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ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/29/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <http://www.asbarez.com/>HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ.COM
1) No Karabagh Accord Announced after Kocharian, Aliyev Summit
2) Demonstrators Rally in Baku to Demand Free Elections, Exiled Guliyev on
Ballot
3) Final Debates on Constitution Reforms Begin Pre November Vote in Armenia
4) Wisman Names Armenia Squad for World Cup
5) SKEPTIK SINIKIAN/ LIBRARIANS AT THE GATES: THE BLUE PILL BLUES
1) No Karabagh Accord Announced after Kocharian, Aliyev Summit
(RFE/RL)Armenia and Azerbaijan have made contradictory statements on the
meeting between their presidents that took place in Russia over the weekend.
International mediators had hoped the talks would mark a turning point in
their
protracted search for a solution to the Mountainous Karabagh conflict.
Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev did not speak to journalists
after their talks in the Russian city of Kazan on Saturday, and it is unclear
whether or not they reached any formal or informal agreements on Karabagh.
Reports from Kazan said the two leaders conferred in a tête-à-tête format for
an hour before being joined by French, Russian and US diplomats spearheading
the peace process.
Kocharian, according to his spokesman Victor Soghomonian, came away satisfied
from the meeting held on the sidelines of a summit of the Commonwealth of
Independent States. "The Armenian side assesses the meeting in Kazan
positively
and considers it a positive development in the negotiating process," the
Itar-Tass news agency quoted Soghomonian as saying.
The official added that Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and
Vartan Oskanian of Armenia will continue that process "based on the agreements
reached in Kazan." He did not say what those agreements are.
"In general, I cannot say that there has been any major progress or
breakthrough," Mammadyarov said for his part, according to the Azeri ANS
television. "We did not reach any agreement."
"I think that we, both Armenia and Azerbaijan, need a couple of weeks to
analyze the thoughts voiced by the two sides and think what the results may be
and whether we are prepared for any progress or not," he added.
Mammadyarov and Oskanian held talks in Moscow earlier in the week to prepare
for the Armenian-Azerbaijani summit and appeared satisfied with their results.
Highlighting the importance of the Kazan meeting, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice telephoned Aliyev and Kocharian August 25 to urge them to
make
mutual concessions that will pave the way for a Karabagh peace deal.
Regional observers believe that Aliyev and Kocharian will not announce any
compromise deals until November, which will see parliamentary elections in
Azerbaijan and a constitutional referendum in Armenia. It is widely assumed
that opposition groups in both countries would exploit unpopular
concessions on
Karabagh in their struggle against the ruling regimes.
2) Demonstrators Rally in Baku to Demand Free Elections, Exiled Guliyev on
Ballot
MOSCOW (Combined Sources)A large number of demonstrators rallied in
Azerbaijan's capital Baku Saturday to demand free and democratic parliamentary
elections while an opposition leader was registered to run in the November
poll.
About 15,000 protesters paraded through the center of Baku to demand changes
to the country's election laws to guarantee a fair parliamentary poll on
November 6, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.
The rally, organized by the opposition electoral alliance grouping the
Musavat
party, the People's Front and the Democratic Party, proceeded without
incidents.
Protesters requested equal conditions for all candidates and permission for
opposition leaders, including former president Ayaz Mutalibov and former
parliament speaker Rasul Guliyev, to return to Azerbaijan without being
arrested.
Mutalibov, who served as president in 1991-92, has been living in exile in
Russia since his resignation.
Guliyev, who was the subject of a fraud investigation and has lived in exile
in the United States since 1996, faces criminal charges on his return to
Azerbaijan.
However, Guliyev, who heads the Democratic Party, was registered Saturday to
run in the elections.
Mekhriban Aliyeva, wife of President Ilham Aliyev, is one of 109 candidates
from the ruling New Azerbaijan party vying for the 125 seats in the Milli
Majlis, the parliament.
3) Final Debates on Constitution Reforms Begin Pre November Vote in Armenia
YEREVAN(RFE/RL)--Opposition leaders suspended their 18-month boycott of
parliament on Monday as it began final debates on draft amendments to
Armenia's
constitution that are due to be put to a referendum in November. Their
approval
by the majority of lawmakers is almost certain.
The debates were broadcast live on national television on Monday, featuring
only two of the 39 deputies registered to address the parliament, suggesting
the proceedings could take at least two more days.
The session began with an angry dispute between the parliament leadership and
some opposition lawmakers over procedural matters. Speaker Artur Baghdasarian
told them they were hampering discussions by raising insignificant issues, and
emphasized the proposed reforms enjoy the backing of the Council of Europe and
in particular its advisory body on constitutional law, the Venice
Commission.
The commission's Italian secretary, Gianni Buquicchio, did not make it to
Yerevan to address the parliament and urge Armenians to vote for the proposed
amendments. According to the head of the Council of Europe office in Armenia,
Bojana Urumova, he simply missed a connecting flight to Yerevan at the
weekend.
"The Venice Commission believes in this text and supports it fully," Urumova
told the parliament, speaking on behalf of Buquicchio.
The constitutional reform is also supported by the European Union and the
United States. "The United States supports the efforts of all those who have
been involved in the process of attempting to amend the current Armenian
Constitution, and encourages all parties to engage in responsible and
constructive debate on this issue," US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans
said in
a statement published by Yerevan newspapers on Saturday.
"In our view the current package represents a notable step forward, but its
approval is of course a matter for the voters of the Republic of Armenia to
decide," Evans added.
4) Wisman Names Armenia Squad for World Cup
(uefa.com)--Armenia coach Henk Wisman has named a 21-man squad for the
September FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Czech
Republic. Captain Harutyun Vardanyan returns after a year on the sidelines
with
a knee injury, while FC Banants's Samvel Melkonyan and FC Pyunik's Armen
Tigranyan hope to make their debuts.
ARMENIA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Roman Berezovski (FC Dinamo Moskva), Gevorg Kasparov (FC
Pyunik).
Defenders: Valery Aleksanyan (FC Pyunik), Sargis Hovsepyan (FC Pyunik),
Robert
Arzumanyan (FC Pyunik), Alexander Tadevosyan (FC Pyunik), Harutyun Vardanyan
(FC Aarau), Karen Dokhoyan (FC Krylya Sovetov Samara), Yegishe Melikyan (FC
Metalurh Donetsk).
Midfielders: Agvan Lazarian (FC Pyunik), Romik Khachatryan (OFI Crete FC),
David Grigoryan (FC Yesil Bogatyr Petropavlovsk), Karen Aleksanyan (CSF Zimbru
Chisinau), Hamlet Mkhitaryan (FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk), Armen Tigranyan (FC Pyunik),
Samvel Melkonyan (FC Banants).
Forwards: Edgar Manucharyan (AFC Ajax), Ara Hakobyan (FC Stal Alchevsk), Aram
Hakobyan (FC Banants), Aram Voskanyan (FC Yesil Bogatyr Petropavlovsk),Galust
Petrosyan (CSF Zimbru Chisinau).
5) LIBRARIANS AT THE GATES: THE BLUE PILL BLUES
Before we get to the meat of this week's column, I just want to point out to
all my readers that if you search "Turkish drug money" on Google.com today, my
last article is in the top five results.
Thank you. Thank you. No really, I couldn't have done it without you, my
loyal
readers.
Anyway, time to get the Sinikian show on the road. If you thought last week's
column was the stuff Hollywood summer blockbusters are made of--drug money
bribing politicians, international espionage, intrigue, attractive FBI agents,
and the mean bosses who double cross them--then you'll love this week. The
plot? A one armed man of such prestige and power is revealed to everyone.
Never have heroes.
They'll only let you down. Remember that because it will save you a whole lot
of grief in life. It's a lesson I was reminded of last week when I read about
the most recent scandal to rock the world of Armenian academia. I know that
most of my readers spend as much time reading Armenian news as they spend
probably debating various interpretations of the evolution of the market
economy in the early American colonies prior to the Revolutionary War. Did I
lose you? I thought so. I promise not to do that again. Fine. I'll cut to the
chase. But first, a little background. Remember Bob Dole? You might remember
him as the famous Senator from that state named after the legendary seventies
rock 'n' roll band Kansas. He was a great war hero, having been wounded in the
Second World War. He ran for President a few times. But his real claim to fame
amongst Armenians was that he was their bestest friend in the whooole WIDE
world.
It was the perfect relationship. It was a love story worthy of a Hollywood
movie. A young war hero comes back home with a horrible injury that will cause
him to lose his arm. A young doctor tells the boy that he can save his arm
from
amputation, and through multiple surgeries and therapy sessions helps the kid
keep his arm, but not fully useable. The kid and his hometown rally to scrap
and save pennies to pay the doctor who refuses to accept a dime. The only
thing
this guy asks of the young soldier is to be a kind human being and remember
the
stories he'd heard during the long therapy sessions about the doctor's
homeland
and his people--Armenia. The young soldier gets involved in politics attaining
the highest position in the Senate and running for President--not just once
but
twice. He's a national figure and a well respected politician and leader. He
keeps the promise to the Armenian doctor and fights for the rights of
Armenians
while in the Senate 'til the day he retires. He leaves office with a heavy
heart because as hard as he tries, he's unable to achieve the one thing he had
wanted to do so badly: to pass a bill setting the historical record straight
about the Armenian Genocide.
Now flash forward to 2005. A young Turkish-Kurd scholar by the name of Yektan
Turkyilmaz is arrested in Armenia on suspicion of smuggling rare books out of
the country. This incident gets more complicated by the fact that
Turkyilmaz is
a "pro-Genocide" scholar. WOW! Can you imagine someone who actually accepts
the
historical facts as they actually happened? Someone give this guy a medal...
not! Anyway, what really gets my blood boiling is the fact that Senator Bob
Dole, the same young man who rose to national prominence and defended the
Armenian Cause in Senate, writes a scathing letter to the Armenian Government
lambasting them over a number of issues related to human rights violations.
The
distinguished gentleman from Kansas has sunk even lower than when he was
hawking the little blue pill (Viagra) in magazine, newspaper and television
advertisements. I'm going to refrain at this point from making any jokes
related to erectile dysfunction, partly because it's a serious issue not to be
joked about (snickering) and partly out of a fear that if I did make any jokes
about it, then karma would come back to bite me in the voreeg.
Here's a quote from the Senator's letter which can be viewed at
http://www.yektan.org/yektan_dole.pdf:
"Yekten's detention seems to highlight problems sighted in numerous human
rights reports about Armenia, including those of Freedom House and the US
State
Department. Your detention of Yektan for seven weeks on any grounds would draw
attention to failings in Armenia's democratic evolution."
If you're still confused, this is what happened: Yekten tried to smuggle some
books out of the country and was arrested. Sen. Dole, whose wife is now the
Senator from North Carolina and a graduate of Duke University, wrote a letter
to Armenia calling the government a bunch of idiots for enforcing such
ridiculous laws like not allowing books out of Armenia.
Let's just say that those were the kindest of words in Senator Dole's letter.
The rest of it sounded like an angry diatribe that a controlling ex-boyfriend
would write to their former girlfriend-almost-fiancee. This is just the tip of
the iceberg. In addition to dragging Dr. Vartan Gregorian into this mess,
somehow Raffi Hovanissian has gotten involved as well, going so far as to
appear in front of the court to criticize the government for arresting
Yekten.
The average person, after reading all of this and the A-list of people lining
up in support of Yekten, may quickly assume that not only is Yekten an
innocent
Turkish scholar who is being railroaded by corrupt Armenian officials, but
that
the Armenian government is on rung above a dictatorship run by the Three
Stooges on the ladder of fair and democratic governments.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Does Armenia have problems? Yes. Is
it a prefect country? No. Is Yekten being railroaded by corrupt Armenian
officials? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! This Skeptik has, from very reliable sources who
wish to remain unnamed, learned that our friend Yekten is involved in the
smuggling of rare and antique books for personal profit. The Armenian
government has known this and has been keeping an eye on this man who uses his
credentials as a well-known scholar to travel into Armenia, purchase books
illegally and some legally from unsuspecting desperate salespeople trying to
make a living, and turns around to sell them to private collectors abroad. And
I'm not just talking about 1987 copies of Brezhnev's memoirs translated to
Armenian but really rare volumes of which only few copies remain around the
world. In fact, this is a growing problem in Armenia. While Armenia's economy
continues to struggle, many crooks have resorted to selling off national
treasures for a fist full of dollars--they don't even have the dignity to deal
in Drams. It's very similar to Egyptians selling off rare artifacts to
tourists
just to make a few bucks. For anyone wondering, this is absolutely illegal and
tourists are usually informed of these rules before they enter into a country.
Armenia, with its rich literary history, is no exception. Our books are as
precious as the churches and castles we've built.
I doubt Senator Bob Dole knows about any of this. He's too busy to get
involved in the nitty-gritty details of such a case. I doubt Dr. Vartan
Grigorian or Raffi Hovanissian knew either. But that is all the more reason
for
them to have given the benefit of doubt to the folks in Armenia who are trying
to do their job instead of jumping on the bandwagon to kiss up to a Turkish
scholar who has finally "seen the light" and come around to acknowledging the
validity of the Armenian Genocide.
This is becoming an epidemic in our community, where Armenian scholars who
have been doing legitimate research on the Genocide are treated with less
respect than a placemat at Denny's, while Turkish scholars who accept the
Genocide are hailed as the greatest thing since pocket pita bread.
I'm not picking sides here. I, personally, am guilty of checking out a few
books from my own public library and never returning them. (The difference is
that I didn't turn around and sell those books at the used bookstore). But
what
I am saying is that everyone should just chill out. Put the bottle of blue
pills down and chill out!
Skeptik Sinikian's library card was revoked due to excessive late fees. He is
currently working off his penalties by reading his past columns to children at
the local library as part of his community service. If you would like to email
him or read his past articles, contact him at [email protected] or visit
www.sinikian.blogspot.com.
All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.
ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.
--Boundary_(ID_jLpiY6CXp72UrxzJTl9R1w)--
TOP STORIES
08/29/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <http://www.asbarez.com/>HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ.COM
1) No Karabagh Accord Announced after Kocharian, Aliyev Summit
2) Demonstrators Rally in Baku to Demand Free Elections, Exiled Guliyev on
Ballot
3) Final Debates on Constitution Reforms Begin Pre November Vote in Armenia
4) Wisman Names Armenia Squad for World Cup
5) SKEPTIK SINIKIAN/ LIBRARIANS AT THE GATES: THE BLUE PILL BLUES
1) No Karabagh Accord Announced after Kocharian, Aliyev Summit
(RFE/RL)Armenia and Azerbaijan have made contradictory statements on the
meeting between their presidents that took place in Russia over the weekend.
International mediators had hoped the talks would mark a turning point in
their
protracted search for a solution to the Mountainous Karabagh conflict.
Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev did not speak to journalists
after their talks in the Russian city of Kazan on Saturday, and it is unclear
whether or not they reached any formal or informal agreements on Karabagh.
Reports from Kazan said the two leaders conferred in a tête-à-tête format for
an hour before being joined by French, Russian and US diplomats spearheading
the peace process.
Kocharian, according to his spokesman Victor Soghomonian, came away satisfied
from the meeting held on the sidelines of a summit of the Commonwealth of
Independent States. "The Armenian side assesses the meeting in Kazan
positively
and considers it a positive development in the negotiating process," the
Itar-Tass news agency quoted Soghomonian as saying.
The official added that Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and
Vartan Oskanian of Armenia will continue that process "based on the agreements
reached in Kazan." He did not say what those agreements are.
"In general, I cannot say that there has been any major progress or
breakthrough," Mammadyarov said for his part, according to the Azeri ANS
television. "We did not reach any agreement."
"I think that we, both Armenia and Azerbaijan, need a couple of weeks to
analyze the thoughts voiced by the two sides and think what the results may be
and whether we are prepared for any progress or not," he added.
Mammadyarov and Oskanian held talks in Moscow earlier in the week to prepare
for the Armenian-Azerbaijani summit and appeared satisfied with their results.
Highlighting the importance of the Kazan meeting, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice telephoned Aliyev and Kocharian August 25 to urge them to
make
mutual concessions that will pave the way for a Karabagh peace deal.
Regional observers believe that Aliyev and Kocharian will not announce any
compromise deals until November, which will see parliamentary elections in
Azerbaijan and a constitutional referendum in Armenia. It is widely assumed
that opposition groups in both countries would exploit unpopular
concessions on
Karabagh in their struggle against the ruling regimes.
2) Demonstrators Rally in Baku to Demand Free Elections, Exiled Guliyev on
Ballot
MOSCOW (Combined Sources)A large number of demonstrators rallied in
Azerbaijan's capital Baku Saturday to demand free and democratic parliamentary
elections while an opposition leader was registered to run in the November
poll.
About 15,000 protesters paraded through the center of Baku to demand changes
to the country's election laws to guarantee a fair parliamentary poll on
November 6, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.
The rally, organized by the opposition electoral alliance grouping the
Musavat
party, the People's Front and the Democratic Party, proceeded without
incidents.
Protesters requested equal conditions for all candidates and permission for
opposition leaders, including former president Ayaz Mutalibov and former
parliament speaker Rasul Guliyev, to return to Azerbaijan without being
arrested.
Mutalibov, who served as president in 1991-92, has been living in exile in
Russia since his resignation.
Guliyev, who was the subject of a fraud investigation and has lived in exile
in the United States since 1996, faces criminal charges on his return to
Azerbaijan.
However, Guliyev, who heads the Democratic Party, was registered Saturday to
run in the elections.
Mekhriban Aliyeva, wife of President Ilham Aliyev, is one of 109 candidates
from the ruling New Azerbaijan party vying for the 125 seats in the Milli
Majlis, the parliament.
3) Final Debates on Constitution Reforms Begin Pre November Vote in Armenia
YEREVAN(RFE/RL)--Opposition leaders suspended their 18-month boycott of
parliament on Monday as it began final debates on draft amendments to
Armenia's
constitution that are due to be put to a referendum in November. Their
approval
by the majority of lawmakers is almost certain.
The debates were broadcast live on national television on Monday, featuring
only two of the 39 deputies registered to address the parliament, suggesting
the proceedings could take at least two more days.
The session began with an angry dispute between the parliament leadership and
some opposition lawmakers over procedural matters. Speaker Artur Baghdasarian
told them they were hampering discussions by raising insignificant issues, and
emphasized the proposed reforms enjoy the backing of the Council of Europe and
in particular its advisory body on constitutional law, the Venice
Commission.
The commission's Italian secretary, Gianni Buquicchio, did not make it to
Yerevan to address the parliament and urge Armenians to vote for the proposed
amendments. According to the head of the Council of Europe office in Armenia,
Bojana Urumova, he simply missed a connecting flight to Yerevan at the
weekend.
"The Venice Commission believes in this text and supports it fully," Urumova
told the parliament, speaking on behalf of Buquicchio.
The constitutional reform is also supported by the European Union and the
United States. "The United States supports the efforts of all those who have
been involved in the process of attempting to amend the current Armenian
Constitution, and encourages all parties to engage in responsible and
constructive debate on this issue," US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans
said in
a statement published by Yerevan newspapers on Saturday.
"In our view the current package represents a notable step forward, but its
approval is of course a matter for the voters of the Republic of Armenia to
decide," Evans added.
4) Wisman Names Armenia Squad for World Cup
(uefa.com)--Armenia coach Henk Wisman has named a 21-man squad for the
September FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Netherlands and the Czech
Republic. Captain Harutyun Vardanyan returns after a year on the sidelines
with
a knee injury, while FC Banants's Samvel Melkonyan and FC Pyunik's Armen
Tigranyan hope to make their debuts.
ARMENIA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Roman Berezovski (FC Dinamo Moskva), Gevorg Kasparov (FC
Pyunik).
Defenders: Valery Aleksanyan (FC Pyunik), Sargis Hovsepyan (FC Pyunik),
Robert
Arzumanyan (FC Pyunik), Alexander Tadevosyan (FC Pyunik), Harutyun Vardanyan
(FC Aarau), Karen Dokhoyan (FC Krylya Sovetov Samara), Yegishe Melikyan (FC
Metalurh Donetsk).
Midfielders: Agvan Lazarian (FC Pyunik), Romik Khachatryan (OFI Crete FC),
David Grigoryan (FC Yesil Bogatyr Petropavlovsk), Karen Aleksanyan (CSF Zimbru
Chisinau), Hamlet Mkhitaryan (FC MTZ-RIPO Minsk), Armen Tigranyan (FC Pyunik),
Samvel Melkonyan (FC Banants).
Forwards: Edgar Manucharyan (AFC Ajax), Ara Hakobyan (FC Stal Alchevsk), Aram
Hakobyan (FC Banants), Aram Voskanyan (FC Yesil Bogatyr Petropavlovsk),Galust
Petrosyan (CSF Zimbru Chisinau).
5) LIBRARIANS AT THE GATES: THE BLUE PILL BLUES
Before we get to the meat of this week's column, I just want to point out to
all my readers that if you search "Turkish drug money" on Google.com today, my
last article is in the top five results.
Thank you. Thank you. No really, I couldn't have done it without you, my
loyal
readers.
Anyway, time to get the Sinikian show on the road. If you thought last week's
column was the stuff Hollywood summer blockbusters are made of--drug money
bribing politicians, international espionage, intrigue, attractive FBI agents,
and the mean bosses who double cross them--then you'll love this week. The
plot? A one armed man of such prestige and power is revealed to everyone.
Never have heroes.
They'll only let you down. Remember that because it will save you a whole lot
of grief in life. It's a lesson I was reminded of last week when I read about
the most recent scandal to rock the world of Armenian academia. I know that
most of my readers spend as much time reading Armenian news as they spend
probably debating various interpretations of the evolution of the market
economy in the early American colonies prior to the Revolutionary War. Did I
lose you? I thought so. I promise not to do that again. Fine. I'll cut to the
chase. But first, a little background. Remember Bob Dole? You might remember
him as the famous Senator from that state named after the legendary seventies
rock 'n' roll band Kansas. He was a great war hero, having been wounded in the
Second World War. He ran for President a few times. But his real claim to fame
amongst Armenians was that he was their bestest friend in the whooole WIDE
world.
It was the perfect relationship. It was a love story worthy of a Hollywood
movie. A young war hero comes back home with a horrible injury that will cause
him to lose his arm. A young doctor tells the boy that he can save his arm
from
amputation, and through multiple surgeries and therapy sessions helps the kid
keep his arm, but not fully useable. The kid and his hometown rally to scrap
and save pennies to pay the doctor who refuses to accept a dime. The only
thing
this guy asks of the young soldier is to be a kind human being and remember
the
stories he'd heard during the long therapy sessions about the doctor's
homeland
and his people--Armenia. The young soldier gets involved in politics attaining
the highest position in the Senate and running for President--not just once
but
twice. He's a national figure and a well respected politician and leader. He
keeps the promise to the Armenian doctor and fights for the rights of
Armenians
while in the Senate 'til the day he retires. He leaves office with a heavy
heart because as hard as he tries, he's unable to achieve the one thing he had
wanted to do so badly: to pass a bill setting the historical record straight
about the Armenian Genocide.
Now flash forward to 2005. A young Turkish-Kurd scholar by the name of Yektan
Turkyilmaz is arrested in Armenia on suspicion of smuggling rare books out of
the country. This incident gets more complicated by the fact that
Turkyilmaz is
a "pro-Genocide" scholar. WOW! Can you imagine someone who actually accepts
the
historical facts as they actually happened? Someone give this guy a medal...
not! Anyway, what really gets my blood boiling is the fact that Senator Bob
Dole, the same young man who rose to national prominence and defended the
Armenian Cause in Senate, writes a scathing letter to the Armenian Government
lambasting them over a number of issues related to human rights violations.
The
distinguished gentleman from Kansas has sunk even lower than when he was
hawking the little blue pill (Viagra) in magazine, newspaper and television
advertisements. I'm going to refrain at this point from making any jokes
related to erectile dysfunction, partly because it's a serious issue not to be
joked about (snickering) and partly out of a fear that if I did make any jokes
about it, then karma would come back to bite me in the voreeg.
Here's a quote from the Senator's letter which can be viewed at
http://www.yektan.org/yektan_dole.pdf:
"Yekten's detention seems to highlight problems sighted in numerous human
rights reports about Armenia, including those of Freedom House and the US
State
Department. Your detention of Yektan for seven weeks on any grounds would draw
attention to failings in Armenia's democratic evolution."
If you're still confused, this is what happened: Yekten tried to smuggle some
books out of the country and was arrested. Sen. Dole, whose wife is now the
Senator from North Carolina and a graduate of Duke University, wrote a letter
to Armenia calling the government a bunch of idiots for enforcing such
ridiculous laws like not allowing books out of Armenia.
Let's just say that those were the kindest of words in Senator Dole's letter.
The rest of it sounded like an angry diatribe that a controlling ex-boyfriend
would write to their former girlfriend-almost-fiancee. This is just the tip of
the iceberg. In addition to dragging Dr. Vartan Gregorian into this mess,
somehow Raffi Hovanissian has gotten involved as well, going so far as to
appear in front of the court to criticize the government for arresting
Yekten.
The average person, after reading all of this and the A-list of people lining
up in support of Yekten, may quickly assume that not only is Yekten an
innocent
Turkish scholar who is being railroaded by corrupt Armenian officials, but
that
the Armenian government is on rung above a dictatorship run by the Three
Stooges on the ladder of fair and democratic governments.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Does Armenia have problems? Yes. Is
it a prefect country? No. Is Yekten being railroaded by corrupt Armenian
officials? ABSOLUTELY NOT!! This Skeptik has, from very reliable sources who
wish to remain unnamed, learned that our friend Yekten is involved in the
smuggling of rare and antique books for personal profit. The Armenian
government has known this and has been keeping an eye on this man who uses his
credentials as a well-known scholar to travel into Armenia, purchase books
illegally and some legally from unsuspecting desperate salespeople trying to
make a living, and turns around to sell them to private collectors abroad. And
I'm not just talking about 1987 copies of Brezhnev's memoirs translated to
Armenian but really rare volumes of which only few copies remain around the
world. In fact, this is a growing problem in Armenia. While Armenia's economy
continues to struggle, many crooks have resorted to selling off national
treasures for a fist full of dollars--they don't even have the dignity to deal
in Drams. It's very similar to Egyptians selling off rare artifacts to
tourists
just to make a few bucks. For anyone wondering, this is absolutely illegal and
tourists are usually informed of these rules before they enter into a country.
Armenia, with its rich literary history, is no exception. Our books are as
precious as the churches and castles we've built.
I doubt Senator Bob Dole knows about any of this. He's too busy to get
involved in the nitty-gritty details of such a case. I doubt Dr. Vartan
Grigorian or Raffi Hovanissian knew either. But that is all the more reason
for
them to have given the benefit of doubt to the folks in Armenia who are trying
to do their job instead of jumping on the bandwagon to kiss up to a Turkish
scholar who has finally "seen the light" and come around to acknowledging the
validity of the Armenian Genocide.
This is becoming an epidemic in our community, where Armenian scholars who
have been doing legitimate research on the Genocide are treated with less
respect than a placemat at Denny's, while Turkish scholars who accept the
Genocide are hailed as the greatest thing since pocket pita bread.
I'm not picking sides here. I, personally, am guilty of checking out a few
books from my own public library and never returning them. (The difference is
that I didn't turn around and sell those books at the used bookstore). But
what
I am saying is that everyone should just chill out. Put the bottle of blue
pills down and chill out!
Skeptik Sinikian's library card was revoked due to excessive late fees. He is
currently working off his penalties by reading his past columns to children at
the local library as part of his community service. If you would like to email
him or read his past articles, contact him at [email protected] or visit
www.sinikian.blogspot.com.
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