LA Times Managing Editor Doug Frantz Resign

Los Angeles Times Editor James O'Shea announced this morning that the newspaper's Managing Editor Doug Frantz will leave The Times. Frantz gained notoriety in the Armenian community when in April he went out of his way to kill a story on the Armenian Genocide. The basis he used for killing the story were allegations that the Armenian American reporter, Mark Arax, who wrote the article had a “conflict of interest” on the subject and had circumvented the normal process for articles. Both of Frantz's accusations were proven completely baseless according to an internal investigation. Frantz's accusations against journalist Mark Arax were discriminatory and unethical. The Armenian National Committee of America was in discussions with Times officials and is tracking the situation closely and issued an action alert urging LA Times readers to call for Frantz's resignation due to this grave error in judgment. “The ANCA is gravely concerned that a senior-level editor at the Los Angeles Times is seriously compromising journalistic and ethical standards, and possibly even breaking the law, by telling an Armenian American writer that he cannot report on the Armenian Genocide. The assertion, which documents seem to corroborate, is deeply troubling.” commented ANCA Western Region Board member Zanku Armenian at the start of this controversy. Frantz's last day will be July 6. He did not offer an explanation for his resignation. Visit www.asbarez.com for more on this developing story.

What Motivates Patriarch Mesrob's Political Rhetoric?
BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN It is not always easy to figure out what prompts the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul), Mesrob II, to make at times conflicting and controversial statements. Those familiar with the oppressive conditions within Turkey understand full well that the Patriarch and his flock are hostages in the hands of the Turkish government. Consequently, it is clear that some of his statements are made under coercion and duress. In April, when the Patriarch flew to Dallas to participate in a politically tendentious conference organized by a Turkish group, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the Primate of the Eastern (U.S.) Diocese, issued a press release expressing his opposition to this one-sided "Armenian-Turkish dialogue." The Primate said that the Patriarch "has a very limited ability to freely express his true thoughts and concerns because of oppressive Turkish free-speech laws." Furthermore, in a letter dated April 12, 2007, to Dr. Gerald R. Turner, the President of Southern Methodist University, Primate Barsamian rightly described the Patriarch as "a virtual 'prisoner of conscience' of the Turkish government." Abp. Barsamian, who is originally from Turkey, knows well the situation of the Armenian community in Istanbul. His letter prompted the University to cancel its sponsorship of the conference. However, not all of the Patriarch's political statements and actions are dictated by the Turkish government. Knowing what is expected of him, the Patriarch sometimes, without even being asked by Ankara, makes statements that he knows will please his Turkish masters. By doing so, he may be hoping that he would be in the good graces of Turkish officials, leading to the reduction of the government's oppressive measures toward the local Armenian community. In his dealings with Turkish officials, the Patriarch may exploit the Armenian Diaspora's opposition to his pro-Turkish stance by telling the government that he risks losing all credibility unless genuine concessions are made to improve the conditions of the Armenian community. At times, the Patriarch's actions completely baffle the Armenian public both within and outside Turkey. A couple of years ago, he disappeared from the Patriarchate for several weeks without any notice or explanation of his whereabouts. Despite the fact that Istanbul Armenians are fervently devoted to their church and clerical leadership, many members of his flock are not too pleased with his idiosyncrasies. He has publicly feuded with Catholicos Karekin II as well as the publishers of the local Armenian press, including Hrant Dink, the recently assassinated editor of Agos newspaper. Those who disagree with him describe the 51-year-old Patriarch as "highly intelligent, but brash." Which of the foregoing three explanations account for the Patriarch's recent statement on the Armenian Genocide? During a meeting with a U.S. congressional delegation at the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul on May 30, the Patriarch told the visiting Members of Congress: "From the perspective of both Turkish-Armenia bilateral relations, and relations between the Armenians of Turkey and the Turkish public, we are not positive about the Armenian Genocide Bill before the US Congress. But we also don't deny historical facts. The position taken by the Party of Unity and Progress in punishing all Armenians of Turkey, and not just those Armenian groups who had taken up arms against the government, can never be forgiven. One and a half million Armenian citizens perished in the deserts of Syria, and today in our country there are only 70,000 Armenians. It should also not be forgotten that at the time of the deportation our ethnic Armenian citizens said they were Muslims in order to be saved from banishment. They still speak Armenian and live the Armenian culture, and we count them as part of us even if their religion is different." Despite the fact that the Patriarch knew full well that the Turkish government and various Turkish ultra-nationalist groups would strongly object to his statement that 1.5 million Armenians were killed, he went ahead and posted his remarks in Turkish and English on the Patriarchate's official website. Not surprisingly, several Turkish denialists immediately criticized him and questioned his facts on the Genocide. It is not clear why the Patriarch chose to make such candid remarks to the congressional delegation and then proceeded to make them public? Could this be his way of retaliating against the Turkish government's lack of responsiveness to his repeated pleas on behalf of the local Armenian community? In recent years, the Patriarch has said and done many things in support of Turkish interests, including his energetic lobbying on behalf of Turkey's application for membership to the European Union, without receiving anything in return to better the lot of his people. The Turkish government should recognize that the Western world automatically dismisses the Patriarch's pro-Turkish efforts and statements, knowing full well that they are made under pressure. In fact, each time that the Turkish government forces the Patriarch to denounce the recognition of Armenian Genocide by foreign parliaments, Ankara inadvertently reconfirms the autocratic nature of its regime. Diaspora Armenians must realize that if they want the Patriarch to play a more assertive role in defending Armenian interests, they should then develop sufficient political clout in Washington and other capitals in order to protect him and his community from any potential harm from Turkish hardliners. For example, the Chief Rabbi of Turkey knows that the Turkish leaders would not dare touch him or members of the Jewish community because there would rightfully be a powerful backlash from Israel, the United States and practically every European country. Can the Armenian government and the Armenian Diaspora provide a similar assurance to the Armenian Patriarch? Meanwhile, there is no question that the Patriarch Mesrob II knows how to gauge Turkey's domestic political mood better than his detractors living abroad. Under the current situation of resurgent Turkish nationalism, the Patriarch may well adopt a hands-off posture by telling government officials that as a religious leader he can only make pronouncements on spiritual issues and abstain from involvement in political matters.
Friday, June 8, 2007 HARUT SASSOUNIAN

New National Assembly Convenes; Elects Leadership

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--The fourth National Assembly of independent Armenia began its first session on Thursday with a collective oath of allegiance to Armenia's constitution. The 131-member legislative body was greeted by President Robert Kocharian, as well as His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians who gave his blessing to the newly elected parliament and said a prayer. The ceremonial part was followed by the election of parliament leadership. The sole nominee for the Speaker's post, Tigran Torosian, was installed in his former position due to the overwhelming backing of his Republican Party and its partners, Prosperous Armenia and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Deputies voted in a secret ballot by 112 to 2 to allow Torosian to continue as parliament speaker. The deputies also overwhelmingly appointed Prosperous Armenia's Ishkhan Zakarian and ARF's Vahan Hovannesian as deputy speakers. Kocharian has congratulated Torosian on his reelection as chairman of Armenia's new parliament. In a message to Torosian Kocharian said he is confident that Torosian will use his knowledge and experience to deepen the process of reforms and boost the country's progress. Addressing fellow lawmakers, Vahan Hovannesian said he would continue to do what he did while serving as deputy parliament chairman over the last four years. “If you find that I worked well, I will continue working in that manner, if not I will try to work better,” he said. Hovannesian said a new political culture has emerged in Armenia with hostile radical political groups being left outside the National Assembly. “Radicalism has no future and this parliament has become a hub of centrist forces,” he said. The Republican Party of Armenia will have leadership in five of the nine committees, including the committee on education, science and culture, the committee on finance and crediting, the committee on state and legal issues (to be headed by ex-justice minister David Harutiunian), the committee on economic issues (headed by former environment minister Vartan Ayvazian) and the committee on health, environment protection and social issues. Prosperous Armenia will lead the committees on human rights protection and public affairs and on European integration. And the ARF will lead the foreign relations and defense committees. ARF Supreme Council of Armenia representative Armen Rustamian will retain the chairmanship of the foreign relations committee, while former deputy defense minister and ARF parliamentary faction member Artur Aghabekian will chair the committee of defense and national security. Also today, President Robert Kocharian accepted the resignation of the government, instructing its current members to continue in office until the formation of the new cabinet. By another decree he appointed Serzh Sarkisian Armenia's prime minister. By the Armenian constitution, a new government must be formed within 20 days after the appointment of the prime minister and it will have 20 days to submit its program of action to the National Assembly for approval. Under the coalition agreement between the Republican Party and Prosperous Armenia and their cooperation deal with the ARF, the president will have the prerogative of naming and recalling the ministers of foreign affairs, justice and defense. The ARF will have the same rights in two ministries--agriculture and education; Prosperous Armenia will have its ministers of health, urban development, youth and sport (a ministry separated from the former ministry of culture). The Republican Party will have its say in all the rest ministries. Absent from the inaugural session were opposition lawmakers, including elected deputies from ex-parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian's Orinats Yerkir and ex-foreign minister Raffi Hovannisian-led Heritage party. Hovannisian explained that the first session of the fourth National Assembly was to have taken place the previous day pursuant to the Constitution. He said that his Heritage party had not received, in a manner reflective of the rule of law, due notice of that session or any invitation. Besides, he said, Heritage found it impossible to be present at any parliament session until the Constitutional Court decided on the validity of the parliamentary elections. Both Heritage and Orinats Yerkir have not yet collected their parliamentary mandates at the Central Election Commission. Orinats Yerkir's Hovannes Markarian said their party is also waiting for the Court's ruling due before June 10, but said they will pick their mandates no matter what the final verdict is. “People trusted us in the ballot and the mandates are a vote of public confidence,” he explained.

Thursday, June 7, 2007 Asbarez

In Turkey conspiracy theories actually hold because… (2)

EKREM DUMANLI; Zaman Gazetesi


In my previous article I mentioned that conspiracy theories are more believable in Turkey than any other country, mainly because its fundamental institutions -- politics, courts and media -- have been affected by shadowy connections. Many of these connections have been exposed during critical periods. When the public hears of relations between the deep state and the mafia, they suspect something is wrong. They suspect changes in the social channels, diversions in political events and ultimately come to believe in many different conspiracy theories.

With less then two months before the elections, the recent developments in Turkey are once again supporting conspiracy theories. The majority of the public hold political engineering attempts responsible for these events, so it’s important that we examine the events that support this view.

Democratic channels in Turkey were operating smoothly until various criminal organizations were exposed in 2006. The first organization, the “Sauna Gang,” was discovered by mere coincidence. The owner of a sauna grew suspicious of her customers and informed officials. A brief investigation revealed that a group of people had formed an illegal organization to launch an unconventional war. Officers, retired police chiefs and a mafia leader were among the gang’s members. As soon as the group received media coverage some authorities said the case was independent of other developments. But only a few months later another criminal organization was discovered in Bursa with members that included a general, police official and a mafia leader. Four other organizations were discovered in 2006. Authorities later found maps, layouts to important businesses and addresses to strategic places.

In the Eryaman Gang operation, police confiscated plans of the homes of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his advisor Cüneyt Zapsu. The press reported that there were assassination plans included among the documents. Weapons and bombs seized in the operation reinforced those claims.

The Şemdinli incident was a turning point in Turkish politics. After 17 bombing attempts, the public found the bombers and their cars. An officer and a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) informant were among those who had planned the bombings. The event sparked wide public attention, silenced after it was made a tool for political debates and conflicts. And the prosecutor who was leading the investigation was removed from office.

Other organizations such as the nationalist Kuvva-i Milliye have also formed in the past few years. This organization, disguised as a civil society organization, requires its members to swear, on the flag and weapons, to kill and die. Although these oath taking ceremonies have been broadcast on television, no prosecutor has filed a lawsuit against it, nor has any major media organization reported on this story. Officials prefer to remain oblivious to the matter because important members of the organizations were retired officers and such organizations are part of the political engineering process.

A few months ago Nokta newsweekly made striking claims. According to the documents Nokta retrieved, the General Staff had categorized journalists in the country as either pro-military or anti-military. The news was never denied and the only official response the public received was that the documents were still in draft form.

The magazine revealed more documents and claimed there were had been two planned coups, led by Gen. Şener Eruygur in 2004, against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). Eruygur, currently the president of the Kemalist Thought Association (ADD), never denied the claims. A police operation was launched against the magazine. Following several days of questioning, Nokta was forced to close down.

The reports in Nokta’s last edition were striking, yet it predicted today’s events flawlessly. The reports claimed that organizations would identify themselves as being “nongovernmental” and the AK Party government would be prevented from electing a president through the efforts of the those nongovernmental organizations and the media. Isn’t that exactly what happened?

The Turkish public, who know that the natural course of politics can be intervened in and psychological techniques can be used to push people to the streets, are very skeptical about the current political picture. They realize that nongovernmental demonstrations are not nongovernmental. They see the court as politically aligned. They think decisions are based on politics instead of justice.

This is not a result of groundless theory or skepticism. They know that three presidents, Özal, Demirel and Sezer, were elected with the same Constitution, but that the quorum of 367 is being strictly defended to prevent Abdullah Gül from becoming president. The public see the Constitutional Court’s approval of this double standard as political alignment.

While criticizing the AK Party, Higher Education Board (YÖK) President Erdoğan Teziç confessed “they’ve captured the government, now they want to take hold of the state.” That is what the fight is about. Those who see themselves as the owners of the state do not want to allow the democratically elected leading party to govern freely. When public support for the leading party increases, a bureaucratic oligarchy known as the “deep state” forms and seeks to paralyze the public’s will through political re-engineering.

Some members of important state institutions, including the justice system and military, are believed to support this deep state. As a result of secret alliances and dark organizations that form during this period, different events occur. This leads the public to question the validity and truth of events. They consider the possibility of covert plans and scenarios to control the public’s opinion. What do you think? Would you say the public is right?

NEW AYF CENTRAL COUNCIL ANNOUNCED: NIDUS

Sireli ungerner,

In cooperation with the AYF Eastern Region, we are pleased to announce the creation of the AYF Nidus Central Council. This group was established by AYF members and Armenian college students earlier this year to develop Armenia's medical field. The Nidus program will seek to connect Diasporan Armenians who study and have interest in the fields of medicine and public health, with an opportunity to directly aid our homeland.

The first goal of the council is to create and maintain an updated website with information on healthcare related issues. Furthermore, a need assessment will take place this summer to determine areas in which Armenians need increased awareness and education. The next step will be to use the data gathered to develop and administer health education lessons in various villages and cities. The long-term goal of Nidus is to develop a health education curriculum for elementary and junior high school students in Armenia, Artsakh and Javakhk.

This is a direct opportunity for those interested to utilize knowledge and education in a real world setting; assisting Armenia. All those with a background in biology, medicine, public health, public administration or other interest should join.

If you have any questions or if you are interested in participating in the medical or educational aspect of the Council, please email AYFNidus@gmail.com

Fraternally,
AYF Western Region
Central Executive