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STAATSCOURANT (DUTCH GOVERNMENT GAZETTE) NO. 17
Tuesday 25 January 2005
Armenian Auschwitz
'This God, to whom you want pray, does not exist. Where was he when the Jews
in Poland had dig their own graves? Where was he when the Nazi's played with
the skulls of Jewish children? If he exists and he has been silent, he is a
murderer just like Hitler.' These are the words of Joseph Shapiro, main
character from the novel The Penitent of Isaac Bashevis Singer. They are in
fact also the words of Richard Rubinstein in his book entitled After
Auschwitz: 'Auschwitz killed God'.
This week, it is 60 years ago that the concentration camp Auschwitz was
liberated. Was Auschwitz indeed that turning point in the mental history of
humanity, about which Joseph Shapiro and Richard Rubinstein speak? The
moment when the belief in God, and therewith the existence of God, was no
longer justifiable? No matter how strange it may sound, I would like for
this to be true. I would like that no earlier horrors of the same level as
Auschwitz had taken place, by which God or a another human unifying
universal faith would lose its credibility once and for all. But this is not
so simple.
This year is also the 'jubilee year' of another horror. This one took place
not only almost 30 years before Auschwitz, but therefore also served as a
model for Auschwitz. It was Hitler himself who in 1939, briefly before the
bloody attack on Poland, made clear to his army commanders that Germany
should not be afraid of world opinion. Because, he said, 'Wer redet heute
noch von der Vernichtung der Armenier?' (Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?). How it is possible that, different from
Auschwitz, the massacres of the Armenians, which were committed under
command and responsibility of the Turkish government in the period of
191517, can still be denied by the perpetrator who continues to get away
with it internationally? On 24 April 1915, thousands of Armenian
politicians, priests and intellectuals were arrested in some large Turkish
cities and were in part directly assassinated and in part deported. It was
the start signal for the deportation and then eradication of the largest
part of the Armenian population in the Turkish Empire. Of the two million
Armenians living there, according to prominent historians certainly
1,200,000 died in concentration camps, by massacre or by starvation. In that
process German diplomats and consultants were Turkey had chosen the side
of Germany in the first World War I actively involved.
The Turkish minister directly responsible for the Armenian Auschwitz, Talaat
Pasha, did not make a particular secret out of it. As such he asked the
American ambassador at that time, Henry Morgenthau, the following: 'I wish
that you would get the American Life Insurance companies to send us a
complete list of Armenian policy holders. They are practically all dead now
and have left no heirs to collect the money. It of course all escheats to
the state. The government is beneficiary now. Will you do so?' The request
has not been granted. But the fact remains that numerous streets and squares
of modern Turkish cities are named after Talaat Pasha. The fact is also that
the EU talks with Turkey about accession without having required the
recognition of her Auschwitz in advancee. I am deeply ashamed as an
European.
René F.W. Diekstra
-------------------------------------
STAATSCOURANT (DUTCH GOVERNMENT GAZETTE) NO. 23
Wednesday, 2 February 2005
Members of Parliament condemn Armenian genocide
By André Rouvoet
In the Dutch Government Gazette of 25 January René Diekstra, under the title
'Armenian Auschwitz', wrote about the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. He
rightly concludes that the EU will talk with Turkey about accession without
requiring the recognition of her Auschwitz in advance. For that Diekstra is
deeply ashamed as a European.
I can imagine his feeling of shame well. Like Diekstra many factions in the
House of Representatives were very disappointed about the lack of the
requirement for the recognition of this Genocide by Turkey in the
conclusions of the European Council of December 2004. Preceding that summit,
many factions had expressly called for such a requirement.
In the debate on the conclusions of the European summit, where much
attention was given to the reached agreement with respect to the start of
the negotiations with Turkey, I therefore introduced a motion in which the
government is requested, within the framework of the intensive political and
cultural dialogue, which will be conducted parallel to the accession
negotiations with Turkey, to continuously and expressly raise the
recognition of the Armenian genocide. Nevertheless, a (new) European Member
State must be required to deal with its own history honestly. Minister Bot
welcomed this motion, which was unanimously accepted by the House of
Representatives.
Unfortunately it is true that the House of Representatives cannot add the
requirement of recognition to the conclusions of the European Council
through a motion. Meanwhile, however, this parliamentary pronouncement is of
great and fundamental significance. It is namely the first time that the
Dutch House of Representatives explicitly speaks of 'the Armenian genocide'.
Whereas the European Parliament has already done this, the term 'genocide'
was so far always avoided in the Dutch parliament. The fact that the
parliament has now unanimously sided with a motion in which the events of
1915 to 1917 are actually labelled as genocide and the fact that the Dutch
government has also welcomed this motion is of great significance for the
Armenian community world wide.
Moreover, in the debate several spokesmen also referred to the massacres of
the Assyrian people. Although the motion does not mention this issue, when
asked, the Minister of Foreign Affairs insured me that he will interpret the
motion in such a way that in this also the Assyrians are included. Therefore
both horrors will be raised in the negotiations with Turkey.
I am of the same opinion as Diekstra that justice must be done to the entire
history. The acceptance of my motion has the chance that this will
effectively happen in the coming time. Either way, it has been brought a
little closer.
The author is Chairman of the Christian Union faction in the House of
Representatives.
--Boundary_(ID_iClox6BsAwI4J3C4HgcVXA)--
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Tuesday 25 January 2005
Armenian Auschwitz
'This God, to whom you want pray, does not exist. Where was he when the Jews
in Poland had dig their own graves? Where was he when the Nazi's played with
the skulls of Jewish children? If he exists and he has been silent, he is a
murderer just like Hitler.' These are the words of Joseph Shapiro, main
character from the novel The Penitent of Isaac Bashevis Singer. They are in
fact also the words of Richard Rubinstein in his book entitled After
Auschwitz: 'Auschwitz killed God'.
This week, it is 60 years ago that the concentration camp Auschwitz was
liberated. Was Auschwitz indeed that turning point in the mental history of
humanity, about which Joseph Shapiro and Richard Rubinstein speak? The
moment when the belief in God, and therewith the existence of God, was no
longer justifiable? No matter how strange it may sound, I would like for
this to be true. I would like that no earlier horrors of the same level as
Auschwitz had taken place, by which God or a another human unifying
universal faith would lose its credibility once and for all. But this is not
so simple.
This year is also the 'jubilee year' of another horror. This one took place
not only almost 30 years before Auschwitz, but therefore also served as a
model for Auschwitz. It was Hitler himself who in 1939, briefly before the
bloody attack on Poland, made clear to his army commanders that Germany
should not be afraid of world opinion. Because, he said, 'Wer redet heute
noch von der Vernichtung der Armenier?' (Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?). How it is possible that, different from
Auschwitz, the massacres of the Armenians, which were committed under
command and responsibility of the Turkish government in the period of
191517, can still be denied by the perpetrator who continues to get away
with it internationally? On 24 April 1915, thousands of Armenian
politicians, priests and intellectuals were arrested in some large Turkish
cities and were in part directly assassinated and in part deported. It was
the start signal for the deportation and then eradication of the largest
part of the Armenian population in the Turkish Empire. Of the two million
Armenians living there, according to prominent historians certainly
1,200,000 died in concentration camps, by massacre or by starvation. In that
process German diplomats and consultants were Turkey had chosen the side
of Germany in the first World War I actively involved.
The Turkish minister directly responsible for the Armenian Auschwitz, Talaat
Pasha, did not make a particular secret out of it. As such he asked the
American ambassador at that time, Henry Morgenthau, the following: 'I wish
that you would get the American Life Insurance companies to send us a
complete list of Armenian policy holders. They are practically all dead now
and have left no heirs to collect the money. It of course all escheats to
the state. The government is beneficiary now. Will you do so?' The request
has not been granted. But the fact remains that numerous streets and squares
of modern Turkish cities are named after Talaat Pasha. The fact is also that
the EU talks with Turkey about accession without having required the
recognition of her Auschwitz in advancee. I am deeply ashamed as an
European.
René F.W. Diekstra
-------------------------------------
STAATSCOURANT (DUTCH GOVERNMENT GAZETTE) NO. 23
Wednesday, 2 February 2005
Members of Parliament condemn Armenian genocide
By André Rouvoet
In the Dutch Government Gazette of 25 January René Diekstra, under the title
'Armenian Auschwitz', wrote about the horrors of the Armenian Genocide. He
rightly concludes that the EU will talk with Turkey about accession without
requiring the recognition of her Auschwitz in advance. For that Diekstra is
deeply ashamed as a European.
I can imagine his feeling of shame well. Like Diekstra many factions in the
House of Representatives were very disappointed about the lack of the
requirement for the recognition of this Genocide by Turkey in the
conclusions of the European Council of December 2004. Preceding that summit,
many factions had expressly called for such a requirement.
In the debate on the conclusions of the European summit, where much
attention was given to the reached agreement with respect to the start of
the negotiations with Turkey, I therefore introduced a motion in which the
government is requested, within the framework of the intensive political and
cultural dialogue, which will be conducted parallel to the accession
negotiations with Turkey, to continuously and expressly raise the
recognition of the Armenian genocide. Nevertheless, a (new) European Member
State must be required to deal with its own history honestly. Minister Bot
welcomed this motion, which was unanimously accepted by the House of
Representatives.
Unfortunately it is true that the House of Representatives cannot add the
requirement of recognition to the conclusions of the European Council
through a motion. Meanwhile, however, this parliamentary pronouncement is of
great and fundamental significance. It is namely the first time that the
Dutch House of Representatives explicitly speaks of 'the Armenian genocide'.
Whereas the European Parliament has already done this, the term 'genocide'
was so far always avoided in the Dutch parliament. The fact that the
parliament has now unanimously sided with a motion in which the events of
1915 to 1917 are actually labelled as genocide and the fact that the Dutch
government has also welcomed this motion is of great significance for the
Armenian community world wide.
Moreover, in the debate several spokesmen also referred to the massacres of
the Assyrian people. Although the motion does not mention this issue, when
asked, the Minister of Foreign Affairs insured me that he will interpret the
motion in such a way that in this also the Assyrians are included. Therefore
both horrors will be raised in the negotiations with Turkey.
I am of the same opinion as Diekstra that justice must be done to the entire
history. The acceptance of my motion has the chance that this will
effectively happen in the coming time. Either way, it has been brought a
little closer.
The author is Chairman of the Christian Union faction in the House of
Representatives.
--Boundary_(ID_iClox6BsAwI4J3C4HgcVXA)--
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress