Publisher, The California Courier The Turkish Vice Consul in Los Angeles asked me if I would be interested in meeting this week with a visiting high-ranking diplomat, Amb. Ecvet Tezcan, who is the Director of the Dept. of Intelligence and Research at the Foreign Ministry of Turkey. I turned down the invitation just as I had done last June when I was first asked to meet with this same diplomat. In my opinion, the Turkish government's real intent is not dialogue, but creating a false impression with European and American officials that Turkey is trying to resolve its differences with Armenians. The Turks hope this deceptive effort would help remove one of the many obstacles on their path to joining the European Union. Last year, when several major Armenian-American organizations met with Amb. Tezcan in New York and Los Angeles, I expressed a similar concern. As expected, that fake experiment in dialogue ended in failure. Just one month after meeting with Amb. Tezcan, the Armenian Assembly of America sent him a terse letter complaining that recent statements made and actions taken by the government of Turkey "stand in sharp contradiction to the tone and substance of our earlier meeting. They raise serious doubts about the goals of your country’s policies. We would therefore welcome the Turkish Foreign Ministry's clarification on these apparently conflicting attitudes in order to justify future exchanges on the issues that divide us." Last week, Amb. Tezcan flew to the United States hoping to meet again with various Armenian organizations in New York and Los Angeles. This time, though, the Armenian Assembly refused to meet with him, indicating that it would be inappropriate to hold such a meeting during the month of April, when Armenians are commemorating the Genocide. The Armenian Assembly proposed to meet with him after April, but only after the two sides "critically assess what has transpired" since their meeting last year. "Dialogue without results is not in anyone's interest…we need to lay out our objectives prior to meeting," the Assembly told Amb. Tezcan. In order not to appear divided on this most significant issue, I hope that other Armenian organizations, particularly those that met with Amb. Tezcan last year, turn down the invitation this time around, refusing to meet with him not just in April, but during all the other months of the year, until the Turkish government decides to carry out an honest dialogue with Armenians! L.A. WEEKLY PUBLISHES SECOND APOLOGY After a meeting with several representatives of Armenian organizations and receiving e-mails from scores of readers complaining that the first apology they had published was not satisfactory, the L.A. Weekly printed this week a letter from a reader as well as a second apology. In its February 20-26 issue, the Associate Calendar Editor of the Weekly had inserted the words "No Armenians allowed" in the announcement for a multi-ethnic, inter-faith concert in Los Angeles. The first apology, published in the Feb. 27-March 4 issue, had stated that "the brief commentary was intended solely as a joke, we recognize it may have offended some readers. For that, we are truly sorry." In its April 2-8 issue, the Weekly published a letter from Dr. Arbi Ohanian of Los Angeles who qualified the Associate Calendar Editor's remarks as "racist" and demanded her dismissal. He also asked for the publication of a "thorough and appropriate apology to the Armenian community." After this letter, in a second apology, the publishers stated that the employee in question, "who had a long history of good service at the paper, did not set out to offend Armenians or any other group of people. She is horrified that anyone would take the phrase "No Armenians allowed" seriously." "But," the apology went on to say, "given the still-fresh memories of the Armenian Genocide and acts of discrimination, we understand the pain our words have caused and would like to apologize again to all who were hurt by what was written. We recognize the importance of the culturally vibrant and successful Armenian community, and look forward to more positive relations in the future." It is now up to the vast army of Armenian-American lawyers and judges, and more particularly, the Armenian Bar Association, to pronounce a professional judgment as to whether this second apology is sufficient to end this controversy or would they recommend legal action against the L.A. Weekly due to the possible violation of the civil rights of the Armenian community? PROTESTS AGAINST BRITISH AMBASSADOR CONTINUE Last week, Armenian individuals and organizations from around the world continued sending protest letters to the British Ambassador in Armenia, Thorda Abbott-Watt, and to the British government for refusing to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Institute sent a joint letter to Amb. Abbott-Watt, strongly castigating her and the British government. In the first such protest of its kind, more than 200 Armenians gathered in front of the British Consulate in Paris on April 3rd, demonstrating against the British Ambassador's and her government's denial of the Armenian Genocide. Armenian communities in various countries should consider holding similar protests on April 24 in front of their local British Embassy or Consulate. In the meantime, please continue sending your e-mails to the British Ambassador in Armenia: [email protected]; to Michael Jay, the Under-Secretary and Head of the UK Diplomatic Service: [email protected]; and to Prime Minister Tony Blair through the following web site: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page821.asp (click on select a subject, select "international affairs," and then click on the "go" button), asking the British government to withdraw its Ambassador as she can no longer effectively carry out her diplomatic duties in Armenia. Please send copies of your e-mails and any responses to the Armenian Foreign Ministry: [email protected] and to [email protected]. To review articles and statements on this issue, please check the following new web site: http://uk-denial.armenianhouse.org.

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