NOBEL LAUREATES CALL FOR TURKISH-ARMENIAN RECONCILIATION

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
April 10 2007

The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Huma-nity (EWF) released an appeal
signed by 53 Nobel Laurates endorsing Turkish-Armenian reconciliation.

The appeal stressed on that the Genocide Conven-tion has never been
applied retroactively and, therefore can not be used as the basis
for reparations or territorial claims.

The appeal called on the Turkish government to end discrimination
against ethnic and religious minorities and abolish Article 301 of
the penal Code, which makes it a criminal offense to denigrate
Turkishness. Laurates also called on Armenia to reverse its
authoritarian course, allow free and fair elections, and respect human
rights. Fifty-three Nobel Laureates, not including Turkish novelist
Orhan Pamuk, who won the last Nobel prize for literature, call peoples
of Turkey and Armenian for tolerance, contact and cooperation. The
appeal urged civil society to advocate steps by the governments of
Turkey and Armenia to overcome distrust and divisions that affect
relations between the two peoples.

Laurates also urged the Turkish Govern-ment and Armenia to open the
Turkish-Armenian border thereby improving economic conditions on
both sides of the border and enabling human interaction, which is
essential for human understanding. They called on the governments to
accelerate bilateral contacts and the establishment of full diplomatic
relations. They also supported practical projects between civil
society representatives that address shared problems. In addition,
the appeal suggested a legal approach to address the gap in national
perceptions over the "Armenian genocide". It also noted that the
Genocide Convention has never been applied retroactively and, therefore
can not be used as the basis for reparations or territorial claims.

[EXCERPTS]

Organized by the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, which was
established after Professor Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Peace in 1986, the appeal of Nobel Laureates calls on Turks and
Armenians to:

* Open the Turkish-Armenian border. An open border would greatly
improve the economic conditions for communities on both sides of the
border and enable human interaction, which is essential for mutual
understanding. Treaties between the two countries recognize existing
borders, call for unhampered travel, trade.

* Generate confidence through civil society cooperation. Turks and
Armeni-ans have been working since 2001 on practical projects that
offer great promise in creatively and constructively dealing with
shared problems. The governments should support such efforts by,
for example, sponsoring academic links between Turkish and Armenian
faculty, as well as student exchanges.

* Improve official contacts. Civil society initiatives would be
enhanced by the governments’ decision to accelerate their bilateral
contacts, devise new frameworks for consultation, and consolidate
relations through additional treaty arrangements and diplomatic
relations.

* Allow basic freedoms. Turkey should end discrimination against ethnic
and religious minorities and abolish Article 301 of the Penal Code,
which makes it a criminal offense to "denigrate Turkishness."

Armenia also should reverse its own authoritarian course, allow free
and fair elections, and respect human rights.

Today’s Zaman Ýstanbul

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress