544) Justin McCarty: "If Armenians had anything to say they wouldn't have minded the TV debates on "genocide" Istanbul Uni Conference

Turkey should maximally speed up the measures undertaken within the Armenian issue.

Historians should deal with historical issues and Turks should think in this direction, staunch defender of official Turkey's position on the Armenian Genocide Justin McCarty stated during the "New rapprochement in the Turkish-Armenian relations" symposium held in Istanbul.

McCarty also touched upon the protest of the Armenian lobby against the TV debates to take place after the show of Andrew Goldberg's film titled Armenian Genocide.

"The resolution of the issue is unclear yet. But if Armenians had anything to say they wouldn't have minded the program," the American historian said, reported Marmara Istanbul-based newspaper.

15 March 2006 [15:20] - Today.Az

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
URL: http://www.today.az/news/society/24156.html
********************************************

70 Academics Debate Armenian and Turkish Massacres
ISTANBUL - Some 70 Turkish and foreign academics gathered in Istanbul on Wednesday for a three-day conference to discuss whether the controversial massacres of Turks and Armenians during World War I amounted to genocide or not. More than 520.000 Muslims were massacred by the armed Armenians and more than 1,5 million Muslims were forced to immigrated by the Armenians and Russians during the World War I.

In a rare move, the gathering, organized by the state university Istanbul University (IU), offered the floor to academics of all convictions.

Turkey has refused the Armenian allegations regarding the 1915 events. Ankara acknowledges that 100.000-200.000 Armenians and more than 520.000 Turks died in civil strife during the last years of the Ottoman Empire.

Most of hte Ottoman Armenians had joined the occupying Russian armies in 1917 and the Istanbul Government took a relocation decision for the Armenian population near the war theatre. However more than 600.000 Armenians returned to the Anatolian towns after the war.

Armenians claim that up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings. However they provide no written document or any proof but the memories and propaganda materials.

Books detailing the Armenian claims were also available at the entrance to the conference hall. Almost all pro-Armenian books are frelly sold in Turkish bookshops in the recent years. However no pro-Turkish book or material is legal in Armenia.

In September last year a private Istanbul university hosted a landmark conference organized by intellectuals disputing Turkish official line on the issue.

15 March 2006

Copyright © 2005 Journal of Turkish Weekly http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=27991
***********************************************


'Armenian Genocide Allegations is a Complicated Issue'


Daniel Fried, the US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, said the Armenian genocide allegations is a "complicated issue" and must be examined by the parties in a courageous way.

Fried together with Upper Karabag (Karabagh) problem negotiator Steven Mann met Turkish Foreign Ministry officials yesterday.

Speaking after the talks Fried said, "Tragedies of the past must be handled with courage and nations must look at their futures."

The US diplomat underlined he has no message about the Turkey-Armenia relations, indicating the US's attitude towards the issue is well-known, and President George W. Bush will probably make a relevant statement on the issue this April as he does every year.

The American official added the issue of Washington's demand of opening the Turkish-Armenian border also came to the agenda during the contacts.

By Suleyman Kurt, Ankara
March 17, 2006
zaman.com