Author: Chavushian

Zaman, Turkey
April 23 2005

Open Border Gates with Armenia

SAHIN ALPAY

We cannot expect the Armenian Diaspora to give up the claim that the
Ottoman Empire committed genocide against its Armenian citizens
during World War I and its efforts to put pressure in Western
parliaments that it is incumbent upon Turkey to recognize this.
Undoubtedly, the unforgettable disaster tens of thousands of Armenian
families experienced as a result of the Union and Progress Party’s
decision in 1915 to deport the Armenians in order to suppress
separatism partly explains for these efforts. The “genocide” claim
has, however, not only played a role in maintaining the Armenian
identity among the Diaspora, it has become a tool that is being used
by various countries against Turkey in the arena of international
politics and in domestic political struggles of certain countries.
What is worse is that the “genocide” label not only triggers ethnic
nationalisms, but also debars the Turkish society from facing the
events that took place between 1915 and 1916.

As it cannot be expected that the Armenian Diaspora will give up the
genocide claim, it can similarly not be expected that the Turkish
public opinion and thus Turkish governments will recognize it.
Because characterizing the tragic events that resulted from
deportation as “genocide committed by Muslims and barbaric Turks
against Christians and civilized Armenians,” and holding the Turkish
Republic and all Turks responsible for this, is unacceptable. All
these are true, but there are certain things the Ankara governments
can do to stop the “Armenian genocide” claim from being used as a
tool against Turkey. It must be evident by now that historians with
varying approaches can shed light on the various aspects of the
events of 1915 – 16, but they cannot solve the problem. The first
thing that Turkey can do is to continue with determination the
reforms towards consolidating a liberal, pluralist democracy at
European Union (EU) standards, without yielding to provocations to
stop them. And thus, to lift all legal and other obstacles to the
free investigation, discussion, and comprehension of the question as
to “What happened in 1915?” And thus, ensure the democratic rights of
all citizens regardless of ethnicity and religion. No kind of
blackmail can work against Turkey when citizens of Armenian origin
proudly embrace their state.

It is time to normalize relations with Armenia. Former Armenian
President Levon Ter-Petrosian, had removed “recognition of genocide”
as a conditions for the normalization of relations between the two
countries. But he could not stay in power when Ankara did not
respond. Nowadays, speakers for the Armenian government are against
stating time and again that the recognition of genocide is not a
condition for the normalization of relations, that the Turkish
Republic cannot be held responsible for crimes committed by the
Ottoman Empire, that the Kars Treaty signed between Turkey and the
Soviet Union in 1921 draws the border line between Turkey and
Armenia, and that Armenia has no territorial claims on Turkey. The UN
Genocide Convention does not in any way cover events that took place
prior to its adoption in 1948. Azerbaijan is currently negotiating
with Armenia to find a solution to problems between the two
countries. Under these conditions, Ankara can take steps to improve
relations with Armenia. The survey conducted for the Turkish Economic
and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) explicitly indicated that the
people of both Turkey and Armenia support the opening of borders and
establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This
will be beneficial to Turkey’s economy at least as much as that of
Armenia. If these steps are taken, Turkey will find important friends
among the Armenian Diaspora and will be able to play a much more
influential in helping Azerbaijan and Armenia to overcome the
problems between them. These steps are also a requirement of the
“zero problem with neighbors” policy that the Justice and Development
Party (AKP) government has pledged to pursue.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is said to have sent a letter to
the Armenian President Robert Kocharian, calling for the
establishment of a joint commission to investigate the events between
1915 and 1916. This is most welcome. But can anyone tell me how can
two countries who do not have diplomatic relations with each other
set up a joint commission?

French and Armenian presidents lay wreath for Armenians massacred in Ottoman Turkey

AP Worldstream
Apr 22, 2005

The French and Armenian presidents laid a wreath Friday at a Paris
monument commemorating the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire.

