Author: Harut Sassounian

Sassounian’s column of Oct. 11, 2012 (Part II)

Two Congressmen Battle

Over Armenian-American Votes

This is the second part of the debate between two Democratic Congressmen, Howard Berman and Brad Sherman, held at the Ferrahian School’s Avedissian Hall in Encino, California, on Sept. 29. The debate was organized by the Armenian National Committee of America, Western Region.

Cong. Sherman: “We need to recognize the Genocide not only for Armenia, not only for America, but the Turkish state will never be a modern state until it comes to grip with its own history.” Criticizing US governments’ reluctance to use the term Armenian Genocide, Cong. Sherman asked: “What kind of superpower cowers before history? What kind of superpower worries about Turkish threats? Dozens of parliaments around this world have recognized the Genocide. It is about time for Congress to have the same level of courage!”

In response to a question on what the two Congressmen would do to encourage America’s allies such as Israel to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Cong. Berman stated that “it is audacious for a country that itself hasn’t recognized the Armenian Genocide, to start telling other countries what they should be doing. So number one: get this [genocide] resolution passed, and push and persuade the Executive Branch to support what the Congress has done, and then you do want to make it into an international consensus. But, we are not effectively going to tell a government that they should do something that we haven’t yet done. …”

Cong. Sherman: “I’m proud that Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, recognizes the Armenian genocide; proud that the Holocaust Museum in Washington does the same. We need to recognize the Armenian genocide at the U.S. government level, but I for one have the chutzpah to urge my Israeli friends to do it even before we do it. And the politics in Israel are a little different. Here, there is still this mirage that somehow Turkey is the critical American ally. In Israel, that same mirage was more or less shattered recently, and so we may indeed find that Israel is able to beat the United States in recognizing the first genocide of the 20^th century. And given the history of Israel and the history of the Jewish people, I think it’s an important thing to do. So I for one don’t believe we should wait to urge Israel to move forward, but we should be inspired to move forward ourselves as quickly as possible.”

Panelist Harut Sassounian: “I would like to clarify something for the record based on the answers that you both gave. Before we give any wiggle room for Israel to wait for us to pronounce judgment on this issue, I think we would do well to remember that in 1975 and in 1984, twice, the House of Representatives, the full House, adopted resolutions recognizing the Armenian genocide. So Israel doesn’t have to wait for the US to do it first. We’ve already done it twice, so they can do it once at least, in the meantime.”

Cong. Berman: “For historical reasons Israel should do it, particularly Israel, should do it.”

Cong. Sherman: Israel is going to recognize the Armenian Genocide “because it is the moral and right thing to do and because the historical record is there.”

In response to a question on whether the United States should stop paying rent to the Turkish government for the Airbase in Incirlik, Turkey — located on occupied Armenian territories — and pay that money to the heirs of original Armenian owners, Cong. Sherman stated: “I look forward to developing a foreign policy where we are less dependent upon the use of bases in Turkey, because I’ve seen them try to lobby the Pentagon, to lobby Congress not to recognize the Genocide on the theory that, ‘oh, you need our bases.’ We can and should work with our other southeast Asian NATO allies to have a basing structure that does not require us to be paying rent to the Turkish state. …However, as long as our base is on that land, that becomes an excellent argument for additional aid to the Armenian state because we’re on that territory.”

Cong. Berman: “…One of the arguments made in Congress against the genocide resolution is ‘Oh the Turks will kick us out of Incirlik.’ The Turks have no intention of kicking us out of Incirlik. They want us there; they’re desperate to have us there. This is a smokescreen. This is an argument that people who are fronting for the Turkish position use to scare Congress into thinking there’ll be great dangers to our national security.”

(to be continued)

October 9, 2012
Two L.A.-Area Congressmen In Heated Debate over Armenian Issues

Cong. Howard Berman and Cong. Brad Sherman, both serving on the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee, are forced to run against each other in the November 6 elections, because of redistricting. The two congressmen are both Democrats, Jewish Americans, and both consistently supportive of Armenian issues. Voters of the 30th congressional district have a difficult choice in this hotly contested congressional race!

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region hosted a public debate at the Ferrahian School’s Avedissian Hall in Encino on Sept. 29, giving the congressmen an opportunity to present their views on Armenian issues to Armenian-Americans voters. ANCA co-chair Nora Hovsepian delivered the welcoming remarks, followed by moderator Zanku Armenian who introduced the two candidates.

The debate got heated right from the start when Cong. Sherman pointed out that while he has been exclusively a member of the Armenian Caucus, Cong. Berman has been a member of both the Turkish and Armenian Caucuses in Congress.

Cong. Berman countered stating: “for nearly three decades of service in the Congress, I have been an ardent, consistent, and outspoken advocate for the Armenian Cause. I worked persistently to achieve US recognition of the Armenian Genocide. As Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I led the successful effort to win that recognition at the Committee level.” He went on to affirm that it would be his priority to have the House recognize the Armenian Genocide before its 100th anniversary, and he would personally urge Pres. Obama to keep his pledge on the Genocide. The failure to recognize the Genocide is “a huge moral stain on this great nation’s record,” Cong. Berman stated. He then proudly announced: “I halted the transfer of sensitive arms to Azerbaijan because I grew sick and tired of Azerbaijan’s arms build up and bellicose rhetoric. Just this week, I wrote a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about one of the most disgusting actions any world leader has taken within memory — I am talking about Pres. Aliyev’s decision to pardon an Azerbaijani axe-murderer who was serving a life sentence for killing an innocent Armenian soldier in his sleep…. I asked Secretary Clinton that first, all of NATO condemns Aliyev’s action, and secondly, that Azerbaijan is suspended from all future NATO-sponsored activities.”

In response to questions from panelists Harut Sassounian, publisher of The California Courier, and Ara Khachatourian, English editor of Asbarez, the congressmen addressed US recognition of the Armenian Genocide, reparations from Turkey, Israel’s refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide, protection of Armenian communities in Syria and Georgia, payment of rent for US air base in Incirlik, Turkey to Armenian owners of that land, return of churches in Turkey to Christian communities, Israeli arms sales to Azerbaijan, US aid to Karabagh (Artsakh), Azerbaijan’s and Hungary’s culpability in releasing the Azeri axe-murderer, independence of Artsakh, US trade agreements with Armenia, and Turkish Gulen charter schools in the United States. Below are excerpts from their remarks:

Cong. Berman: “Turkey has to understand that they have to come to terms with their own history. I am Jewish. The notion that in order to avoid hurting sensibilities, we do not acknowledge the historical truth of the Genocide, to me, is a horrible stain on our country.”

Cong. Sherman: “Genocide denial is the last step in genocide; and the first step in the next genocide. That’s why, it is critical that America recognize the first genocide of the 20th century. I will work … as many years as it takes, but hopefully as quickly as possible, to get Congress to recognize the Genocide. … It is time to put pressure on the administration, especially in the next 38 days, to turn to both candidates for president and get a clear statement from them. … We should know what they are going to do next April.”

Cong. Berman criticized Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for having referred to the Armenian Genocide as an “historical debate.” He stated: “No one in the Congress makes the case that the Genocide didn’t happen. They may argue ‘oh, we can’t hurt our relationship with Turkey’ or may be they’re close to some people who are representing Turkey … but nowhere do I hear now, like I used to hear, ‘this is an historical debate.’ … It is very disappointing when the leadership of our country goes back to raising that issue…. This happened. It has to be acknowledged. The Germans acknowledged it, and particularly for somebody who is Jewish, the notion that you can get away with denying this or try to fuzz it up as a historically debatable point, is in a very fundamental sense wrong.”

(to be continued)

October 2, 2012
Azeri and Turkish-American Groups Denigrate US-Armenian Executive

Four Azeri and Turkish-American organizations launched a coordinated anti-Armenian campaign last week, attacking the integrity of Mark Hoplamazian, Chief Executive Officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, in order to intimidate him and other Armenian-American executives.

In a letter to Thomas Pritzker, Executive Chairman of Hyatt Board of Directors, leaders of the Assembly of Turkish-American Associations (ATAA), Azerbaijani-American Council (AAC), Federation of Turkish-American Associations (FTAA), and Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) accused Hoplamazian of involvement in “ethnic propaganda campaigns.”

The Azeri and Turkish groups attacked Hoplamazian for speaking at the Sept. 22 banquet of “the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), an Armenian-American lobbying group, as a Hyatt executive.” They also expressed their unhappiness that he “serves on the Advisory Board of ‘Facing History and Ourselves,’ a non-profit group that ‘teaches about the Armenian genocide.’”

The four Turkic organizations claimed that “Mr. Hoplamazian’s engagement with ethnic special interest groups that spread antagonisms against Turkey and Azerbaijan may be in violation of the Conflicts of Interest clause of Hyatt’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.” However, a review of the hotel chain’s Code, posted on its website, does not provide the slightest hint that the Hyatt executive violated any of its provisions.

In their letter, the Azeri and Turkish groups made a series of malicious statements by referring to the Armenian Genocide as an “allegation” and “World War I-era inter-communal atrocities.” They falsely alleged that these “atrocities” were “never tried in any tribunal and no intent to exterminate Armenians was ever established. No sentences or court verdicts were issued in terms of the 1948 United Nations Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.”

By making such ridiculous claims, the leaders of these Turkic organizations simply exposed their ignorance of the basic facts of the Armenian Genocide. They conveniently forgot about the Turkish Military Tribunals of 1919 that sentenced the Turkish ringleaders of the Armenian Genocide to death. US, Swiss, and Argentinean Federal Courts have also reaffirmed the veracity of the Armenian Genocide. Furthermore, the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities adopted in 1985 a report classifying the Armenian Genocide as an example of genocide.

The Azeri and Turkish groups also claimed that they represent “over half million Americans of Turkic descent.” This cannot be true simply because there aren’t that many Turkic people living in the United States, according to the latest US census. Even if there were half a million Turkic Americans, it is highly doubtful if all of them would have given their consent to be represented by these organizations for such absurd misadventures. Most probably, these four groups altogether have a tiny fraction of the constituencies they claim!

Clearly, the faulty statements and silly accusations of these Turkic groups are intended to intimidate Hoplamazian and force him to disengage from any involvement in Armenian or genocide-related issues. More ominously, by targeting and making an example of the Hyatt CEO, Azeri and Turkish groups hope to discourage other Armenian-American executives from pursuing similar activities.

In their joint letter, the Azeri and Turkish groups have indirectly threatened Hyatt’s corporate interests by indicating that the company “currently runs a total of four successful hotels in Istanbul, Turkey, and Baku, Azerbaijan.” One wonders if the governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey have authorized these two-bit groups to speak on their behalf. Moreover, do these organizations realize that they are undermining the business interests of their native countries by foolishly threatening a global corporation like Hyatt?

It would be highly regrettable if the unwise Azeri and Turkish campaign against prominent Armenian-American executives would start an undesirable chain of events that could lead the Armenian community to take counter-actions against successful Turkish-American businessmen, such as Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of Coca Cola Company.

The Azeri-Turkish letter is highly unlikely to bring any tangible benefits to these groups, as Hyatt’s Board of Directors would most probably dismiss their baseless allegations. More importantly, such a racist assault on the integrity of an exemplary Armenian-American executive would energize Armenians on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the Genocide to pursue more vigorously their just demands from both Turkey and Azerbaijan!

Lastly, it is outrageous that these Azeri and Turkish groupings kept totally silent when an Azeri officer axed to death a sleeping Armenian in Budapest, but are now alarmed when an Armenian-American CEO exercises his right to free speech in Beverly Hills!

September 25, 2012
Anti-American Protests Triggered by Bad Movie or Bad Policy?

An amateurish US film mocking the Prophet Muhammad and denigrating Islam unleashed massive and violent anti-American protests throughout the world last week.

The angry demonstrations turned deadly when unknown assailants attacked the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three staff members. Security forces in several countries killed dozens of protesters as they burned American flags and scaled the walls of US Embassies.

Pouring more oil on the fire, initial reports falsely claimed that the movie was produced and financed by Israelis. In fact, it was produced in Southern California by a Christian Egyptian convict whose film was severely denounced by Bishop Serapion of the Coptic Church in Los Angeles.

The real issue, however, goes beyond the vile movie and its reckless producer. The film simply served as a pretext for protesters to express their pent up anti-American anger after decades of flawed and counter-productive US foreign policies — none of which justifies the killing of American diplomats and attacks on US Embassies.

The list of serious missteps by successive US administrations is lengthy enough to fill many volumes. Whether it is called Arab Spring or Winter of Discontent, the down-trodden masses of third world countries have finally erupted in anti-American rage, having long-endured oppressive tyrants backed by Washington. To achieve short-term and shortsighted objectives, American policymakers often damage US interests in the long run.

Another regrettable US mistake is pouring billions of dollars into the pockets of corrupt foreign leaders, to prop up puppet regimes and buy their friendship. Unfortunately, very little of this US largesse has trickled down to the poor and needy. Ultimately, the masses overthrow the autocrats and take their anger on the nearest US target — the American Embassy and the flag which symbolizes to them oppression and misery.

Lengthy congressional hearings are then held in Washington, as legislators wonder why so many foreign leaders have become anti-American and what their corrupt predecessors have done with billions of dollars in US foreign aid? Instead of taking steps to ensure that the assistance provided by the United States reaches the neediest segments of society, Congress often threatens to cut off all aid to teach the new leaders a lesson, thereby antagonizing them even more!

Most problematic is the risky role the United States plays in regional conflicts. Due to misperceived interests, American officials too often throw their weight around, rushing headlong into unnecessary wars or taking one-sided positions, whereas a more balanced approach would be more productive in peacefully mediating these conflicts.

Caution is particularly necessary during an election year, when US presidential candidates make overly partisan statements to pander to the interests of diverse constituencies. A careless remark can have far-reaching consequences, tarnishing America’s image and alienating millions of people around the world.

Most Arabs and Muslims are convinced that America has not been an honest broker in the Arab-Israeli conflict. As a result, they harbor great resentment and deep-seated anger toward the United States. Any provocation, such as burning the Koran or making anti-Muslim movies, triggers a violent reaction. While US laws protect even the vilest forms of speech, people must realize that words have consequences; and just because it is legal to say something, it may not be prudent to do so!

However, in all fairness, not every hostile act in the world should be blamed on US foreign policies. There are extremists in every race, religion, and nation motivated by hostile ideologies with the sole aim of causing indiscriminate destruction. Regrettably, Western governments and societies often mistakenly blame everyone who shares the racial and religious affiliation of few extremists, thereby antagonizing millions of peaceful citizens.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of learned scholars in academia and experts in governmental agencies who can advise and educate US leaders, many lacking basic knowledge of world affairs. A case in point is a conversation Pres. George W. Bush had with three Iraqi-Americans. When the President was informed about the existence of different Islamic sects in Iraq, he reportedly told his guests that he did not know there were Sunnis and Shias in that country. “I thought the Iraqis were Muslims,” he was quoted as saying!

While bad movies can trigger short-term outbreaks of violence, bad foreign policies can cause long-term damage to US national interests.

September 18, 2012
French-Armenians Should Welcome Aliyev in Paris as ‘Chief Hatchet Man’

When Pres. Ilham Aliyev arrives in Paris on September 18, thousands of French-Armenians should greet Azerbaijan’s leader with posters depicting him as ‘Hatchet Man-in-Chief’ — ‘Bash Baltaji’ — holding a bloody axe. Interestingly, in all three languages — Azeri, Hungarian, and Turkish — ‘balta’ means hatchet or axe.

During the protest, French-Armenians should not waste their energies yelling out meaningless slogans, such as ‘Shame on Baku’ or ‘Shame on Hungary.’ Instead, they should deliver the crucial message that Artsakh (Karabagh) be recognized as an independent state, because its Armenian population cannot survive under a despotic regime that glorifies axe-wielding murderers.

Inadvertently, Hungary and Azerbaijan have done a huge favor for Armenians in extraditing and pardoning Lieutenant Ramil Safarov who bludgeoned to death his sleeping Armenian classmate, at a 2004 NATO course in Budapest. Numerous countries and international organizations have condemned Hungary and Azerbaijan for their unsavory actions. Armenians should capitalize on this sordid affair by holding demonstrations in every major city around the world, raising it in every international meeting, and filing lawsuits in European courts against Hungary, Azerbaijan, and NATO. Now that the axe-man’s release has generated worldwide sympathy for Armenians and clear antipathy for Azerbaijanis, Armenia should take advantage of this narrow and fleeting window of opportunity to recognize Artsakh’s independence and urge others to follow suit. A search on google reveals that over one million articles were written on this subject in the last 10 days, the overwhelming majority favoring Armenia and criticizing Azerbaijan.

Armenians should explain to the world the futility of holding peace negotiations with Azeri leaders who treat international agreements as toilet paper! The most recent example is the August 15 letter of Azerbaijan’s Deputy Justice Minister to his Hungarian counterpart, assuring him that Safarov would not be released, if extradited to Baku. Two weeks later, the axe-man was not only freed, but promoted and rewarded by the ‘Chief Baltaji,’ who is taking his cues from Turkish leaders on glorifying criminals and treating protocols as meaningless pieces of paper!

Turkish officials, however, are not too anxious to link their names to the odious behavior of Aliyev Junior. A spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming that Turkey had nothing to do with Safarov’s extradition from Hungary, despite the murderer’s expression of gratitude for Turkey’s support, after his arrival in Baku. Independently of its accuracy, the Turkish statement does confirm that Azerbaijan is isolated from the rest of the world and abandoned by the major powers — the United States, Russia and France — all of which have condemned Safarov’s release!

In desperation, Azerbaijan’s intelligence services concocted a fake ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia) letter that threatens Azeri officials, so that Aliyev can regain the sympathy of world public opinion. The forged letter included statements that no Armenian would make, such as claiming that only 600,000 Armenians were killed during the Genocide, a false figure circulated by denialist Turks and Azeris. No Armenian would ever minimize the enormous death toll from 1.5 million to 600,000! In response to this forgery, ASALA issued a statement rejecting the authenticity of the letter. Such fraudulent Azeri actions give credibility to rumors that Azerbaijan may consider ‘eliminating Safarov,’ its ‘national hero,’ in order to blame Armenians for his murder!

Ironically, Armenia defeated Hungary last Sunday to win the World Chess Championship held in Istanbul. Azerbaijan was in 10th place, while Turkey came in 48th. Armenians should be genuinely proud of this incredible accomplishment (for the third time!), but they should refrain from making disparaging remarks about people in other countries. There are good and bad individuals in every nationality. Rather than harboring ill feelings toward the people of Hungary, Azerbaijan or Turkey, Armenians should confront those who deny the Armenian Genocide, extradite a convicted criminal or glorify an axe-murderer!

Tomris Azeri, President of Azerbaijan Society of America and co-founder of Pax Turcica Institute, suggested in an interview posted on News.az that rather than criticizing Turkey, I should help resolve the Artsakh conflict! Ms. Azeri stated: “I sincerely wish that before authoring another Turcophobic ode, Mr. Harut Sassounian analyzes what can be done to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.” My advice to Ms. Azeri is not to deny past crimes, not to commit new ones — with or without an axe — and then pursue peaceful solutions, rather than whipping up racist anti-Armenian mass hysteria by the ‘Bash Baltaji’ and his cohorts.

September 11, 2012
Hungarian/Azeri Scandal Vindicates Artsakh’s Quest for Independence

Armenians worldwide are outraged by Pres. Aliyev’s pardon following the Hungarian government’s release of Ramil Safarov — an axe-wielding Azeri Lieutenant who hacked to death Armenian officer Gurgen Margarian in his sleep, while attending a 2004 NATO course in Budapest.

One is at a loss to decide which country should be blamed more for this scandalous and shameful affair — Hungary or Azerbaijan? Part of the blame should also go to the international community for ignoring the repeated protestations of Karabagh (Artsakh) Armenians that they never again could live under the repressive rule of Azerbaijan.

When Safarov committed his barbaric act in 2004, Azeris celebrated his cowardly crime and sang his praises. Since then, Azerbaijan did everything possible to induce the Hungarian government to release the axe-man from prison, while Armenian officials sought to ensure that Safarov serves his life-sentence.

Hungary’s leaders repeatedly assured Armenia that the Azeri prisoner would not be released, despite Azerbaijan’s relentless pressures. Yet, on August 31, 2012, without any prior notice, the Hungarian authorities broke their solemn pledge by sending Safarov to Baku.

Why this sudden turn of events? The likely explanation may be found in a brief news item released by Bloomberg a week earlier: “Azerbaijan is in talks with Hungary to buy as much as three billion euros worth of government debt…. The debt, which may be sold in Turkey at the request of Azerbaijan and denominated in Turkish lira, may be sold prior to Hungary coming to an agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a backstop…. Azerbaijan is willing to accept yields below the market rate on Hungary’s debt.”

Clearly, Hungary has betrayed Armenia for “30 pieces of silver” — in this instance, three billion euros ($3.77 billion)! Such a large sum would go a long way to rescue Hungary from financial ruin, but would not save Hungarian officials from moral bankruptcy! For Hungary, Azerbaijan’s oil money is more precious than Armenian blood.

To justify its sinister deed, Hungary leaked a letter dated August 15, 2012 from Vilayat Zahirov, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Justice, confirming that his country would not commute Safarov’s sentence after his transfer to Baku. Zahirov cited Article 57.3 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, assuring that a convict serving a life sentence can only be released after 25 years in prison.

Not surprisingly, Azerbaijan violated not only its commitment to Hungary, but also its own laws, when Pres. Aliyev set Safarov free by granting him an immediate pardon upon arrival in Baku on a specially chartered flight of Azerbaijan Airlines. The Azeri Lieutenant was promoted to the rank of Major, received a free apartment, eight years of back pay, and a hero’s welcome for the cold-blooded murder of a sleeping Armenian!

In view of the worldwide Armenian outrage at this disgraceful development, Pres. Serzh Sargsyan called the National Security Council to an emergency session on August 31, announcing Armenia’s suspension of diplomatic relations and all official contacts with Hungary. He further summoned the head of Armenia’s National Security Service and gave him a “special assignment!” Pres. Sargsyan then delivered a terse message to a gathering of foreign Ambassadors in Yerevan, cautioning them that Armenia’s future relations with their governments would depend on their reaction to this incident! Russia and the United States responded by expressing their concern at Safarov’s release and pardon, and demanding an explanation from Hungary and Azerbaijan.

Since Azerbaijan will surely reject any suggestion of incarcerating its “national hero” or returning him to Hungary to serve out his life-sentence, Armenians should embark on a series of initiatives to convince the international community that Artsakh can never accept the rule of axe-wielding murderers and their state sponsors. Armenians should take advantage of the sympathy generated by this miscarriage of justice in order to strengthen their case for Artsakh’s independent statehood.

In the coming days and weeks, Armenians should step up the pressure on Hungary and Azerbaijan by holding demonstrations in front of their embassies and consulates, asking all countries as well as NATO, EU and OSCE to condemn the shameful manipulation of international norms of justice by Budapest and Baku.

Armenia should immediately suspend negotiations with Azerbaijan and recognize the independence of Artsakh, urging all other countries to do likewise. When Pres. Aliyev signed Safarov’s pardon, he unwittingly affirmed Artsakh’s quest for independence.

Armenians worldwide should join forces to strengthen Armenia politically, economically, and militarily to forestall Azerbaijan, Turkey, and all others from resorting to any future hostile action.

September 4, 2012