A landmark Armenian-Kurdish Conference held in the UK parliament.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Solidarity with the Victims of all Genocides
Centre of Halabja against the Anfalization and Genocide of Kurdish People
Seyfo Centre
c/o The Temple of Peace, Cardiff, Wales  07718982732

A landmark Armenian-Kurdish Conference held in the UK parliament.
Establishment of a permanent Kurdish-Armenian dialogue

This week marked a development in Armeno-Kurdish relations with a major
Conference held in the UK parliament. Nearly all  of the UK Kurdish
organisations were represented.
   On tuesday, in the House of Commons, Prof Kamal Mazhar Ahmad, former
Professor of history at Baghdad University gave a presentatiion based on
his book on the Kurds in World War 1 and the Armenian Genocide. He had
quoted from witnessess such as Faez Al-Ghosain who was in Turkey at the
time of the Genocide.  He maintained that the killings were premeditated
by the Turkish state, rather than being  outbursts of violence at local
level. His presentation (delivered in Arabic and translated) was well
received and several Kurds in  the audience rose at the end to say that
Kurds should apologise for the involvement of many of them in the
Genocide. Several expressed their desire to become involved in the work
for Recognition of this Genocide .
   It was decided unanimously, at the suggestion of Adnan Kochar,
director of CHAK, that we should  write to the KRG government to ask for
official recognition of the 1915 Genocide of the Armenians and the
Assyrians, and also to the Armenian Government to ask for official
recognition of the Anfal Genocide
   The other speaker, eminent  Kurdish writer Rebwar Fatah concentrated
on issues of Human Rights related to Genocide.

   On wednesday in the House of Lords, the issue of the betrayal of
Armenians, Kurds and Assyrians by the Great Powers in the Treaty of
Lausanne was addressed (close to its 85th anniversary). The speakers
were researcher  Tony Kahve, writer Dr Kemal Miredali and researcher Ms
Soma Mallzada. The legitimacy of the Lausanne Treaty was challanged and
questioned from the perspective of the three nations which were not
allowed to participate in its creation.It was noted that Turkey has
continually broken the terms of the treaty, rendering it even more
invalid. The speeches will be ready for distribution soon.
   One valuable contribution was sent to the Conference by Haydar Issik
a Kurdish writer now in Germany. (below)

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AND

CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN TURKEY

BY HAYDAR ISIK (trans. Tony Kahve)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

   I greet you sincerely and would like to begin by an extract from
David Kherdian's book called "In the Shadow of the Crescent." It was
published in Germany by the Peri publishing house. It reads as follows:

"Even if we are divided by force, we still remain one family. If one of
us dies, undoubtedly something dies in all of us. But if only one of us
survives then we will all live through that survivor. No happiness
emanates from disaster. What the Turk does is insanity. You may get
serenity one day followed by disaster the next.

We must wait and see as to which gate God will reveal to us.

I hope that the avenue which is about to open in front of us will also
bring us back. Whatever happens you must return."

   These are the words of a grandmother of a large and prosperous
Armenian family in the Anatolian town of Afyon, before she was deported
to the Syrian desert.

Firstly, the young men were conscripted into the army, shortly after the
deportations begun.

   At this point, I would like to note that the only survivor of the
family in the desert town of Deir Zor was a child called Veron. Indeed,
under these circumstances, even if he could return to Afyon, there was
no longer any one there to greet him. The land of Anatolia and the
Syrian deserts became the grave of 1.5 million Armenians. Incredibly,
even their graves could not be in their motherland. Their remains merely
gained the attention of scavenging animals. This is the greatest
humanitarian crime committed against the Armenian nation during the
first quarter of the twentieth century. It is a Genocide. Consequently,
the mass barbarism must be seriously questioned. The responsible element
must face its history. Bypassing the issue is sanctioning Genocide, thus
opening the gates of new Genocides. Claiming that we committed no such
crime and that they committed such crimes against us does not hide the
reality.

   Anatolia's ancient people have felt the death of 1.5 million
Armenians, thus something has also died within those Turks and Kurds who
consider themselves human beings. Anatolia was a land populated with
Armenians at every sunrise, with them it was a beautiful land. Where are
our Armenian neighbours today? Why can't these ancient people of
Anatolia return to their country? Why shouldn't the present day sunrise
greet them as it used to? Previously, despite religious differences, the
Turk, the Armenian, the Assyrian and the Syrian as well as the Kurd were
one family. The Armenian man was enriching Anatolia with art and
culture. You have to think for a moment that if this Genocide had not
taken place couldn't all Anatolians still pursue a prosperous life
jointly? Doesn't the answer to this question reflect the words of the
old women that: "What the Turk does is insanity"? Indeed if this
insanity had not been committed the peoples of Anatolia today would
still have coexisted prosperously.

   The Armenian people were the true owners of certain regions of
Anatolia and were the true wealth of those regions. What did the
destroyers of this wealth truly gain in their single-minded disease
incorporating a frenzy of Pan Islam and racist Pan-Turkism? The reality
is that now they are unable to wipe away the Armenian blood which stains
their foreheads permanently. Now, which ever door Turkey knocks on there
appears the Armenian Genocide.

   The Kurds also became the triggers and revolvers of this genocide. I
never forget the statement made in 1956 by a Muslim called Sofu Hasan
from the town of Mush. "We were told that the Armenians were to attack
the mosque. We, however, acted rapidly and quickly gathered them. I know
that I killed five Armenians with one bullet".

   Sofu Hasan believed he was conducting the orders of former Caliphs.
He would pray profoundly for the day when he would be received by God.
The important point to comprehend here is that the spirit of Sofu Hasan
has now entered the AKP the ruling party in Turkey. AKP believes that it
has inherited the Ottoman past, and does not recognise the Genocide,
this means that it is sanctioning it.

   During the late nineteenth century, 36 Kurdish clans were organised
into special brigades by Sultan Abdul Hamid in order to eliminate the
Armenians. Thus the Kurds became the instruments of that government.
Today, however, 75 members of the Grand National/Assembly fortified with
a number of ministers have become the triggers against the Kurds. The
Kurdish brigades of the past are the shame of the Kurdish people.

   One Armenian survivor of the Genocide describes his experience as
such: "Our deportation column gradually got smaller, partly because
numerous children were killed or kidnapped. One night we were
approaching a caravanserai, fifteen of the surviving children rushed to
a well next to the buildings in order to drink water. The officer in
charge believed that their true intention was to escape. Consequently,
two gendarmes were sent after them. They were promptly put in a line and
shot. They were between 8 and 12 years old.(Erlebnisse, Therese Lehmann
Haupt p8  Donat & Temman Veslag)

   Unfortunately, the nature of these events is most heart breaking.
Sadly, even today we live in a state that the Turkish police, in front
of the TV cameras, will break the arm of a child and viciously beat
women and children. The Turkish soldier will happily decimate the bodies
of the guerrillas he has killed. Such violence demonstrates once again
the murderous continuity emanating from the Committee of Union and
Progress and its extension the Kemalist regime.

   This ideology [based on Turkism] incorporates cultural elimination,
thus Armenians are unable to survive in Anatolia. Murder of Hrant Dink
was also committed by the same insane psyche. The same insanity is now
attempting to eliminate the Kurds. AKP and its generals have spread
their war throughout Kurdistan. The Turkish regime is racist and
ideologically lives in the past. Turkey must apologise to the Armenians
and promote the principles of peace and equality with the Kurds;
otherwise it cannot survive by a policy of permanent murder. Turkish
politicians should get on their knees at the Genocide Monument in
Yerevan and ask for forgiveness. Just as Willy Brandt did in Warsaw for
the Second World War crimes.

   What has happened to the Armenians should never be forgotten.
Anatolian people must be told the truth. Personally I have been
threatened numerous times due to the articles I have written about the
Armenians. But as a human being it is my duty to acknowledge the
Armenian Genocide. At every opportunity, I present articles and continue
to make speeches. Thus, I convey my support to the Armenian people and
wish them all the success