French President Jacques Chirac welcomed Robert Kocharian of Armenia
at the Elysee Palace with a hug. The two held talks for an hour before
driving to the nearby monument inaugurated in 2003 on the banks of
the Seine River.

This weekend, Armenia marks the 90th anniversary of what it calls the
genocide perpetrated by Turkey between 1915 and 1917, killing up to
1.5 million Armenians. Turkey rejects the claim, saying the number of
deaths is inflated and that the victims were killed in civil unrest
during the collapse of the empire.

The French parliament officially recognized the killings as a genocide
in 2001, one of several moves that strained ties between Paris and
Ankara. Last year, Chirac told Turkey it would have to recognize
the mass killings as genocide if it wanted to become a member of the
European Union, insisting the French would otherwise vote Turkey out
in a referendum.

The Armenian community in Paris hailed Friday’s ceremony as an
“extremely important” gesture recognizing the Armenian genocide,
according to a statement by the Committee for the Defense of the
Armenian Cause.

Armenian foreign minister calls on Turkey to face history

Noyan Tapan news agency
22 Apr 05

Yerevan, 22 April: The Armenians and Turks must together face history
in order to surmount its legacy and accept the past. This was the main
message of the international forum “Ultimate crime, ultimate challenge:
genocide and human rights”, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
has said.

In his concluding remarks, the minister said that a bilateral process
is necessary to that end. The Turks must be able to call a spade
a spade and acknowledge the fact that the 1915 events are called
“genocide”. “This is inevitable and obvious.”

Oskanyan also expressed his surprise at the lack of awareness about
Armenian-Turkish relations even among Turkish journalists. A Turkish
journalist who interviewed him did not know that the Armenian-Turkish
border was open on the Armenian side and that Armenia had no
preconditions for establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey,
Oskanyan said. Acknowledging the genocide is also not a precondition,
the minister said. “We are ready for dialogue with Turkey. We are
neighbours and undoubtedly will continue to live side by side,”
Oskanyan said.

“We want to have open borders, trade, be represented in the capitals
and so on,” he said.

Vardan Oskanyan also recalled another misconception which is widespread
in Turkey – the view that Armenia is against Turkey’s membership of the
European Union. “It is not correct. The best option for Armenia would
be a European Turkey which complies with European standards,” he said.

Sacramento Bee, CA
April 22 2005

A day for Armenians
Remembrance of genocide is signed into law
By Jennifer M. Fitzenberger — Bee Capitol Bureau

They walked 215 miles in the sun, rain and wind to keep alive the
memory of hundreds of thousands of Armenians killed by rulers of the
Ottoman Turkish Empire between 1915 and 1923.

The 20-day journey for 15 Armenian Americans ended Thursday at the
Capitol, where about 1,200 people gathered to thank the Legislature
for supporting a bill to recognize the Armenian genocide on April 24
of each year.

“The younger generation still hasn’t forgotten,” said Vahan Aramian,
20, of Fresno, who took a three-week break from his construction job
to join the March for Humanity from Fresno to Sacramento.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday signed SB 424 by Sen. Chuck
Poochigian, R-Fresno, which cements the remembrance date into state
law. Until now, the Legislature’s recognition had been inconsistent.

“We must recognize crimes against humanity if we are to prevent
them,” Schwarzenegger said in his signing message. “Silence in the
face of genocide effectively encourages those who would commit such
atrocities in the future.”

March organizers said 36 other state legislatures officially
recognize the Armenian genocide. Armenian Americans hope the Bush
administration will follow California, home to about half the
nation’s 900,000 Armenians. The Turkish government – 90 years after
the genocide – doesn’t accept responsibility for the deaths, Armenian
Americans say.

Turkey doesn’t recognize the deaths as genocide and says the toll –
put at 1.5 million by Armenians – was closer to 300,000.

“Justice begins with truth, and truth is being hidden,” said
Poochigian, whose grandparents lost family members during the
genocide. “We stand up to the deniers. We stand up for truth.”

