TURKISH TRANSLATION OF ‘BLUE BOOK’ OUT DESPITE CONTROVERSY

Hurriyet
461.asp?scr=1
June 27 2009
Turkey

ANKARA – The Turkish and uncensored edition of the book "The Treatment
of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, 1915 Ä~^ 1916," which was earlier
criticized by the Turkish authorities for being a wartime fabrication,
has been released in Turkey.

The book, also known as the "Blue Book," was originally published in
1916 in English by the British parliament, and delves into the 1915
and 1916 incidents that resulted in the expulsion of many Armenians
from Anatolia. The central thesis of the book was the argument
that starting in 1915, Armenians were subject to a policy of mass
annihilation in the Ottoman Empire.

The inauguration of the Turkish version of the book was held Friday
in Ankara with the participation of Lord Avebury from the House of
Lords and Ara Sarafian, a British historian of Armenian origin.

"Years ago, the Turkish Parliament demanded from the British side to
withdraw the book but the British parliamentarians asked for dialogue
with the Turkish side on the issue. No response came from Turkish
Parliament. The publication of the Turkish edition of the book is a
milestone in a historical sense for Turkey and I believe a new era
for dialogue will be created after this book," said Avebury.

"The Armenian genocide is the only issue that couldn’t be acknowledged
and solved in the world history but I am sure the book will contribute
to the solution of the issue."

Book creates controversy

The book, compiled by British politician Viscount James Bryce
and historian Arnold Toynbee, has been criticized by the Turkish
authorities for being a compilation based on forged documents. In 2005,
Turkish Parliament likewise sent a petition to the British parliament,
asserting the book was a wartime fabrication and had no supporting
documentation. The publisher, Turkish Pencere Publications, which
published the first Turkish version of the book in 2005, was also
ruled to pay a fine.

Coming to the conclusion that Turkish Parliament was not properly
informed about the book and wasn’t entirely aware of the content
of the book, the British parliament initiated the publication of
its Turkish version and the Gomidas Institute published the Turkish
translation of the uncensored edition of the Blue Book in an effort
to launch a new dialogue process between the sides on the issue.

Sarafian said with the book the Turkish official thesis on the issue
had been opened for discussion.

"The Turkish edition of the book is such an exercise in an effort to
re-engage the Armenian issue within a more democratic and open Turkey,"
he said. "I hope that at least some deputies of the Parliament will
reconsider their collective position on the Blue Book and distance
themselves from it."

The book was also sent to all deputies in Turkish Parliament and the
necessary permission was taken to distribute it to the bookstores
in Turkey.
From: Baghdasarian