Thursday 29 January 2009

Armenian News

Turkish Daily News
January 23, 2009 Friday

TURKEY AND ARMENIA CLOSE TO NORMALIZATION

Armenia said on Wednesday it was very close to normalising relations
with neighbouring Turkey after a century of hostility.

The comments by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian followed
similarly optimistic remarks by his Turkish counterpart last week. The
two countries have no diplomatic ties and in 1993 Ankara closed their
land border in a show of solidarity with ally Azerbaijan, which was
fighting Armenian-backed separatists over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Relations have been haunted by the killing of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks during World War One, which ex-Soviet Armenia says amounted to
genocide. Ankara denies there was genocide.

But there has been a flurry of diplomacy in recent months, including a
visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Yerevan in September to
attend a football match between the two countries.

"We are very close to normalising Armenian-Turkish relations,"
Nalbandian told a news conference. "We can take the next step and
resolve the issue if Turkey, like Armenia, approaches it without
preconditions and opens the border," he said. "After the border opens,
we are ready to form a commission in which we can discuss issues
relevant to both countries."

Since its war with Russia last year raised questions about Georgia's
role as a safe transit route for oil and gas exports from the Caspian
Sea, Armenia is being eyed as a potential alternative. Better ties
between the neighbours would also boost Ankara's European Union
membership bid.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said in a television interview
last Friday normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey and
Armenia and Azerbaijan was no longer "a dream." "I can easily say we
have never come this close to a plan regarding the final normalisation
of relations with Armenia," he said.

Turkey Drops Probe Into Armenian Apology Campaign
AFP

A Turkish prosecutor has dropped a probe into a campaign to apologize
for the Ottoman mass killings of Armenians, citing laws protecting
freedom of speech, the Anatolia news agency reported Monday.

The prosecutor decided there was no ground to bring charges over the
petition because "in democratic societies opponent opinions are
protected within the scope of freedom of expression," Anatolia said.

The probe was launched earlier this month after several Ankara residents
filed a complaint asking for the organizers and signatories of an
Internet petition apologizing for the deaths to be punished for "openly
denigrating the Turkish nation", an offence that carries two years in
prison.

The petition, posted online on December 15, states that the signatory
"does not accept... the denial of the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman
Armenians were subjected to in 1915." It ends with an offer of
apologies.

The text, which refrains from using the term "genocide" to describe the
massacres, has been signed by more than 28,000 people, among them
intellectuals and artists.
BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH: WE MUST STAND UP TO HATRED
Benjamin Zephaniah
Independent.co.uk
Monday, 26 January 2009

Genocide is an appalling crime against humanity that we hope will
never again be repeated. Today, as we approach Holocaust Memorial Day ,
we might stop and reflect on the fact that it still has the potential
to be repeated and perpetrated around the world, unless we are on our
guard and understand that our actions today have consequences tomorrow.

The use of the term genocide can be problematic and contentious
but it shouldn't disguise historical fact. One of the first modern
day genocides took place in Armenia, a part of modern day Turkey in
1915. This massacre of 1.5 million people, indiscriminate of age or
gender, is still not acknowledged as genocide by Turkey - long after
it took place. The United States did not recognise or act on the
events at the time and consequently Hitler admitted looking at the
Armenians and deciding that if they can get away with it, he could
also. If people don't recognise something, its entire existence is
erased. It begs the question - if the United Kingdom and United States
had not recognised the Holocaust when it happened, would anyone think
it had ever existed? Who decides what we remember and what we don't -
and does it mean that things we don't remember or recognise didn't
exist and don't count?


My earliest recollection of hatred was in the late 60s when I was eight
years old, and I still have the scar to prove it. I was walking home
from school in Handsworth, Birmingham, when another boy came cycling
past with a brick in his hand. He hit me across the back of my head
with the brick and shouted 'You black bastard!', as he rode off. When
I got home, blood pouring from the back of my head, my mother told me
that some people in the world are just like that and it's something we
have to live with. It was not even a consideration to report the crime
- it would have been ignored anyway. This incident was the first time
I realised I was different and that people actually hated me for who
and what I was. The scar on the back of my head is a constant reminder
of this.

People have to understand the past to see the future, they have
to start recognising the dangers of the present to prevent them
escalating into the Holocaust of the future. A close late friend
of mine recently told me a story of how, when she was very young,
she went to a political meeting in Austria with her mother and
auntie. After the meeting, the two adults were debating the event,
concluding that the main political figure, who was a radical speaker,
would never amount to anything and should just be ignored.

That main figure was Adolf Hitler.

When people don't recognise these dangers, the problems start. Call it
innocent igno rance, call it optimism, however you want to look at it,
unless we recognise and stand up to these figures, who knows where it
can lead? My friend's mother and auntie certainly would never have
imagined what Hitler could go on to do in the years that followed
that meeting.

Bob Marley said in one of his songs 'Well the biggest man you
ever did see, was once a baby', and that is what interests me as a
writer. Hitler was once a baby and would have been looked on adoringly
by people. He then went on to become one of the most powerful men
in history, orchestrating the killings of hundreds of thousands of
innocent people. The boy who racially attacked me in Handsworth may
have gone on to abuse and physically hurt other people since. His
attack on me was left unchecked so what's to stop him?

It is so important that we have Holocaust Memorial Day in January to
remind us to acknowledge how bad we can be to each other, whether
it's direct and intentional or indirect and unintentional. All it
takes is one discriminatory group to gain power and it can all fall
apart. We must join together to recognise where these acts of hatred,
regardless of size, can lead if left unchecked.

I urge all Britons to "Stand up to Hatred" and recognise the impact
we can have on our future. By considering these things, next time we
see, hear, or experience any act of hatred anywhere and in any f orm,
we can make a better future.

[in his piece in The Times, the Chief Rabbi stressed the uniqueness of the
Holocaust but did mention gencides since then. Nothing about events
before then. He praised the young for being more aware of genocides but
it would have been good if older folk like himself did the same]
HOLOCAUST MARKED IN SANDWELL
Steve Bradley
Birmingham Mail
Jan 26 2009
UK

EVENTS were held across the Black Country to recall how millions of
Jews died at the hands of the Nazis.

Sandwell's Mayor Coun Bob Price led a Holocaust memorial event at
the Memorial Gardens in West Bromwich yesterday.

Representatives from the Royal British Legion and the local Jewish
community attended, with young people from Coneygre Arts Centre,
Tipton.

The ceremony began with the laying of a wreath and a minute's silence
and reflected on the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust's theme, which is
Stand Up To Hatred.

Coun Price said: "It is essential we do not forget the tragic loss of
life in the Holocaust and other genocides such as Cambodia, Bosnia,
Rwanda and Darfur. It is right Sandwell marks this day, this year
as part of Sandwell's Year of Communities, so we can remember these
tragedies, ensure they are not forgotten and stand together against
prejudice, racism and discrimination."

At Walsall's New Art Gallery on Saturday, Walsall Multi-Faith Forum
joined councillors and education provider Serco in a Holocaust
commemorative event.

Mayor Coun Tom Ansell lit a candle of remembrance and reflected Nazi
atrocities had been reflected in genocides in Africa. He said 90 per
cent were caused by politics rather than religion.

Hindu representative Manu Vyas said Hitler's methods were similar to
those used in the driving out of Hindus from Kashmir, and the massacre
of Armenians by the Turks
.

Matloob Hussain, chairman of the Union of Muslim Organisations in
Walsall, said: "We should learn from history and move together as
God's children, as human beings."

COOPERATION WITH DIASPORA SHOULD BE MOVED FROM CHARITY
DIRECTION TO BUSINESS COOPERATION SPHERE

Noyan Tapan
Jan 23, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Diaspora's potential is not used
completely for the sake of development of Armenia's economy. Gohar
Gyulumian, the economist of the World Bank Yerevan Office, said
at the January 23 discussion organized jointly by the Ministry of
Diaspora and World Bank Yerevan Office. She said that one of Armenia's
biggest official donors, WB cooperating with the Ministry wishes to
help in the issue of improving the relations with country's biggest
unnofficial donor.

According to G. Gyulumian's evaluation, cooperation with the Diaspora
should be moved from the charity direction to the business cooperation
sphere.

According to her, Armenia has a problem of integrating to
international economy and coming out to foreign markets. And
according to G. Gyulumian, the Armenians worldwide can have much
contribution in that issue. However, at present there are a number of
circumstances hindering that potential's use, in particular, breaking
off Armenia-Diaspora relations in the Soviet years, not knowing each
other well, which in its turn results in the lack of confidence and
caution. "The problems are different, but we should think of overcoming
these obstacles, as only in that case we can record success," she said.

According to Minister Hranush Hakobian, it is natural that Diaspora's
whole potential is not used, as it is a very difficult and large
phenomenon. "It is not one structure, with which we work well or
badly. To work with 7 million Armenians, who are not subordinate to
you in the structural respect and are not obliged at all to fulfill
your tasks, is very difficult. It is purely with friendly, partner,
patriotic motives that they should come and spend their time, use
their knowledge, experience, and abilities for the sake of homeland's
development," the Minister said.

H. Hakobian said that the Ministry is already doing some work in that
direction. In particular, three professional all Armenian conferences
will be held this year. The first is a conference under the title
Armenian Architecture in the 21st Century. Besides, according to
the Minister, an attempt is made to create an all Armenian network
contributing to strengthening of not only Armenia-Diaspora, but also
Diaspora-Diaspora contacts.
Interfax, Russia
Jan 24 2009
Armenian president pardons 16 people convicted for March 1, 2008
unrest in Yerevan
YEREVAN Jan 24


Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has issued a decree pardoning 16
people convicted of involvement in mass unrest that took place in
Yerevan on March 1, 2008.

"Sixteen convicts serving sentences ranging from two to three years
have been pardoned" in line with Sargsyan's decree of January 24, the
presidential press service told Interfax on Saturday.

The people were found guilty of participating in mass unrest,
illegally carrying, acquiring, using, transporting, or selling weapons
and ammunition, and resisting police on March 1, 2008, it said.

Sargsyan pardoned these people, "taking into account the convicts'
pleas addressed to the president, the absence of past criminal
records, family circumstances, and health status," he said.

The president had earlier pardoned 12 other people found guilty of the
same crimes.

Following presidential elections on February 19, 2008, Armenian
opposition activists led by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, who
again aspired to the presidency, refused to recognize the official
results of the elections and organized mass protests. On March 1,
2008, these protests grew into clashes with police, which left ten
people dead and more than 250 injured.
MEL GIBSON NOT FILMING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DOCUMENTARY
Hollyscoop
Jan 26 2009
CA

It's time for some rumor patrol. There are several reports circulating
the internet that movie mogul Mel Gibson is planning on shooting a
documentary about the Armenian Genocide.

The documentary, "The Forty Days of Musa Dagh," was going to address
the genocide that took approximately 1.2 million Armenians lives
during WWI.

To this day, the Turkish government has done everything it can to sweep
the facts about the Armenian genocide under the rug. And apparently
Mel was ready to address them on the big screen.

According to the reports, actor Sylvester Stallone was also set to
partake in the movie, but declined the role after he received 3,000
e-mails from the ASIMED organization.

Hollyscoop contacted Mel Gibson's rep Alan Nierob to get confirmation
on the project, but he assured us there is "No truth to it whatsoever."

So what's next for Mel? He's going to play a homicide detective who
investigates the death of his activist daughter in his next flick,
'The Edge of Darkness'.
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