A1 Plus | 14:07:54 | 24-04-2004 | Social |

GREAT BRITAIN AMBASSADOR IN TSITSERNAKABERD

Some Ambassadors in Armenia including United Kingdom Ambassador Thorda
Abbott-Watt who refuted the fact of the Armenian Genocide have today
visited Tsitsernakaberd.

The Globe And Mail

Why shouldn’t MPs acknowledge genocide?
Saturday, April 24, 2004 – Page A22

COMMENT / EDITORIAL page

The House of Commons has caused a furor by acknowledging, in a free
vote this week, that Armenians were victims of genocide in 1915. The
furor is more telling than the acknowledgment. Realpolitik apparently
dictates that truth does not exist, that each generation lives in a
historical vacuum, and that pondering such issues is a matter best
reserved for artists and historians rather than mere legislators. To
challenge these dictates is to reveal oneself as naive and too
immature for real leadership.

Yet the legislators, who voted 153-68 in favour of a private member’s
bill from the Bloc Québécois, were merely stating a historical
fact. They were not committing Canada to monetary payments. They were
not apologizing on behalf of another generation. They were engaging in
a simple act of memory on behalf of victims who have descendants
living in Canada, an act that is controversial only because of the
Turkish government’s offensive 89-year-long denial.

The genocide of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in Ottoman Turkey was
the first attempt to murder an entire nation in a century riven with
them. It was a blueprint for Hitler. So appalled were Canadians at
the time that they bent their rigid immigration rules and permitted
100 Armenian orphans to come to Georgetown, Ont., and live with farm
families. This uncharacteristic generosity toward allegedly inferior
peoples was dubbed “Canada’s Noble Experiment.” The Georgetown Boys,
as they were known, grew up and became good Canadians who raised
families, paid taxes and voted in elections.

Today’s Canada is a different kind of experiment. It is one in which
all peoples are welcome, not so much for noble reasons as from
enlightened self-interest: Give us your educated, your upwardly
mobile, your ambitious. In such a country, the hard choices of
realpolitik become more difficult than ever. Why? Because Canada, if
it is to succeed as an experiment, must be based on respect for human
rights. And if this diverse country stresses human rights on the
domestic scene, it can hardly deny their value in the larger world.

Prime Minister Paul Martin, in trying to give more power to backbench
MPs, is allowing free votes where confidence in the government is not
at issue. With this freedom comes responsibility. It may be that, in
future, MPs will attempt to go further afield, in ways that might
affect Canada’s legitimate foreign-policy interests.

But in this case, it is hard to see what was irresponsible in this
statement of principle. Genocide is a current issue for a world that
just commemorated the 10th anniversary of the attempted annihilation
of the Tutsi people in Rwanda. Canada has obligations beyond its
borders. It was instrumental in the creation two years ago of the
International Criminal Court.

In spite of scaremongering from some high-powered businesses, it
strains credulity to think that Canadian firms will lose big contracts
or that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s relationship with
Turkey will suffer over the resolution. Should the Canada that risked
its relationship with its closest ally when it spurned the United
States’ call to war in Iraq develop amnesia to avoid reprisals from
Turkey? For the record, the Liberal government of Jean Chrétien said
in 1999 that the tragedy of 1915 “was committed with the intent to
destroy a national group . . .” That is the very definition of
genocide. And Canada’s relationship with Turkey survived.

Human beings are capable of the worst atrocities, but there are always
some who do not forget. No foreign country, ally or not, can deny
Canada the right to bear witness.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

TO THE HONORABLE SPEAKER

AND THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS,

CANADA

Antelias, Lebanon – We were informed by our Prelate Archbishop Khajag
Hagopian that the House of Commons of Canada has adopted a motion
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This courageous act of the
representatives of the people of Canada is the victory of truth over denial
and the restoration of justice for the Armenian people.

As the Spiritual Head of the people who have lived the experience of
Genocide in 1915; and now dispersed all over the world, and as the
Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, I know the profound significance
of such an important decision.

This resolution of the House of Commons was conveyed to us during an
international conference on “Genocide, Impunity and Justice” organized by
our church (22-23 April 2004) in Antelias, Lebanon. At this conference we
stated that any such crime against humanity must not remain unpunished. I
believe that other countries will also follow your example in a world where
peace with justice and meaningful dialogue could be established only when
human rights are fully respected.

On behalf of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia and its worldwide
Dioceses -including that of Canada – our clergy, community leaderships and
people, we would like to express our deep appreciation to the honorable
members of the House of Commons for their courageous decision.

Prayerfully,

ARAM I

CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

The Daily Bruin
April 21, 2004

Armenian Genocide Reveals Lessons for Today
By Garin Hovannisian
Daily Bruin Columnist
[email protected]

On April 24, Armenians around the world will commemorate the darkest
period in their history. Through organized deportations and massacres
of 1.5 million people, over half of the Armenian population was
forcibly removed from its home of 3,000 years.

The crimes began on April 24, 1915 and were continued by successive
Turkish governments until 1923, when the ethnic cleansing of Armenians
in the region was virtually complete.

Today, the Armenian Student Association will join in the commemoration
of these crimes with a silent march across the campus to Bruin
Plaza. There, the group will open an hour-long ceremony, including
poetry, music, recitations and addresses to spread awareness of the
first genocide of the 20th century.

For most participants, the day will be filled with memories of
ancestors and relatives who either died or miraculously survived but
remained scarred for life. Yet the dominant emotion will be a deep
resentment toward the Turkish government and others that continue to
deny the reality of the Armenian Genocide.

The commemoration today and this column are not meant to garner pity
for the suffering of the Armenian people. Even the most sinister of
historic tragedies lose much of their poignancy and impact over
time. What is crucial is that people understand the magnitude and
historic legacy of this precedent-setting event – especially when
their own government does not.

Like most cases of deliberate violence against members of a society,
the Armenian Genocide was executed by the government itself.

On April 24, 1915, several hundred Armenian civic leaders and
intellectuals were arrested in Istanbul, and subsequently exiled and
murdered. While the world was preoccupied with the Great War, the
so-called Young Turk government created its own blueprint of genocide.
First, the young men were drafted and placed into unarmed labor
battalions, where most would be killed. Then, the populations of all
Armenian towns and villages were forced to relinquish any weapons in
brutal arms searches. After the religious and political leaders had
been led away to meet a bloody end, the remaining population – largely
women and children – were placed in caravans of death leading to the
desert wasteland of inner Syria. En route, the caravans practically
melted away under the scorching sun. As women were raped and
tormented, children were kidnapped and forcibly converted as the
elderly died of starvation and dehydration.

The relatively few people who somehow made it to the final
destination, the desert of Deir-el-Zor, were murdered there or burned
alive in their cave-shelters.

In the end, the Armenian nation lost its homeland to a xenophobic
regime that used genocide to achieve its vision of a new regional
order based on one people, one religion, one language and one
identity.

To this day, the Turkish government denies an Armenian Genocide ever
happened. Other governments, including the United States, are
complicit in the cover-up for economic, political and military
reasons. These deniers dismiss a historic happening that stripped an
entire people of its rights, properties and homeland.

They fail to acknowledge the need to face history and engage in acts
of redemption that may lead to reconciliation, or at least
conciliation. They spurn the eminent importance of truth.

What does this mean for you and me in the contemporary world? It means
mass murder has been carried out without repercussions. It means that
even now, our right to life – the most basic of rights – is vulnerable
and should never be taken for granted.

The events of 1915 are not antiquated occurrences of a bygone
era. They were repeated throughout the 20th century by Hitler, by the
Khmer Rouge to the Cambodian people, and through slaughters in Burundi
and Rwanda, among others. The 20th century began and ended with
genocide. All of these mass killings shared important aspects in a
historic pattern scholars and human rights activists are trying to
decode and prevent.

The passionate commitment of individuals and the integrity of
governments is required. Only through recognition can this history be
understood and made meaningful to prevent future crimes against
humanity.

Recognizing, understanding and learning from the Armenian Genocide is
not an end in itself. It is only a means through which we can craft a
free, just and prosperous new century.

On April 24, take a moment to remember the lost Armenians — if not
for the memory of their lives, then for the longevity of our own.

Hovannisian is a first-year history and philosophy student. E-mail him at
[email protected]. Send general comments to
[email protected].

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian envoy hails Armenian authorities’ measures to end protests

Arminfo
21 Apr 04

YEREVAN

Both the Armenian authorities and protesters should be mutually
polite,” the Russian ambassador to Armenia, Anatoliy Dryukov, told
Arminfo, while commenting on the political situation in the country.

He said that it is the authorities’ constitutional duty to maintain
law and order, but the protesters should observe order as well. I can
comment on the situation in Armenia only as a representative of a
foreign country – without any attempt to interfere in the country’s
internal affairs,” the Russian diplomat said.

The current situation is a blow to the Armenian state, Armenian
statehood and to the economic and social development plans that the
Armenian government has announced, the ambassador said.

The political struggle is a usual and normal occurrence in a
democratic state. However, it is normal if the struggle is being
conducted within the framework of the law and the constitution. He
said that no-one is allowed to interpret the laws and the constitution
in their own manner,” the ambassador noted.

“I think the current situation has developed because some people are
trying to interpret the laws and the constitution in their own
manner,” the ambassador said. All this and the fact that people are
suffering are grave consequences. Dryukov believes that the work the
Prosecutor-General’s Office is doing now is an absolutely correct
reaction by the authorities and it is necessary to wait for the
results of the investigation.

Armenian foreign minister wants normalization of ties with Turkey

TRT 2 television, Ankara
24 Apr 04

Armenia wants a dialogue without preconditions with Turkey. Armenian
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan talked to our correspondent Olcay
Kirac in Yerevan.

He said: We want normal relations with all our neighbours. Also with
Azerbaijan, but especially with Turkey. We are going through a period
when there are no important issues between the two countries. There
are certain historical issues between us. We cannot ignore them but we
must be able to put them aside and engage in a normal dialogue between
the two countries. In order to do that, we need good neighbourly
relations. At this stage, I see no reason why our dialogue with our
neighbour Turkey cannot be normalized. We expect the Turkish
government to lift the conditions it has been positing for the
normalization of our relations. We expect that. Let us leave aside the
preconditions and let us sit at the negotiating table. Let us discuss
our bilateral issues, solve them and normalize our relations.

Russian police say skinheads not involved in Kostroma incident

Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow
24 Apr 04

[Presenter] Skinheads have nothing to do with the incident involving
an Armenian boy in Kostroma. Let us recall that several media reports
earlier this week [22 April] said that the boy had been allegedly
attacked by skinheads. An investigation carried out by the Kostroma
police has shown that this was not the case. So the police say. Yuliya
Kosilova has the details.

[Correspondent] The boy sustained injury over a routine prank and
street roughs have nothing to do with that, the Kostroma police said
following the investigation. In reality this is what has
happened. Several teenagers, the Armenian boy among them, decided to
make a bonfire right in the street. Having done so, one of them poured
gasoline onto the fire. Burning splashes hit the Armenian boy’s
clothes and, as a result, he was slightly burnt.

The teenagers obviously got frightened and decided not to tell
grownups about this. That is why they invented the story about the
attack. The deceit was uncovered few days later, after the parents of
the victim went to doctors. Doctors, in their turn, reported the
accident to police. The police started the investigation. The victim
became nervous and came clean.

[Presenter] Earlier, the boy explained his burns by skinheads
splashing some petrol over him and setting him on fire.

US mediator urges Azerbaijan to make concessions on Karabakh

Turan news agency
24 Apr 04

BAKU

The situation requires Azerbaijan to make concessions on a peaceful
settlement to the Karabakh conflict, the US co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group, Steven Mann, said at a meeting with Azerbaijani Defence
Minister Safar Abiyev yesterday.

“If the settlement is delayed for many years, the situation of Armenia
and Azerbaijan will become serious. That’s why the sides should
establish a dialogue and maintain it,” Mann said.

In turn, Abiyev said that the use of double standards in this issue
was inadmissible. Armenia is an aggressor and must be punished. He
cited the examples of Yugoslavia and Iraq where military forces had
been applied. Why are similar things not being done with regard to
Armenia, although there is a relevant legal base for this, Abiyev
added.

Mann recalled that Armenia and Azerbaijan had made a commitment to
peacefully settle the Karabakh conflict. The US position on this issue
is that “the sides should make concessions to each other, which are
acceptable to both sides,” he said.

In turn, Abiyev said that “Azerbaijan will not make any concessions,”
the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry press service reported.

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected] Website;

MARTYRS’ PRAYER AND ECUMENICAL SERVICE IN COMMEMORATION OF VICTIMS OF
THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

On Friday night, 23 April 2004, a Martyrs’ Prayer and Ecumenical
service was held at St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral of the
Canadian Diocese of the Armenian Church in the presence and with the
participation of leaders of Canadian Churches, interfaith
representatives as well as politicians at both Federal and Provincial
levels. Thousands of Montreal Armenians paid tribute to the victims of
the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

The procession was headed by the Primate of the Armenian community of
Canada His Grace Bishop Bagrat Galstanian accompanied with the Primate
and the Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada His
Eminence Archbishop Andrew Hutchison. Present from the Armenian
Apostolic Church were His Eminence Archbishop Barkev Mardirossian
(Primate of the Diocese of Nagorno Karabakh on a visit to Montreal),
Very Reverend Father Ararat Kaltakjian (Vicar General), Rev Father
Hayrig Hovhannisyan, Rev Father Vazgen Boyadjian and Deacon Hagop
Arslanian. From sister churches attending the services were Mgr Joseph
Khoury (Maronite Archbishop and Primate of Montreal), Fr Charbel
Ibrahim (representing Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim), Mgr Dimidar Shumov
(Bishop of the Bulgarian Church), Very Rev Fr Peter Shportun,
(Antiochian Orthodox Church), Mgr Andre Desroches (representing
Cardinal J. C Turcotte), Mr. Cedric Gordon (Moderator, Baptist
Church), Fr Berry Mac (Montreal Presbyterian Church), Father Michel
Fawaz (St Mary Orthodox Antioch), Father Kamil Ishak (Syriac Church),
Rev Fr Raphael Bishara (Coptic Church), Rev Fr Arsanios Serry (Coptic
Church), Rev Fr George Zabarian, (Vicar Armenian Catholic Church), Rev
Mher Khatchikian (Armenian Evangelical Church), Rev Fr Lucien Coutu
(Centre Emmaus), Deacon Antoine Malek, (Coptic Church). Also attending
the ecumenical services were representatives of the Montreal Muslim
community Sayyed Nabil Abbas and Haj Hassan Hamieh.

Bishop Galstanian greeted the present guests, church leaders and
ecumenical representatives as well as politicians and the faithful of
the Armenian Apostolic Church. In his opening remarks, referring to
his feelings in the Canadian Parliament on the day of voting on the
Genocide resolution, the Primate said, “The voice of justice came loud
and clear from the heavens and the earth. The voice of the blood of
our martyrs sounded from heavenly abodes. And I believed, I felt and I
saw in a tangible manner through the tearful eyes around me that the
entire martyred population in Der Zor was there, led by Jesus Christ,
in the parliament of this distant land, Canada. They were each
affirming YES with every positive vote.”

Diocesan Youth council member, Chahe Tanashian read the Message of
Commendation of His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos of All Armenians,
addressed to the Speaker of the House of Commons Hon. Peter
Milliken. The Armenian Pontiff said in His message, “Human suffering
can be stopped through the actions of great men and women such as you,
who help justice to prevail.”

Mr. Diran Avedian addressed the congregation on behalf of the
community organizations and commended the Canadian parliament for
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. He said, “The genocide of the
Armenian people is the only one which has not been acknowledged by the
successor of the government which perpetrated it, and by a number of
well established democracies in the world.” He concluded that Canada
stood up to her reputation of respect to human rights and social
justice, as an example to other countries.

A special ceremony including prayers and hymns of the Armenian
Apostolic Church rituals was assembled for this commemoration day. The
Men’s Choir of St Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Cathedral and Ms
Ani Keropian (soloist) performed heart rendering liturgical songs
conducted by Mr. Varoujan Markarian.

The keynote speaker of the ecumenical service was the Primate and the
Metropolitan of Ecclesiastical Province of Canada His Eminence Abp
Andrew Hutchison. His Eminence lauded the Armenian Church as the most
ancient one in Christendom, and presented an overview of the
historical events of the Armenian Genocide. He then said, “It is
important to remember, because there can be no real hope without
memory; and it is clear that we have not sufficiently remembered, nor
learnt from those dreadful events, nor from the failure of the
community of nations to respond to them appropriately. There can be no
healing, reconciliation and justice for Armenians, if the genocide is
not fully acknowledged, and responsibility for it accepted. Without it
there is no basis for the rebuilding of trust and a more secure future
in the community of nations.”

Ms Aida Karibian then introduced Mr. Yvan Bordeleau, Member of the
National Assembly of Quebec. Mr. Bordeleau has been the moving force
for two decades behind the recognition and eventual legislation by the
Quebec National Assembly of the affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide. The Quebec MNA then addressed the gathering and formally
presented a copy of Law 194 to Bishop Galstanian. This law was
recently passed unanimously by the National Assembly of Quebec.

Among other politicians who addressed the gathering were Members of
Parliament Madeleine Dalfond-Guiral (who had moved the Genocide
resolution M-380 in the Canadian Parliament), Stephan Dion, Eleni
Bakopanos, Sarkis Assadourian, Gilles Duceppe and Senator Shirly
Maheu. Also present at the gathering were Quebec Minister of Justice
Michelle Courchesne, Federal MP Raymonde Folco, Quebec MNA Jaques
Dupuis and many city councilors.

Following an impressive candle light prayer in memory of the 1.5
million victims of the Armenian Genocide, participants to the
commemoration services were hosted to a reception in the Church’s
Marie Manoogian Hall, then everybody was asked to congregate around
the Genocide Memorial in Parc Marcelin Wilson, where a candle light
ceremony for the repose of the souls of the martyrs of the Genocide
was conducted and wreaths and flowers were laid by community
organizations and individuals to respect the memory of victims of
genocide. In a brief addresses, the Primate, Bishop Bagrat Galstanian,
thanked all those who organized the whole event, and praised the
efforts of Hasmig Belleli, Mary Deros and Jack Tchaderdjian, who
several years ago played an instrumental role as members of the
Municipal Council of Montreal in the realization of the Genocide
Memorial. Brief addresses were also delivered by MP’s Bakopanos and
Assadourian, and the closing blessing was delivered by Abp. Barkev
Mardirossian.

DIVAN OF THE DIOCESE

Daily Star, Lebanon
April 24 2004

Students unite to remember the 20th century’s first genocide
Armenian groups mount program to shine light on Atrocity

By Kaelen Wilson-Goldie
Daily Star staff

On April 24, 1915, the Turkish government placed some 200 Armenian
community leaders under arrest in what was known at the time as the
city of Constantinople. According to the Armenian National Institute,
many arrests would follow, as would many forced expulsions and
summary executions.

Eighty-nine years later, Armenians all over the world solemnly
commemorate April 24 as the start of the Armenian genocide, when the
Young Turks killed 1.5 million Armenians. By 1923, the Turks had
succeeded in pushing the rest of the community out of eastern Turkey.

It is a tragedy that has, for decades, fought for the most basic
reaction – the simple act of recognition.

The Armenian genocide is considered the first such atrocity of the
20th century, but since it occurred a good 30 years before the UN
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, getting the
event acknowledged as such has been difficult. Such countries as
Lebanon, France, Greece, Cyprus, Russia, and Argentina have
recognized the genocide, while Turkey has steadfastly refused. As a
result, the commemorations on April 24 tend to carry an activist
cast, part of a longstanding effort to force Turkey’s hand in coming
clean about its history.

This year, for the first time, students from five major Lebanese
universities have joined forces to assemble a two-week program of
events marking April 24. “The Armenian Genocide: 89 Years of Unfolded
Truth” started last week and continues through April 30. It includes
an intelligent mix, from photography exhibitions and slide
projections to academic lectures and several film screenings.

The centerpiece of the program is Atom Egoyan’s critically acclaimed
feature film “Ararat,” which will be shown at the American University
of Beirut (AUB) on Monday and at the Saint Joseph University (USJ) on
Friday.

“‘Ararat’ is very modern,” says Aram Kradjian, a 21-year-old student
at AUB who heads up the Lebanese-Armenian Heritage Club. “It’s not a
typical black-and-white documentary. Going to see it is like going to
the movies normally.”

As such, Kradjian hopes to attract a wider audience to the screenings
than that which might otherwise attend. But balancing the popular
appeal of going to the movies is the academic specificity of
attending a lecture at AUB on Wednesday by philosopher Henry
Theriault.

A professor at Worcester State College in western Massachusetts and
the coordinator of the Center for Human Rights there, Theriault will
deliver a talk on social theory and the denial of genocide. He has
long studied the after effects of genocides, especially on diaspora
populations and in the Armenian case.

The Lebanese-Armenian Heritage Club invited Theriault specifically,
but his lecture fits in well with the week’s events. All told, the
student-run commemoration took almost three months to coordinate. “It
was a big achievement,” says Kradjian. “There are so many different
political parties that Armenians living in Lebanon belong to. Getting
five clubs together is a big deal. And from every club, there are
three representatives who all have different opinions.”

Still, students from AUB, USJ, Haigazian University, Notre Dame
University (NDU), and the Lebanese American University (LAU) managed
to find common ground.

Because AUB has a fairly established network of student clubs and a
method for allocating resources to them, the Lebanese-Armenian
Heritage Club was able to finance about three-quarters of the budget.
NDU, by contrast, established its Armenian Student Association only
quite recently, while LAU just has a loose federation of Armenian
students. Still, the groups pooled their resources and came up with a
diverse program. They also put a strong effort into public relations,
printing 15,000 copies of their well-designed brochures and stickers
and distributing them both through official university channels as
well as by hand.

“Each university has its program and its budget,” says Armig
Vartanian, 20, a law student at USJ who serves as secretary of the
school’s Armenian student association. “Each year when we do this,
students ask about the case. Some students are still indifferent. But
all the clubs help each other out.”

Vartanain points to the strength of the BBC documentary, “Armenia –
The Betrayed,” as a particular highlight of this year’s commemoration
and as an effective means of bringing contemporary relevance to the
nearly 90-year-old tragedy. “That the BBC has given its time to this
issue means a lot to us. Sometimes people say that it has been a long
time, and Turkey still denies it. But this documentary proves” that
the issue still matters.

“Armenia – The Betrayed” first screened on the BBC last January.
Correspondent Fergal Keane looks at how relations between the US and
Turkey, especially in the lead-up to the war in Iraq, have
politicized the issue of recognizing the Armenian genocide. Turkey
has always maintained that the Armenian population that was killed
between 1915 and 1923 died in the context of a civil war and not a
genocide.

But the documentary gives an eye-opening account of both historical
documents supporting systematic extermination as well as insight into
current events, in which Presidents Clinton and Bush were both
apparently pressured to withdraw bills from Congress seeking to
recognize the Armenian genocide because the US did not want to
disrupt diplomatic relations with Turkey at critical moments.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress