Turkish Forum

Month: August 2009

  • Turkish Diaspora Manages To Dismiss Us Congress’s Resolution On “armenian Genocide”

    Turkish Diaspora Manages To Dismiss Us Congress’s Resolution On “armenian Genocide”

    Tuesday, 25 August 2009

    The United States, Washington, Aug. 25 /Trend News, N.Bogdanova/

    The political circuits of Washington DC and US based Turkish Diaspora organizations are not accepting seriously the Armenian initiatives concerning “Armenian genocide” in the US Congress and local law-making organizations, one of leaders of the Turkish Diaspora in California Karahan Mete toldTrend News.

    For example, during the last several months Armenians tried to put through three resolutions in California State’s local Congress, but US based Turkish organizations (TCCA, Turkish Defense Fund, ATAA, TAAF, PAX Turcica, TAAC, Turkuaz, TADF) managed to dismiss those three resolution projects, Mete said.

    He mentions that, the State of California, where Armenian and Greece Diasporas are dominant – is the center for Armenian’s anti-Turkish activities.

    Close relationship between Turkish Diaspora and Senator Darrel Steinberg helped to hinder implementation of a resolution project number AJR 14, which was dedicated to the issue of “Armenian genocide”, and was aimed to keep the “Armenian genocide” on agenda, Mete said.

    The Turkish Diaspora also prevented Armenians’ another resolution number SB 234, which was aimed to propaganda the “Armenian genocide” issue in California’s schools.

    The first version of this resolution meant that any Armenian could go to a school and talk about what happened in 1915 to his relatives, Mete said.

    But in the last version (revised by the Turkish Diaspora) only those ones who participated in 1915 events can do these kinds of lectures at schools.

    “And as nearly none of the participants are alive it seems impossible,” told Mete.

    The third resolution project still remains on California Senate’s agenda under the number AB 961, and it is aimed to prohibit the cooperation between local government and organizations which are working with Turkey.

    The Turkish Diaspora is working hard in Washington DC on dismissing the discussion of “Armenian genoside” in the US Congress during the up-coming fall session.

    Besides the Turkish organizations, the Congressional Caucus on Turkey also works closely with this issue, Congressman Ed Whitefield (Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Turkey)  office told Trend News.

    According to Congressman Whitefield’s office, in an open editorial about US-Turkey relations the law-maker says that with Turkey’s record as such a steadfast ally to the U.S. during troubled times; it would be a dangerous misstep to unnecessarily risk alienating the Turkish people. Yet, efforts are, once again, afoot in the U.S. Congress to label the deaths of ethnic Armenians during the final days of the Ottoman Empire in World War I as genocide.

    He stresses that, “This sort of proclamation, which bears no legal effect, would almost certainly be seen as a slap in the face to Turkey and a harpoon to U.S. relations with the country”.

    According to Congressman, the “Armenian genocide” issue remains a matter of debate by historians, making it foolish, arrogant, and dangerous for politicians to make historical claims for political points”.

    Ed Whitefield also adds that with the two countries (Turkey and Armenia) already working in step to resolve their differences and advance their relationship, U.S. involvement in the situation appears unnecessary and intrusive.

    Turkish Weekly

  • Michael Jackson was murdered

    Michael Jackson was murdered

    REPORT: SOURCE SAYS MICHAEL JACKSON’S DEATH RULED HOMICIDE

    The Los Angeles County coroner has reportedly ruled the death of Michael Jackson to be a homicide, per a source. CLICK HEREto see the search warrant affidavit.

    A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that the coroner said a fatal combination of drugs was given to the King of Pop hours before he passed on June 25.

    In a search warrant affidavit unsealed today in Houston, TX, a report from the L.A. County coroner’s officials indicated that they found a lethal dose of the drug in his system. The official cause of death has not been made public to date.

    The search warrant details how Jackson’s doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, administered drugs to the fallen pop star. He told LAPD detectives that he had been treating the singer for insomnia. He had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of Propofol every night using an intravenous line, according to the court document.

    Click HERE for more details.

    etonline

  • FLASH NEWS! ARMENIA TAKES TURKEY TO INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE!

    FLASH NEWS! ARMENIA TAKES TURKEY TO INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE!

    ERGUN KIRLIKOVALI

    Turkish Forum Danisma kurulu Uyesi

    ——————————————————————————————————-

    Just kidding…

    That could never happen, although perhaps it should, as that is the only way to expose the Armenian hearsay and forgeries.

    That is the only way Turkey can clear its name in the face of Armenian lies, deceptions, fabrications, falsifications, and misrepresentations. The 1948 U.N. Convention also required that genocide verdict can only be rendered by a “competent tribunal” where it is proven beyond a showdown of doubt that there was an “intent” to commit genocide. Activists, columnists, academicians, clergy, politicians, and million other professions are free to be heard as witnesses if called upon, but the ultimate decision BELONGS TO THE COURTS.

    Why do I stress that? Because none of the Armenian claims can stand the scrutiny of a court room…not even a single one!

    Case in point: US federal judges recently threw out a California law passed by Glendale Armenians via racist and dishonest politicians which allowed the so called heirs of bogus survivors of a bogus genocide could sue the insurance companies for life insurance policies purchased by Ottoman Armenians. Whoosh! What was that? It was the sound of Armenian claims going out the window… Armenian genocide lies finally hit the wall of truth…
    (Check the archives for details on when, where, who, why, etc.)

    We know this. That is why we are saying, writing, demanding that Armenians, if they truly believe in the crap they spread around as genocide, they should sue Turkey at ICJ in the Hague. I dare them!

    The rest is talk… cheap talk!

    But they cannot!

    Do you now know why Armenians can never take their claims of genocide to court to convict Turkey?

    Because the Armenians know that the Armenian genocide claims do not have a snowball’s chance in hell to withstand the scrutiny of a courtroom.

    ***

    If they did, this is how that lawsuit at ICJ would start:

    Your honor, poor starving Armenians…

    Objection!

    unarmed, Armenian civilians…

    Objection!

    were killed by Turks….

    Objection!

    In 1915…

    Objection!

    systematically…

    Objection!

    And with intent to annihilate…

    Objection!

    to the tune of 1.5 million…

    Objection!

    Armenians had no weapons…

    Objection!

    Armenians were loyal citizens…

    Objection!

    Armenians did not revolt…

    Objection!

    Armenians did not demand territory…

    Objection!

    Armenians did not resort to terrorism…

    Objection!

    Armenians did not join the country’s enemies…

    Objection!

    Armenians did not join the invading enemy armies…

    Objection!

    Armenians were innocent…

    Objection!

    No one helped Armenians…

    Armenian homeland…

    Objection!

    And Armenian national identity…

    Objection!

    (blah…blah…blah…)

    ( Objection!… Objection!… Objection!… )

    …

    See, the Armenians would not be able to finish even a SINGLE FULL SENTENCE without being interrupted after every word/phrase by extremely VIGOROUS TURKISH OBJECTIONS…

    Racist and dishonest Armenian version of history at the hands of equally racist and dishonest politicians like Schiff, Pallone, Radanovich, do not face responsible opposing views in political platforms and can pass easily with a show of hands. In none of the 20 or so countries’ parliaments or 40 some US States’ assemblies did those racist and dishonest Armenian resolutions pass without considerable Armenian political pressure. Meaning, if Armenians did not push this hard, no one would give a damn!

    Pay Schiff, Pallone, Radanovich, and they will sign any resolution created by Armenians. That is why Armenians go for political resolutions rather than courts, because they can manipulate the facts in the former, but not the latter.

    Not all killings are genocide… Not all teresets (temporary resettlements) are genocide… not all my-granma-told-me stories are genocide…Not all human suffering is genocide… Not all man’s inhumanity to man is genocide… Not all war crimes are genocide…

    You see, there has to a proven intent for any of the crimes to be a genocide (that’s what the 1948 UN Convention says)

    And the verdict belongs to ICJ, the only competent tribunal that can effortlessly rip apart the unreliable collection of Armenian hearsay and forgeries.

    That is the plain truth…

    And that, my friend, you can take to the bank!

