Author: Tigranian Ani

Journal of Turkish Weekly
May 3 2005

Swiss Prosecutor: If he comes here without testifying we will arrest
him

Celal OZCAN,
Hurriyet

Swiss prosecutor Andrej Gnehm, who has opened up a case against the
President of the Turkish History Society, Professor Halacoglu, has
said “Let him come and testify. If he doesn’t, the moment Professor
Halacoglu steps into Switzerland, we will arrest him.” Though the
Swiss Ambassador in Ankara, Walter Gyger, has said that no such
arrest would be made, Prosecutor Gnehm has repeated the intent to
arrest Halacoglu if he should so much as set foot in Switzerland.

Gnehm says that Professor Halacoglu’s denial of the Armenian genocide
is on the level of denying the Jewish Holocaust, says he wants to
ask for a 3 year prison sentence for Halacoglu. The speech given by
Halacoglu in which he publicly rejected Armenian claims of genocide was
given on May 2nd, 2004. It was later written about in Swiss newspapers.

According to the 261st amendment to the Swiss Constitution, it is a
crime against humanity to deny or misrepresent genocidal acts. Swiss
prosecutor Gnehm has stressed that the case against Halacoglu is
directly tied to the official recognition of the Armenian genocide
by the Swiss Parliament.

Attempt to get help from Interpol

Prosector Gnehm has apparently attempted to get information about
Professor Halacoglu’s whereabouts through Interpol, but was informed
that there was not enough evidence to warrant an international
arrest. Gnehm is insistent that Halacoglu present himself in
Switzerland for questioning.

3 May 2005

TURKEY FEELS HURT BY SWITZERLAND

Pan Armenian News
03.05.2005 04:29

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The relations between Turkey and Switzerland are
tense again, reported AP/Istanbul. The Zurich Ministry of Justice
investigates a case on suspicion of racism of Turkish historian
Yusuf Galagoghlu. In his report made in Winterthur Swiss city
May 2, 2004 Professor of philological sciences Yusuf Galagoghlu
denied the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The Prosecutor’s Office
of Winterthur started investigation of the Galagoghlu case on
suspicion of racism. The case is now investigated in Zurich. Turkish
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul criticized the actions of the Swiss
authorities. The Turkish FM stated Switzerland has broken European
basic rights. «Only the most totalitarian country could have acted
that way,» he noted. Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink has
also expressed himself on the occasion. «I condemn that decision,»
he noted. The Turkish FM also noted that the Swiss authorities are
making a mistake. It should be noted that the relations between the
two states are complicated due to Switzerland having acknowledged
the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915.

–Boundary_(ID_+7JpTFQITlQelXEMmPWb8w)–

1.6 MLN AMD ($3.6 MLN) CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS PRODUCED IN ARMENIA ON FIRST QUARTER OF 2005

YEREVAN, MAY 2. ARMINFO. The enterprises engaged in production of
construction materials in Armenia manufactured 1.6 mln AMD ($3.6 mln)
production in the first quarter of 2005, which is 18.4% more than
in the same period of 2004. The Ministry for trade and Economic
Development informs ARMINFO.

According to the source, the sales volumes of the construction
materials grew 44.4% totaling 1.8 bln AMD ($3.9 mln). Exports doubled
in the same period of time totaling 1.1 bln AMD ($2.4 mln). The
greatest part of the production and export was the share of cement.
The production volume of the OJSC “Araratcement” in the first quarter
of 2005 as against the same period of 2004 grew 53.8% totaling 1.4 bln
AMD ($3 mln). The sale volumes increased 64.5% making up 1,4 bln AMD,
exports grew 139.1% or to 989.7 mln AMD. The production volumes of
Mika Cement LTD in the period under review decreased 64.2% totaling
143 mln AMD ($312,000). The sales volume decreased 7.9% totaling
340.5 mln AMD, exports – 4.8%, totaling 134 mln AMD.

Eskandarian goes from hero to zero

D.C. United MLS Cup star has no points, little respect

The Kansas City Star
Saturday, April 30, 2005

By PETE GRATHOFF

The last Wizards fans saw of D.C. United forward
Alecko Eskandarian, he had a huge victory cigar in his
right hand.

It was following United’s 3-2 win against the Wizards
in November’s MLS Cup. That’s the same hand
Eskandarian used to swat down a ball off the foot of
Jimmy Conrad and set up his go-ahead goal.

Wizards fans were seething.

Now some D.C. fans have had it with Eskandarian.

The message board at bigsoccer.com was not kind to
Eskandarian following last week’s 4-3 home loss to New
England. Last year’s playoff hero, Eskandarian was
subbed out at the start of the second half after a
tough opening 45 minutes.

It’s been that kind of season for Eskandarian, who has
yet to record even an assist, let alone a goal, for
D.C., 1-2-1.

~SMissed chance after chance,~T wrote one fan. ~SI think
he needs to sit a while.~T

Another wrote, ~SPlease take a spot on the bench Mr.
Eskandarian.~T

Injuries have taken a toll. Just this year Eskandarian
has dealt with a strained MCL in one knee, a strained
groin and then a charley horse forced him from the
game against New England.

Of course, fans don’t want to hear excuses.

~SThat’s something that comes with the sport and the
business,~T Eskandarian said. ~SThat’s something I
learned my rookie year. My rookie year everyone and
their mother was writing me off and telling me that I
was a bust and that I was terrible and that D.C. made
a mistake in drafting me. I heard it all.~T

The No. 1 pick overall in the 2003 SuperDraft,
Eskandarian played 23 games his rookie year but made
just five starts. He finished with three goals and two
assists.

Eskandarian said then-coach Ray Hudson didn’t allow
him an opportunity to show his stuff on the field. But
Hudson was out after that first year, replaced by
Peter Nowak.

It was a breath of fresh air for Eskandarian, who left
D.C. fans breathless. He scored 10 goals in the
regular season, the first United player to do that in
three years.

Eskandarian stepped it up in the playoffs, scoring
four goals in as many games. He tallied twice in
D.C.’s victory in MLS Cup.

~SJust like in any sport, when the playoffs come around
there’s going to be some added urgency and the stakes
are going to be raised,~T he said. ~SI like having that
pressure on me, having that spotlight. When it’s a
situation when somebody needs to step up and change
the game, I want to be that guy. It just so happened
in the finals, I happened to be that guy and it worked
out great for us.~T

Eskandarian’s first goal erased a 1-0 Wizards lead as
he took a pass at the top of the penalty box, muscled
his way past Nick Garcia and hit a left-footed shot
into the upper right-hand corner of the goal. Four
minutes later came the winner after the missed hand
ball. Three minutes after that, Eskandarian’s presence
forced Alex Zontinca into scoring an own goal, and the
Wizards never recovered.

Memories of Eskandarian’s title-game performance have
the Wizards leery heading into today’s game.

~SI think Alecko is a great player and obviously he’s a
little out of form right now,~T said Garcia, who added
that his dad has Eskandarian on his fantasy MLS team.
~SBut I think he adds a lot to D.C.’s lineup anytime
he’s in.~T

While the Wizards are wary, Eskandarian knows there’s
room for improvement.

~SIt kind of (stinks), because I want to live up to the
expectations and be playing at the top of my game, but
regardless of what’s going on, people are always going
to be talking and I can’t let that get to my head,~T he
said. ~SI’ve got to stay on the track I’m going and try
and prove it each game.~T

Even if today isn’t the today he regains his form,
Eskandarian won’t let the naysayers get to him. He
caught a lot of heat as a rookie but found nothing but
love a year ago. He’s confident he’ll turn it around
again.

~SNow I’m able to handle (the criticism) gracefully and
know that comes with the territory,~T Eskandarian said,
~Sand I’m going to have a big smile on my face when I
prove everybody wrong.~T

To reach Pete Grathoff, sports reporter for The Star,
send e-mail to [email protected]

PHOTO CAPTION: Alecko Eskandarian (right), guarded by
the Wizards’ Nick Garcia, scored two goals in D.C.
United’s MLS Cup win.

Mother Earth News
May 2 2005

Gag Writers are Funny People

A PHILOSOPHICAL RAMBLE by Larc Relhok, who still believes most good
Cartoonists are nothing more, nothing less than Gagwriters with one
head.

They really are funny. Particularly when you face the fact that 80%
of all published cartoons are written by them and not the cartoonist.

We inkstained churls can titter all we like – about Gagwriters
thinking themselves more important to Cartoondom than they really are
– but when the batches are ready for mailing, we cannot (dreamers
though we may be) fail to admit a hell of a lot of us would, many
times, be up the Proverbial Creek had we no faithful, talented
Gagwriter to churn up the basic idea or complete idea ready to be
decorated with characterization, perspective and styling.

I say this simply because – in addition to drawing cartoons – I write
cartoon ideas. This makes me a Gagwriter, doesn’t it? It must. I
write ideas for my own drawings. I’ve written them for other, more
proficient artists . . . and I’ve sold typed ideas directly to
various magazines.

Don’t knock Gagwriters to this Gagwriter, boys. I’m too sympathetic
to the breed.

But I must also admit that most Gagwriters are missing the boat in a
very profitable field, and have been missing it for Lo, these long
years. That’s funny too.

Here the magazines are, practically screaming for good, slanted humor
copy (in lengths of 1,500 to 2000 words) for which the editors will
delightedly pay 3¢ to 100¢ a warped adjective . . . and yet the
Gagwriter (as far as I’ve been able to tell) insists upon sticking
solely (or almost solely) to batting out cartoon ideas. Leaving
potential checks of $75 to $200 just laying there . . . in favor of
$2.50 checks for ideas sold through some cartoonist’s medium.

Know what I’d do if I couldn’t draw but had a sense of humor? I’d
find a cartoonist who would be willing to do three line (cartoon)
illustrations, on spec, for me. Then I’d pick a good, middle-market
book and bang out a well slanted humor piece directed to that book’s
readership. After that, I’d tell my illustrator how I wanted the
cartoon-illustrations. And, when the package sold (I’d market both
the illustrations and copy as a package), and I had the check in my
hot little hand, I’d kindly pay off my illustrator to the tune of $5
or $10 per drawing . . . depending upon how much our combined efforts
brought.

Puts the shoe on the other foot, for a pleasant change, eh?

Of course, since I do draw, I’ve been my collaboration team for quite
some time. Books like POPULAR ELECTRONICS, CATS MAGAZINE, SKIN DIVER,
HOT ROD, HOME MOVIES, CAR CRAFT, MOTOR TREND and others pay lovely
checks of $50 to $200 for cartoon illustrated (usually, three
drawings) humor pieces (averaging 1,500 words).

Furthermore, they are happy to get the written humor since nobody
seems to be taking the trouble (this is trouble?) to offer it to
them. A number of editors have told me they see tons of written
jokes, short (200 word) humorous fillers and – of course – the usual
deluge of cartoon roughs . . . but seldom do they find a jazzy, well
slanted humor piece complete with illustrations (thereby saving a
small budget book the cost of “farming out” the art work) in the
slush pile. When they do, occasionally, find one . . . they all cheer
and have an extra martini during lunch.

As far as my cartoon illustrated humor pieces are concerned, I have
experienced damn little difficulty selling them. Naturally, there are
reasons for this. Here are three of them: (1) I usually query the
editor in advance, briefing him on the particular approach or topic I
want to cover, (2) I make it my business to study the book I’m trying
to sell and (3) I always include cartoon illustrations since they
help me sell the script.

Maybe I better say that again, a bit louder: CARTOON ILLUSTRATIONS
WILL HELP SELL ANY WELL SLANTED, REASONABLY WELL WRITTEN HUMOR
SCRIPT.

Occasionally I see a brother cartoonist making a successful stab at
this specialized field . . . and doing very nicely at it. Pete Millar
is one artist whose ability to thrum up a Special Feature utilizing
words and cartoons is sheer pleasure.

There are others who, in addition to hawking their roughs, frequently
have a profitable change of pace into the Humor Piece department . .
but I seldom see a gagwriter hitting the bell. And this worries me..

It worries me because most gagwriters are supposed to be, basically,
Humorists. And if this assumption is true . . . why aren’t they
teaming up with cooperative (Cooperative: Thirty cent Armenian word
meaning, “Hell yes, I’d like to make a little extra gold, dad.”)
cartoonists and storming the Humor Piece field?

Like I say, it frets me. Editors were never more willing to be sold
written humor. Many of them actually offer bonus pay if the writer
will supply regular, monthly offerings slanted to their books. Bonus
pay (in case you’ve never heard of it) is sometimes $20, sometimes
$50, in addition to the regular check at whatever rates the books pay
or the writer (or writer/cartoonist team) can demand.

If you think this all sounds mighty like I’m smoking weird weeds, I
humbly suggest YOU try it and then try bringing me down after the
first three-figure check bruises your mailbox. You may, if you
insist, cable me your love. I dig everybody but ingrates.

And now you’ll excuse me. I have a stack of typers to illustrate,
several typed ideas to send PLAYBOY, another batch to get out for
some cartoony friends . . . and a regular stash of humor copy (I may
illustrate some if it myself) to get out.

Good Lord, there’s almost too much money to be made.

–Boundary_(ID_vhqHuupweyS477PrTV6h/A)–

Zaman, Turkey
April 28 2005

Turkey Issues Russia Diplomatic Notes on So Called Genocide
By Suleyman Kurt
Published: Thursday 28, 2005
zaman.com

The Turkish Foreign Ministry delivered a diplomatic note protesting a
resolution in favor of the alleged Armenian genocide by the Russian
Federation Federal Parliament, the Duma, on April 22.

The Russian Ambassador to Ankara was summoned to the Turkish Ministry
and he was told that the resolution was a very unfortunate one. The
Turkish Ambassador to Moscow, Kurtulus Taskent, on the hand, went to
the Russian Foreign Ministry and protested the resolution. Ankara
declared that instead of supporting Turkey’s positive intentions
regarding the issue, making such a declaration is an unfortunate act
by Russia in terms of restoring good relations. Ankara keeps contacts
with Germany through top-level talks to avoid a similar resolution in
that country. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder will visit Turkey on
May1-2 and objections that would derive from such a resolution will
be raised by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Similar
resolutions by the parliaments of three countries were prevented in
2005. Fifteen countries have approved parliamentary resolutions, many
after 1992 , on the recognition of the genocide allegations so far.

National Review Online, NY
April 29 2005

April Diary
Holding a grudge, the joys of computing, etc.

Holding paper. News item: `Hundreds of Armenian-Americans gathered in
Times Square yesterday to observe the 90th anniversary of the 1915
Armenian Genocide, in which 1.5 million people died at the hands of
the Ottoman Turkish empire. They demanded that the mass
extermination, which they say served as a model for Hitler’s `final
solution,’ finally be acknowledged by Turkey.’

That, as readers of The Corner will know, is called `holding paper.’
The Armenians are certainly entitled to hold paper on the Turks in re
the appalling 1915 massacres, as are the Irish on the British, the
Chinese on the Japanese, and so on. Paper-holding-wise, though, this
is penny-ante stuff. For really tenacious holding of paper, nobody
can come close to the Jews. In the course of an e-conversation on the
topic, Noah Millman sent me this:

Parshat Zachor is read the Sabbath before Purim each year (which this
year is in late March). The section ends as follows: `Deuteronomy
25:17-19 `17. Remember what Amalek did to you by the way, when you
came forth out of Egypt;
`18. How he met you by the way, and struck at your rear, all who were
feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary; and they did not
fear God.

`19. Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest
from all your enemies around, in the land which the Lord your God
gives you for an inheritance to possess, that you shall blot out the
remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget it.’

Amalek was a tribe that dwelt in the Sinai and Negev desert during
Mosaic times (about 3500 years ago according to the traditional
dating). So we’re already talking about holding a grudge for a very,
very long time.

But the interesting thing is that 2000 years ago or so the rabbis
concluded that the mitzvah of wiping the nation of Amalek off the
earth was no longer operative because Amalek no longer existed as
such; all the nations of ancient Canaan were, they said, mixed
together during the Babylonian exile of 2500 years ago, and so now
there was no way to distinguish Amalek from anyone else – or even
from Israel! NONETHELESS, even though it is impossible to perform the
mitzvah, the mitzvah remains, and we are obliged to remember never to
forget to blot out the name of Amalek, because of what they did to us
in the desert.

So the Jews bear the following distinction: We are under a RELIGIOUS
OBLIGATION to hold a 3500 year-old grudge against a group of people
WHO DON’T EVEN EXIST ANYMORE.

Now that is holding paper.

Pan Armenian News

RA FOREIGN MINISTRY: ARMENIAN ARCHIVES OPENED LONG AGO

29.04.2005 05:45

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian archives have already been for a long time
open for all the investigators’, Armenian Foreign Ministry’s Press Secretary
Hamlet Gasparian said when commenting on the statement by Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said, `We are opening our archives. If
you have something to open, do it’. According to H. Gasparian, any pretexts
become unnecessary if there is a real desire and courage to normalize
relations. As the Press Secretary noted, presently many scientists are using
these archives and if the Turkish specialists want to get familiarized with
the documents `they are free to come and see’. `The truth is known to
everyone, let us leave propaganda aside and sit at bargaining table’, Hamlet
Gasparian reiterated.

PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVES US AMBASSADOR TO OSCE

AzerTag
[April 29, 2005, 16:42:53]

On April 29, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received US
Ambassador to the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe
Stephan M. Minikes. They have exchanged views on US-Azerbaijan
cooperation in political, economic, security and energy spheres,
touched on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, and discussed a number of other issues of mutual Interest.

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian

“THE ACADEMIC WAR OVER KARABAGH” IN BOURNOUTIAN SEMINAR AT NAASR

Historian Dr. George A. Bournoutian will offer a special
afternoon seminar on “The Academic War Over Nagorno-Karabagh” on
Saturday, May 14, at the National Association for Armenian Studies and
Research (NAASR) Center, 395 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA. The seminar
will run from 12:30 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. with a period of question and
answer and discussion to follow. The seminar had originally been set
for March 5 but has now been rescheduled.

George Bournoutian is Senior Professor of History at Iona
College. He is the author of numerous books on Armenian history and has
taught Armenian history at Columbia University, Tufts University, New
York University, Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut,
Ramapo College, and Glendale Community College. He is currently
Visiting Professor of Armenian History at Columbia.

Fighting War Turns Into Academic Battle

This seminar will explore the ongoing academic battle over
the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabagh. Although a cease fire has kept
the shooting war between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces quiet for over
a decade, the scholarly skirmishes continue, with Azeri scholars
presenting a version of history that purports to show that the region
has always been Azeri territory. This academic battle has real
political consequences as both sides stake their claim to an area where
much blood has already been shed.

Bournoutian recently published Two Chronicles on the History
of Karabagh, with a major grant from NAASR and other funders, a revised
and substantially expanded version of Bournoutian’s earlier, out of
print History of Qarabagh (1994). The two chronicles in question, Mirza
Jamal Javanshir’s Tarikh-e Karabagh and Mirza Adigözal Beg’s
Karabagh-name, provide a detailed picture of Karabagh in the 18th and
early 19th centuries. The translation of the Tarikh-e Karabagh formed
the basis of his earlier History of Qarabagh, while the Karabagh-name
makes its first appearance in English in the new volume.

Historical Revisionism with Political Impact

Bournoutian writes that “Partisans of both [the Armenian and
Azeri] sides produced polemical studies affirming their historical
claims to the region…. A number of Azerbaijani histories, led by the
late Ziya Buniatov, have gone beyond the bounds of scholarship and have
manipulated the original 19th century Persian texts written by Turkic
Muslims, by expunging most references to Armenia and the Armenians in
the new editions of these works.”

In presenting these unexpurgated translations with
substantial commentary and supplemented with material from three other
sources, Bournoutian is providing a necessary corrective to such
pseudo-scholarly behavior. “Statesmen shall ultimately decide the
validity of Armenian and Azeri claims in Karabagh,” he writes. “In the
meantime, the work of these 19th-century local historians should aid
unbiased historians to sort out the facts.”

With Bournoutian serving as an expert guide, those attending
the seminar will reach a greater understanding of the troubled history
of Nagorno-Karabagh and how the writing of that history has an impact on
the shaping of current and future events.

It is strongly urged that participants register by May 1.

Bournoutian’s book Two Chronicles on the History of Karabagh
is available at the NAASR bookstore and will be on sale the day of the
seminar and available for signing by the author.

The NAASR Center is located near Belmont Center and is
directly opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post
Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in adjacent
areas.