California Courier Online, August 4, 2005

1 – Commentary

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier

2 – Poochigian Campaign for Attorney General
Announces $2 Million Plus in Funds
3- US Olympian Martirosyan
Will Box at Staples, Sept. 10
4 – Ara Abrahamyan Awarded
French Legion of Honor
5 – Karabian Donates Collection
To Pepperdine University
6 – Turkish, US, Armenian Scholars Concerned
For Detained Turkish Researcher in Armenia
7 – UAF’s 134th Airlift
Delivers $2.3 Million
Of Aid to Armenia
8 – Peter Kezirian Awarded 2005
Marshall Memorial Fellowship
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1 – Commentary

TIME’s Chief Editor Claims
Magazine Was Duped by Turks

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

The June 6, 2005 issue of the European edition of TIME magazine included a
DVD as a paid ad. The DVD had a 70-minute segment that completely denied
and distorted the facts of the Armenian Genocide. In the same issue, along
with the DVD, TIME ran a four-page ad, placed by the Ankara Chamber of
Commerce, promoting tourism in Turkey.
In an earlier column, I pointed out that the 70-minute “documentary” was
hidden behind several other segments on the DVD all of which dealt with
tourism. This revisionist DVD created a worldwide uproar against TIME for
acting as a conduit for Turkish distortions.
In response to complaints from many readers, TIME printed in the June 20,
2005 issue of its European edition the following letter:
“I was rather disappointed to see a DVD in your magazine [June 6]
accompanying a Turkish ad that portrayed Armenians as terrorists and the
Armenian genocide as a myth. TIME has a good reputation for unbiased
reporting. The DVD is an insult to all Armenians across the world.” The
letter was signed by Gagik Mikaelian, Chicago, Ill.
The editors of TIME added the following note to that letter: “TIME is an
independent newsmagazine and does not endorse the views of any organization
or government. We regret any offense caused by the advertisements.”
Given the gravity of the offense committed by TIME, this brief letter and
the briefer response fell far short of what is expected, particularly in
view of the fact that TIME’s European edition had violated anti-racism and
genocide denial laws of several European countries, besides offending the
sensibilities of its readers.
Simon Maghakyan of Colorado was so offended with TIME’s denialist DVD that
he sent a letter of complaint to Norman Pearlstine, the Editor-in-Chief of
TIME, Inc. After receiving no answer to his several letters, Mr. Maghakyan
fired off an angry e-mail to Mr. Pearlstine, making a parallel between the
sending of the Turkish DVD to distributing Nazi propaganda.
That e-mail got Mr. Pearlstine’s attention. He sent the following reply,
making this interesting and important revelation: “We have, of course,
apologized in the magazine for accepting a DVD whose contents were
different from what we had been led to believe they would be.”
Regardless of whether the Editor-in-Chief of TIME is being honest in his
assertion that the magazine’s executives were misled by Turks, such an
admission opens the door for Armenians to ask that TIME now redress the
damage it caused by disseminating the Turkish DVD to 500,000 subscribers in
more than a dozen European countries.
In an earlier column, I suggested that TIME take the following 6 steps to
make up for its grave error:
1) Publish a real apology for disseminating this fraudulent DVD;
2) Issue a formal memo to all its divisions around the world not to accept
this DVD as an insert (the Ankara Chamber of Commerce has announced its
intention to place the same DVD in TIME’s Asian and Pacific editions);
3) Issue a written warning to all its advertising executives not to accept
any more ads from Turkish entities that deny the Armenian Genocide (just as
they would not run an ad that denies the Jewish Holocaust and glorifies
Hitler; the New York Times recently rejected an ad from Turkish
organizations denying the Armenian Genocide);
4) Destroy the extra 116,000 copies of this DVD that are still in TIME’s
possession;
5) Agree to insert and disseminate free of charge a DVD, prepared by a
reputable research institute, on the Armenian Genocide;
6) Donate the payment it received from the Turkish Chamber of Commerce for
this ad to an Armenian charity.
After admitting that TIME magazine ran an ad that it shouldn’t have, Mr.
Pearlstine must now meet with Armenian community leaders to discuss the
next steps in order to avoid a costly and embarrassing lawsuit in several
European countries and a loss of subscribers as well as advertisers in the
U.S. and other parts of the world!

Another Case of U.S. Double Standard

For more than 10 years Azerbaijan and Turkey have blockaded Armenia in
violation of congressional resolutions and international conventions. The
Armenian government and the Armenian American community have repeatedly
asked U.S. officials to pressure the Turks and Azeris to lift their
blockade of Armenia. The American government has turned a deaf ear to these
Armenian requests.
However, when it suits the purposes of the neo-cons who have hijacked U.S.
foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, high-ranking Americans
officials selectively condemn certain border closures, even when they are
not asked to do so by the countries involved.
A blatant case of such a double standard occurred last month, when
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for Syria to open its closed
border with Lebanon during her visit to Beirut.
“We would like to see the day when there are good, neighborly relations
between Syria and Lebanon based on mutual respect and equality. But good
neighbors don’t close their borders to their neighbors and it is a very
serious situation on the Lebanese border where Lebanese trade is being
strangled. The best outcome would be for there to be free flow of commerce
between Syria and Lebanon and we would hope that that would be restored
very, very soon,” she said.
The Secretary of State is right in urging Syria to open its closed border
with Lebanon. However, one cannot escape the unmistakable suspicion that
Ms. Rice, rather than caring about Lebanon’s welfare, is hypocritically
exploiting that country’s closed border just to bash Syria.
It is curious that while the Lebanese border has been closed for only a
couple of weeks, and Lebanon does have unfettered access to the
Mediterranean Sea, Ms. Rice seems to have no interest in similarly
denouncing Turkey and Azerbaijan for having blockaded land-locked Armenia
for more than a decade! This is the type of double standard that makes
people around the world resent U.S. foreign policy.
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2 – Poochigian Campaign for Attorney General
Announces $2 Million Plus in Funds
FRESNO – Finance reports for the Poochigian for Attorney General campaign
release this week show cash on hand of just over $2,050,000 with a minimum
of outstanding obligations. None of these funds is in loans.
“From January 1 to June 30, the campaign raised over $1.12 million, with
much of it coming from hundreds and hundreds of small contributions – an
indication of the widespread support and interest in Chuck’s campaign,” the
campaign reported last week.
The campaign is on a glide path to its goal of having $5 to $6 million cash
on hand by primary day, 2006. Senator Poochigian is the only declared
candidate for Attorney General in the Republican Party, and it is clear
that with his commanding financial position and the endorsements of 44
Republican state legislators, he is clearly the consensus candidate. With
this exceptional advantage, Chuck Poochigian will enter the general
election campaign next year with a substantial financial advantage over his
Democrat party opponent.
The report added, “The Democrat side in the Attorney General’s race will be
competitive and very damaging to the emerging nominee. The Democrats have
two problems…. for one candidate, Rocky Delgadillo, the problem is a
question of experience. For the other candidate, Edmund G. Brown, Jr., the
problem IS experience.
The Poochigian campaign report continued: “Not only does Delgadillo have a
huge learning curve regarding state issues, he will be expending enormous
energy and money to defeat an opponent who is widely known in his party.
On the other hand, the Oakland Mayor has not won a statewide election in 27
years and will have to convince Democrats that his quirky presence in
California politics is worth risking.
Chuck Poochigian is one of the most widely respected legislators in
California, a leader in his party, and known for his impeccable character.
He has proved to be one of the strongest politicians in the center of
California and has not even had a Democrat opponent in his last two
election races.
The report concluded: “We are a long way from the November, 2006 election,
but there will only be two major candidates on the ballot, and we know
right now that Chuck Poochigian will be one of them. His strong, early
domination of the Republican race will allow him to enter the general
election as a formidable candidate, well-funded, highly organized and
sharply positioned to be more in tune with California voters looking for an
Attorney General to enforce the laws with strong common sense principles as
his guide.”
*****************************************************************
3 – US Olympian Martirosyan
Will Box at Staples, Sept. 10
GLENDALE – UA Olympian Vanes ‘Nightmare’ Martirosyan, a hard-hitting super
welterweight, will box on Top Rank’s big fight card which will feature
three-time world champion Erik ‘El Terrible’ Morales and former world
champion Manny Pacquaio at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sept. 10.
Martirosyan, handled by Shelly Finkel and trained by Freddie Roach, is from
Glendale, Calif. Martirosyan is 2-0-0 as a pro and lives and trains in