  • Armenian-American Lawyers and Leaders Should Counter Ruling of Appeals Court

    Armenian-American Lawyers and Leaders Should Counter Ruling of Appeals Court

    sassun-23
    The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an outrageous judicial opinion last week, ruling that the California law that extended the deadline for Armenian-Americans to sue life insurance companies for unpaid claims from the Genocide-era was unconstitutional.
    Furthermore, in a split decision, the Court made a sweeping pronouncement claiming that the State of California had infringed on the foreign affairs power reserved by the Constitution exclusively to the federal government, just because the law in question included a reference to the Armenian Genocide. Two of the three federal judges asserted that Section 354.4 of the California Code of Civil Procedure, adopted by the California Legislature in 2000, contravened the federal government’s policy of not acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.
    By adopting this law, the State of California intended to provide its residents and others the opportunity to protect their legal rights by allowing them until December 31, 2010 to file lawsuits against foreign and domestic life insurance companies which had not paid claims dating back to the Genocide era.
    On the basis of this law, a class action lawsuit was filed against New York Life Insurance Company which was settled in 2005 for $20 million dollars. A second class action lawsuit was filed against Axa, a French life insurance company. It was settled for $17.5 million.
    A third class action lawsuit was filed against Victoria Verisherung AG and two affiliated German insurance companies in 2003. Father Vazken Movsesian, Pastor of St. Peter Armenian Church in Glendale, was the lead plaintiff.
    The attorneys for the German companies contested the lawsuit and filed a motion to dismiss. Federal Judge Christina Snyder rejected the defendants’ contention by ruling that Section 354.4 did not infringe on the federal government’s foreign affairs powers. The defendants then filed an appeal claiming that the California Law “conflicts with the Executive Branch’s policy prohibiting legislative recognition” of the Armenian Genocide. They pointed out that the Administrations of Presidents Bush and Clinton had opposed all three Armenian Genocide resolutions submitted to the House of Representatives in 2000, 2003 and 2007.
    Last week, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals over-ruled Judge Snyder, asserting that the California Law in question “impermissibly infringes” on the jurisdiction of the U.S. government. Two of the three judges of the Appeals Court, David R. Thompson and Dorothy W. Nelson, sided with the German insurance companies. The third judge, Harry Pregerson, sided with the Armenian plaintiffs, contending that the State of California has the right to ensure that its residents are fairly treated by insurance companies. He also asserted that he could not find “any evidence of an express federal policy” forbidding states from using the term “Armenian Genocide.”
    This Appeals Court ruling has very serious consequences for the Armenian Cause, far beyond the issue of mere life insurance claims.
    It was highly unusual that Judge Dorothy Nelson was absent from the bench when attorneys from both sides were presenting their oral arguments to the Court of Appeal. Given her apparent lack of interest in this case, one wonders if she delegated viewing the videotape of the hearing to her law clerks.
    Armenian-Americans should call for the impeachment of Judges Thomson and Nelson for legislating from the bench, falsely claiming that Congress and individual states are “prohibited” from adopting resolutions on the Armenian Genocide, and injecting political views into their judicial opinion. It is incredible that judges who live in Southern California — in the midst of the largest Armenian community in the world — are so ignorant about the most basic facts of the Armenian Genocide.
    There are also serious errors in the opinion issued by the two judges on August 20, 2009. For example, on page 11434, they claim that “there is no citation or evidence in the record of these other thirty-nine state statutes which purportedly reference the ‘Armenian Genocide.’” This statement is patently false. On page 19 of the “Answering Brief” filed on April 30, 2008, the plaintiffs’ attorneys provide the following citation: “To date, thirty-nine states have formally recognized the Armenian Genocide by legislation or proclamation. See, Armenian National Committee of America, ‘Genocide Recognition by U.S. States’ Online at .“
    Judges Thompson and Nelson, in their eagerness to prove that California contradicted the Executive Branch’s policy on the Armenian Genocide, selectively refer only to the resolutions that had failed to come to a full House vote. The judges do not mention the material fact that in line with California’s statute 354.4, the U.S. House of Representatives twice adopted resolutions on the Armenian Genocide in 1975 and 1984, and Pres. Reagan issued a Presidential Proclamation in 1981, acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.
    These judges are also plainly wrong in claiming that the U.S. Congress and individual States had interfered in the formulation of U.S. foreign policy on the Armenian Genocide. The resolutions adopted by 41 U.S. States and hundreds of proclamations issued by governors, mayors, and county supervisors throughout America are commemorative in nature, simply reaffirming the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide and urging the President of the United States to do likewise. Furthermore, the U.S. government does NOT have a policy of denying the Armenian Genocide.
    Interestingly, the Appeals Court judges disclosed that Turkish officials had made a sinister attempt to interfere in their ruling. They stated that Nabi Sensoy, the Turkish Ambassador to the United States, sent them a letter expressing his country’s strong opposition to California statute 354.4, and asking the Court to overturn it. The Turkish Ambassador had sent a similar letter earlier to another Federal Judge, trying to interfere in a lawsuit by Armenian plaintiffs against German banks. Although Judges Thomson and Nelson assert that they ignored the Turkish Ambassador’s angry letter, it must have surely reinforced their own view that California was intruding into Washington’s conduct of foreign policy. It is simply appalling that the Turkish government would try to stick its nose in a lawsuit between Armenian-Americans and German insurance companies even though the plaintiffs in this case neither accuse Turkish officials of any wrongdoing nor make any demands from them. Similarly, the attorneys for the German insurance companies have no business objecting to whether California was infringing upon U.S.-Turkish relations.
    The Law offices of Geragos & Geragos; Kabatek, Brown, Kellner LLP; and Yeghiayan Law Firm — the attorneys for the plaintiffs — must have realized by now that this is no longer simply a life insurance issue dealing with the unpaid claims of their clients. This lawsuit has now mushroomed into a case that calls into question the authority of California and 40 other States to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Furthermore, it is highly puzzling why the plaintiffs’ attorneys had not invited California’s Attorney General to file a friend of the court brief to defend his State from accusations that it had adopted a statute that ostensibly violated the U.S. Constitution. Hopefully, this serious oversight would be remedied by requesting that the State Attorney General file such a brief when the plaintiffs’ attorneys seek a rehearing of the case “en banc” by a larger panel of the Court of Appeals. Should all appeals fail, however, Armenians could lobby for the adoption of a new California statute that would allow the filing of lawsuits against foreign insurance companies, without the problematic language.
    For several years, this writer has been urging the Armenian American community and its political leadership to stop pursuing the adoption of additional congressional resolutions that simply repeat what was already accomplished in 1975 and 1984, and to re-channel their efforts to more productive legal demands from the government of Turkey through U.S. and European courts. It is now clear that the repeated and failed Armenian attempts to pass previously adopted resolutions may not only be wasting valuable time and resources, but could also be detrimental to the pursuit of Armenian legal claims.
    Finally, Pres. Obama and several previous Presidents must bear their share of responsibility for this unwelcome judicial development, given the fact that they pledged to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide as candidates and reneged on their promises, once in office. Pres. Obama should be made aware of the serious legal consequences of his breach of trust and asked to make good on his campaign promise.
    Armenians and all those who believe in justice should urge the establishment of a U.S. commission — similar to the one for Holocaust victims — to settle all claims of properties and possessions arising from the Armenian Genocide. Even though this would not be an easy task, it would at least be the start of a tangible and meaningful process!
  • US chemical conference – fuels from CO2 and hydrogen

    US chemical conference – fuels from CO2 and hydrogen

    Production, Aug  24  2009 (The Hydrogen Journal)


    – A meeting was held during the 238th American Chemical Society national meeting, looking at ways to make jet fuel by reacting carbon dioxide with hydrogen, with researches from the US Naval Research Laboratory, according to an article on Green Car Congress.com.

    Normally a large amount of energy would be needed to make the reaction happen (which is not a useful way to make a fuel). But scientists believe that the amount of energy required could be reduced with catalysts.

    Tests were made using Co/Pt/Al2O3 catalyst under a range of different concentrations of CO2 : H2 and different pressures.

    The UK´s University of Liverpool is also investigating ways to convert CO2 to organic molecules, using electricity as an energy source.

    Green Car Congress article

    The Hydrogen Journal

  • Russia Gazprom unveils strategies for Turkey

    Russia Gazprom unveils strategies for Turkey

    Published: Friday 21 August 2009   

    Russian gas monopoly Gazprom has acquired a majority stake in the Turkish Bosphorus Gas Corporation, hoping to boost its investment and become a powerful player in the future strategic Eurasian gas hub to be established in Turkey, the Russian press announced on 19 August.

    Gazprom has expanded its share in Bosphorus Gas Corporation A.S. to 51 per cent, writes the daily Kommersant. The company, specialised in sales to final consumers, is expected to become a key player in the process of liberalization of the Turkish market, including the privatization of the gas supply network, the daily adds. 

    Gazprom had until now a 40% share in Bosphorus Gas, through its daughter company Gazprom Germania ZMB. The current share is 51% and the aim is to achieve soon a 71% share, officials said. But the Turkish press reportedly said that Gazprom already controls 71%, as it had acquired the shares of a Turkish key shareholder. 

    An unnamed high representative of Gazprom said that his company’s strategy is to make out of Bosphorus Gas “a powerbase of the Russian monopoly on the Turkish internal market”. 

    According to the source, Bosphorus Gas will boost its gas volume trade, participate in the privatization of pipelines and in building underground gas storages in Turkey. “In the perspective of Turkey becoming a huge world gas hub, Gazprom needs to have here its own companies,” the Gazprom representative told Kommersant. 

    On 6 August the prime ministers of Turkey and Russia signed a series of agreements on energy projects, including on Turkey’s acceptance that the “South Stream” gas pipeline would pass through Turkish territorial waters. As one of the aims of Russia with “South Steam” is to bypass Ukraine, the move would also help bypass Ukrainian territorial waters. 

    The source, quoted by Kommersant, however, dismissed the participation of Bosphorus Gas in “South Stream”, or in EU-favoured rival Nabucco pipeline.