California Courier Online, February 1, 2007

1 – Commentary
Turkey May Fall in its Own Trap
By Taking Genocide Issue to Court

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

2 – Kentikian and Alvarez to Meet
In World Title Fight on Feb. 16
3 – Univ. of Judaism Presents
Armenian/Jewish Concert
4 – Kirazian’s New Armenian Sacred
Music Premieres in San Diego County
5 – Fifth Annual Graduate Student Colloquium
In Armenian Studies at UCLA on Feb. 2
6 – Armenians Prepare to Honor
Amb. Evans at Beverly Hilton
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1 – Commentary
Turkey May Fall in its Own Trap
By Taking Genocide Issue to Court

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, California Courier

Exasperated by the international community’s ever-growing acceptance of the
Armenian Genocide, and discouraged by its failed attempts to quash any mention
of this issue, the Turkish government has decided to embark on a bold new
adventure, according to Turkish newspapers last week.
Admitting that Turkey has nothing to show for after spending millions of
dollars on anti-Armenian propaganda, Erdal Safak wrote in Sabah: "Turkey will be
waging a tooth-and-nail struggle in the international arena rather than
exhausting its breath on symposiums that the West doesn’t heed." He went onto state:
"Sources say Turkey is even considering taking the case to the Permanent
Court of Arbitration [the International Court of Justice]."
Acting as if he had just discovered a magic wand, Safak wrote: "We
wholeheartedly support this plan. There is no other way to put an end to the allegations
that bothered us just in April in the past, but recently have been bothering
us from the first day of each year. This is the only way to save our nation
from this huge trauma and the damage caused by the increasing feeling of being
faced with an ‘international conspiracy,’ fanned by new links in the chain of
countries which officially recognize Armenian claims [of genocide]."
The newspaper Hurriyet reported this new initiative under the following
colorful headline: "Ankara is getting ready to say: ‘let’s slug it out.’" Ugur
Ergan, the reporter for Hurriyet, wrote that the Turkish government’s
"Coordination Committee to Fight Against Alleged Genocide Claim" had met onDec. 26, 2006
and decided to change Ankara’s policy on the Armenian Genocide. This Council’s
membership consists of the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice, National
Education, and Culture, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, the Higher
Education Council, and representatives from various universities and organizations.
Stating that "brochures, symposia, and newspaper ads were not giving the
desired result in fighting the genocide claim," the Committee decided to pursue
all legal avenues against the Republic of Armenia as well as the Armenian
Diaspora.
In his remarks in Parliament on Nov. 14, 2006, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
reportedly declared: "Genocide claims can be taken to International Courts.
Work is being carried out along those lines and Turkey’s point of view, being
accurate, should be approved through the decision of an international judicial
body." Gul reportedly discussed the possibility of taking France to the
European Court of Human Rights in order to block a proposed French bill that would
make the denial of the Armenian Genocide a crime.
The article stated that Turkey, after getting advice from domestic and
foreign jurists, would submit the Armenian Genocide case to the International
Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, under the provisions of the U.N.
Genocide Convention of 1948. Turkey and Armenia would supposedly select three
arbitrators each and these arbitrators would then appoint an independent and neutral
president.
Turkish officials propose that all archives, including those belonging to
Turkey, the ARF in Boston, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul, and all
foreign missions that operated in Turkey during the genocide, be compiled. They
suggest that "a wide-scale forensic study" be conducted, in order to determine if
there were any demographic changes and diseases during that period.
According to Hurriyet, after these documents are submitted to the court, the
two sides would present their respective cases and then wait for the court’s
judgment.
The Turkish government, according to this article, believes that the
Armenians "will be cornered" because they will be obliged to prove that in 1915 they
were subjected to genocide. "The Armenians have no documents in their handsto
prove this, whereas there are, in Turkey’s hands, very strong documents
demonstrating that the deportation was justified by legitimate self-defense,"
Hurriyet said.
If this report is accurate, it is simply amazing that the Turkish government
would approach such a serious matter so childishly. To begin with, Turkey
assumes that Armenia would fall for such an obvious ploy. Are Turkish leaders
foolish enough to believe that the Armenian government would accept going to court
in order to prove the genocide? The only reason Armenians would want to go to
court is to demand reparations and the return of the Armenian territories
currently occupied by the Republic of Turkey.
The key issue here is whether Turkey would agree, before the start of the
arbitration, to comply with the eventual decision of the arbitrators and return
all looted assets and occupied territories to Armenians, should the court so
decide. Unless Turkish officials accept this condition, their bluff would be
called long before they can brag about "cornering the Armenians."
I don’t believe the Turks are serious about taking the Armenians to court
over the genocide issue. This Turkish threat is just a public relations ploy in
order to tell the world that they were ready to go to court, but Armenians
refused to do so.
We already have one recent example of Turkey talking tough first and then
quietly eating its words. Several months ago, the Turkish Foreign Minister
pledged to take the issue of the Armenian Genocide to the United Nations. Shortly
after making that statement, the Foreign Minister declared that Turkey would not
go to the U.N., as he was afraid that the Armenian side would win in what he
called a "highly-politicized body."
I will not be surprised if the Turks very shortly also withdraw from this
foolhardy notion, lest they lose not just a court case, but also a large chunk of
territory!

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2 – Kentikian and Alvarez to Meet
In World Title Fight on Feb. 16
By Torben L. of Denmark
CHICAGO – Last week, PRO7 released the news of a new boxing show
"ProSieben Fight Nights" in co-operation with Spotlight Boxing. The launchof the new
show will take place on Feb. 16 at 8.15 pm CET, where one of the main events
will be a fight for the WBA Flyweight Title between Susi Kentikian (14-0-0)
and Carolina Alvarez (8-0-1) of Venezuela.
The show will also include a WBO Intercontinental Middleweight fight between
Spotlight’s Sebastian Zbik vs. Alfonso Mosquera of Panama.
According to the press release, the four young German talents Kentikian,
Zbik, Köber and Tajbert will be the new "boxing" faces of ProSieben with three
shows planned from February to May so far.
The opportunity to appear live on prime time nationwide TV in a World Title
Fight, is no doubt a tremendous encouragement – and well deserved – for young
Kentikian. So far she has been overshadowed by Halmich, Menzer, Graf and Sahin
as far as TV exposure is concerned. Her TVappearances have been limited to a
couple of undercard fights on the German DSF sport channel and a
Intercontinental title fight against Maya Frenzel shown on EUROSPORT.
Despite the lack of TV exposure, the young Armenian has proved her huge
popularity among the German boxing fans recently. She caused an upset, whenshe
overtook both Ina Menzer and Alesia Graf in the 2006 Female Boxer of the Year
poll run by the only German hardcopy boxing magazine "BOXSPORT," and came second
only to Regina Halmich, who won the award for the 5th year running.
A current internet poll on the ZDF website shows a similar picture to the
question "Who will be the successor to Regina Halmich?"
Kentikian leads this poll in a "neck-to-neck" contest with Ina Menzer.
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3 – Univ. of Judaism Presents
Armenian/Jewish Concert
BEL AIR, Calif. — The University of Judaism presents an evening of chamber
and choral music commemorating the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust.
The concert will be held at the Gindi Auditorium of the University of Judaism
in Bel Air, on April 16, at 8 p.m.
Members of the Lark Society¢s Dilijan Chamber Players and The Center for
Jewish Culture and Creativity¢s Synergy Ensemble will combine to perform music
inspired by the 20th C. tragedies of these two communities. Also participating
will be a girls¢ chorus from the Lark¢s outstanding choral training program and
the Chamber Singers from Hamilton High School¢s acclaimed Academy of Music.
Music by the Armenian composers Komitas and Tigran Mansurian and the Jewish
composers Shulamit Ran (Israel/U.S.), Tsippi Fleischer (Israel), Charles
Davidson (U.S.) and Gideon Klein (Terezin Concentration Camp, d. 1944) willbe heard.
Among the contributors to the concert are: Leonard Nimoy, the Sigi Ziering
Institute, the Edmund D. Edelman Foundation for Music and the Performing Arts,
and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
The University of Judaism is located at 15600 Mulholland Dr., at the
intersection of the 405 Fwy. and Mulholland/Skirball Center Dr. in Bel Air.
For further information, contact: Neal Brostoff, (818) 716-6211; Dean Sam
Edelman (CAS), (310) 476-9777.
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4 – Kirazian’s New Armenian Sacred
Music Premieres in San Diego County
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – A new composition of Armenian sacred church music – the
Badarak or Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church – has been written
by San Diego-based composer George Kirazian and premiered by the choral group
Pacific Camerata in San Diego County last month.
In his 12-year labor of love, Kirazian composed his Badarak after years of
musical and liturgical study and church-going, and during his long service in
the choir of St. John Garabed Armenian Church in San Diego. He became
intimately familiar with the Yegmalian and Gomitas-composed Badaraks while singing in
the choir. With love and respect for those versions, he was inspired to
compose a new version of the music, combining both modern sensibilities and
traditional harmonies while retaining the original text. A few of his Sharagans
(hymns) have been performed at St. John Garabed Armenian Church in San Diego. Many
of the Sharagans are dedicated in name to those who served alongside him at
the church and to cherished family members.
A published author and English professor at Grossmont College for nearly 40
years, Kirazian has always dedicated himself to music since studying opera and
literature at New York University as a young student. Kirazian’s music and
spiritual journey in composing this new Badarak were featured previously inthe
publication Hope for the Family, where Kirazian was interviewed by the editor,
Rev. Fr. Stepanos Dingilian.
Selected Sharagans from Kirazian’s Badarak were recently performed by the
professional choral group, Pacific Camerata, at their "Sacred Spaces in Music"
concert, in two locations: St. Rafael Catholic Church in Rancho Bernardo onJan.
7 and the historical Church of St. Philip the Apostle in Lemon Grove on Jan.
12.
Both concerts were attended by an audience of hundreds – non-Armenian and
Armenian listeners alike – who were deeply moved and gave the composition along
period of applause, a standing ovation, and warm comments of support
afterwards. The music, melodically rich, with Armenian/Oriental Orthodox as well as
Western nuances, appealed to listeners of many religious and cultural
backgrounds.
One of San Diego’s premier choral ensembles, Pacific Camerata has been
performing a wide variety of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music in churches and
halls throughout San Diego since 1994. They also performed selections from
the Badarak at the San Diego Museum of Art as part of their annual appearance at
the December Nights Holiday Festival in Balboa Park.
The Pacific Camerata, led by Dan Ratelle, will also be recording a CD of the
Badarak in-studio next month.
For more information, visit , or for performance
inquiries, email lkradjia@san.rr.com
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5 – Fifth Annual Graduate Student Colloquium
In Armenian Studies at UCLA on Feb. 2
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA Armenian Graduate Students Association will host the
Fifth Annual Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies at UCLA on Feb,
2. This day-long academic event will begin at 10 AM, and will be held in Royce
Hall, room 314.
This year the organizing committee has set out to continue the fine tradition
that began in 2003 with the launching of the first-ever international
colloquium in Armenian Studies. UCLA is hosting this event to further foster the
development of Armenian Studies, facilitate interaction between graduate students
and faculty from various institutions, provide a medium for the exchange of
ideas, and contribute to the professional and academic advancement of graduate
students.
Guests will present papers from a variety of fields, including history,
communications, linguistics, literature, and cultural studies. Topics to be
presented are grouped within the following sessions: Sociopolitical Issues Relating
to the Armenian Republic, Armenian Thought and Culture through the Ages, and
Language and Literature. Presenters are graduate students coming from American
and international institutions, such as UCLA, UCSB, the University of Chicago,
and institutions in Armenia, France, Hungary, and Israel.
This year the organizing committee was led by Shushan Karapetian, a graduate
student in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. She was
aided by a number of graduate students from the AGSA, as well as faculty advisor
Dr. Peter Cowe. Graduate students from many disciplines were responsible for
the individual aspects of developing the event.
Armenian Studies at UCLA began in 1960. The discipline was augmented in 1962
with the appointment to the Department of History of Dr. Richard G.
Hovannisian, current holder of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair inModern
Armenian History. In 1965, the fields of Armenian language and literature were
established with the arrival of Dr. Avedis K. Sanjian, who expanded these fields
over the next three decades. The Narekatsi Chair was founded in 1969 through
the efforts of National Association for Armenian Studies and Research. The first
chair-holder was Dr. Sanjian and in the year 2000 Dr. Peter Cowe was
appointed as successor. Dr. Anahid Keshishian is the program’s lecturer of Eastern
Armenian, and Dr. Hagop Kouloujian in Western Armenian. In 1998, Armenian Studies
was officially recognized as an undergraduate minor and currently proposals
are underway to institute a major in the field.
The Graduate Student Colloquium in Armenian Studies is yet another step in
the development of the rich tradition of Armenian Studies at UCLA. Organized by
graduate students, for graduate students, it provides an opportunity for
students to actively and significantly contribute to the academic environment on
campus.
The colloquium is made possible, in part, by the financial contributions ofa
number of departments, programs, and centers at UCLA, including the
departments of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, History, Comparative Literature,
Slavic Languages and Literatures, Art History, the Indo-European
Inter-Departmental Program, the Center of European and Eurasian Studies, the Center for Near
Eastern Studies, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the Center
for Religious Studies, the Graduate Division of UCLA, the friends of Armenian
Studies at UCLA, and the Campus Programming Committee.
The event is free of charge and open to the public.
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6 – Armenians Prepare to Honor
Amb. Evans at Beverly Hilton
LOS ANGELES – In anticipation of the March 4 Gala Banquet to honor Ambassador
John Marshall Evans, the leadership and staff of the USC Institute of
Armenian Studies is hard at work to make this event truly memorable-a fitting tribute
to a morally and professionally exemplary public servant.
The Institute’s Gala Banquet will be held on March 4, starting at 5:30 p.m.
at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, 9876 Wilshire Blvd.
Saluting a person of Ambassador Evans’ moral caliber takes on special meaning
in these days of sorrow as Armenians and all people of goodwill mourn the
violent demise of Hrant Dink in Istanbul. The courage of Ambassador Evans to
speak truth to power in describing the 1915 genocidal cataclysm that befellthe
Armenian people has made him an icon of ethical integrity in today’s world of
doubletalk and moral relativism. On March 4, the Armenian community of Southern
California will come together to express to the Ambassador the heartfelt
gratitude of a people whose experiences of genocide are frequently distorted and
denied.
The 2nd Annual Banquet of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies will be an
occasion of both solemnity and celebration. In recognition of Ambassador John
Evans’ exemplary service to the United States of America and the Armenian
people, a distinguished coterie of nationally prominent individuals has agreed to
serve as honorary chairs of the Gala Banquet.
his group includes: Provost Max Nikias, Dean Peter Starr, Hon. Alice Hill,
Dr. Mihran Agbabian, Dr. Joseph Aoun, Mr. John Bedrosian, Esq., Mr. Gerard L.
Cafesjian, Gov. George Deukmejian, Amb. Edward Djerejian, Sen. Bob Dole, Mr.
Mark Geragos, Esq., Dr. Vartan Gregorian, Dr. J. Michael Hagopian, Mr. Kevork
Hovnanian, Hon. Paul Ignatius, Mr. Vahe Karapetian, Mr. Charlie Keyan, Mr. John
King, Mr. Richard Manoogian, Mr. Paul Orfalea, Mr. Edward Roski, Jr., Ms.
Louise M. Simone, Mr. Joseph Stein, Hon. Dickran Tevrizian, Mr. Jerry Turpanjian,
Mr. Ron Tutor, and Mr. Alex Yemendjian.
For information on sponsorships and reservations, call Savey Tufenkian at
(818) 956-8455, Elizabeth Agbabian (310) 476-5306, Aline Patatian (818) 262-2626,
Hermine Janoyan (818) 388-5918, or the Institute of Armenian Studies (213) at
821-3943.
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