Assemblyman Greg Aghazarian, R-Stockton, said it’s important not to
forget history: “If we do not learn the lessons of the past, we are
destined to repeat them.”

On April 24, 1915, the Armenian leadership in Constantinople
(modern-day Istanbul) and other Armenian centers was executed. The
surviving women, children and elderly were sent on death marches in
the desert.

Participants in the March for Humanity educated people they met along
the way. Some knew nothing of the genocide or Armenian culture.
Others had a skewed understanding.

Most people were supportive. “We did get a lot of honks and
thumbs-up,” said marcher Chris Torossian, 19, of Fresno.

Hundreds of people joined the full-time marchers on parts of the
route. They walked down country roads and slept in churches and
schools.

At the Capitol on Thursday, a crowd cheered for the marchers.
Supporters waved Armenian and American flags and held signs that
said, “We will never forget” and “Remember the Armenian genocide of
1915 R.I.P. 1.5 million.”

“This is a rally in support of all those who seek the truth and all
those who understand that genocide cannot go by with impunity,” said
Steven Dadaian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of
America’s Western region.

“We believe in our roots,” said Avedis Krikorian, 43, of Fresno, who
helped organize the trip.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur – Europadienst
20. April 2005

Turkey disapproves resolution of the Polish parliament’s resolution
over the Armenians

Tuerkei missbilligt Beschluss des polnischen Parlaments zu Armeniern

Ankara

Die Tuerkei hat eine Entschliessung des polnischen Parlaments zu den
Massakern an den Armeniern im Osmanischen Reich “missbilligt und
zurueckgewiesen”. Es sei “verantwortungslos”, die Ereignisse im
Ersten Weltkrieg, die Tuerken und Armeniern grosses Leid zugefuegt
haetten, “zu verdrehen und einseitig als Voelkermord zu bewerten”,
erklaerte das tuerkische Aussenministerium am Mittwoch. Der Beschluss
vom Vortag habe das tuerkische Volk “tief getroffen”.

“Diese Haltung des polnischen Parlaments vertraegt sich nicht mit den
Gefuehlen der Freundschaft, die sich seit fast 800 Jahren zwischen
dem tuerkischen und dem polnischen Volk entwickelt haben”, heisst es
in der Erklaerung. Darin wird auf das Angebot Ankaras an Armenien
verwiesen, die Ereignisse von einer gemeinsamen Historiker-Kommission
aufarbeiten zu lassen. Am kommenden Sonntag (24. April) jaehrt sich
der Beginn der Armenier-Vertreibungen zum 90. Mal. dpa bi xx jf

FEDERATION EURO-ARMENIENNE
pour la Justice et la Démocratie
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel: +32 2 732 70 26
Tel/Fax: +32 2 732 70 27
Email : [email protected]

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
pour diffusion immédiate
21 avril 2005
Contact :Talline Tachdjian
Tel/Fax :+32 2 732 70 27

LA POLOGNE RECONNAIT A SON TOUR LE GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

— Par une résolution du Sejm, sa chambre des représentants, la Pologne
devient le 9ème Etat de l’Union européenne à reconnaître le Génocide des
Arméniens —

Ce 19 avril 2005, le Parlement polonais, le Sejm, a voté une résolution par
laquelle il reconnaît officiellement le Génocide des Arméniens. Cette
résolution, transmise au Sénat pour ratification, fait de la Pologne le 9ème
Etat de l’Union européenne à reconnaître ce génocide, après Chypre, la
Grèce, la Belgique, la Suède, l’Italie, la France, la Slovaquie et les
Pays-Bas. A cette liste il faut rajouter en Europe la Suisse et la Bulgarie
qui ne sont cependant pas membres de l’Union.

Cette résolution présentée par la présidence du Parlement proclame que « Le
Sejm de la République de Pologne rend hommage aux victimes du génocide de la
population arménienne en Turquie pendant la Première Guerre Mondiale. » Elle
ajoute que « la mémoire et la condamnation de ce crime reste une obligation
morale de toute l’Humanité, de tous les Etats, ainsi que de tous les gens de
bonne volonté. »

« Nous saluons cette résolution empreinte de grandeur et de lucidité. A
travers ce vote, c’est son attachement aux valeurs éthiques de l’Union dont
témoigne le peuple de Pologne. Nous lui adressons nos plus vives
félicitations en même temps que nos fraternels remerciements » a déclaré
Hilda Tchoboian, présidente de la Fédération Euro-Arménienne.

« Nous notons qu’avec cette dernière résolution, ce sont 210 des 460
millions d’habitants de l’Union qui demandent directement à la Turquie cette
reconnaissance, et que si demain l’Allemagne vote un texte similaire, ce
seront près de 300 millions d’Européens qui appuieront cette demande. Par
ces résolutions répétées, les Européens réaffirment la résolution de 1987
votée par le Parlement européen ; La Turquie doit maintenant assumer ses
responsabilités par une reconnaissance sincère et explicite du génocide
avant que de postuler à l’Union européenne » a conclu Hilda Tchoboian.

####

–Boundary_(ID_5v6wWT1XvpF7FukLBnx2Mw)–

Süddeutsche Zeitung
18. April 2005

Pride rather than shame:
Why Turkey denies the Armenian Genocide

Stolz statt Scham;
Warum die Türkei den Völkermord an den Armeniern leugnet

Die Türkei, sagt ihr Premier Tayyip Erdogan, könne stolz auf ihre
Geschichte sein. Außenminister Abdullah Gül findet in der Historie
“nichts, wofür wir uns schämen müssten”. So haben es alle Türken im
Schulunterricht gelernt. In keinem türkischen Geschichtsbuch steht,
dass 1915/16 im Osmanischen Reich, auf dessen Ruinen die Türkei
entstand, bis zu 1,5 Millionen Armenier lebten, von denen
Hunderttausende ermordet und in die syrische Wüste getrieben wurden.
“Das haben wir nicht getan”, hört man daher so immer wieder von
Türken aller Couleur, die noch 90 Jahre später den Historikern nicht
glauben wollen, die sagen, die Armenier waren Opfer des ersten
Völkermords im 20. Jahrhundert.

Das Leugnen jeder historischen Verantwortung fiel Ankara lange
leicht, weil das Land auch nach dem Ende des Kalten Krieges in
introvertiertem Zustand verharrte. Nun aber strebt die Türkei in die
EU, und immer mehr europäische Politiker verlangen, dass sie ihre
Europareife durch unverstellten Blick auf die eigene Geschichte
beweist. Zusätzlichen Druck entfaltet die armenische Diaspora, die
den 24. April, den kommenden Sonntag, weltweit als “90. Jahrestag des
Genozids” begehen will. Armenier in den USA drängen Präsident George
W. Bush, in seiner traditionellen Rede zum 24. April erstmals das
Wort “Genozid” zu gebrauchen. In einem Antrag der CDU/CSU für eine
Bundestagsdebatte am Donnerstag kommt der Begriff “Völkermord” zwar
nicht vor. Das Parlament aber dürfte sich einig sein, dass EU-Staaten
sich zu den “dunklen Seiten ihrer nationalen Geschichte bekennen”
müssen, wie die Union fordert.

Der massive Druck auf Ankara zeigt unterschiedliche Wirkung. Die
offizielle Geschichtsstiftung versucht mit hohem propagandistischen
Aufwand die Position zu verteidigen, die Armenier seien in einer
Kriegssituation allenfalls Opfer “von Krankheiten und gegenseitigen
Massakern” geworden. Die Medien aber verschaffen erstmals neuen
Stimmen Gehör, wie dem türkischen Wissenschaftler Halil Berktay, der
offen von einer “ethnischen Säuberung” Anatoliens spricht. Als der
türkische Schriftsteller Orhan Pamuk aber in einem Interview “eine
Million” getötete Armenier beklagte, verbrannten Nationalisten Bücher
des “Nestbeschmutzers”. Öl ins Feuer gossen auch die oppositionellen
Sozialdemokraten, die den US-Historiker Justin McCarthy zum Vortrag
im Parlament einluden. Dort machte er den Türken Angst, sie hätten
bei einer Anerkennung des Völkermords immense Entschädigungen zu
leisten – was juristisch noch längst nicht geklärt ist.

