Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
March 9 2007

TURKISH, SWEDISH HISTORIANS TO EXAMINE ALLEGED MASS GRAVES

Ankara, 9 March: The chairman of the Turkish History Society, Yusuf
Halacoglu, said on Friday [9 March] that Armenian historian Ara
Sarafian has sent an e-mail to him noting he would not be able to
participate in joint research studies planned to take place in
Elazig, an eastern city, formerly known as Harput until 1937.

"Sarafian proposed a joint research on claims regarding mass graves
in Harput," Halacoglu told a press conference in Ankara today.

Stating that he was in touch with Sarafian through Internet,
Halacoglu said, however, Sarafian told him in his recent e-mail that
he would not take part in these studies.

"I think there is a report related to me in Agos newspaper
(Turkish-Armenian bilingual weekly) this week. There is an expression
in this report. It says (diaspora harshly reacted against Sarafian).
I think, this report shows why Sarafian renounced," Halacoglu said.

"We are open to dialogue with everyone," said Yusuf Halacoglu. At a
news conference in Ankara, Halacoglu recalled that in response to
allegations that a mass grave in the southeastern town of Nusaybin
belonged to the Armenians and Syriacs, he offered that the grave
could be dig up together with those who made this allegation.

Stating that Prof David Gaunt from Sweden’s Soedertoerns University
College accepted the offer, Halacoglu noted, "We (Gaunt and he) also
agreed to set up an international delegation. I sent an e-mail to
Gaunt yesterday. We are in touch with him."

Halacoglu added that an examination would be conducted in regard to
the alleged mass grave in Nusaybin on 23 and 25 April.