reject this injustice and acting of my own will, I share the feelings and pains of my Armenian brothers and sisters, and I apologise to them.” 20,000 Turks have already signed the petition indicating their names, occupations and places of residence. "If there is a crime, then those who committed it can offer an apology. My nation, my country has no such issue," he said. Turkish nationalists were similarly quick to criticise the online apology. A group of some 60 retired Turkish diplomats issued a statement on Monday describing the move "as unfair, wrong and unfavourable to national interests." Burak Ozugergin said the Ministry did not urge the retired diplomats and ambassadors, who said Monday that "such an incorrect and one-sided attempt would mean disrespecting our history." The military became involved on Friday. "We definitely think what has been done is not right. Apologising is wrong and can yield harmful consequences," Brig. Gen. Metin Gürak, spokesperson for the General Staff, told a weekly news conference. Last year, Nobel prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk had been tried for "insulting Turkishness" for his comments on 1915, who said that a million Armenians were killed "in these lands" and no-one dared talk about it.

APOLOGY OVER GENOCIDE HITS TURKISH PARLIAMENT

Bolis (Marmara) - A Turkish parliament member's request Sunday that the legislature apologise to Armenians for the “events of 1915” has caused an uproar in parliament, with members hurling personal insults at one another. Democratic Society Party (DTP) member Osman Euzcelik brought the matter up during parliament's discussion of the education ministry budget and went on to recall the Armenian massacres by using the Kurdish word that describes Genocide.

He also said that he had heard stories about the Armenian killings as child growing up in Turkey and added that the killings were planned by the sultan of the Ottoman Empire and were carried out by groups called Hamiddiye, which also had Kurdish members. Euzcelik likened the campaign to kill Armenians to the current campaign waged against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). “These groups killed a large number of Armenians. A lot of times they would line up the Armenians and shoot them in the chest. All Armenians of Martin were killed and some fled to Syria,” said Euzcelik, who added that his grandfather's family provided refuge for Genocide survivors. Nevzad Pakdil, who was presiding over the parliament session, interrupted Euzcelik, blasting him for “insulting the society in which you live.” Euzcelik said that he was apologising to Armenians on his own behalf. Pakdil intervened again attempting to stifle the parliament member. Members of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) applauded Pakdil while another DTP member, Surru Saken directed his anger to Paktdil by saying, “Mr. Chairman, you represent the Marash district and you know full well the extent of the tragedy that unfolded there.” This comment prompted a member of the AKP to walk toward DTP members and begin screaming at his fellow parliamentarians. Another parliament member intervened to stop what could have become a physical altercation. “Should we not talk about the facts? There is not one Assyrian left,” screamed another DTP member during the commotion, which was followed by several DTP members leaving the parliament. The unprecedented demonstration in Parliament came less one a week after 200 Turkish intellectuals launched an Internet petition apologising to the Armenians for what they called the "injustice" of the "Great Catastrophe" of 1915. The petition, which sparked controversy in Turkey, has garnered over 20,000 signatures by Monday, stirring a media storm on the topic and challenging taboos on the Armenian Genocide. It has drawn the ire of Turkey's ultra nationalists, provoking also Turkey's powerful generals, former diplomats, the Foreign Minister, and the Prime Minister to denounce the campaign. Earlier in October, DTP leader, Ahmet Turk, denounced the government's policy regarding the Kurdish issue, describing it as “cultural and societal genocide." "The policy of denial, assimilation and eradication has affected people. Only the Kurds resisted. They still resist," Turk told demonstrators in the south-eastern city of Diyarbakir on October 22. DTP, the country's main Kurdish party, has been under siege by the Turkish government, facing a possible ban by the constitutional court in what is widely recognised as being a politically charged case aimed at decapitating the party.

Live TV Debate on the Apology Statement in Kanal D, (In Turkish), 18 December 2008

Moderator: Mehmet Ali Birand, Producer: Ridvan Akar For: Dr. Cengiz Aktar, Ret. Ambassador Temel İskit, and Journalist Oral Çalışlar Against: Ret. Ambassador Şükrü Elekdağ MP CHP, Ret. Ambassador Deniz Bölükbaşı MP MHP, and Ret. Ambassador Azer Candan Transcript of the TV Debate will be available in English on the 25th of December, 2008 on www dot keghart dot com . We will also distribute it to our subscribers.

EDITORIAL - "The Apology" - Jean Ipdjian from London

Recently, a group of 200 academicians issued a statement on the Internet expressing their personal apologies for ‘the denial of the great catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in 1915’. We are further informed that, on December 15, they set up an Internet site titled "We Apologise" (www.ozurdiliyoruz.com) which quickly attracted the signatures of more than 3,000 Turks. As the Greek saying goes: ‘ayia kai kala’ (loosely translated – good for them). One of the first things that strikes one are the words ‘great catastrophe’. A ‘great catastrophe’ could be the explosion of a chemical factory from a gas leek. A ‘great catastrophe’ could be the explosion of a dormant volcano as was the case of Mount Elena in the United States a few years ago. A ‘great catastrophe’ could be the tsunami which hit south east Asia a few years ago. All those things can be called or described as catastrophes because they are the result of natural causes, they are the result of accidents, they are the result of inadvertent human error, or even they can be the result of cost cutting measures and a host of other insignificant or major mishaps. So, how can what happened to the Ottoman Armenians as Modern Turks call the Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire in the beginning of the twentieth century and who,- just for keeping within the boundaries of historical factuality-, had populated, existed, prospered and built kingdoms in modern-day Turkey’s eastern half even before the first Turkic maraudic tribesman had arrived in Asia Minor, be considered a catastrophe as if it was a fluke of nature? How hollow this apology sounds when these academicians who admittedly have dared to express even this inaccurate and diluted description of the systematic, government controlled and planed extermination of the Armenian indigenous population of eastern Turkey – historical Armenia, cannot bring themselves in their enlightenment to use the words GENOCIDE. They claim they cannot continue looking at themselves in the mirror every morning from their shame. How noble! How noble when the word ‘genocide’ still has the same effect on the as Holy Water has on the Devil or on those possessed by him. However, we have to admit and accept that this small, insignificant and belated jest by the aforementioned academics is a bold action, and more importantly, it is in the right direction. It would have been so much more accurate and acceptable if they could bring themselves to use the taboo word and call the events which unfolded a century ago by the accurate and proper term of genocide. Admittedly, recent events such as the assassination of the Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and the surprising reaction of the population in the major cities to it do show that the seeds of reason are sprouting hesitantly in that country and are slowly gnawing at the roots of the fundamentalist Turkic nationalism. But, and its such a massive but, we should know and keep in mind that the admission and recognition by the Turkish Government of the genocide is a long way off. And this is so because such an act would surely result in the immediate collapse of any government that happens to be in power, since the seeds of denial are so rooted in the psych of the hoards of semi-literate and illiterate millions of the Anadolu. And this is because such an act would put enormous question marks on the legality of the Turkishness of the Eastern provinces. And this is because it will result in retributions which Turkey will have to pay. I, for one, cannot allow myself to start hoping that soon Turkey will show that it can act as a European country despite the horrors of its recent history as Germany showed to the world to be after the second world war by pleading guilty to the charge of genocide and thus clearing the shame and the guilt from its forehead. I, for one, cannot allow myself to hope to see more in this jest than the somewhat naive and simplistic effort by some circles to round-off some of the blunt edges of Turkey’s image vis a vis Europe. Remember the infamous Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation group a few years back? Apology! What a misstatement. Jean Ipdjian - London, December 2008

ALEXANDER-MICHAEL HADJILYRA RESPONDS TO PHILELEFTHEROS ARTICLE ON WHEN CHRISTMAS WAS ORIGINALLY CELEBRATED

Από πότε γιορτάζονται τα Χριστούγεννα; Τα Χριστούγεννα καθιερώθηκε να γιορτάζονται στις 25 Δεκεμβρίου από τον 9ο αιώνα, σημειώνει ο Χρονογράφος Χριστάκης Σαββίδης. Τα πρώτα χρόνια του Χριστιανισμού, τα Χριστούγεννα και τα Θεοφάνια εορτάζονταν από κοινού, στις 25 Δεκεμβρίου. Τούτο κράτησε μέχρι το 354 μ.Χ. οπότε διαχωρίσθηκαν τα μεν Χριστούγεννα να γιορτάζονται την 25η Δεκεμβρίου, τα δε Άγια Επιφάνια την 6ην Ιανουαρίου. Τα Χριστούνεννα τοποθετήθηκαν στο μεσάζοντα χρόνο από τον χειμωνιάτικο στον ανοιξιάτικο ήλιο, σαν σύμβολο ενός νέου φωτός και μιας νέας ελπίδας ζωής. Όταν ο Καίσαρ Αύγουστος διέταξε να γίνει η απογραφή του πληθυσμού του ρωμαϊκού κράτους, ο Ιωσήφ με τη Θεοτόκο Μαρία πήγαν στη Βηθλεέμ, όπου εκεί θα γινόταν η απογραφή τους. Επειδή, όμως, πλησίαζαν οι ώρες που η Παρθένος Μαρία θα γεννούσε και δεν έβρισκαν σπίτι να μείνουν, μπήκαν σε ένα φτωχικό σπήλαιο και η Θεοτόκος γέννησε το Θείο Βρέφος μέσα στη φάτνη των αλόγων, ενώ γύρω οι άγγελοι έψαλλαν το «Δόξα εν Υψίστοις Θεώ και επί γης ειρήνη, εν ανθρώποις ευδοκία». Από τη επομένη της γιορτής του αποστόλου Φιλίππου, οι Χριστιανοί άρχιζαν τη νηστεία, που διαρκούσε σαράντα μέρες, για να προετοιμασθούν, να «κοινωνήσουν» για τη μεγαλύτερη γιορτή της Χριστιανοσύνης, τα Χριστούγεννα. Για πρώτη φορά, γιορτάσθηκαν τα Χριστούγεννα στις 25 Δεκεμβρίου, στην Καισαρεία της Καππαδοκίας, από τον Άγιο Βασίλειο το 276 μ.Χ. και η Φάτνη το 1223 μ.Χ. από τον Άγιο Φραγκίσκο, στην Ασσίζη. Γύρω στα 1280 μ.Χ. άρχισε η κατασκευή Φατνών από πηλό, κερί, ξύλο σε φυσικό μέγεθος. Το χριστουγεννιάτικο δέντρο εμφανίσθηκε στην Εσθονία το 1510 μ.Χ. και μέσω Γερμανίας σε όλο τον κόσμο αργότερα. Το χριστουγεννιάτικο δέντρο, σαν σύμβολο αναβλάστησης, καθιερώθηκε κατ' αρχάς στη Σκανδιναβία, το 16ον αιώνα, αργότερα στη Γαλλία το 1840, στην Αγγλία το 1850 και στην Αμερική το 1891. Επίσης, εσυνηθίζετο να κρεμάζουν έξω από την πόρτα του σπιτιού στεφάνι από έλατο. Τα δε δώρα των Χριστουγέννων και της Πρωτοχρονιάς, όπου ο άγιος Βασίλης αντικατέστησε τον Άγιο Νικόλαο το 1800, ως «Σάνκτους Νικόλαος», χρονολογούνται από τη ρωμαϊκή εποχή, όταν ο βασιλιάς των Σαββίνων ζητούσε από τους υπηκόους του να του προσφέρουν κλαδιά δάφνης από το ιερό δάσος της θεάς Στρένιας και αυτή η παράδοση διασώθηκε στα επό μενα χρόνια με κάποιες αλλαγές.

Aπάντηση σε σημείωμα του Χριστάκη Σαββίδη από τον ερευνητή-μελετητή Αλέξανδρο-Μιχαήλ Χατζηλύρα

Πότε εορτάζονταν αρχικά τα Χριστούγεννα; Κατά τα πρώτα χρόνια του Χριστιανισμού, τα Χριστούγεννα και τα Θεοφάνια εορτάζονταν από κοινού, στις 6 Ιανουαρίου - και όχι στις 25 Δεκεμβρίου, όπως αναφέρθηκε λανθασμένα στη σχετική επιστολή. Μάλιστα, στον τότε εορτασμό περισσότερη σημασία δινόταν στη βάπτιση του Ιησού και όχι στην ενσάρκωσή του. Αν και δεν γνωρίζουμε ποια ημερομηνία γεννήθηκε ο Ιησούς, μπορούμε να υπολογίσουμε ότι γεννήθηκε μεταξύ των ετών 7 π.Χ. - 2 π.Χ., και με βάση τους υπολογισμούς μας θα πρέπει να δεχθούμε ότι γεννήθηκε την Άνοιξη. Η ημερομηνία που εορτάζουμε σήμερα τα Χριστούγεννα (25 Δεκεμβρίου) είναι συμβολική, και θεσπίστηκε περί το 376, συμπίπτοντας με την ειδωλολατρική ημέρα γέννησης του ανίκητου Ήλιου στη Δύση. Ωστόσο, τα πρώτα χρόνια του Χριστιανισμού, η μία και αδιαίρετη Εκκλησία γιόρταζε τα Χριστούγεννα μαζί με τα Θεοφάνια την ημέρα της παγανιστικής εορτής του Ηλίου στην Ανατολή, στις 6 Ιανουαρίου, ακριβώς για να μπορούν οι κατατρεγμένοι Χριστιανοί να χρησιμοποιούν την εορτή αυτή ως πρόσχημα για τους δικούς τους εορτασμούς. Μέχρι περίπου το έτος 534, η 25η Δεκεμβρίου επικράτησε σταδιακά σε όλο το Χριστιανισμό, εκτός από την Αρμένικη Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία, η οποία για λόγους παράδοσης συνεχίζει το συνεορτασμό των Χριστουγέννων μαζί τα Θεοφάνια στις 6 Ιανουαρίου.

LARNACA CLUB MEMBERS IN ARMENIA

Gibrahayer e-magazine press release - Nicosia - Members of the Armenian Club of Larnaca - organised a trip to Armenia in October that also included a visit to liberated Artsakh. They visited historical monuments across the homeland and witnessed the progress that our young republic is experiencing first-hand. They also made generous contributions to local charities and reaffirmed their commitment in continuing their efforts at home... for home.

VISIT KOHAR ONLINE

Picking your Xmas gift can't be any simpler

News in brief by Sevag Devletian

"Turkey must overcome internal divisions and get back to long-delayed reforms early next year to show it is serious about wanting to join the European Union", EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said. "Next year should also be the year of a settlement in Cyprus," Rehn said. "Next year will be an important litmus test of whether Turkey is serious about its EU accession perspective." Turkish hackers have cracked the website where the apology petition was posted and threatened to crack all Armenian websites 'if necessary', Trend Azeri news agency quoted Turkish Dunyabulteni. "Those who spread discrimination in the country will never succeed," they said. Armavia airline is carrying out work for organisation of direct flights to Los Angeles and New York. The deputy director general for production and technical issues of the airline Aram Yeghoyan said at the December 17 press conference. Iran and Armenia have inked a Memorandum of Understanding with 71 articles. Energy, oil, gas, petrochemistry, environment, commerce, banking, transportation, industry, agriculture, tourism, culture, health, science and training are the fields they have agreed to cooperate on. A solution for the disputes between Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has lasted since World War One, was never this close, Turkey's foreign minister told Hurriyet daily on Monday. "The Serzh Sargsyan administration believes that solution of problems with both Turkey and Azerbaijan will bring stability and welfare to the country," Ali Babacan told in an interview with the daily. He added that both Sargsyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev show the necessary will to find a solution.

CHRISTMAS CONCERT BY GREEK CYPRIOT CHOIR AT SOURP ASDVADZADZIN CHURCH

Alexander-Michael Hadjilyra - katoomba@cytanet.com.cy for Gibrahayer e-magazine - Last Sunday, the Armenian church of Sourp Asdvadzadzin in Nicosia was the venue for a heavenly Christmas concert. Participating were the 15-member Chamber Choir “Polyfonia”, directed by Maro Skordi, the 8-member Guitar Ensemble “OKTO”, directed by Demetris Regginos, and organist Boris Alexandrov. For about 90 minutes, the Armenian house of God was filled with heavenly melodies, songs and sounds, ranging from the Cyprus carols, English songs and classical masterpieces to traditional Latin, French, German and Spanish melodies. The church bench were full of people of all ages, who with the help of the music and the ecclesiastical environment were lifted up to the skies. Closing this article, I cannot but praise Vicky Kouyoumdjian’s divine soprano voice - a voice we adore listening during the Sunday Badarak -, who finished the concert with a solo on Lour Kisher (the Armenian version of “Silent Night”), to the surprise and joy of the Armenians present! I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all: Shnorhavor nor Dari yev Sourp Dzenount!

Go to "Christmas Messages" on www.gibrahayer.com and read your message from family and friends. You can also send your message, to appear in next week's final issue of 2008.

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Sport News by Sevag Devletian

CYPRUS FOOTBALL: AGBU's Ararat FC drew with Omonia 2-2 in the 1st Division of the Cyprus Futsal League. In the 2nd Division of the Amateur Football League of Cyprus AYMA/HMEM were defeated 0-8 by Ippokrates. Nor Serount's Homenmen were defeated 0-4 by APEP in the 3rd Division of the Cyprus Futsal Championships. In the 1st Division of the Amateur Football League Lipenza defeated The English School 4-1, by goals by Yeronimos (2) and Platis (2).

Uruguay-born, Argentinean resident Armenian football coach Sergio Markarian, will be appointed as coach of the most prestigious football club in Chile, Universidad de Chile. Markarian has had a distinguished career including being coach of the Paraguay national team, the Greek Panathinaikos and Mexico's Cruz Azul. The Armenian and Latvian national football teams will play a friendly match on February 11, 2009 in Cyprus. Armenian chess player Levon Aronyan finished in second place at the Super GM Tournament in Nanjing. Armenian boxer Andranik Hakobyan (75 kg) became the winner of the Boxing World Cup by defeating his Venezuelan contender Alfonso Blanco 10:9 at the Megasport in Moscow, Russia. Experienced half-back, Arthur Voskanyan will be transferred from Belorussia's Vitebsk to Yerevan's Banants by signing a contract on 10th January. The President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, received the 2006 Winter Olympics gold medallist in figure skating, three-time World and five-time European champion Yevgeny Plyushchenko. He arrived in Armenia in observe the technical base of the skating ring at the Karen Demirjian Sport Complex and the ongoing works on the creation of the figure skating school, which is named after him. For the third year running, German-Armenian Arthur Abraham was announced boxer of the year in Germany.

on www.gibrahayer.com

Food e-Bazaar is on every Friday - Order your Armenian Food before the weekend begins on www.gibrahayer.com . All orders before Thursday night. Special prices for parties. Home Page - View the latest issue of gibrahayer with more images and longer text Short Links on every page - Sebouh Voskeritchian's images of Limassol Nareg School's inauguration. Short Links on every page - Visit Nanor on www.nanorart.com Did you buy your Kohar copy online? click here Banner Ads_2 - Did you visit www.autoads.com.cy and pick your car? Now you can pick it up online.

Gibrahayer Calendar

Every Saturday at 6:00 pm at AYMA - Weekly meetings of Azadamard Junior Badanegan (8-13 year olds). An educational and fun environment for the younger generation of our community. Games, trips, parties and lots of fun in a family environment. For more information contact Kevork Keoshgerian on 99817806. Every Saturday at 7:00 pm at AYMA - Weekly meetings of Azadamard Senior Badanegan (13-17 year olds). For more information contact Kevork Keoshgerian on 99817806. Every Sunday at 7:30 pm at AYMA - Weekly meetings of AYF Koyamard Branch (17-30 year olds). Every Wednesday at 7:00 pm - Community gathering at The Armenian Club of Larnaca, followed by dinner. Every Friday and Saturday evening - Marie-Louise Kouyoumdjian sings at ENALLAX with the resident Band. 10-20 December - Austrian Food Festival at The Cyprus Hilton - Contact Sylvia dot Petersen at austrian dot com for more details. Friday 19th December at 5:00pm - Photograph Exhibition organised by the Cyprus Tourist Organisation titled "The Virgin Mary in Cyprus" Theatro Ena (Old Market B – Castle Square) Limassol - Photographs by Albert Voskeritchian. Saturday 20 December - Nor Serount Ball at Habibi Restaurant (formerly Enastro) - Featuring French Armenian singer Vaghinag Tavitian accompanied by organist Garen Sarkissian. To sign up call Lena Poshoghlian on 99028868 and Koko Der Bedrossian. Sunday, December 21 at 5:00pm - Spiritual message from the Armenian radio program of CYBC. Title:" The Suffering Church". Speaker: Hrayr Jebejian Sunday, December 21 at 6:00pm - Christmas Concert at Sourp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Church in Nicosia with the Chamber Choir "Polyfonia", directed by Maro Skordi and The Guitar Ensemble "OKTO", directed by Demetris Regginos. Entrance Free Wednesday December 31 at midnight - Welcome the first moments of the new year at Sourp Asdvadzadzin Church with prayers. Monday - Christmas Eve - January 5 at 6:00pm - Sourp Badarak Tuesday - Christmas Day - January 6 at 9:00am Jamerkoutiun - Sourp Badarak at 10:00am, Karoz at 11:00 pm and Chrorhnek at 11:45

ANNUAL AYMA BALL

Thursday December 25 at 9pm

AYMA Ball at The Cyprus Hilton Special guest star for the first time in Cyprus Arsen Grigoryan (Aso) from Armenia Also featuring Manoug Minassian from Beirut with Seto & Shake Baghdassarian and their band Sign up with Krikor Mahdessian on 99650897 Entrance: only 40 euros