Armenia-Azerbaijan Negotiations‏

Agence France Presse
May 7 2009
Armenian, Azeri heads make progress on Karabakh: mediator
PRAGUE, May 7 2009

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan made "important and significant
progress" in talks on the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region on
Thursday, international mediators said.

Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and his Azeri counterpart Ilham
Aliyev met for talks ahead of the European Union's Eastern Partnership
summit in Prague, under supervision from the Minsk Group of
international mediators.

"There is an important and significant progress, some parts of the
negotiations were basically agreed on," Matthew Bryza, US deputy
assistant secretary of state and co-chairman of the group, told
reporters.

"They had a constructive discussion, they were able in finding basic
principles to reduce their differences (...) they generally agreed on
the basic ideas that they came here to discuss today," he added.

Bernard Fassier, the group's French co-chairman, said the negotiators
had to "finalise the details" with foreign ministers ahead of the next
meeting.

That is expected to take place on the fringes of a business forum in
St Petersburg in early June.

"We have a huge work ahead in the coming days and weeks," he added.

Backed by Armenia, ethnic Armenian separatists seized control of
Nagorny Karabakh in the early 1990s in a war that killed nearly 30,000
people and forced two million to flee their homes.

A ceasefire was signed between the two former Soviet republics in 1994
but the dispute remains unresolved.

France, Russia and the United States are co-chairs of the Minsk Group,
which is seeking to resolve the conflict.

Armenia, Azerbaijan discuss disputed region
Associated Press Worldstream
May 7, 2009 Thursday 10:35 AM GMT

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in the Czech capital
Thursday to seek solutions to a two-decade territorial conflict between
their countries, officials said.

Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave inside Azerbaijan, has been under the
control of ethnic Armenian forces since a six-year conflict that killed
about 30,000 and displaced 1 million people before a truce was reached
in 1994.

Turkey closed the border in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during its
conflict with Armenia over the region. Turkey backs Azerbaijan's claims
to Nagorno-Karabakh, which has a high number of ethnic Armenian
residents but is located within Azerbaijan's borders.

Presidents Serge Sarkisian of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan
met at the residence of the U.S. ambassador as Washington and other
governments push for a solution.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently encouraged
Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the dispute when she held separate
meetings with them in Washington.

The U.S. Embassy said in a statement the two presidents discussed the
issue as part of international mediation efforts led by the United
States, Russia and France.

Both presidents were in Prague to attend a summit Thursday at which the
European Union planned to offer aid and trade accords to six ex-Soviet
republics to ease Moscow's hold over them.

Mediamax, Armenia
May 7 2009
US mediator reports "considerable progress" after Armenian, Azeri
leaders meet

Yerevan, 7 May: The US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew
Bryza announced today in Prague an "important" and "essential"
progress in the negotiations process when summing up the meeting of
the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

As Mediamax correspondent reports from Prague, the mediators met
journalists following a meeting between the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan which took place at the residence of the US ambassador and
lasted two and a half hours.

"Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan had constructive talks. They have
managed to narrow down the number of disagreements on basic principles
of settlement [of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict] and to reach general
agreement on basic ideas proposed by the mediators with regards to
these principles." Matthew Bryza said.

The US diplomat said that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
instructed the ministers of foreign affairs of their countries to
continue talks with the mediators in the coming weeks and "to finalize
the key concepts in the framework of basic principles". According to
Matthew Bryza, the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan "have for the
first time agreed on the basic principles around these principles" and
this allows to state the existence of "serious and considerable
progress" in the peace process.

Russian mediator Yuriy Merzlyakov said that "there is a principal
agreement to hold the next meeting of the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan in St Petersburg in the beginning of June." He said that in
order to get prepared for the meeting, the co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group will visit the region while French co-chairman Bernard
Fassier said that mediators have "lots of work" to do to prepare the
meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders.

Answering a question about the possible influence of Baku's negative
attitude towards the attempts to normalize Armenian-Turkish relations
on the peace process, Matthew Bryza said that "these two processes
develop in parallel and at different speeds".

"Progress in one of the processes may encourage progress in
another. However, we are dealing with two different processes", the
American mediator said.

ITAR-TASS , Russia
May 9 2009
No progress in Karabakh settlement - Mamedyarov
09.05.2009, 20.33

BAKU, May 9 (Itar-Tass) - Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar
Mamedyarov said there is no progress in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict.

The minister commented on the results of the Prague meeting between
Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents, Ilkham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan.

`I can't say any progress was achieved in Prague,' Mamedyarov said.

At the same time, he said the talks on the Karabakh settlement should
continue.

He confirmed that the next meeting was due to be held in
St. Petersburg in early June within the Economic Summit. In his words,
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group should visit the region. If it
necessary the foreign ministers of the two countries will meet, he
said.

`All will be clear after the mediators' visit,' Mamedyarov said.

Interfax, Russia
May 6 2009
No link between settlement of relations with Turkey and Karabakh
conflict - Armenian official
YEREVAN May 6

There is no link between measures to sort out relations between
Armenia and Turkey and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Armenian presidential press secretary Samvel Farmanyan told
the local Mediamax news agency.

"We have repeatedly stated that the problem of Karabakh conflict
settlement efforts has not been addressed as part of the
Armenian-Turkish negotiating process at any level," Farmanyan said on
Wednesday.

The president's press secretary also ruled out a possible trilateral
meeting of the presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey in Prague.

"A trilateral meeting of the presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and
Turkey has not been arranged. Naturally, it will not take place.

Moreover, such a possibility is ruled out," he said, referring to
certain foreign media reports.

Interfax, Russia
May 5 2009
Open border with Armenia depends on advance of Karabakh talks -
Turkish diplomat
BAKU May 5

Turkey is not going to open the border with Armenia until the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement talks between Baku and Yerevan progress,
Turkish Ambassador in Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic said.

"There are no gaps in Azeri-Turkish relations. As [Turkish Prime
Minister] Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier said, the Turkish-Armenian
borders will not be opened until the Karabakh settlement progresses,"
Kilic said.

Erdogan's upcoming visit to Azerbaijan will focus on topics of mutual
concern, "because brothers discuss all issues, including the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement," the ambassador said.

"This will be a very important visit," he noted.

Reports that talks on Azerbaijan's increasing gas price for Turkey
will take place during the visit have nothing to do with reality,
Kilic said.

Erdogan is expected to arrive in Baku on May 13, Turkish media
reported earlier.

State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan
May 7, 2009 Thursday
PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV MEETS BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN
AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Prague May 7


Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has met British Secretary of State
for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband.

Mr. Miliband pointed out the cooperation between the two countries
develops in various fields, particularly in political and economic
ones.

He invited on behalf of the British Prime Minister - the Azerbaijani
leader to pay a visit to the country.

President Ilham Aliyev accepted the invitation.

The Azerbaijani leader and British Secretary of State discussed the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, regional and
international developments and energy matters.

DIPLOMAT MAGAZINE PUBLISHES ARTICLE BY AZERI AMBASSADOR TO UK
Baku 7 May

An article entitled The History Of Democracy by Azerbaijan`s
ambassador to the United Kingdom Fakhraddin Gurbanov has been
published in the London-based Diplomat magazine.

The article says the first democratic republic in the Muslim world was
established in Azerbaijan.

It also features problems which Azerbaijan faced after it regained
independence.

The article says after national leader Heydar Aliyev came to power, a
process of sustainable development started in Azerbaijan.

According to the article, the role of Azerbaijan has increased in
ensuring energy supply for Europe.

Thanks to the Azerbaijani leadership`s well-balanced foreign policy,
the country`s relations with both Western and Eastern countries expand
day-by-day. Azerbaijan is a member of several international
organizations and actively participates in their work, according to
the article.

It also goes on to say that Azerbaijan is one of the world`s fastest
growing economies.

The article also touches upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, saying the dispute can be settled on the basis of
Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity.

ANS TV, Azerbaijan
May 6 2009
Armenian drill in Karabakh

According to reports from ANS's Karabakh bureau, the Armenian armed
forces have started a military exercise in the occupied areas of
[Azerbaijan's] Agdam District. Heavy artillery, armoured hardware and
troops are taking part in the exercise. Sounds of shooting from
artillery and tanks can be heard right now in front-line villages in
Agdam District. Clouds of dust caused by these blasts can be observed
in areas close to the front line.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Armenian News‏

EARTHQUAKE IN ARMENIA
A1+
02:16 pm | May 08, 2009

A 2.6-magnitude earthquake took place 6 km south-east from the town of
Eghegnadzor, at 12.09 a.m. (local time). The force of the epicenter
was measured 3-4 on the Richter scale. The earthquake shook a number
of settlements, including Vaik and Eghegnadzor, reports the National
Service Center of the Republic of Armenia.

PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA, TURKEY AGREE TO ABIDE BY PREVIOUS ACCORDS
http://hetq.am/en/politics/president-11/
2009/05/08 | 11:47

On May 7, on the sidelines of the European Partnership summit in
Prague, RoA President Serzh Sargsyan met with his Turkish counterpart,
Abdullah Gul. This is the second face to face meeting between the two
leaders since the start of "football diplomacy' last year. Also present
at the high-levels talks were the foreign ministers of the two nations.

The Press Office of the RoA President described the meeting as
positive and constructive. Agreement was reached between Sargsyan
and Gul to abide by all previous memorandums of understanding and to
move forward towards the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe.

Azerbaijan faults Armenia for slow progress on Nagorny Karabakh
15:38 | 09/ 05/ 2009

BAKU, May 9 (RIA Novosti) - Azerbaijan on Saturday blamed Armenia for
the lack of significant progress towards a settlement of the Nagorny
Karabakh conflict during a recent summit in the Czech Republic.

"I can not say that we have achieved any significant progress. Complex
issues were discussed at the meeting in Prague. Unfortunately, the
Armenian side once again did not show a constructive approach,"
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan met in Prague on Thursday, along with the co-chairs of the
OSCE Minsk Group, which mediates a peaceful resolution to the conflict
between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorny Karabakh.

Relations have been tense for more than two decades between Armenia and
Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan with a largely
Armenian population. The region declared its independence in a 1991
after a referendum boycotted by local Azerbaijanis. The ensuing
conflict claimed some 35,000 lives before a ceasefire was signed in
1994. The area technically remains part of Azerbaijan, but has its own
de facto government.

"Azerbaijan wants Armenian troops to withdraw from the occupied
territories as soon as possible," Mammadyarov said.

He also said that the next meeting between the Azeri and Armenian
leaders was planned to be held during an international economic forum
in St. Petersburg in June.

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TRANSFERS TO INDIVIDUALS THROUGH

ARMENIA'S BANKING SYSTEM $183.8MLN IN JAN-MAR 2009
ARKA
May 8, 2009

YEREVAN, May 8. /ARKA/. The total amount of private non-commercial
transfers to individuals through Armenia's banking system amounted
to $183.8mln in January-March 2009. The information is provided in
monthly report of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) for March 2009.

According to the statistics, the indicator decreased by 30.8% or
$81.9mln against analogue period of 2008. A total of $40.3mln was
transferred from Armenia in Jan-Mar 2009 against $54.3mln in Jan-Mar
2008, an annual decrease of 25.8%.

As a result the net inflow amounted to $143.5mln in Jan-Mar
2009 against $211.4mln in Jan-Mar 2008, an annual decrease of
32.1%. Transfers from Russia and USA have the biggest share in total
transfers - 82.9% in January-March 2009 against 85% in analogue period
of 2008.


ARMENIA: YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND MAYBE NO TOMORROW
By Lucine Kasbarian

Yesterday, Armenia was a battlefield and prize for competing empires.

Today, Armenia is a battlefield and prize for competing empires.

Yesterday, the Young Turks' regime released criminals from prison to terrorise Armenians.
Today, Turkish and Armenian regimes contain criminals who terrorise Armenians.

Yesterday, the Turkish government solved its “Armenian problem” with repression, violence and murder, including the execution of 250 intellectuals in 1915.

Today, the Turkish government solves its “Armenian problem” with repression, violence and murder, including the execution of Hrant Dink in 2007.

Yesterday, in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian women threw themselves into rivers and over cliffs to avoid Turkish rape, forced marriages and slavery.

Today, in Turkey, migrant women from Armenia prostitute themselves, while Armenian women Turkify themselves through intermarriage.

Yesterday, Armenians struggled on their own lands to retain their faith, language and traditions.

Today, Armenians live in foreign lands, and while free to practise their faith, language and traditions, let them fade away.

Yesterday, international media reported truthfully about the Armenian Genocide.

Today, international media willingly publish Turkish propaganda and genocide denials.

Yesterday, Turkish authorities removed Armenians from their lands to convince the world that Armenians never lived there.

Today, Turkish authorities dismantle churches, monuments, and cemeteries to convince the world that Armenians never lived there.

Yesterday, Turkish leaders demonised Armenians through word of mouth to turn the Turks against them.

Today, Turkish leaders demonise Armenians through books and films to turn the Turks against them.

Yesterday, ordinary Armenians, their backs to the wall, secured an independent nation on the battlefield.

Today, Armenia’s ruling cabal may wilfully surrender their nation behind closed doors.

Yesterday, President Wilson promised a mandate for Armenia, only to have the U.S. Senate reject it.

Today, President Obama promised to recognise the Armenian Genocide, only to go back on his word.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Vratsian was forced to hand Armenia to the Soviets to save it from Turkish destruction.

Today, President Sargsyan and his clique voluntarily sacrifice Armenia’s interests for their own benefit.

Yesterday, Armenians mistakenly trusted the Western powers and Russia. The Armenian nation paid the price.

Today, Armenians mistakenly trust the Western powers and Russia. The Armenian nation pays the price.

Yesterday, Armenians of Arstakh defended their native lands against Azeri hostility.

Today, Armenians of Arstakh defend their native lands against Azeri and NATO hostility.

Yesterday, Armenian leaders sacrificed their lives to secure liberty for their people.

Today, Armenians leaders sacrifice their dignity for their own personal ambitions.

Yesterday, a closed border prevented Turkey from penetrating Armenia.

Today, an open border could enable Turkey to penetrate Armenia.

Yesterday, Armenia would have been eliminated if its people did not resist.

Today, Armenia will be eliminated if its people do not resist.

Lucine Kasbarian is an Armenian American writer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reminder - SOAS Armenology Lecture - 19 May 2009‏

Lecture on Armenology and Near East Studies in the 20th Century

Lecture on Armenology and Near East Studies in the 20th Century

Dr Igor Dorfmann-Lazarev

Date: 19 May 2009Time: 5:30 PM

Finishes: 19 May 2009Time: 6:30 PM

Venue: Russell Square: College BuildingsRoom: Khalili Lecture Theatre

Type of Event: Lecture

To mark the introduction of Armenian studies at SOAS, Dr Igor Dorfmann-Lazarev will give a lecture entitled ‘Armenology in the Context of Near Eastern Studies in the 20th Century’. It will survey the development of Armenian Studies over the past century and assess the importance of this field for the study of other Near Eastern cultures. It will concentrate on one particular aspect of Armenian culture: the shaping of the Armenian Christian tradition in the context of the neighbouring civilisations.

Chair: Dr Stefan Sperl, Head, Department of the Near and Middle East, SOAS

Opening Address: Professor Michael Hutt, Dean, Faculty of Languages and Cultures, SOAS

All Welcome

Organised by: Department of the Languages and Cultures of Near and Middle East ,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Armenian Genocide News‏

The Independent

Letters: The slaughter of the Armenians
Slaughter of the Armenians was no Holocaust
Saturday, 9 May 2009

The reason some object to applying the word "genocide" to the 1915 slaughter of the Armenians (letter, 5 May)
is that to do so obscures important distinctions between that and other cases of state-led mass killings.

Armenian diaspora lobby groups want people to think that Turkey did to the Armenians pretty much what the

Nazis did to the Jews 25 years later. Pushing this line has won them valuable ideological points in US public

opinion. Use of the word genocide has been central to this.

But to represent the Ottoman Armenians as victims in the same sense as the Jews under the Nazis is wrong.

Jews in Germany or Poland had never engaged in political assassinations or terrorist bombings of civilians.

They had never attempted to resist the government, destroy neighbouring villages, or to welcome invading

enemy forces. The same could not be said of the Armenians. Their actual or aspiring leaders, grabbing at the

new European invention of ethnic national identity (just as the Turks later would under Ataturk), posed genuine

military and political problems. The Young Turk authorities were desperately, and incompetently, trying to hold

together an ancient Empire that had been falling apart for a century.

But even then, they never developed a strategy for a "final solution" on Nazi lines. The Armenian case is

fundamentally different from the Holocaust. And to that extent it may be best not to bundle them together under

the same label.

This is not of course to justify the mass slaughter of Armenian civilians with which the Ottomans eventually ended

up. Nor is it to endorse the nationalistic myths which Turkish schools and the hopelessly uncritical media still pump

out (there are monuments commemorating the genocide of Turks by Armenians). But the tragi-comic nature of the

Turkish state doesn't mean that the Armenian lobby has right on its side.

This is not a tussle over what really happened in history, so much as a clash between the beneficiaries of one or

other myth of ethno-national victimhood today.

Professor John Lovering
Cardiff University

ISRAELI KNESSET VOTES TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
www.hairenik.com/weekly/2009/05/07/israeli-knesset-votes-to-discuss-armenian-genocide/
May 7, 2009

JERUSALEM-On May 5, the Israeli Knesset voted unanimously to hold a
discussion on the Armenian Genocide. In an unprecedented 39 to 0 vote,
the Israeli parliament decided to open discussion on a resolution
put forward by Meretz leader Chaim Auron (sometimes transliterated
as Oron), proposing that Israel officially recognize the Turkish
genocide of Armenians during World War I.

Ynetnews.com reported Chaim Auron as saying, "It is our duty to the
Armenian people and to ourselves. There are those who say we should
leave it to historians to determine whether it was genocide. There
are Holocaust deniers who say exactly the same thing. They rely on
alleged historical sources and say there are doubts regarding the
numbers and figures of the Holocaust. Who else knows like we do that
there are some things you must fight for.

Exactly one year ago this motion moved to the Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee's table, and there it was buried. I propose that
the Education Committee conduct a procedural discussion on it."

Gilad Erdan, Minister for Environmental Protection, represented the
government's position to the motion by stating, "I agree that it is
our moral obligation. We have a moral duty to remember the killing of
Armenians." He then read out the government's response, which objects
to commemorating the Genocide in the Knesset.

"Israel has never denied the terrible acts carried out against the
Armenians, and I am well aware of the intensity of the emotions given
the number of victims and the suffering of the Armenian people,"
Erdan stated.

"However, the study of the events must be done through open discussion,
and backed by the historical data, not a political debate in the
Knesset. Because of our understanding of the pain and suffering,
and so that Israel does not become a side that deals with this from
a purely political place, I ask that we take this issue off the
Knesset's agenda."

Zoryan Institute board member and brother of the Meretz leader,
Yair Auron, said, "This is a very significant development, in that
there has never been so much open support in the Knesset for the
Armenian Genocide. Even if the Government succeeds in killing this
particular resolution, there is clearly an increasing awareness
of the Armenian Genocide in Israel, and increasing support for its
official recognition."

TACKLING THE TURKISH TABOO
Robert Ellis
guardian.co.uk
Wednesday 29 April 2009 19.30 BST

Public discussion of the Armenian genocide is still risky, but signs
that Ankara is softening its stance are encouraging

Last December, about 200 Turkish academics and journalists challenged
a longstanding Turkish taboo when they launched a petition on the
internet apologising for "the Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman
Armenians were subjected to in 1915". To date 30,000 have signed
the petition.

The reaction was twofold. The Turkish president, Abdullah Gul, who
had earlier attended a World Cup qualifying match between Turkey and
Armenia in Yerevan, said that being able to discuss every opinion was
the policy of the state. The prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
on the other hand, said there was no need to apologise because Turkey
had not committed a crime.

In a further move, Canan Aritman, the Izmir deputy for the opposition
Republican People's party, accused the president's mother of being
Armenian, and when Gul explained that both sides of his family were
Muslim and Turkish, she demanded a DNA test. A defamation lawsuit
followed which resulted in the president being awarded a symbolic 1
Turkish lira (50p).

Inevitably, after a complaint that the website campaign had violated
article 301 of the Turkish penal code for "public denigration of the
Turkish nation", the Ankara public prosecutor's office investigated
the20 matter. The conclusion, surprisingly, was that there was
no need for a criminal prosecution on the grounds that opposing
opinions are also protected under freedom of thought in democratic
societies. However, the high criminal court annulled this ruling and
the issue is still pending.

In recent years, a number of high-profile cases in Turkey have
illustrated the fact that public discussion of the events of 1915 is
still fraught with risk. Three years ago, the Nobel prize winner Orhan
Pamuk was prosecuted for stating in an interview with a Swiss daily
that "30,000 Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in these lands
and nobody but me dares to talk about it". The charge was dropped on
a technicality but it transpired that an ultranationalist gang was
trying to raise 2m lira to get someone to kill him.

Another Turkish novelist, Elif Å~^afak, was also prosecuted under
article 301 because a character in her novel The Bastard of Istanbul
had raised the issue of the Armenian genocide, but the charge was
ultimately dropped because of insufficient evidence. And two years
ago, Hrant Dink, a Turkish-Armenian editor, was murdered outside his
office in Istanbul by a young Turkish nationalist.

Even on an academic level this topic is controversial. Four years
ago, scholars who organised a conference at Bosphorus University
on the Armenian issue during the Ottoman empire were accused by
the government's spokesman and m inister of justice, Cemil Cicek,
of "stabbing the Turkish nation in the back". The conference was
postponed, but after an international outcry it was finally reconvened
at Bilgi University four months later.

More fuel was added to the fire last November when the defence
minister, Vecdi Gönul, on the 70th anniversary of the death of the
founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, said: "If there were
Greeks in the Aegean and Armenians in most places in Turkey today,
would it be the same nation state?"

But a fortnight ago the chief of the Turkish general staff, Ä°lker
BaÅ~_bug, in a keynote speech reminded his audience that Ataturk
had said it was the people of Turkey, without ethnic and religious
distinction, who had founded the Republic of Turkey. If he had spoken
of the Turkish people, that would be an ethnic definition.

Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton pledged to recognise the Armenian
genocide to garner the substantial Armenian-American vote during
their presidential campaigns, but now geopolitical reality has set
in. On Obama's visit to Turkey at the beginning of this month, the
US president maintained that his views on the incidents of 1915 had
not changed and in his statement last Friday on Armenian Remembrance
Day he reiterated that stance.

However, without using the dreaded g-word, Obama instead spoke of
"one of the great atrocities of the 20th century" and " Meds Yeghern"
- the Armenian for the "Great Catastrophe". His goal was still "a
full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts" and he strongly
supported efforts by the Turkish and Armenian people to work through
their painful history in an honest, open and constructive manner.

While trying to manoeuvre between a rock and a hard place, Obama
was met with criticism from both sides. The chairman of the Armenian
National Committee of America expressed his "sharp disappointment"
and Erdogan called Obama's remarks "an unacceptable interpretation
of history".

Nine months after Dink was murdered, his son Arant Dink and another
Turkish-Armenian journalist received suspended sentences of one
year's imprisonment for using the term genocide. The Turkish court in
its judgment stated: "Talk about genocide, both in Turkey and other
countries, unfavourably affects national security and the national
interest."

After the first world war, the treaty of Sèvres in 1920 was the
instrument by which the victorious allies dismembered Ottoman Turkey
and divided the spoils among themselves. It was only after the Turkish
war of independence and a heroic struggle under the leadership of
Ataturk that the treaty of Lausanne (1923) established the borders
of modern Turkey.

The Armenian diaspora is also responsible for Turkey's fears of
partition.

In December 2007, journalist Harut Sasunian, a prominent member of
the Armenian community in the US, said the ultimate objective of
Armenians was to get recognition of their genocide claims and to
obtain territory and compensation from Turkey.

According to the prominent Turkish historian Taner Akcam, "Turkey
needs to stop treating the discussion of history as a category of
crime". Perhaps the rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia and the
agreement on a "roadmap" to normalise ties will one day lead to that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Armenian News

Turkish, Armenian Presidents In `Useful' Talks
Presidents Serzh Sarkisian of Armenia (L) and Abdullah Gul of Turkey
meet in Prague on May 7, 2009.
08.05.2009
Gevorg Stamboltsian

Armenia and Turkey remain committed normalizing bilateral relations
soon, President Serzh Sarkisian said late on Thursday after holding
what he called `useful' talks with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah
Gul in Prague.
The two leaders met on the fringes of a European Union summit in the
Czech capital for a third time in eight months. The meeting came two
weeks after Ankara and Yerevan announced that they have `identified a
roadmap' for establishing diplomatic relations and reopening the
Turkish-Armenian border.

`We agreed to honor our agreements,' Sarkisian told journalists after
the talks. He said the two sides will `move towards normalizing
Turkish-Armenian relations without preconditions and within
reasonable time frames.'

Gul also seemed satisfied with his discussions with Sarkisian but did
not comment on possible dates for border opening. He said they also
discussed regional security issues, stressing the importance of both
the Turkish-Armenian dialogue and the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.
`I think that improved relations in the Caucasus will stem from
everyone's interests,' the Turkish president told reporters.

Gul cited in that regard Sarkisian's meeting earlier in the day with
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliev which international mediators said
marked further progress towards a Karabakh settlement. He did not
specify whether such a settlement is a necessary condition for the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian ties.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly stated in
recent weeks that Ankara will not reopen the Armenian border as long
as the Karabakh dispute remains unresolved. Turkey's powerful
military has endorsed those statements.

`Preconditions are out of question,' insisted Sarkisian. `Simply out
of question.'

Still, Sarkisian's political opponents say he has already accepted at
least some of the Turkish preconditions by discussing the Karabakh
conflict with the Turks and agreeing to the creation of a Turkish-
Armenian commission of historians. The commission would reportedly
look into the 1915 mass killings and deportations of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire.

Many in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora view such a study as a
Turkish ploy designed to keep more countries of the world, notably
the United States, from officially recognizing the massacres as
genocide.

Armenian, Azeri Leaders Report More Progress In Karabakh Talks
Czech Republic -- Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sarkisian
(L) and Ilham Aliyev meet in Prague, 07May2009
07.05.2009
Gevorg Stamboltsian


The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan reported further progress
towards the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh after holding fresh talks
in Prague on Thursday.

Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliev met there on the sidelines of
a European Union summit that offered their nations as well as four other
former Soviet republics to forge closer ties with the EU. The meeting
began in the presence of their foreign ministers and the American,
French and Russian diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group.

Aliev and Sarkisian then spoke one on one for more than two hours.
Neither leader made any public statements afterwards, leaving it to the
three mediators to present the results of the talks to journalists.
Matthew Bryza, the chief U.S. negotiator, said the presidents made
`significant progress' towards finalizing a framework peace agreement
along the lines of the basic principles put forward by the co-chairs.

`Presidents Aliev and Sarkisian were able ¦ to reduce their differences
on our basic principles and generally agree on the basic ideas that they
came here to discuss,' Bryza said. `We had some specific ideas and
elements of the basic principles we are trying to finalize and they do
agree on the basic approach.'

`We plan in coming days and weeks to work together with the foreign
ministers to finalize the details of these key remaining concepts within
the basic principles,' added the diplomat.

`We are preparing a breakthrough,' said Bernard Fassier, the group's
French co-chair. `We are in a position to identify what could be the
break, but we are not yet through. So we need to progress and we are
expecting to realize that in the following weeks.'

Fassier, Bryza and their Russian opposite number, Yuri Merzlyakov,
refused to disclose what specifically Aliev and Sarkisian have agreed
on.

In a written statement, Sarkisian's office confirmed that the two
presidents have narrowed their differences over `some points' of the
proposed settlement. It said they instructed their foreign ministers to
continue to work on its details with the mediators and to prepare for
another Armenian-Azerbaijani summit.

Merzlyakov said Aliev and Sarkisian will likely meet again in
Saint-Petersburg, Russia early next month. The two leaders held their
first face-to-face talks there in June last year.


Obama Seeks Further Cut In U.S. Aid To Armenia
U.S. -- President Barack Obama (R) speaks about tax reform as
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner looks on at the White House in
Washington, DC, 04May2009
08.05.2009
Emil Danielyan

The administration of President Barack Obama has asked the U.S.
Congress to approve a 38 percent reduction in U.S. economic
assistance to Armenia, eliciting strong criticism from Armenian-
American lobby groups.
The administration's draft budget for the fiscal year 2010 unveiled
on Thursday would reduce its total amount to $30 million and end
direct U.S. aid to Nagorno-Karabakh, projected at $8 million in 2009,
altogether. Separate U.S. funding for the Armenian military would
remain virtually unchanged at approximately $3.5 million.

The main Armenian-American advocacy groups were quick to reject the
proposed allocations and accuse Obama of breaking an election
campaign pledge to `maintain our assistance to Armenia.' `This budget
is fundamentally flawed,' Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the
Armenian Assembly of America, said in a statement.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), for its part, said
the proposed cut contrasts with a 9 percent rise in overall foreign
aid spending sought by the Obama administration. `[Obama's] proposal
to sharply reduce vitally needed assistance to Armenia ... is all the
more disappointing in light of the urgent economic challenges facing
Armenia,' said Aram Hamparian, the ANCA executive director.

Both the ANCA and the Assembly also deplored the fact that the
administration is seeking to increase U.S. economic assistance to oil-
rich Azerbaijan by 20 percent to $22.1 million in addition to $4
million in fresh military aid. "It is incomprehensible that a country
which already has billions of dollars in oil and gas revenue would
receive an increase in U.S. funding while the neighbor it blockades
sees its funding decrease,' said Ardouny.

He said the Assembly will lobby pro-Armenian lawmakers to `reverse
this proposal on all levels.' The ANCA is certain to do the same.

The two influential groups were instrumental in making Armenia a
leading per-capita recipient of U.S. aid in the 1990s. Annual volumes
of that aid have steadily decreased since then.

Total U.S. funding for Armenia since its independence has exceeded
$1.6 billion. The U.S. government also approved in 2006 $236.5
million in additional aid to the country under its Millennium
Challenge Account (MCA) program.

ISRAELI PARLIAMENT REJECTS DISCUSSING ARMENIAN "GENOCIDE" BILL
Hurriyet
May 7 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL - The Israeli parliament has dropped a motion proposing that
the Jewish state officially recognize the Armenian claims regarding the
1915 incidents as "genocide," according to reports earlier this week.

Israel has a moral duty to remember the "killing of Armenians,"
Environment Minister Gilad Erdan said before reading aloud the
government's response, which rejects the motion put forward by
leftist-Meretz leader Haim Oron.

"Israel has never denied the terrible acts carried out against the
Armenians, and I am well aware of the intensity of the emotions given
the number of victims and the suffering of the Armenian people,"
Erdan was quoted by Ynetnews.com as saying.

Erdan, however, said the 1915 incidents should be assessed on the basis
of historical data instead of a political discussion in parliament.

"The study of the events must be done through open discussion,
and backed by the historical data, not a political debate in the
Knesset. Because of our understanding of the pain and suffering,
and so that Israel does not become a side that deals with this from a
purely political place, I ask that we take this issue off the Knesset's
agenda," he said.

The issue of the 1915 incidents is highly sensitive for Turkey as
well as Armenia. In the incidents around 300,000 Armenians and at
least as many Turks, died in civil strife that emerged when Armenians
took up arms, backed by Russia, for independence in eastern Anatolia.

However Armenia, with the backing of the diaspora, claims up to 1.5
million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings in
1915. The issue remains unsolved as Armenia drags its feet in accepting
Turkey's proposal of forming a commission to investigate the claims.

FINANCIAL CRISIS HAS ALREADY AFFECTED 90% OF ARMENIAN COMPANIES
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.05.2009 20:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A poll, involving 60 small and major companies
in Yerevan and RA regions, showed that the crisis has affected 90%
of them, Economy and Values Research Center stated.

According to Economy and Values Research Center Chairman Manuk
Hergnyan, 70% of organizations' main issues are caused by reduced
sales volumes, untimely payments and even non-fulfillment of
payments. "35-40% of companies had difficulties in attracting
financial means, " he said, adding that majority of companies plan
to cut administration expenditures and delay planned investments.

40% of organizations polled plan job cuts, and 20% - salary reductions,
especially in industrial spheres. On the other hand, the crisis has
had a positive influence on a number of Armenian companies, as far
as competitors' weakened positions, raw material and equipment price
reductions are concerned.

"Around 80% of entrepreneurs polled believe that the crisis will
exacerbate in 2009," Hergnyan reported.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fund Raising Event of Baroness Cox's Trust - 15 May 2009‏

Alexandra Taliadoros

Fundraising and Communications Manager

Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust

3 Arnellan House

146 Slough Lane

London

NW9 8XJ

24th April 2009

Mozart and Telemann Concert: 15th May 2009

In support of the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART)

6pm Pre-Concert Reception

8pm Performance

St George’s church Bloomsbury, London WC1A 2HR

Dear Kind Supporter

I hope this letter finds you well and you are enjoying the glorious weather the Easter season has brought us!

Please allow me to remind you of HART’s next fundraising event which we are hosting in conjunction with Situation Opera. The evening includes a performance by Situation Opera, preceded by a drinks reception. The drinks reception provides a wonderful opportunity to exhibit the work of the talented artist, Charlotte Ashenden and the visionary photographer, Luigi Ventimiglia.

They have both travelled with HART during 2007-2009 and have been inspired by our partners –

an inspiration which is reflected in their artistic displays.

The concert programme, which features international violin soloist Berent Korfker and accomplished young viola soloist Jennifer Coombes, will include Telemann's Viola Concerto in G, Mozart's Violin Concerto No.5 in A and Symphonies Nos.16 and 41, the latter better known as 'Jupiter'.

Please come and join us for what promises to be a most enjoyable evening.

Tickets for both the drinks reception and concert are priced at £15 each (£10 concession). Please order your tickets from HART by telephone: 020 8204 7336 or email: alexandra.taliadoros@hart-uk.org. Alternatively, you may order by emailing Situation Opera: tickets@situationopera.org.uk

I look forward to seeing you there

With best wishes and thanks

Alexandra

Alexandra Taliadoros

Fundraising and Communications Manager

Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART)

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An Initiative not to be Missed: Civil Society‏

Civil Society
Presentations and Discussions
To be held on every second Saturday 10:00 - 11:30 am in Toronto

Facilitator
Hon. Sarkis Assadourian
Former Member of Parliament & Citizenship Judge
Objectives
Raise awareness of politics and functions of various components of Civil Society
Personalities of various backgrounds & Guest speakers
will be invited during the course of the gatherings
Visit to the City Hall, Queen's Park and House of Commons

Initial program will include topics related to
All levels of governments
The scope of responsibilities of the officials
How they are elected & Who can vote in elections
Election rules, financing & Political Contributions

Language
Armenian & English
For dates and place RSVP with Hon. S. Assadourian at sarkisassadourian@hotmail.com
Participation is Free & Please reply by May 30, 2009
Adults and Youngsters 16 years of age and above are all invited
Parents are encouraged to bring their teen-aged children interested in politics with them

Please circulate to your friends

April 24 - Պահանջատիրութեան Օր - Click on Day of Demands
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Enthusiasm Builds for ANCA Endowment Telethon

COMMUNITIES GEAR UP FOR SUCCESSFUL ANCA ENDOWMENT FUND TELETHON Pasadena, CA- Tavlian Pre-School students gear up to assist in the ANCA Endowment Fund Telethon Enthusiastic Response from Armenian American Schools and Organizations to Help Increase Nationwide Civic Participation WASHINGTON, DC - Armenian American community groups and schools are expanding outreach to supporters and activists to ensure a successful ANCA Endowment Fund telethon. The six-hour live broadcast will be held on Sunday May 31, 2009, from 3:00pm to 9:00pm PDT (6:00pm to 12midnight EDT) and will include a spotlight on Armenian American civic participation throughout the United States. In recent weeks, ANCA Endowment Fund volunteers have done presentations at Armenian schools and churches, talking about the growing efforts of the group to increase Armenian American participation in civic life through internship programs, support of the ANCA Capital Gateway program and local media and government outreach. Students have taken up the challenge, organizing classroom events and fundraising competitions to help ensure a bright future for their community. "It is heartwarming to see Amenian American youth - from grade school to high school - bringing their energy and enthusiasm to support the growth of the Armenian American community in media and civic life," said ANCA Endowment Fund President Ken Hachikian. "It is these grassroots efforts that are the foundation for our expanding community programs." ANCA Endowment Fund Telethon watch parties and fundraising events are being coordinated by volunteers in states across the U.S. in anticipation of the live telecast. For information about efforts local communities, call the ANCA Endowment fund Telethon headquarters at (877) 808-ANCA. The 2009 Telethon will help the ANCA further strengthen itself as an invaluable Armenian American civic institution - building on its proven track record by developing a powerful financial foundation for the future. The Telethon will benefit the ANCA Endowment which supports Armenian American grassroots civic participation by ensuring that our community has the tools to effectively educate the American public and governments on the federal, state and local levels about the challenges and opportunities facing Armenia, Nagorno Karabagh, and the Diaspora. The ANCA Endowment Fund is a 501c(3) charitable organization. To donate the ANCA Endowment Fund, visit: http://www.2009telethon.org/donate.php or mail your check to: ANCA Endowment Fund Telethon 104 N. Belmont Ave Suite 305, Glendale, CA 91205. Get connected to the Armenian Cause. Visit: Facebook * YouTube * Twitter

"Ravished Armenia" Presented by Film Historian Anthony Slide in SF‏

For Immediate Releases

"Ravished Armenia" Screened at San Francisco Library
Author Anthony Slide tells the story of star, Aurora Mardiganian

Bay Area Armenian National Committee
Contact: Ani Baghdassarian
(415) 596-6162
anibaghdassarian@sbcglobal.net

San Francisco, April 28, 2009 - Film historian and author, Anthony Slide, discussed the story and 1919 film about Armenian Genocide survivor, Aurora Mardiganian, at the San Francisco Public Library. The event, hosted by the Bay Area Armenian National Committee and the library, also included a screening of the only remaining 20-minutes from the film, "Ravished Armenia," as well as excerpts from Slide's interview with Mardiganian.

"Both the lady and film did more than we can possibly acknowledge to bring the Armenian Genocide to the attention of Americans," said Slide, who has authored or edited more than fifty books on the history of popular entertainment and has served as associate archivist of the American Film Institute and resident film historian of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His 1997 book, "Ravished Armenia and the story of Aurora Mardiganian," (Scarecrow Press, 1997), reprints Mardiganian's original memoir and other original documentation on the film.

The screening of "Ravished Armenia" and presentation by Slide was hosted by the library and the Bay Area Armenian National Committee. Slide gave the audience of approximately 200 an account of the life of Mardiganian (born, Arshalouys Mardigian), the behind-the-scenes story of how the film was made and publicized, and he played excerpts from an interview he conducted with Mardiganian in the early 1990's. In addition, the only surviving 21-minutes of scenes from the production, were shown. The full-length motion picture is believed to be lost. It is unclear whether the recovered clips were part of the final film, or whether they are outtakes. Mardiganian, who starred in the film, does not appear in the clips. The Armenian Genocide Resource Center provided the clips, adding an introduction and subtitles explaining the events being depicted.

Slide explained that the story of "Ravished Armenia" begins on Easter Sunday, 1915, and ends in 1917, with Aurora Mardiganian wondering across the plains of Armenia watching as her family and her community are raped, robbed, and murdered. She later escaped to Russia, Norway, and eventually the United States.

When he first came across Mardiganian's memoir, Slide said, "I became quite fascinated, and also frankly a little suspicious of the story. One reads of atrocity after atrocity, ethnic cleansing in its most brutal and savage form. As one turns the pages, one cannot help but wonder what the author can come up with next to top the last account of violence and sexual assault. Could it really be true that one woman, a woman named Aurora Mardiganian, was the principal character in this drama? Did she really exist? I really had doubts."

Suspecting that the story was an amalgam based on the stories of all the suffering of the women of Armenia, Slide sought out Mardiganian herself. A series of inquiries led him to Van Nuys, California, where Aurora lived in a "tiny, tiny, one-room apartment."

"I met this really sweet old lady, charming, and she seemed really pleased to have someone come and talk to her. She was so delighted to see me, she made stuffed grape leaves," said Slide. "She also made me coffee and she gave me the coffee cup to take home, saying it was an Armenian tradition." Slide said that when he was leaving, Mardiganian told him, "I hope Heavenly God will help you with his light, and you'll be the one who will bring out the real truth of my life."

Slide said that he didn't realize how important his interview with Mardiganian would be, considering she was not only speaking as a witness to the making of the film he was writing about, but also she was also a witness to the Armenian Genocide. Had he considered it further, he may have conducted a much longer interview, than the one-hour he recorded with her.

Mardiganian arrived in New York on November 5, 1917, as a teenager. A screenwriter and his wife, Harvey and Eleanor Gates, became her legal guardians. Working with the Near East Relief fund, which provided aid to Armenian Genocide survivors, they transcribed Mardiganian's experience, and published the memoir as a book. Between 1918-1935, 30 editions of book were published, selling more than 1 million copies. The memoir was also published in serial form in the Hearst paper, New York American and in the Los Angeles Examiner.

Producer William Selig bought the film rights to the story. Selig owned a movie studio in Los Angeles, where the film was shot, with Aurora Mardiganian starring as herself. Oscar Apfel, who had co-directed Cecil B Demille's first film in 1913, was hired to direct "Ravished Armenia," and among the cast was the major silent film star, Anna Q Nilsson, and Eugenie Besserer, who had played Al Jolson's mother in the first sound film, The Jazz Singer.

The film was shot in less than one month in late 1918. Sets were built depicting Armenia, Mount Baldy represented Mt. Ararat, and desert scenes were reported to have been shot at Santa Monica beach. Although many of the film's scenes of genocidal acts were graphic, the U.S. censorship board approved it, saying it was "a frank, straightforward exposition of sufferings of Armenia, which make a sincere and powerful appeal to every drop of red blood in America's manhood and womanhood."

Some scenes in Mardiganian's memoir, like that of a priest's fingernails being torn out, were omitted from the film, and others, like the crucifixion of girls, were depicted less graphically than Mardiganian's descriptions.

Nevertheless, the advertising for the film particularly exploited the circumstances, with lines like, "Ravished Armenia…Girls impaled on soldiers' swords. Aurora Mardiganian sold for 85 cents." In Pennsylvania, the film was banned, but a court overturned the ban.

The film was also screened in London under the title, "Auction of Souls," after an investigation by Scotland Yard regarding whether it should be shown there. Because of concern that it would stir anti-British sentiment in the Muslim world, references to Christians in the subtitles were removed, as well as scenes of women being crucified.

Aurora Mardiganian was introduced to the public at the Alexandria Hotel in Los Angeles, at a luncheon hosted by the mayor in January, 1919, and the film premiered shortly after.
The New York premiere of the film at the Plaza Hotel took place in February, 1919, and was a major society event, with 1000 paying invitees. Later that month, Mardiganian spoke at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, during a fundraiser for Armenian and Syrian Relief. At the time, her leg was still bandaged from jumping 20 feet from a building on the set of the film. Filming continued after her fall, and Mardiganian reported to Slide that her leg bandages were visible in the final film.

Although Mardiganian briefly became a star, Slide described how she was exploited during the making of the film and the publicity affairs surrounding it. When the constant public appearances began to take their toll on Mardiganian and she began inquiring about an accounting for the money being raised for Armenian relief, she was sent to a convent school, and a series of "look-a-likes" were hired to take her place during public appearances. In 1921, she escaped the convent and sued Harvey Gates for money owed to her. Gates claimed that out of the more than $8,000 she had earned, most was used for publicity expenses. Only $195 was subsequently turned over to her.

"Everything relating to Ravished Armenia seemed to disappear," Slide said, describing a sad end to both the film and Aurora Mardiganian herself. "Only a handful of still photographs were known to survive. No prints of the film seem to exist. All the records of the film held by Near East Relief were destroyed in a fire in 1964." Slide said that all of the film documentation he had seen at Mardiganian's home was probably destroyed when she died.

As for Mardiganian herself, she was taken to Ararat Home, the Armenian retirement facility, in January 1994. On February 5th, she was taken to Holy Cross Medical Center, where she died the next day. "There was nobody with her in the end," said Slide. "No son, no friends, no members of the Armenian community for whom she had helped to raise so much money. Her body was cremated. Her ashes unclaimed, and four years later, as required by California law, she was buried in an unmarked grave with 2,099 others."

Ani Baghdassarian, of the Bay Area Armenian National Committee expressed great appreciation to Anthony Slide for having written about Aurora Mardiganian and "Ravished Armenia," and for his excellent presentation.

To order a DVD of the "Ravished Armenia" film clips (including a newly added introduction, music score, explanatory subtitles, and production stills), please send a check or money order for $10.95 plus $3 postage to Heritage Publishing, 5400 McBryde Ave., Richmond, California, 94805.

---
Armenian National Committee
San Francisco - Bay Area
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: 415-387-3433
Fax: 415-751-0617
mail@ancsf.org
www.ancsf.org
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FATHER FRANK’S RANTS - The Atheist’s Tale

Rant Number 348 5 May 2009

God granted a singular favour to the Prophet Muhammad, Islamic lore narrates. It is a story set out in the fascinating Book of the Ladder, a popular and detailed account of the Al Miraj, Muhammad’s night journey to Heaven. An episode alluded to in a well-known verse of the Quran (XVII,1). It seems that at first the Lord intended Muslims to pray fifty times a day. Rather burdensome, I suppose. However, at the Prophet’s intercession, He condescended to reducing the number to five. An altogether cheering illustration of the Divine Mercy. It did not, alas, cheer a certain Muslim atheist…

His name was Kurt. A short, stocky German, with large, piercing China-blue eyes. We met two weeks ago in the Rock Café, in Cairo’s posh Mohandisin district. Both of us smoked the shisha. ‘You must be a foreigner’ the German observed. ‘I won’t deny it’, I smiled. Kurt pulled his chair close to mine. ‘Do you want to hear my story?’ he asked, like a character in a book. Too irresistible to turn down, I felt.

Kurt, a mechanical engineer, hailed from former East Germany. ‘In Berlin I met a nice Egyptian girl. We married. Her religion impressed me. Brought up godless, I embraced Islam. Later I got a job in Cairo. We moved here. Like all Egyptians, my wife comes from a large family. Plunged in a warm, vast network of relations and friends, I was happy. Of course, I went to the mosque regularly and prayed devoutly. Until…’ The loud call to prayer from a nearby mosque made him pause. God is great…

‘Until that’, he resumed, hesitantly. ‘I no longer believe in God. Because of that.’

‘I don’t understand’, I said. He resumed: ‘Initially, I enjoyed the adhan, the prayer call. It felt reassuring…telling me, everybody, so often that there is a God…that life has a meaning. The Stimmung of God… It was fine. Then, gradually, it all changed.’

‘Tell me more’, I asked, genuinely bemused. He cast a nervous look about, lowered his voice: ‘It…it’s difficult to explain. A voice inside me seemed to be wondering: if God exists, why blare it out five times a day? I mean, it is a lot, isn’t it? One time should be enough…why does it have to be boomed out from the minarets five times? Three by day and two by night? It’s too much.’

Finding myself cast in the unlikely role of apologist for Islam, I suggested: ‘Well, it’s all about remembering the Creator, isn’t it? Don’t you call dhikr? The rememoration of God. Other religions too have similar practices. Christians remember Christ and Buddhists recall Siddhartha Gautama…’ He took a deep draught of smoke from his shisha. ‘Yes, yes, I know what you are saying. I have read books. But other religions do not broadcast ‘God is great’ aloud, to all and sundry, five times a day, do they? Not that it matters. My point is about summoning people to prayer so relentlessly, every day, day in, day out, all the blessed day of the year…well, it gradually haunted me. It was like an obsession. Why? Why do they have to go on repeating it? Do they perhaps doubt there is a God after all? Is it because they are afraid people might forget it? To brainwash these wretched Egyptian people into belief? It’s almost like the Communist Party in East Germany. They had to drill it into our skulls that Marx was God and Lenin his true prophet. They kept at it a lot. But at least they didn’t broadcast it aloud five times a day. No, to me it means the skies are empty. There is no God up there – or indeed anywhere else.’

I could have told Kurt that there is currently a petition to silence the bells of St Mary Abbots, my former Kensington church. Does being summoned by bells similarly annoy British atheists? But that wasn’t Kurt’s beef. His point of view was unusual but I could understand it. I thought of giving natural theology a go: ‘There are of course plenty of rational arguments for God. Proofs of God’s existence…’ He waved my words aside: ‘Min fadlaq! Please! I know that stuff. Muslims have their own versions. Can’t really see how any sane person would ever care for those. Atheists have their counter-proofs, I am sure you know. But, again, that’s irrelevant to me. It has nothing to do with proofs. It’s what I feel inside here…’ And he thumped his breast so vigorously, I thought he’d break his rib cage.

‘There is a tradition God originally had decreed 50 prayers a day. The Prophet got them down to five…’ I imagined he’d like that. Well, he didn’t. He just shrugged his shoulders: ‘I have heard of it. Five are still too many. One a day would suffice…but it makes no odds to me. It’s all nonsense.’

‘You are a tough one’, I decided. ‘What do you do then? Have you told you family?’

He shook his head. ‘They wouldn’t understand. They are simple people. Atheism is incomprehensible to Muslims, anyway. The brainwashing has worked well. They would think I am possessed by a jinn, an evil spirit or something like that. Their superstition is staggering. It wouldn’t do any good.’ ‘Do you still go to the mosque?’ ‘Only on Fridays…I do it because otherwise my friends and colleagues at work would wonder…get upset. So I go through the motions and mouth the words. It’s easy. Their prayers are so standardised…every gesture is carefully prescribed…like a drill…again, it’s all a form of brainwashing, believe you me.’

I had this mental image of Kurt bowing, praying alongside hundreds of other Muslims. Saying the words whilst believing nothing. Praying to an empty, desolate, bleak Heaven. Sad, I thought. But that was that. After his ‘confession’ we both felt a little uneasy. Conversation dried up. I paid my bill and left.

A strange story. And a paradox. Faith killed by faith. Weird. It got me musing. Can one really remember God too much? Some good things can be damaged by exaggerating them, sure. But love? Faith? Hope? Can you hope too much, love too much? Is that possible?

It also posed a dilemma. Should I, a Christian priest, pray for Kurt? That he should get back his lost Muslim faith? Huh!

Kurt’s soul is infinitely valuable, that I know. May God’s will be done for him.

Revd Frank Julian Gelli

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Opening Borders - articles from Turkey‏

TURKEY MAY HIT WALL IN ARMENIAN DIALOGUE
Today's Zaman
April 30 2009
Turkey

Is Turkey slamming the brakes on Armenian rapprochement? Yes and no,
depending on whom you ask in the Turkish capital, and most of the time,
the response is understandably not straightforward as the decades-long
issue has too many dimensions.

"If parallel diplomacy -- moving on negotiations on both border opening
and resolving the occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh territories
at the same time -- is deemed to not be working, we should ease
off the gas and start contemplating hitting the brakes," says Murat
Mercan, chairman of the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Commission and
a high-ranking member of the ruling Justice and Development Party
(AK Party). Mercan told Today's Zaman that Turkey may be forced to
revise its standing against the backdrop of mounting public pressure.

Opposition party leaders on Tuesday blamed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan for giving in to pressure brought to bear by the US and the
European Union. In a speech delivered to the Republican People's
Party (CHP) parliamentary group, CHP leader Deniz Baykal apologized
to Azerbaijanis on behalf of Erdogan. "The AK Party is here today,
but it may not be here tomorrow. However, Turkey will always be on
the side of Azerbaijanis."

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli joined Baykal
in criticizing the government for making an agreement with Armenia
without first securing a deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Columnist Hasan Kanbolat, an expert on Caucasian politics,
disagrees. He explained to Today's Zaman that the opening with Armenia
has reached a point where backpedaling is no longer possible. "I
think stability and security in the Caucasian region has become a
transatlantic issue and both the US and the EU want the problems
resolved," he said. Kanbolat believes the ongoing diplomatic process
will stay on course despite the public backlash, which he thinks
could have been handled much better.

After Russia's invasion of Georgia last year, the West has learned
its lesson and will try to nudge both Armenia and Georgia to accept
the protective custody of NATO and even of the EU, Kanbolat argued,
noting that Turkey has little room to maneuver under the present
circumstances. "Even that maneuverability will be limited to
conjecture," he stressed.

Commenting on his recent fact-finding mission to Azerbaijan, Yılmaz
AteÅ~_, deputy chairman of the CHP, told Today's Zaman that he found
Azerbaijan fuming over the prospect of Turkey opening its border with
Armenia. "They are very frustrated with the Turkish government because
they claim Ankara has kept Baku in the dark on the content of secret
talks being held since 2004 through a Swiss intermediary," AteÅ~_
noted, saying Azerbaijani officials felt they had been betrayed by
a friend.

Ankara has long claimed that Azerbaijani officials are well
informed about the talks and have been kept abreast of the latest
happenings. Both President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan
have repeatedly made assurances that Turkey would never agree to
any settlement with Armenia without resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem; however, this does not seem to be working well to alleviate
the concerns of Azerbaijani officials. At a meeting with European
Commission President José Manuel Barroso on Tuesday, Azerbaijani
President Ä°lham Aliyev warned Turkey, "We have the right to
re-establish our policy in accordance with the regional realities,
and we shall exercise our right."

Explaining what went south in Azerbaijani-Turkish relations, AteÅ~_
pointed to the Russian factor. "Moscow handed the details of secret
talks between Turkey and Armenia over to Azerbaijan. The details were
turned over to the Russians by Armenia," he noted. "We constantly
heard from Azerbaijani members of parliament who said, 'Turks should
have let us in these secret talks and not gone behind our backs',"
AteÅ~_ said, recalling his tour of Baku.

Now that relations between Turkey and Armenia are showing signs of
stress, many politicians in Ankara seem to have put their wet fingers
up in the air to feel the direction of the political winds as they
scramble to readjust their positions according to changing perceptions.

Hürriyet, Turkey
May 2 2009
Clinton to meet Azeri, Armenian counterparts in Washington

ISTANBUL - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will meet her
Azerbaijani and Armenian counterparts in Washington next week as part
of diplomatic efforts aimed at solving long-standing disputes in the
southern Caucasus, according to reports on Saturday. (UPDATED)

Clinton will meet Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian on
Monday and Azeri top diplomat Elmar Mammadyarov on Tuesday,
broadcaster CNNTurk reported.

The talks are expected to focus on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
the normalization process between Ankara and Yerevan.

Turkey and Armenia, under Switzerland's mediation, agreed last month
on a "road map" deal for talks that could lead to the normalizing of
ties and the opening of their border.

Ankara cut diplomatic links with Yerevan and closed the border in a
show of support to Azerbaijan in 1993 after 20 percent of its
territory was invaded by Armenia in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh
region.

Clinton has hailed the announcement of the road map as a historic step
toward normal relations between Turkey and Armenia.

She will meet Mammadyarov and Nalbandian to lay the groundwork for the
meeting between Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's
President Serzh Sargsyan on May 7 in Prague, U.S. Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza,
the State Department's point man in the Caucasus, told CNNTurk.

As part of the diplomacy traffic among Washington, Ankara, Baku and
Yerevan, U.S. President Barack Obama, who has extended his support to
the normalization process between Ankara and Yerevan, telephoned last
month Aliyev.

Clinton and U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden had also phone talks with
high-level Armenian officials.

Hürriyet, Turkey
May 2 2009
Top Azeri envoy on way to Ankara

ISTANBUL -Azerbaijani President Ä°lham Aliyev wants to send an
envoy to Turkey to improve relations that have been strained by
ongoing reconciliation talks between the Turkish government and Baku's
arch-foe Armenia.

Well-informed sources have told the Hürriyet Daily News &
Economic Review that President Aliyev, though upset by developments in
Turkish-Armenian relations, has signaled that he is seeking to
reinvigorate Azerbaijan's relations with Ankara and is hoping to have
a greater say in any further progress made toward opening the border
between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkey and Armenia said late last month they agreed on a road map to
normalize relations, which in turn upset Azerbaijan, with whom Turkey
has fraternal ties.

The polemic over whether Turkey informed Azerbaijan on the content of
talks with Armenia was carried to diplomatic platforms during Aliyev's
visit to Brussels. At a NATO council meeting where the
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process was discussed, Turkish
Ambassador Tacan Ä°ldem said Turkey informed Azerbaijan of the
talks with Armenia. Aliyev's reply was like a splash of cold water:
"Informing is one thing, consulting is another."

The incident is significant because the two country's representatives
never enter into a polemic in front of third parties and to the
contrary they rather cooperate closely on international
platforms. "One nation, two states," is the motto often used to
describe the warm relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Although Aliyev has not been shy so far in showing his reaction, he
also started signaling he wants to put relations back on track. "Now
that the 24th of April is over, let's start our consultations," is the
gist of the message Aliyev has sent to Ankara. April 24 is the day
Armenians commemorate the events of 1915 each year. Aliyev is planning
to send a high-level envoy to Turkey to discuss the "road map" and on
how to proceed from now on, according to a Turkish official who asked
to remain anonymous.

Azerbaijan wants a strong link between a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem and the normalization process, which includes
establishing diplomatic relations as well as opening borders. Turkey
closed its border with Armenia in 1993 when Armenian troops moved to
occupy seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan believes Armenians should first withdraw from five of the
seven territories before Turkey goes ahead with opening the
border. The faith of the two remaining regions, the Lachin corridor
and Kelbecer, is also important for Baku. Partial withdrawal from the
Lachin corridor as well as joint use of the corridor by Turkey and
Azerbaijan should also be preconditions, according to Azerbaijan.

Armenia does not want to withdraw from the regions before there is an
agreement on the overall principles of the problem. Armenian and
Azerbaijani leaders are set to meet May 7 in Prague.

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
April 29 2009
Turkey to reject Armenian "allegations" - Turkish minister


Ankara, 29 April: Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey
would reject the immaterial (Armenian) allegations, noting that the
analysis of the shared history of Turkey and Armenia could only be
made with unbiased and impartial scientific evidence.

Babacan, who addressed the General Assembly of the Turkish parliament
[on] Wednesday [29 April], said, "Regardless of origin of these
allegations, we will continue to stand by the historic truth."

Babacan said US President Barrack Obama's statement on the occasion of
the Armenian Remembrance Day on 24 April was a result of domestic
political concerns, noting that certain expressions and comments
regarding the events of 1915 was unacceptable for Turkey.

"One of the shortcomings of Obama's statement was that it ignored the
fact that hundreds of thousands Turks lost their lives during the
events of 1915," said Babacan.

"If the motive behind Obama's statement was to state a prejudgement on
the joint history committee foreseen to be formed by Turkey and
Armenia, Turkish Foreign Ministry have announced on 25 April that
Turkey would not accept this and explained it in detail to the US
ambassador, who was invited to our ministry," said Babacan.

Babacan said he also expressed Turkey's discomfort to the US secretary
of state, Hillary Clinton, over the phone and made it clear that the
joint commission foreseen to be formed between the two countries could
only depend on undisputed evidence and documents.

Reactions to Obama's Armenian remembrance day statement

Obama's statement on 24 April, "Armenian Remembrance Day", stirred
wide reaction and drew severe criticism from Turkey's top officials
and politicians on the grounds that it was biased.

Turkey's President Abdullah Gul was the first to criticize Obama. He
told reporters the following day that not only Armenians but hundreds
of thousands of Turks and Muslims had lost their lives during the
events of 1915, adding that pain and suffering of all people who lost
their lives in 1915 should be remembered.

Gul said statesmen and politicians could not pass judgement on events
in the history, adding that it was time to look to the future and give
a chance to diplomatic efforts for solution of issues between Turkey
and Armenia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Gul was followed by Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who argued that
Obama's statement was related with a pledge he made to Armenian
lobbies during his election campaign.

"Such a sensitive issue requiring expertise, which should in fact be
left to historians, is continuously being used as a tool for politics
and exploited by lobbies every year, and this prevents normalization
of relations between people and countries," Erdogan was quoted as
saying.

Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan also criticized Obama's statement and
said such statement on events of 1915, seriously harmed the process
for normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Turkish Foreign Ministry regarded Obama's statement unacceptable in a
press release issued Sunday, noting that history could be construed
and evaluated only based on undisputed evidence and documents.

Also the US ambassador in Ankara, James Jeffrey, was summoned to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday and Turkey's reaction and
views were communicated to him.

Hürriyet, Turkey
May 2 2009
Another problem from hell

The other night I took a taxi from Istanbul's crowded Taksim Square.
On the way home, I started to chat with the young driver, asking him
about business in this time of economic crisis.

"It is very bad, bro," he said, explaining that customers are trying
to spend less and less. Then I asked him the typical Turkish question:
"Memleket nere," or, "which city are you from?" "I am from Van," he
replied, but then anxiously added: "Yet make no mistake: I am no
Kurd."

Apparently that was a statement with some baggage. And that was
something he eagerly wanted to share, especially after learning about
my job. "Hey, if you have a little time," he hence asked, "let me
explain to you what the Kurds are."

Fears about 'the Kurd'
"Sure," I said, and sat down in the back seat for an extra 15 minutes
to listen to the man's story. He told me that as an ethnic Turk, he
was deeply frustrated by his Kurdish neighbors who were allegedly very
chauvinist, exclusivist and intimidating.

"In my hometown, a Kurd will never buy from a Turkish shop," he said,
"whereas we don't make any distinction." He then drew a totally
negative stereotype: "Kurds are lazy, dirty, rude and nothing good
comes out of them." The worst thing, for him, was their eagerness to
reproduce: "You want to make two kids and send them to good schools,
bro, right? Well, the Kurd makes 10 kids so that half of them will be
terrorists and the other half will be thieves."

I was already stunned by all this, but he had more to say. "They are
multiplying like rabbits," he argued, "and if the state doesn't stop
them, they will take over the whole east, killing and expelling us
Turks."

"Stop them?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

He answered: "Their leaders should be taken down. We should start with
those DTP [Democratic Society Party] members. They are all PKK, and
they should killed one by one. Only then the Kurd will learn a lesson
and start to behave."

Then the conversation moved on to another topic, which took us from
current affairs to a dark past. "Perhaps we should do what my
grandfathers did to the Armenians," he coldly said, and the rest went
on like this:

- The Armenians? What do you mean? Are you talking about 1915?

- I think so.

- So, what happened then?

- Oh, one night my grandfathers took the knives out and raided all
Armenian homes, killing them one by one.

- But why?

- Well, it is bad, I know. But the Armenians started it. Before the
great killing, they raided nearby Turkish villages, and they tortured
and slaughtered every Muslim they found. They had special knives to
rip pregnant women's bellies.

They would smash the unborn babies to rocks. If my grandfathers did
not go out and kill them, they would do the same to us, too. That is
the rule, bro: If you don't kill them first, they will kill you all.

Before leaving the taxi, I tried to tell the hardnosed young man a few
things that could help. "It is haram [religiously forbidden] to kill
the innocent," I reminded him, which he tended to agree with. Then I
said maybe the Armenian militants of 1915 and the Kurdish terrorists
of today were driven by fears like his. Maybe every group suspects the
others' evil intentions and act accordingly. Maybe the problems could
be solved if they learned to talk to each other.

Even this simple idea was a bit puzzling for my driver, so I just said
good night and left. But there were many other good questions to
ask. Was he ever provided with ample information so that he could
appropriately contextualize the observations he was making in his
hometown? Did anyone ever inform him about the possible causes of
poverty in the Southeast, or about the worldwide correlation between
poverty and higher birth rates? Did he ever learn about Kurdish
communities' sentiments on Turks and why they felt the need to
withdraw? Did he ever get such information from his government or his
media?

Driven by fear
I bet the answers would be all negative. And this underlines the core
problem: Ethnic tension, and ultimately conflict, arises from the lack
of objective knowledge about the other, which leads to paranoia about
the other. People hardly do evil for that they enjoy evil. They rather
do evil for that they fear evil.

That is something we should keep in mind while dealing with not only
the contemporary issues such as the Kurdish question, but also
historical ones such as the Armenian "Meds Yeghern" (Great Catastrophe).

In her book, "A Problem from Hell," Samantha Power, whom President
Obama appointed to a senior position, describes the latter well. Yet
to get the full picture, one also needs to read other works such as,
"Death and Exile: The Ethnic Cleansing of Ottoman Muslims, 1821-1922"
by historian Justin McCarthy. That will show you that the massacres of
Armenians were motivated by fear rather than anything else.

They were, in other words, driven by my driver's maddening idea: If
you don't kill them first, they will kill you all.

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