Author: Kafian Jirair

Hurriyet, Turkey
March 6 2010

Turkish PM criticizes US panel resolution on "genocide"

Saturday, March 6, 2010
ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News

The resolution passed by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US
Congress will not harm Turkey but it may damage to bilateral
relations, said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an on
Saturday.

"Is evaluating history the business of politicians? How many in that
room could point out where Armenia is," said Erdogan during a
Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey, or TUSKON.
"So who won? Did the US win? Did Armenia?" he said reffering to the
outcome of the 23-22 vote of the Committe on Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on
Thursday endorsed a resolution calling for Washington’s recognition of
World War I-era killings of Armenians during the last days of the
Ottoman Empire as `genocide.’ Following the passage of the resolution,
Turkey recalled its ambassador to the US, Namık Tan, for
consultations.

Earthtimes (press release)
March 4 2010

Turkey warns Washington over Armenian resolution

Posted : Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:18:14 GMT By : dpa

Istanbul – Ankara has warned Washington that the passing of a
Congressional resolution recognizing the large-scale massacre of
Armenians during World War I as a "genocide" could harm relations
between Turkey and the United States. The US House of Representatives
Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to vote on the non-binding
resolution Thursday. If it passes, House speak Nancy Pelosi must
decide if it will go to a full vote.

Turkey has dispatched several parliamentarians to Washington to lobby
against the effort and Turkish President Abdullah Gul spoke to his
American counterpart, Barack Obama, yesterday.

Turkish leaders have warned that the bill’s passing could lead to a
rupture in relations with Washington and could harm an already
endangered reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia.

"Turkish-US relations are experiencing their most successful period in
history," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday. "I
hope that they will not be damaged by such initiatives."

Previous efforts to pass similar bills were stopped, mostly due to
concerns in Washington over the fallout to relations with Turkey. When
a House committee passed a genocide resolution in 2007, Ankara
temporarily recalled its ambassador to Washington.

Armenians contend that up to 1.5 million of their own were
systematically killed by the Ottoman Turks during World War I. Turkey
has long denied the genocide claim, saying the number of Armenians
killed is much lower and that the deaths were the result of violent
turbulence that also affected other groups at the time.

Read more: ,tur key-warns-washington-over-armenian-resolution.html #ixzz0hEyJKH0n

Today, Azerbaijan
March 5 2010

Syrian-Turkish inter-parliamentary group head: U.S. Congress acts
based on its own interests

05 March 2010 [22:55] – Today.Az

Committee on foreign affairs of the U.S. Congress adopted the
resolution on "Armenian genocide" based on American interests in
foreign policy, head of the Syrian-Turkish Inter-Parliamentary Group
Ismet Mahalli said.

Obtaining the support of the Armenian lobby in future elections is one
of these interests, the Syrian MP said.

U.S. House of Representatives committee on foreign affairs adopted the
resolution recognizing the so-called "Armenian genocide." Resolution
was adopted with 23 pros and 22 cons of congressmen.

Armenia and Armenian lobby claims that the Ottoman Empire committed
genocide against Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915. Making greater
efforts to promote the issue internationally, Armenians have achieved
its recognition by parliaments of some countries.

The Turkish government, describing the adoption of the resolution as a
blow to Turkish-American relations, called on Armenia to open all
archives and negotiate face-to-face, but not through pressure of
Congress.

"The U.S. is acting in accordance with its interests and domestic
politics, and in this case Congress committee has decided to get the
support of the Armenian lobby," Mahalli said.

The Syrian MP also believes that the information about the presence of
Armenians’ mass burial on Syrian territory, who were killed during the
events of 1915, is just a statement.

"I also come from Aleppo, where Armenians were resettled most of all,
but I have never heard about the existence of Armenians’ mass burial.
It is only a statement [of the Armenian side]," said Mahalli.

Earlier, Syrian Information Minister Muhsin Bilal denied the approval
of the American TV channel that there is mass burial of Armenians in
the territory of the Syrian province Deir Zuvr.

Under the influence of the Armenian diasporas, the American CBS
television channel has demonstrated frames, which as though recorded
"mass burial" in Syria, Russian office of TRT reported.

"This information does not correspond to reality. If we knew about
their purposes, we would not permit to shoot," said the Syrian
minister, commenting on the frames of the American TV channel.

/Trend News/

URL:

TURKEY PRESSES OBAMA AHEAD OF ARMENIA GENOCIDE VOTE

Agence France Presse
March 4 2010

Turkey on Thursday pressured the United States to block a bill
branding the massacres of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide so
as to avoid damage to strategic ties between the two allies.

As a key US congressional committee prepared to vote on the symbolic
bill, President Abdullah Gul called his US counterpart Barack Obama
and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu delivered a final warning for
lawmakers to vote "no".

"Turkish US ties are going through a very important phase in which
they need strategic cooperation at the highest level in their history,"
Davutoglu said here Thursday.

"Everyone should keep in mind the comprehensive framework of Turkish-US
ties and the potential they have in contributing to global and regional
peace," he added.

Gul held a telephone conversation with Obama late Wednesday that
focused on "issues concerning bilateral ties and regional affairs",
a presidential aide told AFP.

The Hurriyet daily said Gul urged the US leader to use his influence
to block the resolution, warning that its adoption would hurt ties
between the two NATO allies.

The US committee will vote on the resolution Thursday and approval
would send the bill to the full House for consideration.

The non-binding resolution calls on Obama to ensure that US foreign
policy reflects an understanding of the "genocide" and to label the
World War I killings as such in his annual statement on the issue.

Ankara has warned the bill would also undermine bridge-building efforts
with Yerevan, which have already hit snags as both countries charge
that the other is not truly committed to reconciliation.

"We have taken very important steps for comprehensive normalization
in the Caucasus. It is necessary to avoid risking these efforts,"
Davutoglu said.

The minister did not say what Turkey would do if the bill were adopted,
but a Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
"all options are on the table", including recalling the ambassador.

In 2007, Ankara summoned its envoy back to Ankara when the committee
passed a similar text. Former US president George W. Bush stopped
the resolution from going to the full house, wary over reports that
Ankara would block US access to a key air base essential for Iraq
and Afghanistan operations.

Turkish lawmakers who went to Washington this week to lobby US
congressmen said they expected a close vote this time.

"If we fail to block (the bill) at the committee, we will stop it
from going to the House," one of the lawmakers, Suat Kiniklioglu, said.

Washington has traditionally condemned the 1915-1918 mass killings,
but refrained from dubbing them a "genocide", wary not to strain
relations with a key Muslim ally.

Obama pledged during his election campaign to recognise the massacres
as genocide, but refrained from using the term in his message last
year to commemorate the killings.

During a visit to Turkey in April, Obama said he retained his view
that the killings amounted to genocide but stressed that reconciliation
between the two neighbours was more important.

Turkey and Armenia signed a deal in October to establish diplomatic
relations and open their border.

But the process has hit the rocks, with Ankara accusing Yerevan of
trying to tweak the terms of the deal and Yerevan charging that Ankara
is not committed on ratifying the accord.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were killed during World
War I as the Ottoman Empire fell apart, a claim supported by several
other countries.

Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that 300,000-500,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in what was a civil strife.

US VOTE ATTACKS TURKEY ‘GENOCIDE’

BBC NEWS
mericas/8550765.stm
2010/03/04 20:56:01 GMT

A US congressional panel has described the killing of Armenians by
Turkish forces during World War I as genocide, despite White House
objections.

The resolution was narrowly approved by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee.

The administration had warned the panel that the vote would harm
reconciliation talks between Turkey and Armenia.

It is unclear whether the non-binding resolution will now go forward
to the full House but it is fiercely opposed by Turkey, a key ally
of the US.

It was approved by 23 votes to 22 by the committee.

In 2007, a similar resolution passed the committee stage, but was
shelved before a House vote after pressure from the George W Bush
administration.

Turkey had warned of consequences for US-Turkey ties if the latest
resolution was passed.

WHITE HOUSE BREAKS SILENCE, OBAMA’S POSITION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMAINS UNCHANGED

Noyan Tapan
March 4, 2010

WASHINGTON, MARCH 4, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The United States
are in favor of fair recognition of facts. The White House National
Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer declared this in an interview
with TRT Channel. When the Turkish journalist asked him why until now
the White House has not broken the silence on the Armenian Genocide
resolution, Mike Hammer replied that in his message on 24 April 2009,
President Obama clearly presented his position on the 1915 events, and
that position did not change. The White House representtaive said: We
are in favor of fair recognition of facts. We continue to believe that
the best way to achive this goal is to discuss the events of the past
in parallel with efforts on normalization of relations of the Armenian
and Turkish nations, and we will continue to support these efforts.

Tert.am reported that this statement made on the eve of the vote
on the Genocide resolution was considered by the Turkish press as
"shocking". To recap, a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
H.Res 252, at the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, is scheduled
for March 4.

House panel recommends calling 1915 Armenian killings ‘genocide’
CNN.com
March 4, 2010 5:38 p.m. EST

NEW: Turkey orders its ambassador to the United States home for "consultation"
NEW: Armenia’s foreign minister says his country highly appreciates committee’s vote

Measure, which Turkey vehemently opposes, passes 23-22, will now go to
full House Turkey officially denies genocide took place in last days
of crumbling Ottoman Empire

Washington (CNN) — The House Foreign Affairs Committee narrowly
passed a measure Thursday recommending that the United States
recognize the 1915 killings of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as
genocide.

The measure passed 23-22 and will now head to the full House.

In response, Turkey ordered its ambassador to the United States home
for "consultation," foreign ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin told
CNN.

The nearly century-old issue has placed Congress and the White House
in the middle of a political minefield, balancing moral considerations
with domestic and international concerns.

The Obama administration had urged the House Foreign Affairs Committee
not to pass the resolution, warning it could damage U.S.-Turkish
relations and jeopardize efforts to normalize relations between Turkey
and its neighbor Armenia. The two do not share formal diplomatic
relations.

"We are concerned that the possible action … would … impede the
positive momentum that we see in the Turkey-Armenia normalization
process," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters ahead
of the vote.

He added that the United States was concerned about the effect the
vote could potentially have on U.S.-Turkish relations. Turkey, among
other things, is considered a strong American ally and is home to a
critical U.S. air base.

This is another proof of the devotion of the American people to
universal human values. …
–Edward Nalbandian, Armenia’s foreign minister

Armenia’s foreign minister, Edward Nalbandian, said his country highly
appreciates the committee’s vote. "This is another proof of the
devotion of the American people to universal human values and is an
important step toward the prevention of the crimes against humanity,"
he said. The Armenian National Committee of America said the passage
of the measure shows that "Turkey doesn’t get a vote or a veto in the
U.S. Congress."

Turkish officials vehemently opposed the measure.

"Turkey is saddened by the bill that has been accepted in the Foreign
Affairs Committee today," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s Web site said.

"We condemn this bill that accuses the Turkish nation of a crime it
has not committed. The people who support this bill have adopted a
wrong and unfair attitude, ignoring the differences of opinion of
expert historians and historical facts. The bill has been prepared
with tangible historical mistakes regarding the 1915 incidents and
with a completely subjective attitude," the statement said.

A Turkish foreign ministry spokesman recently issued a public warning
that passage of a resolution labeling the World War I killings as
genocide "would harm U.S.-Turkish relations." Turkish officials have
also warned that passing the resolution could hurt a historic
agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia,
and reopening their long-closed border.

"It would harm the normalization process," spokesman Ozugergin
said. "And it is wrong. The substance is also wrong."

Turkey officially denies a genocide took place in the last days of the
crumbling Ottoman Empire. Ankara instead says that Muslim Turks and
Christian Armenians massacred each other on the killing fields of
World War I.

Historians have extensively documented the Ottoman military’s forced
death march of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Armenians into the
Syrian desert in 1915. Every April 24, Armenians worldwide observe a
day for those killed.

We condemn this bill that accuses the Turkish nation of a crime it has not
committed.
–Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Web site

The killings decimated the Armenian population in what is modern-day
eastern Turkey.

The government in the Armenian capital of Yerevan and influential
Armenian diaspora groups have been urging countries around the world
to formally label the events of 1915 "genocide."

"I don’t pretend to be a professional historian," Foreign Affairs
Committee Chairman Howard Berman, D-California, said ahead of the
vote. "But the vast majority of experts … agree that the tragic
massacres of the Armenians constitute genocide."

Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, acknowledged that Turkey is an
"important, strong [and] necessary ally of the United States." But
"overriding all of that," he said, "is the issue of justice and the
issue of history. … History has to be righted."

Opponents of the resolution had expressed sympathy toward the victims
of the 1915 killings but said current political concerns took
priority.

Rep. Mike Pence, R-Indiana, praised the committee’s "sincere effort"
to illuminate "a dark chapter in history" but said the committee
should not pass the measure.

"I do not minimize the horror that took place," he said. But "now is
not the time for this committee of the American Congress to take up
the measure that is now before us."

Turkey is a strategic partner of U.S. efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan,
Pence said.

Furthermore, the logistical support provided by the U.S. base in
Incirlik, Turkey, is a "staple" of American power in the Middle East,
he said. "In a time of war," the United States should not "take the
relationship [with Turkey] for granted."

Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Virginia, said Congress should not do anything
to undermine the Turkish government, which is a "secular alternative
model for the Muslim world."

"I hate this vote," he said. "The United States has a great deal at
stake in the Turkish relationship," and passing the resolution would
jeopardize that relationship. Congress shouldn’t "pontificate on this
issue" and then pretend "there will be no consequences," he said.

Last year, the foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia signed a series
of protocols aimed at establishing embassies in Ankara and
Yerevan. The U.S.-, European- and Russian-backed agreement also called
for the creation of an international committee of historians to
examine archives and "restore mutual confidence between the two
nations."

In October 2009, Armenia’s president traveled to Turkey to attend a
historic soccer match between the two countries’ national
teams. Despite this round of "football diplomacy," the diplomatic
overture between the two capitals has slowed in recent months.

In 2007, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a previous
resolution recognizing the Armenian "genocide." The Turkish government
protested by temporarily recalling its ambassador from Washington.

The resolution did not make it to the House floor.

CNN’s Ivan Watson, Elise Labott and Alan Silverleib contributed to
this report.

PRESS RELEASE
Institute of Armenian Studies
University of Southern California
Taper Hall of Humanities, Suite 252
Los Angeles, California 90089-4015
Tel: 213-821-3943
Email: [email protected]

USC Institute of Armenian Studies

Invites you to

The Armenian Book Club

Poetry of the Early 20th Century

Led by
Vatche Mankerian
Program Manager of the Institute

Special Guest
Tamar M. Boyadjian
PhD Candidate, Department of Comparative Literature, UCLA

Tamar M. Boyadjian received her B.A. in English literature in 2002 from
UCLA and M.A. in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures from the same
institution in 2006. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of
Comparative Literature at UCLA, and her dissertation focuses on the
representation of the city of Jerusalem in early crusading chronicles and
literature. She is currently a Research Assistant for the Center for
Medieval and Renaissance Studies at UCLA and is also responsible for the
cataloging of newly acquired Latin manuscripts for the Special Collections
division of the Young Research library. She has taught a number of writing
composition and literature courses for a variety of departments, and has
published a number of articles in scholarly journals, and creative works
in various publications. Her research interests include studies of the
genre of the lament, questions of east and west in medieval literature,
Mongols and their relations to both east and west, monarchy and royalty in
medieval cultures, and comparative paleography and codicology.

Wednesday, March 10
Noon
Taper Hall 271

Topic: Vahan Tekeyan

R.S.V.P. [email protected]

The Book Club will meet every other Wednesday in the Spring 2010
Semester:
February 10: Siamanto and Daniel Varujan
February 24: Avetik Isahakian and Vahan Terian
March 10: Vahan Tekeyan
March 24: Hovhannes Toumanian
April 7: Zabel Asatur and Zabel Yesayan

The Book Club is open to anyone interested in reading Literature in
Western and Eastern Armenian.
The objective of The Book Club is to provide a forum for those wishing to
read Armenian but do not have the time,
converse and communicate in the Armenian language, and to assess student
interest in taking Armenian language courses at USC.

ARMENIA: YEREVAN AND WASHINGTON ENGAGE IN SNOWBOARDING DIPLOMACY

ews/articles/eav030410.shtml
3/04/10

The White House has sent two high-profile American freestyle
snowboarders as emissaries to Armenia, the US State Department has
announced.

Amber Stackhouse, 30, and Erin Comstock, 32, have been dispatched as
athletic envoys by the State Department. Their mission in Armenia is to
"engage . . . youth in a dialogue on the importance of an education,
positive health practices and respect for diversity," according to
the State Department.

During their March 3-7 stay in Armenia, the pair will visit the
capital, Yerevan, and the ski resort of Tsaghkadzor, where they
will demonstrate their skills, conduct clinics and judge a snowboard
cross event, a competition in which groups of snowboarders race along
a course.

The two envoys’ athletic accomplishments include Comstock’s 2008
win in the Abominable Snow Jam contest, a summer invitational at
Mt. Hood, Oregon, and Stackhouse’s first-place finish in the 2003
American Snowboard Tour. Both snowboarders have film experience,
the State Department noted in its news release. Neither competed at
the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

AZERBAIJAN – TURKEY’S TROUBLE

os17026.html
13:43:58 – 03/03/2010

The NA Member of Parliament, the famous member of the Social-democratic
Hnchakyan party Vardan Khachatryan, dwelling on the regional
developments, said that his main worry is the Turkish direction
with which it moves forward its demand to determine the Armenian and
Turkish process by the Karabakh issue.

Vardan Khachatryan says that he had the opportunity to exchange words
with the Speaker of the Turkish parliament who said that the Turkish
parliament can postpone the discussion of a question, including the
Armenian and Turkish protocols, appeared in the parliament by ten
months. Vardan Khachatryan noted that Turkey will probably choose the
version of protracting because sharp refusal does not stem from the
interests of that country because it needs 47 million of assistance
for several branches of the economy not to break down. Under such
conditions, according to Khachatryan, international pressure on Turkey
may be unbearable and Turkey will not refuse sharply for the tension
not to increase.

Vardan Khachatryan notes that the opinion of the experts that Turkey
is currently leading an "Ottoman policy" of evasion is true.

Vardan Khachatryan noted that Armenia does not have to enhance its
efforts in connection with the Karabakh issue because so it can take
the process closer to the Armenian and Turkish one which will enhance
the pressure on Armenia. Khachatryan said that maybe Azerbaijan is
good to make bellicose statements because the international society
does not perceive the force solution of the conflict.

The NA member also noted that Turkey cannot come out of the Azerbaijani
pressure because this country is the key of geopolitical significance
of Turkey. If this influence lacks, Turkey will not have a big
political value in the international sphere, thinks Vardan Khachatryan.