From: Sebouh Z Tashjian <sebouhz_tashjian@yahoo.com.au>
Subject: Turkish historian performs publicity stunt on The Armenian Genocide

PanARMENIAN.Net

Turkish historian performs publicity stunt in Armenian Genocide issue
28.05.2008 14:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yusuf Halacoglu, chairman of
Turkey’s state-funded Turkish Historical Society, said
that he had offered Armenians $20 million to open the
ARF archives in Boston which he says include "very
important documents" regarding the Armenian Genocide,
The California Courier reports with a reference to
Hurriyet Turkish daily (May 20, 2008 edition: "Turkey
offers $20 million aid to open Armenian archives.")

Halacoglu said that he made this financial offer after
Armenians allegedly told him that they do not have the
necessary funds to organize these archives. He claimed
that "Armenians do not want to have the archives
opened because such efforts will start a real debate
over the genocide claims." Halacoglu claims that he
had conveyed his offer of $20 million to "two Armenian
historians, Ara Sarafian and Hilmar Kaiser," and had
not received an answer.

-Betraying the depth of his ignorance, Halacoglu
cannot even tell that Hilmar Kaiser is a German and
not an Armenian!- writes Harout Sassunian, The
California Courier editor.

Tatul Sonentz-Papazian, who managed the ARF archives
in Boston until 2000, saying that, contrary to
Halacoglu’s claims, the cataloguing of the ARF
documents through 1925 were completed in 1995. Mr.
Sonentz-Papazian told that Hilmar Kaiser, whom he had
seen as recently as a month ago, did not convey such
an offer from Halacoglu. Ara Sarafian also
contradicted Halacoglu’s claims by telling that he had
not been asked to convey such an offer to the ARF.

"This is obviously a publicity stunt," Sarafian was
quoted as saying. "Halacoglu thrives on such
publicity."