| BAKU / 06.03.10 / TURAN:
In response to questions of Turan about the U.S. position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee vote, U.S. Embassy spokesman Terry Davidson said:”We certainly would not want this discussion within the U.S. Congress to impact our relations with Azerbaijan. We are strategic partners, and there is much we are doing together that benefits both nations.”We are aware of Azerbaijan’s concern about the debate over this resolution in the U.S. Congress, and both President Obama and Secretary Clinton have made clear their desire that the U.S. Congress not be forum for debates about what happened in 1915. As they have stated, we believe the people of Turkey and Armenia – their societies, their historians – are the ones who should review this history and put it into perspective. “To that end, the United States has supported efforts to bring about rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia, an opening that would include the creation of an ongoing dialogue about the tragic events of 1915. Secretary Clinton said last week that she hopes the full Congress will not take further action on this resolution, as we believe it to be unhelpful in the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia. That normalization would help bring long-term stability, peace and progress to the region.” -0- Turan Information Agency |
Category: World
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US EMBASSY: WE WOULD NOT WANT DISCUSSIONS IN CONGRESS TO IMPACT US RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN
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Jewish lobby behind U.S. Armenia genocide vote
Pro-Israel activists manipulated Congress to damage Turkey, says London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi. Jewish lobbyists contrived a U.S. congressional vote that labeled the World War One-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces as genocide, a London-based Arabic-language newspaper claimed on Saturday.
Pro-Israel lobbyists had previously backed Turkey on the issue ? but changed tack in retaliation for Turkish condemnation of Israel’s policies in the Gaza Strip, the Al-Quds Al-Arabi daily said in an editorial, according to Israel Radio reports.
Israel and Turkey are traditional allies but ties took a downturn in 2009 when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza, in which some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.
A crisis in diplomatic relations came to a head in January when when Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon publicly humiliated Turkey’s ambassador in front of press cameras.
In his leading article, Al-Quds Al-Arabi editor Abd al-Bari Atwan curged Erdogan not to give in to the Jewish lobby’s “extortion” tactics.
Erdogan on Thursday recalled Turkey’s ambassador to Washington after the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-22 to approve the non-binding resolution, clearing it for consideration by the full House.
“The decision of the Foreign Affairs Committee will not hurt Turkey, but it will greatly harm bilateral relations, interests and vision. Turkey will not be the one who loses,” said Erdogan, speaking at a summit of Turkish businessmen.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said the vote was a boost for human rights.
The vote calls on President Barack Obama to ensure U.S. policy formally refers to the massacre as genocide, putting him in a tight spot.
In a telephone call with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday, Obama emphasized his administration had urged lawmakers to consider the potential damage to efforts to normalize Armenian-Turkish ties, a senior administration official said.
At a news conference in Costa Rica on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she and Obama, who both supported proposed Armenia genocide resolutions as presidential candidates, had changed their minds because they believed the drive to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia was bearing fruit.
Turkey, a Muslim secular democracy that plays a vital role for U.S. interests from Iraq to Iran and in Afghanistan and the Middle East, accepts that many Armenians were killed by Ottoman forces but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted to genocide – a term employed by many Western historians and some foreign parliaments.
Turkey regards such accusations as an affront to its national honor.
Haaretz
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History of Armenian Terrorism
SHAMIL GURBANOV,PROFESSOR,DOCTOR OF PHILOLOGY,MEMBER OF THE MILLI MEJLIS OF THE AZERBAIJAN REPUBLICActs of terrorism of Armenians began from 1896. That year they exploded a post office in Istanbul and caused the death of a number of innocent citizens. This act of terrorism caused hatred in the world community towards Armenian. But the feeling of hatred was not forever. On the contrary, later, that act of terrorism was justified by presenting Armenian people as poor and pitiful. Armenians liked that. In 1905-1907, 1918-1920, 1937, 1948-52 and 1988 they committed acts of terrorism against our nation. During the century we became victims of several open and confident acts of terrorism and exiles. Moreover, I can mention World Wars I and II. During those years Azeris suffered much from the atrocities of the Armenians. But we kept silent every time. We were forced to forget and we forgot everything.Many thanks to Mr. Heydar Aliyev, the President of the Azerbaijan Republic. He re-established the memory of our people in respect of the acts of terrorism and repressions. He created possibilities to study a true history.Armenians indicate false facts of history in their school-books. They do everything to cherish in the memory of future generation, false facts of history. While dying, Daronyan, famous Armenian writer addressed his people with the words, “Armenian if you saw and did not kill a poisoned snake you could be forgiven, but if you saw and did not kill a Turk you would not be forgiven by any Armenian”.These words indicate a wish of our thankless neighbors. We visited the grave of M. A. Rasulzada at the oldest Ankara cemetery. Near, that grave we saw graves of Turkish diplomats killed at their jobs by Armenian terrorists.39 Turkish diplomats were killed in different countries from January 27, 1973 to November 19, 1988. Their corpses were delivered to Turkey and they were buried in that cemetery. “Here are the graves of those killed by terrorists at their job places” — these are records written on their memorial monuments.I asked Turkish men, as if unaware, whether they knew by which terrorists this was done. “Of course Armenians,”-Yahya Dashdalan answered.Well, we can not ask that gentleman to accompany every visitor of this cemetery. We can no ask him to announce to everybody what was done by Armenians. The Turks wrote names of those killed and their dates of death on the memorials. Why not inform everybody about the guilty parties.While speaking about our enemies, it is necessary to point out that they teach their babies from their cradles that the Turks are the most severe enemy of Armenian.One of the Turkish gentlemen half in a joke but half in a serious way said that by mentioning names of Armenians in the records on memorials of victims would insult the spirits of those victims.Another gentleman supported my idea and said: “We had to indicate names of the guilty parties not only on the grave memorials. We should also indicate them in school-books so that our young generations are informed of enemies we met while defending our origin, nation and motherland.”A lot of people in our country think the same way. On February 28, 1906 at the meeting held in Tiflis near the Caucasian official Ahmad bay Agayev revealed and condemned the indifferent attitude of authorities towards the action of the “Dashnak” Party. He said: “Thus, there had been a 15 year old armed party. Nobody even in the government tried to prevent their atrocities. This party was even supported. So, we ourselves had to prevent these atrocities.”As a way of struggle Ahmad bay considered a suppression of terrorism. Thus, he decided to create “Difai” Party. Ganja was chosen as a motherland for this party. On the back way from Tiflis he stopped in Ganja. There he met with a progressive youth and intellectuals. He delivered a speech in a Mosque full of people. “Dear people of Ganja! We were impressed by last clash between Turks and Armenians. Neither Muslim religion nor humanity can accept such atrocities… Even wild animals did not allow themselves actions which were done by Armenians. There was no similar case in the history”.That evening Ahad bay and some intellectuals of Ganja (Alakbar Rafibayli, Alakbar and Alaskar Khasmammadov brothers, doctor Hasan Agayev and Nasib bay Usubbayov held a meeting. They came to a unanimous conclusion that “people had to be mobilized.” They did so and created “Difai”.In our 70 years of history and political resources “Difai” was considered as a party with an aim “to cause clashes between nations.” “Difai” increased very quickly. Several days later it was not possible to prevent the dissemination of proclamations calling on revenge. One of those proclamations ran: “The purpose of our party is to establish unity and sincere fraternity among the Caucasian parties. But if “Dashnak” Party continue its aggressive attacks on Muslims they will meet with severe response.”Immediately after Armenians felt in panicked and had to conclude a peace agreement. That peace lasted just 10 years. In 1918 Armenians got another beneficial situation.I would like to describe one of the scenes of 1906. It is from the memories of Omar Faig. I read a fragment of Omar Faig in Tifiis while preparing it for publication. I memorized this scene in my heart forever. Omar Faig wrote: “While passing across Vorontsov Bridge Turkish porters were thrown into river”. Thrown into water the drowning Turkish porters tried to do their best to survive. They were about to reach a shore but faced gun fire. Porters disappeared. Then the surface of the water was full of blood and corpses. It was the worst picture I had ever seen”.Such terrible scenes could be observed in almost all big Caucasian cities. Even women, children and old-aged people were not spared. In comparison with 1918 a tragedy of 1906 was not so terrible. A number of killed or brutally injured Azeris were much more increased in 1918. The situation was very difficult and the Azeris did not have guns. Well armed Armenian soldiers who came back from the Iranian front were concentrated in Baku. Leaders of those soldiers were Armenians. On March 30 the Defense Committee was established with the aim to coordinate the battle. A Committee headed by S. Shaumyan included Japaridze, Korganov, Saakyan, Yolchiyan and others. Baku was devastated within 3 days. This is a fragment from the memories of N. Narimanov: “Even if a Muslim was a bolshevik he was not spared. Dashnaks said that they did not recognize any difference whether a person was a bolshevik or not. If a person is a Muslim he should be killed. They killed everyone they wanted, destroyed and ruined every house they did not like. Using a cover of bolshevism Dashnaks were very brutal against Azeris – both women and men”. 12.000 of Azeri civilian were murdered in Baku, 7.000 in Shamakhi and the same number in Guba and other cities. Atrocities by Armenians were described by witnesses: insulted corpses of 57 Muslim women were found with their ears and noses, sex organs cut off, stomach tore off. During their massacres Armenians entered a house of 80 year old Haji Amir Aliyev and killed his old spouses (60 and 70 years old). They also cut into pieces a 3 year old baby and nailed a 25 year old woman to a wall.In this book “History of Azerbaijan Struggle for Independence” Huseyn Baygara wrote: “The massacre of Azeri Turks began in Baku on March 30, 31 and on April 1 disseminated around Shamakhi, Kurdamir, Salyan, Guba and Lankaran. Their next point of aggression was Ganja. They colluded with Armenians from Karabakh, joined forces and moved towards Ganja”.Cruelty and brutality of our enemies do not meet the norms of morality and humanity. We should not forget families burnt alive in Gazakh, burnt planes and helicopters in the sky of Garabag, our murdered brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, our countrymen murdered in Khojaly and many others. These memories should always cause our hatred toward enemies.Our enemies will not be able to escape our revenge for that genocide. We should have revenge for each burnt village, each destroyed city and each murdered baby. We should try to do our best in this way.Azeri genocide
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Broke Greece should sell islands: Merkel allies
AFP – Bankruptcy-threatened Greece should sell some of its uninhabited islands to raise cash, two allies of Chancellor Angela Merkel were quoted as saying Thursday.
“The Greek state must sell stakes in companies and also assets such as, for example, unpopulated islands,” Frank Schaeffler, a member of parliament for the pro-business Free Democrats, Merkel’s coalition partner, told the Bild daily.
A member of Merkel’s own conservative CDU party, Marco Wanderwitz, said Athens should provide collateral for any money it receives from the European Union to help it out of its debt crisis.
“In this case, certain Greek islands also come into question,” added Wanderwitz.
“We give you cash, you give us Corfu,” the Bild commented.
Greece has around 6,000 islands off its coast, of which only 227 are inhabited, according to the country’s National Tourism Office website.
The cash-strapped country Wednesday launched a fresh round of draconian austerity measures in a bid to rein in a ballooning budget deficit that is more than four times above EU limits.
The Socialist government increased sales, tobacco and alcohol taxes and cut public sector holiday allowances to save 4.8 billion euros (6.5 billion dollars), equal to about two percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
Pensions in the public and private sector were also frozen.
Merkel is set to hold talks with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Friday to discuss the situation in Greece.
France 24
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Journey of Mankind
In all our cells we have genes. Genes are made up of DNA, the string-like code of life that determines what we are, from our fingernails to our innate potential for playing the piano. By analysing genes, we can trace the geographic route taken by our ancestors back to an ultimate birthplace in Africa, at the dawn of our species. Further, if we take any two individuals and compare their genes, we will find that they share a more recent ancestor – living, in all probability, outside Africa. What is more, I believe that we can now prove where those ancestors lived and when they left their homelands. This remarkable proof has become fully possible only within the last decade, as a result of pioneering work by a number of people.
Click here to play the Journey of Mankind
* The interactive genetic map is currently being upgraded and will be available online shortly.
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Toyota faces new US investigation
Japanese carmaker Toyota is facing a new US investigation into complaints of steering problems in its Corolla model.
The investigation is expected to be opened on Thursday and will involve an estimated 500,000 vehicles.
It is already facing an investigation into whether it was quick enough in recalling cars over problems involving accelerator and braking systems.
Toyota said on Wednesday that it was looking into complaints of power steering problems with the Corolla.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says it has received more than 150 complaints about possible steering problems in the 2009-2010 Corolla.
Toyota sold nearly 1.3 million of the models worldwide last year, including about 300,000 in the US.
Toyota is facing another US investigation into whether it was quick enough in recalling millions of cars over problems involving accelerator pedals and braking systems.
It has denied any cover-up and says it will “co-operate to provide all the information they have requested” on the US inquiry.
The saga began in the US with reports that accelerator pedals were getting caught under the floor mats.
The Japanese car giant began recalling vehicles potentially affected by that problem in October last year and Toyota then redesigned the mats.
The floor mat issue affected a number of vehicles in the US, but not in the UK.
Later, separate acceleration problems were found to be caused by the pedal sticking.
This was then followed by the recall of about 436,000 hybrid vehicles, including the Prius model, over brake concerns.
BBC