Glendale, Calif.
“I was born in Abovyan, Armenia,” said Vanes. “My dad was an amateur boxer
and I guess he saw it in me too. He said I had a lot of energy because I
was always running around the house. He took me to a local boxing gym and
at the age of seven I began to box. I wound up with 130 amateur fights and
won 120 of those.
“I speak Armenian, of course, English and I know a little Spanish. I can
pronounce some words in Russian too,” he said.
**************************************************************
4 – Ara Abrahamyan Awarded
French Legion of Honor
PARIS – French President Jacques Chirac has awarded businessman, President
of the Union of Armenians of Russia and UNESCO Good Will Ambassador Ara
Abrahamyan with the highest decoration of the French Republic – the Legion
of Honor. “Ara Abrahamyan has done much to develop the Russian-French
relations,” Russian Ambassador to France Aleksandr Avdeyev said. “He
co-chairs the Russian-French Dialogue non-governmental association,
sponsored by Presidents V. Putin and J. Chirac,” the Ambassador said. ”
Abrahamyan has assisted in the erection of the monument to the Soviet
Soldier at Pere Lachaise French Cemetery marking the 60th anniversary of
the Great Victory. He has organized productive bilateral business meetings,
as well as a Russian Film Festival in Onfler Norse city,” Avdeyev remarked.
“I think Ara Abrahamyan has deserved the French awarding him the highest
decoration,” he said.
Napoleon has established the Legion of Honor in 1802. The decoration is
awarded for outstanding services to France and has 5 degrees, Itar-Tass
reported.
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5 – Karabian Donates Collection
To Pepperdine University
MALIBU, Calif. – A luncheon hosted recently by Pepperdine University
President Andrew Benton gathered 30 guests to celebrate Walter Karabian’s
donation of the Karabian Political Memorabilia Collection, which includes
more than 400 buttons from over 130 years of political campaign history.
Karabian is a former California Assemblyman Majority Leader.
“I am pleased that Wally agreed to share his collection with our students,
faculty, and visitors,” said Jon Kemp, Assistant Dean for Advancement. “The
Karabian Collection will remind our students of the importance of electoral
politics. After all, if you want to be a leader, you have to get elected
first.”
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6 – Turkish, Armenian, American Scholars Concerned
For Detained Turkish Researcher in Armenia
ISTANBUL – An open letter with more than 200 signatories is sent to
President Kocharian expressing concerns over the prolonged detention of
Yektan Turkyilmaz, a Turkish citizen and a Ph.D. candidate at Duke
University, and the possible consequences of his trial.
Yektan Turkyilmaz, was pulled out of the plane and detained at the Yerevan
Airport on June 17 with charges of violating the national customs law.
Turkyilmaz, the first Turkish scholar to work in the Armenian National
Archives, was leaving Yerevan after his fourth research trip to Armenia and
was scheduled to do more research in Istanbul and Paris before going back
to Duke University as a fellow of the John Hope Franklin Institute for
2005-2006.
He is currently being held under high security conditions at the National
Security Service building in Yerevan, without having access to the
telephone, or being able to write or receive letters.
During his visit to Armenia, Turkyilmaz legally purchased about 100 books,
which range from the 17th to the 20th century, from second-hand sellers in
Yerevan and apparently was unaware that according to the Armenian customs
regulations he had to ‘declare’ books older than 50 years at customs.
Yektan Turkyilmaz is being charged with Article 215, paragraph 2 of the
Armenian Criminal Code, which treats weapons of mass destruction and
cultural values, including books, in the same category. The law places no
obligation on the sellers of old books to inform the purchasers that
special permissions will be needed to take the books out of the country,
and makes no distinction between violations involving nuclear weapons and
books. It is suggested that this is the first time this particular article
in the Armenian Criminal Code has ever been applied to a person carrying
books.
After Turkyilmaz’s arrest, a committee has been established by prominent
writers and academicians of Turkey to follow the case. The Committee for
Solidarity with Yektan Turkyilmaz opened a letter for signatures which is
addressed to the Armenian President Mr. Kocharian. In twenty-four hours,
100 Turkish, Armenian, American, and other international scholars
undersigned the letter which was sent to the President on Friday. An
updated list with more more than 200 signatures was sent on Aug. 1.
The Committee for Solidarity with Yektan Turkyilmaz write, “The political
implications of this arrest cause grave concern. Yektan Turkyilmaz is one
of a very few Turkish scholars who have critically tackled the events of
1915 and other instances of political violence in the first part of this
century. The fact that he was arrested soon after he gained access as the
first Turkish scholar to the Armenian National Archives adds to these
concerns. The fragile space of dialogue that has recently been opened up
between Turkish and Armenian scholars is put to the risk of being greatly
damaged by Turkyilmaz’s prolonged detention. This arrest would also raise
serious doubts as to whether Armenia encourages independent scholarly
research on its history.”
The first hearing of Turkyilmaz will be held before August 15, 2005.
Yektan Turkyilmaz did research in the Armenian National Archives in May and
June 2005 for his dissertation titled “Imagining ‘Turkey,’ Creating a
Nation: the Politics of Geography and
State Formation in Eastern Anatolia, 1908-1938.” He is the first Turkish
citizen who had been granted access to the Armenian National Archives.
Turkyilmaz is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the
John Hope Franklin Institute Fellowship for 2005-2006; the International
Dissertation Field Research Program Award from the Social Science Research
Council (SSRC) for 2003-2004; the Mellon Dissertation Fieldwork Award from
the Council of Library and Information Resources (CLIR) for 2003-2004; the
Dissertation Fieldwork Award from the American Research Institute of Turkey
(ARIT) for 2003-2004; as well as a Graduate Fellowship from Duke University
for 2000-2005.
Turkyilmaz’s previous degrees include a Master of Arts in Cultural
Anthropology from Duke University, North Carolina, a Bachelor of Arts in
Political Science and International Relations from Bogaziçi University,
Istanbul; he also studied in the Masters Program at the Atatürk Institute
for Modern Turkish History at Bogaziçi University, Istanbul.
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7 – UAF’s 134th Airlift
Delivers $2.3 Million
Of Aid to Armenia
GLENDALE – The United Armenian Fund’s 134th airlift arrived in Yerevan on
July 30, delivering $2.3 million of humanitarian assistance.
The UAF itself collected $1 million of medicines and medical supplies for
this flight, most of which were donated by the Catholic Medical Mission
Board (383,000); AmeriCares ($244,000); Eli Lilly ($243,000) and MAP
International ($217,000).
Other organizations which contributed goods for this airlift were: Fund for
Armenian Relief ($395,000); The Armenian Eyecare Project ($153,000); Tigran
Sarkisyan of California ($100,000); Michael DerBedrossian of Massachusetts
($87,000); Dr. Stephen Kashian of Illinois ($74,000); Harut Chantikian of
New Jersey ($62,000); American University of Armenia ($54,000); and
Armenian General Benevolent Union ($34,000).
Also contributing to this airlift were: Armenian American Cultural
Association ($27,000); Armenian Students Association ($25,000); Dr.
Andranik Ovassapian of Illinois ($25,000); and Accuware Consultants
($20,000).
Since its inception in 1989, the UAF has sent $412 million of humanitarian
assistance to Armenia onboard 134 airlifts and 1,216 sea containers.
The UAF is the collective effort of the Armenian Assembly of America, the
Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Missionary Association of
America, the Armenian Relief Society, the Diocese of the Armenian Church of
America, the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, and the
Lincy Foundation.
For more information, contact the UAF office at 1101 North Pacific Ave,
Suite 301, Glendale, CA 91202 or call (818) 241-8900.
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8 – Peter Kezirian Awarded 2005
Marshall Memorial Fellowship
PASADENA, Calif. – Peter Kezirian of Pasadena, Calif., is one of 55
emerging American leaders from 19 states and the District of Columbia to be
awarded the prestigious Marshall Memorial Fellowship. The 2005 American
Marshall Memorial Fellows will spend more than three weeks of intensive
study examining European institutions and exploring European and
transatlantic economic, political and social issues.
Fellows are selected through a competitive review process and come from
politics, government, the military, media, business and the non-profit
sector.
Kezirian is a member of the June delegation that visited five cities,
Brussels, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Belgrade and Bratislava.
Kezirian, is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
and the USC Law Center. He is currently the Vice President for Corporate
Strategy and Business Development at the Cooperative of American
Physicians/Mutual Protection Trust in Los Angeles, one of the leading
writers of medical liability coverage in the United States. Kezirian joined
CAP-MPT after serving as the General Counsel for the California Department
of Corporations for Gov. Pete Wilson and was a mergers and acquisitions
attorney for the New York firm of Debevoise & Plimpton before joining the
Wilson Administration in 1995. Throughout his legal and business career,
Kezirian has participated in a variety of programs to help build
international understanding and advance the effort for peaceful change and
individual rights. These efforts have included observing the 2003 elections
in Cambodia, reviewing the NATO peacekeeping effort in Bosnia and Kosovo in
2001 and participating in a judicial training effort sponsored by the U.S.
Agency for International Development in the Republic of Armenia in 1995.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress