60th anniversary of the UN Genocide Convention

A warm invitation to two important meetings to mark the 60th anniversary of the UN
Genocide Convention, on tuesday, 9th December

1 "The Minorities of Turkey face the continuing Cultural Genocide"

In Committee Room 17 of the House of Commons

at 12 noon, 9th december

Agenda:
1 The recent comments by the Turkish Prime Minister and Defence Minister

Prime Minister Recep T. Erdogan, on 4th November 2008 (at the press conference for
the visit of the Lebanese Prime Minister, Fuad Siniora),said that "Turkey consists
of one nation, one flag and one land and that anyone who is not in agreement with
this should leave the country".

On the 10th november in Brussels,Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül celebrated
the genocide of Armenians, praising the policy of what he termed the "deportation",
because it allowed the construction of the Turkish nation. And he added: "Would it
be possible today to maintain the same national State if the existence of Greeks in
the Aegean region and of Armenians in several regions of Turkey had continued as
before?"

2 The Human Rights of Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Crypto-Armenians,
Crypto-Assyrians

Speakers: Des Fernandes

Prof Gregory Stanton (President of International Assoc. of Genocide Scholars)
An Assyrian speaker from Turkey

Sponsor and Chair : Dr. Bob Spink MP (Independent)

Co-organisers : Solidarity with the Victims of All Genocides,(SVAG)
Nor Serount Cultural Association
CHAK (Centre of Halabja)
supported by
Seyfo Centre

RSVP to eilian@nant.wanadoo.co.uk 07876561398 or 07718982732

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2 The present ethnic cleansing of the Minorities of Iraq-
will Britain take some responsibility for a solution?

in Room 2A of the House of Lords

on Tuesday, 9th December

6.30 p.m. till 8.00 p.m.

Co-organisers: "Lobby for the Christians and other Minorities of Iraq"
Centre of Halabja, (C.H.A.K.)

Confirmed speakers:(all speeches will be brief)- :Dr Layla Alrummi of the Mandaean Human Rights organisation Researcher Nicola Craven on Mandaean refugees in Syria
Archbishop Toma,(Syriac Church) , Fr. Khoshaba Georges,(Ancient Church of the East)
Fr Habib (Chaldean Church)--- one joint statement Neville Kyrke-Smith, the National Director of Aid to the Church in Need UK Adnan Kochar of CHAK (Halabja Centre) on Yezidis and Kurdish-Minority relations The Syrian Ambassador HE Dr. Sami Al Kiyami on aid to refugees in Syria

Themes of the discussion
1 Protection of, and aid to Minorities in Iraq
2 Aid to minority refugees in Syria .
3 The UK's closed doors to Iraqi Minority assylum seekers
4 Co-ordinated lobbying of the government and parliament
5 "What leverage, if any, does the UK have on the Iraqi government?"
5 "Towards an Assyrian-Kurdish dialogue"

Sponsor and chair: Lord Alton

Press Release
Armenia Solidarity
Nor Serount Cultural Association
C.H.A.K.(Centre of Halabja)

The 90th anniversary of the betrayal of Armenia and the Assyrian/Suriani and
Kurdish nations in the Mudros Armstice (signed by Britain and Turkey on the
30th october 1918) was commemmorated this weekend in front of the Prime
Minister's home at 10 Downing Street, London and at the cenotaph.

Armenians, Assyrians and Kurds gathered to remind the signatory nations that
both countries have a heavy responsibility for the predicament of today's
Assyrians, thousands of whom live impoversished lives as refugees from Iraq in
Syria.

The speeches contained the following:
"The genocide of 1915 ensured that Tur Abdin, Hakari and other regions were
emptied of their Assyrian/Suriani population. Likeiwse for Armenians from Western
Armenia( Van, Bitlis, Moush, Erzurum etc)

Certainly .Turkey has a responsiblity to provide for the return of thousands
of Assyrian/Suriani Refugees and make a committment to some degree of
autonomy. This would provide another option for those currently languishing in
poverty in Syria.
The EU, and especially the UK has a responsibility to bear the financial cost of
this resettlement if Turkey is allowed membership.
We accuse Turkey of continuing cultural genocide, with the UK giovernment
deliberately looking the other way and complying with the crimes of its
strategic and financially lucrative ally
I
The following letter was delivered.

To The Prime Minister and the Foreign Serretary,
Armenia Solidarity
Dear Sirs,
This week we mark the nintieth anniversary of the Great Betrayal of
Armenians and Assyrians in the Mudros armstice with Turkey (30th october
1918). We ask you to consider what measures of restitution are suitable as
we believe that it was criminal of Britain to agree to the terms of the
armstice.The lack of a homeland for Assyrians and the continued Turkish
control of Western Armenia is a direct result of the armstice.The Assyrians
in particular have been subjected to subsequent massacres emanating from
Britain's hand in the creation of Iraq, a centralised state without
provision for the protection of minorities. It is indicative of our
selective amnesia about our past responsibilities that only two MPs have
signed the EDM on the 75th anniversary of the Simel massacre of Assyrians in
1933 soon after the end of the British Mandate.
The latest pogrom of Christian Assyrian and Armenian Christians in Mosul
two weeks ago must surely worry our consiences. We appeal to you not to
persist in ensuring that Britain continualy assumes the role of a Pontius
Pilate with respect to this problem
The continuing cultural Genocide in Turkey, with the descendants of
forcibly Islamized Armenians and Assyrians still living in fear of
disclosing their identities, and Armenian and Assyrian heritage
deliberately destroyed, must be addressed before Turkey makes any progress
towards EU membership.
We request a private meeting with you to discuss these matters. The
article below may refresh your memory concerning Britain's past dealings.
Regards,
Eilian Williams
Bagrad Nazarian

Enclosed are details of the nature of the betrayal
The Mudros Armstice(30th october 1918) did not contain
conditions on Armenia or the Assyrian homeland. It left the 6 Armenian villayets
under the
sovereignty of Turkey and no provision was made for the repartiation of
Armenian refugees and deportees to their homes.There was no occupation of
statregic points by the Allies and no provision for the release of women and
children. There was no disarming of the Turkish army.it would have been
possible to gain concessions surely from the Turks, as 3 out of 4 proposals
for peace from Turkish sources included concessions on Armenia.The armstice
was hastily signed in order to ensure that the victorious fleet sailing into
Constantinople would be commanded by a British rather than a French admiral!
In order to secure the Dardanelle straits, Palestine and Mesopotamia for
Britain, concessions were given to the Turks over Armenia.The draft terms of
the armstice were discussed in six war cabinet meetings. The British
priorities were set: there was no mention of Armenia at all.Almost all the
concesions made at Mudros were at the expense of the Armenians.The
conditions were set which eventually enabled the Turks to gain complete
control of Armenia and even gain part of "Russian" Armenia.
Balfour wrote the Supreme Council 's reply to the Turkish delegation in
july 1919. He characterised the "calculated atrocity" of the wartime Turkish
massacres as equalling or exceeding "anything in recorded history". Lord
Curzon, his successor as foreign secretary agreed that Turkish rule over the
subjrect races should no longer be allowed.
Activist Emily Robinson maintained that armstice terms had provided for
the return of all prisoners of war. Yet only male prisoners were released
and "about 100,000 Armenian women and children remained captives still" As a
result of her efforts, the League of Nations had appointed in 1920 three
commissioners to enquire into the conditions of these detainees.. In 1923
however in reply to her enquiries, the Foreign Office had written that the
Turks at Lausanne "refused to allow the work of the comission to continue".
She was outraged. This meant, she wrote to Canon J.A.Douglas that the Turks
have flouted the desicion of the League and that they had been upheld by the
victorious powers Grieved that the Allies would go to any lenth to secure
concessions to themselvesinstead of carrying out pledges to liberate Turkish
Armenia,she wrote"By betraying Armenia the Allies have
destroyed not only faith in themselves but in other things as well"

During The Paris Peace Conference Britain behaved shamefully towards the
Assyrians, preventing two of their delegations from attending the
conference.