Die etwa 65000 Armenier der Türkei sitzen in der Debatte zwischen
allen Stühlen. Die Diaspora kann nicht verstehen, dass die türkischen
Armenier im Land ihrer Geburt auch ihr Vaterland sehen. Lange wurden
die Armenier am Bosporus als Bürger zweiter Klasse behandelt. Erst
seit kurzem erhält der Chefredakteur der in Istanbul erscheinenden
armenischen Zeitung Agos, Hrant Dink, in türkischen Medien das Wort.
Dink trat nun auch im Europaausschuss des Parlaments in Ankara auf.
Seine Botschaft lautete: Der Deckel über der dunklen Geschichte hat
sich geöffnet. “Er kann nicht mehr geschlossen werden. Eine wirkliche
Demokratie kann sich nicht den Luxus von Tabus leisten.”

Christiane Schlötzer

–Boundary_(ID_hZX959Jc1jQsjj4yYIltTw)–

Agence France Presse
19 avril 2005 mardi 8:32 AM GMT

Candle-lighting on the internet to commemorate the 90th Anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide

Des cierges sur internet pour le 90e anniversaire du génocide
arménien (DOSSIER – PAPIER D’ANGLE)

EREVAN 19 avr 2005

“Chaque jour, pas moins de 3.000 cierges sont allumés sur notre site.
Ce qui montre que les gens ne sont pas indifférents aux malheurs de
notre peuple”, dit Haïk Assatrian, jeune informaticien à l’origine
d’un projet internet créé pour marquer les 90 ans du génocide du
peuple arménien.

“Les informations sur ces évènements tragiques circulent de plus en
plus”, ajoute cet Arménien de 27 ans, employé d’une grande entreprise
française à Erevan après avoir travaillé pour le programme des
Nations unies de développement (Pnud) dans son pays.

Depuis l’ouverture du site candle.direct.am, le 17 mars, plus de
70.000 internautes ont activé un cierge, en majorité depuis les
Etats-Unis, qui devancent l’Arménie et l’Union européenne.

Et Haïk Assatrian espère jusqu’à 200.000 cierges d’ici dimanche, date
officielle choisie pour commémorer le génocide.

Les massacres et les déportations d’Arméniens entre 1915 et 1917 ont
fait 1,5 million de morts selon Erevan, et entre 300.000 et 500.000
morts selon Ankara, qui ne reconnaît pas le génocide en dépit des
appels répétés des autorités arméniennes et de plusieurs pays
européens.

L’informaticien évoque “un million et demi d’oubliés” sur la page
d’accueil de son site qui dénonce “le crime turc du génocide arménien
du 24 avril 1915”.

Une accusation qui lui a valu de voir son site être la proie de
messages peu amènes en provenance de Turquie, mais aussi
d’Azerbaïdjan, pays turcophone voisin avec lequel l’Arménie est en
conflit pour la possession de l’enclave du Nagorny-Karabakh.

“Ils écrivent des choses du genre +Nous aurions mieux fait de les
tuer tous, ils se tairaient aujourd’hui+ ou +Dommage que nous ne vous
ayons pas supprimés de la surface de la Terre+. Le tout accompagné
d’injures”, assure Haïk qui a installé un système de filtres pour
tous les messages envoyés depuis ces deux pays.

Mais tous les messages envoyés de Turquie ne sont pas dans ce ton, et
certains montrent une réelle compassion.

Un certain Orhan Bal écrit ainsi sous l’un des cierges apparaissant
sur le site: “En tant que Turc, j’ai honte de ce qui est arrivé aux
Arméniens en Turquie. Je m’excuse et je demande pardon à tous les
Arméniens”.

De nombreux internautes allumant un cierge virtuel se trouvent en
Israël.

“Ensemble, nous préviendrons un nouveau génocide”, écrit parmi eux
Viktor.

“Les internautes israéliens écrivent qu’indépendamment du fait que
leur gouvernement ne reconnaît toujours pas le génocide arménien, les
juifs comprennent eux la douleur des Arméniens et croient qu’un beau
jour justice sera faite”, ajoute Haïk Assatrian qui n’a lui-même pas
perdu d’aïeuls dans le génocide, mais se sent investi d’un “devoir de
mémoire”.

Le site candle.direct.am sera maintenu jusqu’au 25 avril, lendemain
des principales cérémonies de commémoration. Après quoi, Haïk
Assatrian projette de créer de nouvelles pages consacrées aux “crimes
commis contre d’autres peuples”, et notamment au génocide des juifs
pendants la Seconde guerre mondiale en Europe.

–Boundary_(ID_h/xs5w1O/6prUWbPxz8jZA)–

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

GENOCIDE SCHOLARS CALL ON TURKEY TO
END DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

— ANCA Welcomes Open Letter by Leaders of the
International Association of Genocide Scholars

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
has welcomed an open letter by leaders of the International
Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) calling on Turkey to end
its campaign of denial of the Armenian Genocide and urging the
Turkish government to accept responsibility for this crime against
humanity.

The open letter, dated April 6th and first reported by Bloomberg
News on April 14th, was signed by Robert Robert Melson, the
President of the IAGS; Israel Charny, Vice-President of the
Association, and; New York Times Best-Selling author Peter
Balakian, who holds the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor
of the Humanities at Colgate University. These scholars wrote in
response to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s call for an “impartial
investigation” of the fate of the Armenians in Turkey in 1915.

“We very much appreciate the strong leadership, academic integrity,
and moral clarity of professors Melson, Charney, and Balakian in
challenging Prime Minister Erdogan’s cynical attempt to force an
artificial debate on an issue that is thoroughly documented and
universally accepted – except by the few remaining academic
mercenaries in the service of Turkey’s state-controlled
institutions,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.

Speaking on behalf of the “the major body of scholars who study
genocide in North America and Europe,” the authors of the letter
noted that the “Armenian Genocide is abundantly documented by
thousands of official records of the United States and nations
around the world including Turkey’s wartime allies Germany, Austria
and Hungary, by Ottoman court-martial records, by eyewitness
accounts of missionaries and diplomats, by the testimony of
survivors, and by decades of historical scholarship.”

The letter went on to stress that, “there may be differing
interpretations of genocide – how and why the Armenian Genocide
happened, but to deny its factual and moral reality as genocide is
not to engage in scholarship but in propaganda and efforts to
absolve the perpetrator, blame the victims, and erase the ethical
meaning of this history.”

“We would also note that scholars who advise your government and
who are affiliated in other ways with your state-controlled
institutions are not impartial. Such so-called “scholars” work to
serve the agenda of historical and moral obfuscation when they
advise you and the Turkish Parliament on how to deny the Armenian
Genocide,” the letter continued. “We believe that it is clearly in
the interest of the Turkish people and their future as a proud and
equal participant in international, democratic discourse to
acknowledge the responsibility of a previous government for the
genocide of the Armenian people, just as the German government and
people have done in the case of the Holocaust.”

Commenting on the letter, Hamparian added: “Clearly, the
international pressure is growing on Turkey, and Ankara is finding
itself increasingly isolated in its campaign of genocide denial.
Unfortunately, rather than following the post World War II German
model of accepting responsibility – as suggested in this letter –
the Turkish government has responded, internally, by outlawing
discussion of the Armenian Genocide – through Section 306 of their
new penal code, and, abroad, in the form of aggressive, but
increasingly transparent, efforts to deny the truth, engage in
diversionary tactics, and escape justice for its crime.”

The full text of the letter is provided below.

#####

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GENOCIDE SCHOLARS

President: Robert Melson (USA)
Vice-President: Israel Charny (Israel)
Secretary-Treasurer: Steven Jacobs (USA)

Respond to: Robert Melson, Professor of Political Science Purdue
University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA

April 6, 2005

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
TC Easbakanlik
Bakanlikir
Ankara, Turkey
FAX: 90 312 417 0476

Dear Prime Minister Erdogan:

We are writing you this open letter in response to your call for an
“impartial study by historians” concerning the fate of the Armenian
people in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

We represent the major body of scholars who study genocide in North
America and Europe. We are concerned that in calling for an
impartial study of the Armenian Genocide you may not be fully
aware of the extent of the scholarly and intellectual record on
the Armenian Genocide and how this event conforms to the definition
of the United Nations Genocide Convention. We want to underscore
that it is not just Armenians who are affirming the Armenian
Genocide but it is hundreds of independent scholars, who have no
affiliations with governments, and whose work spans many countries
and nationalities and the course of decades. The scholarly evidence
reveals the following:

On April 24, 1915, under cover of World War I, the Young Turk
government of the Ottoman Empire began a systematic genocide of its
Armenian citizens ~V an unarmed Christian minority population. More
than a million Armenians were exterminated through direct killing,
starvation, torture, and forced death marches. Another million fled
into permanent exile. Thus an ancient civilization was expunged
from its homeland of 2,500 years.

The Armenian Genocide was the most well-known human rights issue of
its time and was reported regularly in newspapers across the United
States and Europe. The Armenian Genocide is abundantly documented
by thousands of official records of the United States and nations
around the world including Turkey’s wartime allies Germany, Austria
and Hungary, by Ottoman court-martial records, by eyewitness
accounts of missionaries and diplomats, by the testimony of
survivors, and by decades of historical scholarship.

The Armenian Genocide is corroborated by the international
scholarly, legal, and human rights community:

1) Polish jurist Raphael Lemkin, when he coined the term genocide
in 1944, cited the Turkish extermination of the Armenians and the
Nazi extermination of the Jews as defining examples of what he
meant by genocide.

2) The killings of the Armenians is genocide as defined by the 1948
United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide.

3) In 1997 the International Association of Genocide Scholars, an
organization of the world’s foremost experts on genocide,
unanimously passed a formal resolution affirming the Armenian
Genocide.

4) 126 leading scholars of the Holocaust including Elie Wiesel and
Yehuda Bauer placed a statement in the New York Times in June 2000
declaring the “incontestable fact of the Armenian Genocide” and
urging western democracies to acknowledge it.

5) The Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide (Jerusalem), the
Institute for the Study of Genocide (NYC) have affirmed the
historical fact of the Armenian Genocide.

6) Leading texts in the international law of genocide such as
William A. Schabas’s Genocide in International Law (Cambridge
University Press, 2000) cite the Armenian Genocide as a precursor
to the Holocaust and as a precedent for the law on crimes against
humanity.

We note that there may be differing interpretations of genocide –
how and why the Armenian Genocide happened, but to deny its factual
and moral reality as genocide is not to engage in scholarship but
in propaganda and efforts to absolve the perpetrator, blame the
victims, and erase the ethical meaning of this history.

We would also note that scholars who advise your government and who
are affiliated in other ways with your state-controlled
institutions are not impartial. Such so-called “scholars” work to
serve the agenda of historical and moral obfuscation when they
advise you and the Turkish Parliament on how to deny the Armenian
Genocide.

We believe that it is clearly in the interest of the Turkish people
and their future as a proud and equal participant in international,
democratic discourse to acknowledge the responsibility of a
previous government for the genocide of the Armenian people, just
as the German government and people have done in the case of the
Holocaust.

Sincerely,

[signed]
Robert Melson
Professor of Political Science
President, International Association of Genocide Scholars

[signed]
Israel Charny
Vice President, International Association of Genocide Scholars
Editor in Chief, Encyclopedia of Genocide

[signed]
Peter Balakian
Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities
Colgate University

Assistance to patients at end of life and detentions in Guantánamo
Bay to be debated at PACE Spring session

Strasbourg, 19.04.2005 – Debates on assistance to patients at end of
life and the lawfulness of detentions by the United States in
Guantánamo Bay as well as the freedom of the press and the working
conditions of journalists in risk zones (*) are among highlights of
the Spring Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe (PACE), which takes place in Strasbourg from 25 to 29 April
2005.

There have also been requests for a current affairs debate on the
European constitutional treaty and an urgent debate on the
constitutional reform process in Armenia.

Luxembourg Prime Minister and EU Council President Jean-Claude
Juncker, Serbia and Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic and Spanish
Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos are due to address the
Assembly.

Other subjects for debate include the need for an international
response to Iran’s nuclear programme, discrimination against women in
the workforce and the workplace and discrimination against women and
girls in sport, which will take place in the presence of Paralympic
swimming champion Béatrice Hess. There will also be a joint debate on
Europe’s growing energy vulnerability and on energy systems and the
environment, with the participation of the Executive Director of the
International Energy Agency Claude Mandil.

Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld, who chairs the
Committee of Ministers, will present the Communication from the
Committee of Ministers to the Assembly.

* * * * *

The following is a provisional order of business with proposed
modifications. The Assembly itself will decide its final order of
business on the first day of the session.

./..

————–

(*) A request has been made for an urgent debate on this subject,
which must be approved by the Assembly at the opening of the session.

Monday 25 April
* Election of Vice-Presidents of the Assembly with respect to Moldova
and Russia
* The rights of children in institutions: follow-up to Recommendation
1601 (2003) of the Parliamentary Assembly

Tuesday 26 April
* Statement by Miguel Angel Moratinos, Minister for Foreign Affairs
and Co-operation of Spain
* Lawfulness of detentions by the United States in Guantánamo Bay
* Address by Svetozar Marovic, President of Serbia and Montenegro
* Joint debate: Europe’s growing energy vulnerability and energy
systems and the environment; statement by Claude Mandil, Executive
Director of the International Energy Agency

* Iran’s nuclear programme: need for international response

Wednesday 27 April
* Election of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights with
respect to Latvia
* Assistance to patients at end of life
* Address by Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg and
President of the Council of the European Union
* Discrimination against women in the workforce and the workplace
* Discrimination against women and girls in sport
* Migration and integration: a challenge and an opportunity for
Europe

Thursday 28 April
* Possible urgent debate
* Communication from the Committee of Ministers to the Parliamentary
Assembly presented by Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Poland and Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers

* Possible current affairs debate
* Protection and assistance for separated children seeking asylum

Friday 29 April
* Referendums: towards good practices in Europe
* Sea pollution

Practical information

René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, will
give a press conference on Monday 25 April at 11 a.m. (Room 1). Other
press conferences will be announced on the spot.

See the Assembly’s website, , for further
details.

Additional information may also be found on the Council of Europe web
portal,

Contact:
Communication Unit of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
Tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93 Fax +33 3 90 21 41 34; e-mail:
[email protected]

Press Release
Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit
Ref: 205a05
Tel: +33 3 88 41 31 93
Fax :+33 3 90 21 41 34
[email protected]
internet:

The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 630 members from the
national parliaments of the 46 member states.
President: René van der Linden (Netherlands, EPP/CD); Secretary
General of the Assembly: Bruno Haller.
Political Groups: SOC (Socialist Group); EPP/CD (Group of the
European People’s Party); LDR (Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’
Group);

EDG (European Democratic Group); UEL (Group of the Unified European
Left).

–Boundary_(ID_Vg1UK/UP4FG85iy/dKZCrQ)–