Author: Karagyozian Lena

NAASR ORGANIZED THE EAST COAST PREMIERE OF MICHAEL HAGOPIAN’S "THE RIVER RAN RED"

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.04.2009 01:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The National Association for Armenian Studies and
Research (NAASR) organized the East Coast premiere of Dr. J. Michael
Hagopian’s newest Armenian Genocide documentary, "The River Ran Red,"
which was followed by a panel discussion. The screening and panel
were held at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown.

Panelists included Dr. J. Michael Hagopian; Dr. Bedross Der Matossian,
lecturer in Middle Eastern History at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT); and Dr. Taner Akcam, chair in Armenian Genocide
Studies at Clark University. NAASR director of academic affairs Marc
A. Mamigonian was the moderator.

NAASR board chairperson Nancy R. Kolligian and Mamigonian introduced
the event, with the latter saying of Hagopian’s 60-year documentary
film career, "What he’s done in his career is truly extraordinary."

Taner Akcam spoke next, beginning with the recollection that Hagopian
had interviewed him more than fifteen years ago, and joking that "When
Michael heard a Turk was talking about the Armenian Genocide he said,
‘I have to meet this Turk before something happens to him.’"

He said candidly, "When I watch such movies, I’m always speechless. I
don’t know what to say to that. We here try to comprehend, something
that is incomprehensible. The question is always the same: ‘why?’"

Akcam noted, "The first reason we have to deal with all these genocidal
mass crimes in the past is we have to acknowledge the dignity of
these speakers. We have to respect their life and their legacy."

He said, "Armenia, in order to be safe in the region, they have to have
good relations with Turkey. For that reason, Turkey and Armenia must
heal the past to deal with peace and prosperity as neighboring states."

It is important to continue with the research that is being done,
Akcam stated, because although the "general picture" of the genocide is
understood, "we don’t know how the genocide really developed without
starting from one village and ending in Der Zor or afterwards."

During the question-and-answer period, Hagopian explained that
he has some 400 interviews with survivors including, incredibly,
interviews with survivors of the 1890s massacres and the 1909 Adana
massacres and that he plans to make one more film that uses this
precious footage. He also expressed his pessimism on the prospects
of a major shift in policy regarding genocide recognition under Obama.

OSCE MG REGIONAL VISIT EXPECTED APRIL 20-21

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.04.2009 10:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will arrive
in the region on April 20 or 21, U.S. mediator Matt Bryza told
PanARMENIAN.Net.

During his recent regional visit, French Co-chair Bernard Fassier
said the mediators will arrive in third decade of April. He also
confirmed that Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in May
on the sidelines of Eastern Partnership summit in Prague.

OBAMA WATCHES WORDS IN TURKEY
By Steven Thomma

Monterey County Herald
April 7, 2009 Tuesday
California

ISTANBUL, Turkey The world was simpler when Barack Obama was
campaigning for votes.

Candidate Obama could charge that a country, such as Turkey carried
out a long-ago genocide, wooing votes from the descendants of more
than a million Armenians slain by the Turks, and vowing not to back
down from tough talk if elected.

Now, visiting that same country as president, Obama has changed his
words, if not his worldview.

Courting the Muslim world and a crucial ally in a tinderbox part of
the world, President Obama said Monday that he still held the same
views about what the Turks did to the Armenians.

He carefully avoided using the word genocide, however, and strove
instead to prod the Armenians and the Turks not to mention Armenian
supporters at home to turn away from a painful past and focus instead
on improving relations.

The challenge of fulfilling a campaign promise without offending his
hosts forced Obama to navigate between U.S. politics and international
diplomacy as he wrapped up an eight-day trip to Europe and the doorstep
of Asia that helped punctuate his transition from candidate to world
player, all while remaining ever the politician.

As a presidential candidate, Obama bluntly characterized the deaths
of Armenians here nearly a century ago as genocide. The flash point
is the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the
Turks starting in 1915, as World War I raged and the Ottoman Empire
started to break apart.

Saying the word as president, however, would chill relations and
perhaps even cost support from Turkey, which Obama deems crucial to
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as his broader outreach to
the Muslim world.

"I have not changed views," he said when he was asked about his stance
with Turkish President Abdullah Gul standing beside him earlier Monday
in Ankara.

He didn’t use the word "genocide," however, nor did he repeat the
condemnation he made as a presidential candidate while he was courting
Armenian-Americans.

Speaking later to the Turkish Parliament, he sidestepped the question
of genocide, referring to it only as "the terrible events of 1915."

"While there has been a good deal of commentary about my views, this
is really about how the Turkish and Armenian people deal with the
past," he said. "We have already seen historic and courageous steps
taken by Turkish and Armenian leaders. These contacts hold out the
promise of a new day."

The descendants of the Armenians, many of them in California and
elsewhere around the United States, have long sought a formal
recognition of what they and many historians say was a planned
genocide. A resolution is pending in Congress.

The Turks, however, have called the Armenians victims of a civil war,
and reject the characterization of genocide.

Obama’s refusal to use the word genocide on his visit, as well as his
focus on improving relations between Armenians and Turks, probably
will make it even more difficult for sponsors to win congressional
approval of the resolution calling the deaths a genocide.

"The biggest issue on the U.S.-Turkish agenda … is the
Armenian-genocide resolution," said Bulent Aliriza, the director of
the Turkey Project at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and
International Studies, a national-security research center.

The diplomatic consequences would be significant at a time the United
States is steadily improving relations with Turkey, which blocked
U.S. troops from transiting its territory in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The United States is particularly keen on better relations as it seeks
Turkey’s help in winding down American involvement in Iraq and steps
up the war in Afghanistan.

"None of the areas of cooperation … will materialize if (the genocide
resolution) passes," Aliriza said. "The Turks will undoubtedly
retaliate, and we may go into a deep freeze in the U.S.-Turkish
relationship if it passes."

(END OPTIONAL TRIM)

Obama also used his visit to Turkey, a secular Muslim country, to
reach out.

"The United States is not at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership
with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology
that people of all faiths reject," he told the Turkish Parliament.

He added, however, that he seeks a better relationship with the Muslim
world beyond fighting the al-Qaida terrorist network.

"We will listen carefully, bridge misunderstanding and seek common
ground," he said. "We will be respectful, even when we do not agree."

He also planned to speak directly to people from Turkey and throughout
the region in a televised town-hall meeting in Istanbul.

RICHARD GIRAGOSIAN: ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS AT A TURNING POINT
Nvard Davtyan

"Radiolur"
08.04.2009 17:58

The Armenian-Turkish relations are at a turning point, Richard
Giragosian, Director of the Armenian Center for National and
International Studies (ACNIS), told a press conference today. However,
he predicted that this turn would take place by yearend, not before
or after April 24.

Why is the establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations becoming
possible today? According to ACNIS Director, there are two main
reasons. The first is that Turkey is changing. "We see Turkey
undergoing a very profound internal revolution, where Turkish identity
and the future direction of Turkey are being redefined. In other words,
Turkey has become frustrated with looking to Brussels, and joining the
European Union. Turkey is also redefining its role in the region. The
Turkish effort in the region today is new because it is no longer
meant for the US or to please Brussels," he said.

According to Richard Giragosian, Turkey’s every step towards
rapprochement with Armenia alienates it from Azerbaijan. This is good
for Armenia in the long-term, but the political scientist sees danger
from Azerbaijan in the short-term.

Turning to US President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey, Richard
Giragosian said Obama’s statement was clear. "His position on the
Armenian Issue, as he said, has not changed. But20it is clear that
Turkey is delaying any agreement. Turkey is waiting till after April
24th to have maximum leverage over the Americans. For this reason
we should not expect President Obama to use the genocide word." He
noted, however, that Turkey is moving toward genocide recognition,
but far too slowly.

The next interesting thing, according to Richard Giragosian, was
President Obama’s recent phone call to Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev.

Besides, US Co-Chair of the Minsk Group Matthew Bryza visited Baku
recently.

"The phone call and the visit are both part of the US plan to
put pressure on Baku to allow Armenian-Turkish normalization," he
said. The speaker noted there was interesting distinction between
normalization and reconciliation, "Normalization implies open borders
and diplomatic relations, while reconciliation means coming to terms
with the Genocide.

While I’m confident about normalization, I’m not confident about
reconciliation," Giragosian stated.

MEETING OF US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND ARMENIAN AND TURKISH FMs TAKES PLACE IN ISTANBUL

ARMENPRESS
Apr 7, 2009

YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS: Meeting of the US President Barack
Obama, Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandyan and
Ali Babacan took place April 6 in the evening, in Istanbul spokesman
for the Armenian foreign minister Tigran Balayan told Armenpress,
without unveiling the details of the meeting.

Edward Nalbandyan left for Istanbul to participate in the "Alliance
of Civilizations" 2d forum conducted under the auspices of UN.

Turkish sources report that Obama addressed a message to the
presidents of the two countries calling on them to bring to end
bilateral negotiations directed towards restoration of ties between
the two neighboring countries.

The president addressed his message to personally foreign ministers
of the two countries meeting them in Istanbul in the hall intended
for the conduction of the forum.

International experts describe the step of Barack Obama as "very
serious" and even "historic".

AZERI, ARMENIAN LEADERS MAY MEET IN KARABAKH IN EARLY MAY – U.S. DIPLOMAT

Interfax
April 6 2009
Russia

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan are
likely to hold another round of negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh on the
sidelines of an EU session regarding the Eastern Partnership project
on May 7-8, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Co-Chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza said at a press conference in Baku
on Friday.

Bryza said he hoped Aliyev and Sargsyan would confirm their
participation in this meeting in the near future.

LEGAL ENTITIES PERMITTED NOT TO PAY STATE DUES IN COURTS IN ARMENIA

ARKA
Apr 7, 2009

YEREVAN, April 7. /ARKA/. Armenian Parliament members passed the
amendments to the country’s law about state.

The amendments give individual entrepreneurs and legal entities an
opportunity to get exemption from state due payments.

Armenian Minister of Justice Gevorg Danielyan said that the amendments
invalidate item 4 of article 22 of the law saying that individual
entrepreneurs and legal entities cannot be exempted from state due
payments.

This approach is inadmissible as it is not equal to persons and legal
entities and violates the principle of equality before the law and
the court.

The Minister also pointed out that the mentioned provision is in
conflict with the country’s Code of Civic Procedures envisaging
equality of physical and legal entities before the law.

Currently different amounts of state dues are paid in effecting
various legal operations. Basic amount of the state due is 1,000 Drams
(approx. 3 dollars).

06. April 2009, 10:08 Uhr

STAATSBESUCH IN ANKARA

Obamas heikle Mission bei den Türken

usland/0,1518,617565,00.html

Von Gregor Peter Schmitz, Washington

Schwieriger Abschluss einer Europareise: Bei seinem Trip nach Ankara und
Istanbul muss Barack Obama viele Problemthemen anpacken – die
Iran-Politik, den EU-Beitritt der Türkei, den Armenien-Genozid. Der
US-Präsident ist zwar beliebt bei den Türken, das Ansehen seines Landes
aber auf einem Tiefpunkt.

Das Wei�e Haus plant Reisen des US-Präsidenten gerne bis ins letzte
Detail: Eine sorgfältig aktualisierte Tabelle führt die Tagestermine des
POTUS – President of the United States – minutengenau auf, mitsamt An-
und Abreisezeiten. Auch eine Botschaft des Tages wird jeden Morgen
verabredet, abgestimmt auf den jeweiligen Besuchsort. Für die laufende
Europa-Visite war die Reihenfolge eigentlich klar festgelegt: Erst das
G-20-Treffen in London, danach der Nato-Gipfel in Kehl und StraÃ?burg, am
Wochenende die EU-US-Beratungen in Prag. Zum Abschluss am Montag und
Dienstag die Stippvisite in der Türkei.

Doch dann wurde die ganze schöne Planung plötzlich hinfällig: Die
Regierung in Ankara versuchte auf dem Nato-Gipfel die Wahl des neuen
Generalsekretärs Anders Fogh Rasmussen zu torpedieren. Denn der dänische
Premier habe vor vier Jahren Anti-Islam-Karikaturen in einer Zeitung
seines Landes nicht eindeutig genug verurteilt. Da die Berufung des
neuen Generalsekretärs nur einstimmig getroffen werden kann, drohte im
Bündnis just zum Jubiläum Stillstand. Erst Barack Obamas
Telefondiplomatie – er rief den Regierungschef der Türkei, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, an – sorgte für eine Lösung: Rasmussen wurde doch noch gekürt,
den Türken Gegenleistungen in Aussicht gestellt: angeblich ein
Spitzenposten in der Allianz sowie die Zusage eines Verbotsverfahrens
gegen den PKK-nahen dänischen TV-Sender Roj-TV.

Der Widerstand der Türkei wirbelte Obamas Reisekommunikation also
kräftig durcheinander. Doch dies dürfte dem Präsidenten eher
entgegenkommen, wenn er an diesem Montag in Ankara und am Dienstag in
Istanbul erwartet wird. Immerhin ist der US-Präsident teilweise auf die
türkischen Bedenken gegen Rasmussen eingegangen – was seinen Gastgebern
gefallen sollte. Deren Wohlwollen kann Obama brauchen. Denn die Türkei
ist ein wichtiger strategischer Partner für die USA, weshalb bereits die
Präsidenten Clinton und Bush die EU-Ambitionen Ankaras vehement
unterstützten. Washington sieht das überwiegend muslimische, aber auch
säkulare und demokratische Land als Modell für die islamische Welt an.

Au�erdem ist die Türkei der Nato-Mitgliedstaat mit der zweitgrö�ten
Armee. Allein in Afghanistan sind 1200 Soldaten stationiert. Der
US-Luftwaffenstützpunkt Incirlik im Süden des Landes dient zudem als
Nachschubstätte für Einsätze im Irak und in Afghanistan. Durch ihre Nähe
zu den rohstoffreichen zentralasiatischen Staaten ist die Türkei auch
zum wichtigen Nadelöhr für den Energienachschub avanciert. Und weil
Ankara gute Beziehungen zu Iran unterhält, könnten die Türken bei einem
diplomatischen Neuanfang zwischen Washington und Teheran helfen. Die
türkische Regierung unterstützte bereits die Organisation von Gesprächen
zwischen pakistanischen und afghanischen Spitzenvertretern und die
Verhandlung eines Waffenstillstands im Gaza-Konflikt.

Dementsprechend umfangreich fällt Obamas Besuchsprogramm aus. Der
Präsident wird unter anderem das Mausoleum von Staatsgründer Kemal
Atatürk besuchen, Religionsführer treffen, vor dem türkischen Parlament
eine Rede halten, die berühmte Blaue Moschee in Istanbul besichtigen und
am Dienstag eine Art Sprechstunde mit türkischen Jugendlichen abhalten –
interaktiv und wohl auch per Internet oder Videoübertragung zugänglich.
Mehr als die Hälfte der Türken nennen den Präsidenten in Umfragen den
vertrauenswürdigsten ausländischen Staatsmann – dennoch demonstrierten
vor der Reise Tausende Türken gegen den Staatsbesuch und skandierten
"Wir wollen dich nicht". </politik/ausland/0,1518,617536,00.html>

Es gibt viele Problemfälle für Obama bei seinem Staatsbesuch: Das
Ansehen der USA hat in der Türkei erheblich gelitten, insbesondere durch
die verheerende Irak-Invasion. Zum Zeitpunkt von Obamas Wahl äu�erten
sich nur noch neun Prozent der Türken in Umfragen positiv über den Kurs
Washingtons. Die amerikanische Hilfe für einen türkischen EU-Beitritt
beeindruckt angesichts der schleppenden Fortschritte nur noch wenige
Türken. Ankaras Vermittlerrolle im Nahostkonflikt stö�t an Grenzen:
Premier Erdogan stürmte im Januar auf dem Weltwirtschaftsforum in Davos
wütend aus einer Diskussion mit Israels Präsident Schimon Peres. Zu gro�
war Erdogans Frust über die israelische Gaza-Invasion – daheim wurde er
prompt wie ein Held empfangen.

*Heikelstes Thema: der Genozid an den Armeniern*

Ohnehin wollen sich die Türken nicht auf die Rolle als Brückenbauer
zwischen Ost und West verengen lassen. "Obama darf die Türkei nicht
einfach nur als muslimischen Modellversuch behandeln" sagt Soner
Cagaptay, Türkei-Experte am "Washington Institute for Near East Policy".
Es sei eine gute Idee, das Land gleich nach den Auftritten bei Nato und
der EU zu besuchen – um so seine westliche Anbindung zu unterstreichen.

Am heikelsten dürfte für den Präsidenten aber jede �u�erung zum
armenischen Genozid werden – den Massakern an Hunderttausenden Armeniern
in den letzten Tagen des osmanischen Reiches 1915, welche die meisten
Türken bis heute nicht als Völkermord anerkennen wollen. Obama hat im
Wahlkampf versprochen, die Tötungen offiziell als Genozid zu bezeichnen.
In seinem Team im WeiÃ?en Haus arbeiten Wissenschaftler wie Samantha
Power, die den Pulitzerpreis für ein Buch über die amerikanische Antwort
auf Genozide gewann, in dem auch der Armenier-Völkermord vorkommt. Die
einflussreiche Vertretung armenisch-amerikanischer Gruppen übt viel
Druck auf Obama aus, in diesem Punkt ja nicht zu wanken. Doch ebenso
entschlossen klingt weiter die türkische Rhetorik. Erdogan sprach gerade
erst wieder vom "sogenannten Genozid".

Die türkische Kolumnistin Amberin Zaman skizziert in einem Beitrag für
die Türkei-Schriftenreihe des "German Marshall Fund" freilich einen
möglichen Kompromiss: Im vergangenen Jahr hätten türkische und
armenische Diplomaten mit Hilfe Schweizer Mediatoren ein umfassendes
Abkommen ausgearbeitet, das unter anderem eine historische Aufarbeitung
der Ereignisse von 1915 vorsehe – und den Weg freimache zu einer
Wiederaufnahme der diplomatischen Beziehungen zwischen der Türkei und
Armenien. So könne die Vision eines neuen "goldenen Zeitalters" zwischen
der Türkei und Washington, glaubt Zaman, trotz aller Genoziddebatten
rasch schon Wirklichkeit werden.

STATE COMMITTEE OF REAL ESTATE CADASTRE TO IMPROVE SERVICE QUALITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.04.2009 12:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan attended the
State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre to introduce new chairman
Yervand Zakharyan, reported the press office of the Armenian
government.

Thanking former chairman Manuk Vardanyan for the work carried out,
the head of the Armenian government voiced hope that Mr. Zakharyan
will give a renewed impetus to committee’s activities.

For his part, Mr. Zakharyan remarked that highly skilled specialists
can ensure resolution of existing problems.

Reiten Television KXMB Bismarck
April 5 2009

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, April 14, the 104th day of 2009. There are 261 days
left in the year.

In 1909, Armenians in Adana (AH’-dah-nah) Province in the Ottoman
Empire became targets of violence during an uprising by
counter-revolutionaries seeking to restore Sultan Abdul Hamid II to
power; the number of Armenians killed has been put at up to 30,000.

Today’s Highlight in History: On April 14, 1865, President Abraham
Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth while
attending the comedy "Our American Cousin" at Ford’s Theater in
Washington. (Lincoln died the following morning.)

On this date: In 1759, German-born English composer George Frideric
Handel died in London at age 74.

In 1775, the first American society for the abolition of slavery was
formed in Philadelphia.

In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster’s "American Dictionary of
the English Language" was published.

In 1902, James Cash Penney opened his first store, The Golden Rule, in
Kemmerer, Wyo.

In 1909, Armenians in Adana (AH’-dah-nah) Province in the Ottoman
Empire became targets of violence during an uprising by
counter-revolutionaries seeking to restore Sultan Abdul Hamid II to
power; the number of Armenians killed has been put at up to 30,000.

In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the
North Atlantic and began sinking.

In 1939, the John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was first
published.

In 1949, at the conclusion of the so-called "Wilhelmstrasse Trial," 19
former Nazi Foreign Office officials were sentenced by an American
tribunal in Nuremberg to prison terms ranging from four to 25 years.

In 1956, Ampex Corp. demonstrated the first successful videotape
recorder at the National Association of Radio and Television
Broadcasters Convention in Chicago.

In 1989, former winery worker Ramon Salcido went on a rampage in
Sonoma County, Calif., killing seven people, including his wife and
two of his daughters; he is currently on death row.

Ten years ago: Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr told Congress the
Watergate-era law that gave him the power to probe actions of
executive branch officials was flawed and should be abolished. NATO
mistakenly bombed a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees; Yugoslav
officials said 75 people were killed. British entertainer Anthony
Newley died in Jensen Beach, Fla., at age 67.

Five years ago: In a historic policy shift, President George W.

Bush endorsed Israel’s plan to hold on to part of the West Bank in any
final peace settlement with the Palestinians; he also ruled out
Palestinian refugees returning to Israel, bringing strong criticism
from the Palestinians.

One year ago: Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp.,
announced they were combining. Kidnapped British journalist Richard
Butler was rescued by Iraqi troops from a house in Basra after two
months in captivity. Media billionaire Silvio Berlusconi won a
decisive victory in Italy’s parliamentary election. Carme Chacon was
sworn into office as Spain’s first woman defense minister.

Taylor Swift won video of the year and female video for her smash "Our
Song" while newcomer Kellie Pickler took home three awards during the
Country Music Television awards.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Bradford Dillman is 79. Actor Jay Robinson is
79. Country singer Loretta Lynn is 74. Actress Julie Christie is
69. Former baseball player Pete Rose is 68. Rock musician Ritchie
Blackmore is 64. Actor John Shea is 60. Actor-race car driver Brian
Forster is 49. Actor Brad Garrett is 49. Actor Robert Carlyle is
48. Rock singer-musician John Bell (Widespread Panic) is 47. Actor
Robert Clendenin is 45. Actor Lloyd Owen is 43.

Baseball player Greg Maddux is 43. Rock musician Barrett Martin is
42. Actor Anthony Michael Hall is 41. Actor Adrien Brody is 36.

Classical singer David Miller is 36. Rapper DaBrat is 35. Actor Antwon
Tanner is 34. Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is 32.

Actor-producer Rob McElhenney is 32. Actress Vivien Cardone is 16.

Actress Abigail Breslin is 13.

Thought for Today: "’History repeats itself’ and ‘History never
repeats itself’ are about equally true … We never know enough about
the infinitely complex circumstances of any past event to prophesy the
future by analogy." George Macaulay Trevelyan, English historian
(1876-1962).

(Above Advance for Use Tuesday, April 14)