HOVANNISIAN WANTS KARABAKH RECOGNITION BY ARMENIA

By Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Libery, Czech Rep.
Aug 28 2007

Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian demanded on Tuesday that Armenia change a long-standing policy and formally recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state.

The initiative took the form of a relevant bill introduced in the Armenian parliament by Hovannisian. The bill has to be discussed and evaluated by the parliament committee on foreign relations and the government before it can reach the parliament floor.

Karabakh declared itself an independent state in 1991 shortly after breaking away from Azerbaijani rule but has since failed to win formal recognition by any country of the world, including Armenia.

The current and former authorities in Yerevan have resisted periodical domestic calls to recognize the dispute territory's independence, saying that such a move would only complicate efforts at a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

Stepan Safarian, a parliament deputy from Hovannisian's Zharangutyun party, said the latest deadlock in Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks is a major reason for the bill's circulation. He expressed hope that the pro-government majority in the National Assembly will back it.

However, speaker Tigran Torosian and other majority leaders made it clear that they will oppose the initiative, seeing ulterior motives behind it. They also said it would create an additional obstacle to a Karabakh settlement.

"Recognition of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic by the Republic of Armenia must have a very serious justification," Torosian told RFE/RL. "It is not right for individuals who are uninformed about the course and details of [Armenian-Azerbaijani] negotiations to introduce bills for known reasons to the parliament."

"If the Republic of Armenia unilaterally recognizes the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as an independent state, the work of the OSCE Minsk Group will become meaningless," said Aram Safarian, secretary of the parliament faction of the Prosperous Armenia Party.

A senior lawmaker from another governing party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, took a similar view. "Such initiatives must not be ends in themselves or stem from some political calculations or party interests," said Armen Rustamian. "They must take into consideration state interests and not obstruct the negotiating process."

###

I think that the excuse being used of recognition of independence complicating the peace settlement is a bunch of bull. In the end as it stands now, the only peace settlement that will ever be adopted will come only after the approval of the Artsakh government and the people living here. If you ask me, we can speed up the process by having the Artsakh government negotiating with the Azeris.

I think one of the main motivating factors of Raffi’s to get Artsakh recognized and the reason it’s not going to get recognized is that if Artsakh is an independent state, then all bets are off in terms of Armenia presently recognizing Artsakh as a part of Armenia. This was a decision adopted by the Armenian government when Artsakh first declared independence. Artsakh reciprocated and declared Armenia a part of Artsakh. Later on, the Artstakh government reversed the decision, but the decision from Armenia remained and remains to this day. This is the reason why Robert Kocharian was able to be elected President of Armenia. Technically he was living in Armenia for 10 years prior to the elections because Artsakh is a part of Armenia.

If Artsakh is recognized by the Armenian government as an independent state, Serg Sarkissyan will not qualify to run as President since he is not an Armenian citizen, but is an Artsakh citizen, thus not be eligible to run for President.

In fact I would guess that there are many high-ranking officials from Artsakh who would have to become citizens of Armenia in order to retain their posts since if I recall, citizenship is a requirement of minister post in Armenia. Of course with the new duel citizenship laws in place, recognizing Artsakh as a separate state would not have too much effect on those working in government that are Artsakh citizens since they could receive dual citizenship.

Was the Genocides of the Armenians a religiously motivated jihad or a Zionist instigation of religiously motivated Muslims?

There has been quite few articles written recently by non-Armenians encouraging members of Congress to vote in favor of the upcoming resolution to officially acknowledge the Genocide.

A couple of articles are written by Andrew G. Bostom, who is the author of The Legacy of Jihad (Prometheus, 2005) and the forthcoming The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism " (Prometheus, November, 2007). See: http://www.americanthinker.com/2007/08/congress_must_recognize_the_ar.html and http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20070815_bostom.2545880.html Also see the second to the last paragraph of the August 21, 2007 Boston Globe article titled "Truth and the Armenian genocide."

Mr. Bostom keeps referring the Genocide as the product of a religiously motivated jihad and the same kind of jihad that was carried out and resulted in what is known as 9/11.

If you ask me and if you are just a little bit convinced of who the leaders of the Young Turks were (Zionist Jews), then you have to wonder why the non-Armenians who have in the past not supported Genocide recognition and have in a sense been forced into supporting it, are now not just giving their approval, but are going all out to make sure people understand that it was an act by fanatical Muslims who are of the same caliber of those who are being blamed by the U.S. and Israel for all the problems of the world?

If you ask me, this could be a smoke-screen to cover up the truth behind the Genocide, which will soon come out and at the same time an attempt to pit Turkey and the Islamic world against Armenia to further destabilize the region.

Though Armenia could without a doubt hold it’s ground in a military offensive against it from all it’s neighbors, it’s very important for Armenians and those interested in peace and stability in our region to research, document and get out the word of what really happened in 1915 and to place blame on the perpetrators of the Genocide, be that the Turks, Zionist, the Rothschild’s and/or the Freemasons.

The Armenian and Turkish population need to know the truth and if thing play out the way I think they will, we all will understand that the common Turkish people are not our enemy, nor are we the Turkish peoples enemy. The common enemy we both share are those who manipulated and instigated a “religiously motivated jihad” back in 1915 and those I bet you are the Zionist who in control of Turkey and Israel and are now behind propagating to the American public and Congress that Armenians were the victims of the same kind of force that America faced on 9/11.

TURKISH PRIME MINISTER SAYS ADL [ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE] WILL RECALL ITS FORMER STATEMENT ON POSSIBLE RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

arminfo
2007-08-27 13:36:00

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stating that the Jewish lobby in the United States, the ADL [Anti-Defamation League], which was reported to have changed its stance regarding the 1915 Armenian incidents, has sent a message to the Office of the prime minister, said that the false step made previously has been retracted with this statement. Erdogan said: 'The indicated that, just as they have provided all the support they could until now, they will provide it in the future as well,'Anatolia news agency reports.

Erdogan, after casting his vote in the second round of the presidential election, was questioned by journalists in the corridors: 'You spoke with [Israeli President] Shimon Perez. There are reports that the Jewish lobby in America has taken a step backwards; what are the developments in this regard?' Stating that the text with the ADL's written message had come, he said: 'They said that they share our sensitivities in particular on account of this statement regarding us, and they expressed the mistake they had made in the written fax they sent us.'

Erdogan, pointing out that he has to date suggested to Armenia that the topic be studied by a commission comprised of historians, archaeologists, and political scientists, and that politicians sit together and work on this, noted that Armenia has not responded to him on this matter. Erdogan said: 'They [the ADL] indicate that they agree with this as well. On account of this, they expressed their regret.'

In response to a question, Erdogan stated that a fax had come from the ADL.

Asked 'are they going to declare this to the world, or will it just be limited to a fax coming to the Office of the prime minister?', he said: 'No. It has already been posted on their own [web]site.' In response to the question 'did they fax to you what is on the site?', Erdogan said 'I do not know the one on their site, but there is a fax that came to the Office of the prime minister.'

Some Armenians don’t want to be labeled Anti-Semitic and may fear to learn the truth

In the recent conflict between the Armenian community of Boston and the ADL, quite a bit of debating has taken place on the internet. One particular site that caught my attention is www.jewcy.com, which had a number of articles and comments regarding the ADL and their lack of seeing the Genocide for what it is.

We know what transpired and the final outcome of the ADL’s positive position on what happened in 1915 as being Genocide is great news. What is not so great is that I learned from the Armenians who posted comments on www.jewcy.com were not interested in exploring the possible real powers behind the Armenian Genocide or in the case of one comment went so far as to justify that what the Young Turks did was almost forgivable since some Armenians supported them up until 1913.

The following are the comments from www.jewcy.com for your review and for archival purposes. Your comments are welcome, as I really do need to get an idea as to if researching this avenue in our readers opinion is Anti-Semitic or the right thing to do.

Comments from http://jewcy.com/feature/2007-07-09/fire_foxman:

One reason why the ADL can not support anything in favor of the Armenian Genocide could have to do with the fact that those that ordered the Armenian Genocide could have been crypto-Jews. For more information this see: http://www.jewishracism.com/JewishGenocide.htm

Anonymous
08/20/07 1:41 am

To Anonymous

I condemn this website and its contents in the strongest possible terms.

Dany Beylerian
08/20/07 2:13 am

Recently, I was alerted to that website, and I started to read what this guy, Christopher Jon Bjerknes, wrote about the supposed connection between Jews and the Young Turk movement. You don't have to read long before you realize it's just an anti-Jewish tirade. It's poorly written, poorly reasoned, and it's so hate-filled that even if any of the alleged facts in the book were true, it's impossible to look past the hatred.

Anyway, I think others have written that some of the early leaders of the Young Turk movement were Jewish or secretly Jewish. I don't know whether or not it's true. But it really doesn't matter, since the Armenians themselves supported the Young Turk movement all the way up to about 1913, before they realized that the Young Turks had no interest in bringing justice and equality to all people of Turkey.

Phantom
08/20/07 2:34 am

Phantom wrote:

Anyway, I think others have written that some of the early leaders of the Young Turk movement were Jewish or secretly Jewish. I don't know whether or not it's true. But it really doesn't matter, since the Armenians themselves supported the Young Turk movement all the way up to about 1913, before they realized that the Young Turks had no interest in bringing justice and equality to all people of Turkey.

Your logic and rational to brush aside the Zionist connection to the Young Turks who the Armenian supported is the same as me befriending you and you not knowing I am a rapist. You introduce me to your sister Karine, who I naturally rape when I get the chance. With your logic, your family has no right to pursue me for my criminal act I committed against your sister since you supported me not knowing I was a rapist.

If it really does not matter who or what the Young Turks did since the Armenians themselves supported the movement, then what right do you have to expect recognition of the alleged Armenian genocide, since Talaat was the leader of the time directing the populous to kill the Armenians?

Don’t get me wrong, I believe there was a genocide, but I also believe that you have to understand who was behind it. The book found on http://www.jewishracism.com/JewishGenocide.htm may appear to be an ax to grind and full of haltered. If you look beyond that hate and read the source material, you can certainly draw your own conclusions, not to say that there is anything to find, but getting to the root of a problem, leaving no stone unturned and understanding what really happened is the best way to prevent the same from happening in the future.

It’s wonderful that the Armenians have chimed in with their objection to Christopher Jon Bjerknes book, “THE JEWISH GENOCIDE OF ARMENIAN CHRISTIANS.” It would be interesting what the non-Armenians think of it since it is written by a man who is of Jewish decent?

Anonymous
08/21/07 1:38 am

While Christopher Jon Bjerknes' contention that Jews were the secret force behind the Kemalist revolution is charming, I find his contention that Einstein stole his physics ideas to be much more compelling.

(As to Mr. Bjerknes' contention that his parents were Jewish, it would be more believable if they had not named him in honour of Jesus Christ. Personally, that's why I find that particular contention to be both boring and spurious, in the nature of his Jews-run-Turkey argument, and not nearly as entertaining as his Einstein-stole-my-physics one.)

Anonymous
08/21/07 1:41 pm

Bjerknes is nothing more than an anti-semitic hack much like David Irivng. He is wasting valuable oxygen that others could be breathing.

Looks like Foxman finally recognized that Armenian Genocide, albeit begrudgingly and under a lot of pressure from many inside the ADL. Still, I don't think us Armenians are going to give up our struggle to have the non-binding Congressional Resolution passed this year or next.

Joey, I can't thank you enough for all your support.

Joseph
08/21/07 2:23 pm

Anti-Semitic?

I have no idea as to Joseph’s age and education, but to deem Bjerknes writings as anti-Semitic without at least giving him some credit for unearthing facts of the Young Turks as Phantom has, should tell all of us that ignorance or fear of not knowing what will come of Bjerknes book drives the naysayers to downplay what those interested in real justice will further research to find the truth. I also believe that since oxygen is such a valuable commodity, the naysayers should practice holding their breaths.

If you don’t believe what you have read from Bjerknes book, get yourself a copy of John Kirakosyan’s the "Young Turks before the law court of history". It's a two volume document published in 1982 - 1983. Most university libraries have this publication, only problem is that you have to be able to read Armenian. There is an English translation titled “The Armenian Genocide: The Young Turks Before the Judgment of History”, which was published in 1992. You can get a copy from Amazon.com. I’m guessing that this is an abridged version of the original writing and will have to compare it to the original document to see if anything is missing. Of course if you didn’t like Bjerknes writings, then you will hate Kirakosyan’s books for the same reasons.

BTW, will there be any non-Armenians giving their opinion of what Bjerknes has written or can we all agree that he may be on to something?

Anonymous
08/22/07 1:31 am

Let’s learn from our history… LPT should not be given the chance to become President again

ARMENIAN EX-LEADER TO ANNOUNCE PLANS TO BID FOR PRESIDENCY

Mediamax news agency
23 Aug 07
Yerevan

A member of the Armenian Pan-National Movement board has said that former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan will announce his intention to run for presidency at a party congress in late September.

"Ter-Petrosyan is capable of ensuring the people's unity and counteracting present-day challenges and increasing threats to Armenia's independence," Aram Manukyan told Arminfo news agency.

Manukyan added that political consultations are under way to discuss the possibility of nominating Per-Petrosyan as the opposition's single candidate, the agency said.

The next presidential election in Armenia will be held in 2008. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was Armenian president in 1991-98.




Armenia: Events In Yugoslavia Rekindle Memories

By Emil Danielyan

As the international community watched the post-election drama unfold in Yugoslavia, there was at least one place in the world which had a strong sense of having lived through the same experience. In Armenia, thousands of kilometers from the Balkans, it looked strikingly familiar: an election rigged in favor of the incumbent ruler and opposition crowds storming the parliament after authorities refused to recount ballots.

Yerevan, 9 October 2000 (RFE/RL) -- Four years ago, Armenia held elections that followed a pattern similar to those in Yugoslavia.

But there was one big difference: While the election aftermath ended in triumph for Yugoslav opposition leader Vojislav Kostunica, his Armenian opposite number, Vazgen Manukian, had to go into hiding to avoid arrest. Levon Ter-Petrossian, the former Armenian president who was officially declared winner of the 1996 vote, did far better than his more experienced Yugoslav counterpart, Slobodan Milosevic.

A senior member of Manukian's National Democratic Union (AZhM), Filaret Berikian, smokes nervously when asked whether he agrees that the events in Belgrade were like those in Yerevan four years ago.

"I don't just agree. As my comrades and I watched TV reports from Serbia, tears came to our eyes. We realized what a chance for this country we had lost."

For Berikian, the two situations were very similar:

"The parallels are clear. The same scenario had been written here [by the authorities.] We should have gone on to the end in an organized fashion, no matter what might confront us. I have no doubts that the army and police would have similarly taken the people's side had we been more organized."

Official results of the presidential elections held in Armenia on September 21, 1996 gave victory to the incumbent Ter-Petrossian, with just over 50 percent of the vote.

Manukian, his main challenger and then leader of the opposition alliance, had 43 percent, according to Armenia's Central Election Commission. The opposition cried foul, insisting that Manukian had in fact polled enough votes to win outright.

Four days after the elections, tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched to the parliament building in Yerevan -- which at the time housed the election commission -- to demand that the ballots be recounted. As negotiations between opposition leaders and election officials dragged on, the crowd broke into the building. The speaker of the parliament and his deputy were severely beaten in an outburst of popular anger.

The violence provided a suitable pretext for Ter-Petrossian to order troops into the streets of the Armenian capital. Dozens of opposition activists, including the AZhM's Berikian, were arrested. A handful of opposition deputies were forcibly brought into the parliament chamber the next day to face verbal and physical abuse from their more numerous pro-government colleagues. The scene was broadcast live by state television.

Meanwhile, a monitoring mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, also questioned the official results of the polls, adding more weight to the opposition's case. Two years later, the credibility of vote-fraud allegations was further boosted when Armenia's former interior minister, Vano Siradeghian, a key player in the crackdown on the opposition, effectively admitted that the results of the 1996 elections had been rigged.

But Ter-Petrossian's victory proved short-lived. In February 1998, he was forced to step down by the same security ministers who had helped him crush the opposition revolt.

Some political analysts believe the 1996 election debacle ushered Armenia into a new era in which its security apparatus now plays the dominant role in political life. Berikian says political progress in the country was pushed back at least 10 years.

In 1998, after Ter-Petrossian's resignation, new presidential elections brought current President Robert Kocharian to power. That vote was also marred by fraud and irregularities, with Western monitors again concluding that they fell short of OSCE standards.

The popular overthrow of Milosevic last week had Armenian analysts asking if the same scenario could have enacted in the south Caucasian nation four years ago. Some argue Manukian made a fatal mistake during the night of September 25 to 26, when he told the protesters to go home and return to the streets in the morning. With arrests overnight and tanks rolling into the city, that became impossible.

But also important was the fact that Western powers did not quickly recognize the opposition victory in Armenia, as they did in Yugoslavia. Semeon Baghdasarian, another AZhM leader, says that had there been Western recognition, "those who ordered the army into the streets would have thought twice before taking such actions."

The way hundreds of thousands of Serbs dealt with the Milosevic regime last week also raises the question of how legitimate is the use of force against state institutions. Western leaders referred to the violent protests in Belgrade as an "uprising." Armenia's former leadership still views the 1996 storming of the parliament as an attempted coup d'etat.


© 1995-2000 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc., All Rights Reserved.
http://www.rferl.org

MATTHEW BRYZA MARRIES TURKISH ZEYNO BARAN

ARMENPRESS
Aug 22, 2007

BAKU, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS: Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and Hudson Institute senior fellow, Turkish Zeyno Baran, will get married on August 23 in Istanbul, Azerbaijani APA news agency said.

Mathew Bryza is also the U.S. cochairman in the OSCE Minsk Group, which is the sole international body mandated by the OSCE to help Armenia and Azerbaijan to find a peaceful settlement to their dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

APA said some 300 guests are invited to the ceremony to be held on Kurucheshma island of Istanbul.

Zeyno Baran and Mathew Bryza asked invitees to support "Father, send me to school" campaign that aims to encourage Turkish girls to education instead of gifts for their marriage. Invitations also show bank accounts of the campaign.

Turkish envoy returns to deal with ADL

Herb Keinon , THE JERUSALEM POST
Aug. 23, 2007

The Turkish ambassador is set to end his vacation two weeks early to return to Israel and register Turkey's concerns about the Anti-Defamation League's statement that Turkish actions toward the Armenians from 1915-1918 were "tantamount to genocide," The Jerusalem Post has learned.

The decision to send Namik Tan back on Thursday came at a high-level meeting at the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara on Wednesday. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also expected to call Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the coming days to discuss the matter.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling the ADL statement "unfortunate," and said Turkey expected that the statement would "be corrected."

ADL National Director Abe Foxman issued a statement Tuesday saying that Turkey's actions against Armenians "were tantamount to genocide," in a dramatic reversal of a long-standing policy.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said that to describe the events during WWI as "genocide" was "without historical and legal basis," and that contrary to the ADL's claim, there was no consensus on this matter among historians.

"We see this statement as an unfortunate one that is unjust to the Holocaust, which has no precedent, and to its victims. And we expect it to be corrected," the statement read.

Israel's Foreign Ministry had no comment on the matter, which both Israeli and Turkish diplomatic sources privately admit could strain bilateral relations.

One Turkish official said the fact there was no reference in the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement to Israeli-Turkish relations was a message to the Jewish state not to change its policy on the genocide issue.

Israel's position on this matter was last formally articulated in March, when the Knesset shelved a proposal for a parliamentary discussion on the Armenian genocide.

Health Minister Ya'acov Ben-Yizri, speaking on behalf of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, said at the time: "As Jews and Israelis we have special sympathy and a moral obligation to commemorate the massacres that were perpetrated against the Armenians in the last years of Ottoman rule. The State of Israel never denied these terrible acts. On the contrary, we understand fully the intense emotional feelings aroused by this, taking into consideration the number of victims, and the suffering of the Armenian people."

Ben-Yizri also said Israel understood that this was a "loaded" issue between the Armenians and Turks, and that Israel hoped "both sides will reach an open dialogue that will enable them to heal the wounds that have been left open."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also took the ADL to task for suggesting that the organization's change of policy could place Turkey's Jewish community in danger.

"The Turkish Jewish community is part and parcel of our society, and there is no reason for them to have concerns," the ministry said in its statement.

The ADL had said a US Congressional resolution on the genocide issue would be a "counterproductive diversion and will not foster reconciliation between Turks and Armenians, and may put at risk the Turkish Jewish community and the important multilateral relationship between Turkey, Israel and the United States."

On the lighter side…

I got a comment on one of my YouTube posting of our documentary about human trafficking to the UAE of Armenian girls from someone who spotted a couple of guys they know which read, “HAHAHAHAHA! 2 of my friends faces are shown here!! dirty boys!! omg! thats bad!!”

When I get comments, I check to see who the person posting is from and I came across a couple of videos that had me laughing and thought you may enjoy seeing yourself.

Enjoy.


Funny Baby "Blood"


What this little girl would do to a Monster if she saw it

Assemblymember Paul Krekorian on ADL Announcement on the Genocide

OFFICE OF ASSEMBLYMEMBER PAUL KREKORIAN
Adrin Nazarian, Chief of Staff
620 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 403
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 240-6330
(818) 240-4632 fax
adrin.nazarian@asm.ca.gov


Statement by Assemblymember Paul Krekorian In Response to Anti-Defamation League's Announcement on the Armenian Genocide

Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) issued the following statement in response to the Anti-Defamation League's August 21, 2007 announcement regarding the Armenian Genocide:

"For almost a century, the Anti-Defamation League has been one of our nation's leading champions of tolerance and civil rights. The ADL has always been a leader in our ongoing collective struggle against bigotry, hatred and extremism. This strong history of fighting for justice and truth, though, has made the ADL's consistent and vocal opposition to recognition of the Armenian Genocide in recent years that much more disconcerting and disappointing.

"I am very pleased that the ADL has now publicly declared, at long last, that the deliberate and systematic massacre of Armenians at the hands of Turkey beginning in 1915 was 'tantamount to genocide.' All people who care about truth and historical accuracy will welcome and appreciate the ADL's statement that respected historians have already reached clear consensus in recognizing the Turkish atrocities against the Armenian people as genocide. In making this announcement, the ADL has added its considerable influence and outstanding reputation to the cause of those who demand appropriate recognition of the Genocide and justice for its victims and survivors.

"I heartily commend the membership and leadership of the ADL for bringing about this very positive and welcomed change of perspective. I urge the ADL now to take the next step and join with those of us who strongly support the pending Congressional resolution clearly stating that what happened to the Armenian people was genocide."

2 members of regional ADL board quit

Firing of local director brings protest, debate

Boston Globe
By Keith O'Brien and Matt Viser, Globe Staff August 19, 2007

At least two prominent board members of the regional Anti-Defamation League have resigned in protest over the national ADL's decision to fire the regional director for acknowledging the slaughter of Armenians during World War I as genocide.

Former chairman of the Polaroid Corp., Stewart L. Cohen, and City Council member Mike Ross told the Globe yesterday they could no longer be part of an organization with national leaders who refused to acknowledge the Armenian genocide and fired regional director, Andrew H. Tarsy, on Friday for taking a position in support of Armenian-Americans.

"I'm devastated by that and it's not something I can support," said Ross, whose father is a Holocaust survivor. "So I have to take this step. I can only hope that it helps to send a message and that the very good people of the Anti-Defamation League can reconsider their position."

Cohen, who resigned in frustration hours after Tarsy was fired, said the entire affair has been a blow to the ADL membership. "Everyone is incredibly sad," he said. "Some I would describe as heartbroken."

The resignations -- which may be the first of others to come -- were announced as members of the local Jewish and Armenian-American communities praised Tarsy and the regional board for taking stands recognizing the Armenian genocide and criticized the ADL's national director, Abraham H. Foxman, for taking a position out of step not just locally, but perhaps nationally.

If Foxman does not change his position and acknowledge the genocide, George Beilin, a past president of the North Shore Council of the B'nai B'rith Organization, called on the national leader to "resign immediately for the sake of the Jewish community in the United States and the world."

Beilin, a Hamilton resident and clinical psychologist, said he had sent a petition stating these demands to regional ADL offices across the country. And with legislation pending in Congress that would formally recognize the genocide, many believed the outcry over this issue may have only just begun.

"This is not going to stop," said Nancy Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston. "This is going to continue in every community across the country where there's a strong Armenian community and the ADL. Because this is not just a local issue. This is a national issue."

The debate that led to the ADL rift started weeks ago in Watertown, home to more than 8,000 Armenian-Americans. Residents became angry when they learned that the ADL was the sponsor of the town's antibigotry program "No Place For Hate."

Last Tuesday, the Watertown Town Council voted unanimously to pull out of the program.

At issue was a longtime dispute. From 1915 to 1923, Ottoman Turks massacred as many as 1.5 million Armenians in what is now modern-day Turkey.

Armenians, historians, and some European nations have recognized the killings as genocide. But the Turkish government has refused to accept the genocide label; the national ADL refuses to use it as well.

But after Watertown officials voted to pull out of the ADL's program, the executive committee of the regional board broke with the national office, calling on the national ADL to recognize the genocide and, according to a source, resolving to support the legislation in Congress.

Tarsy, who is separate from the board, then spoke out publicly, which led to his firing on Friday and outcry all across the metropolitan area.

"I applaud Watertown, the New England ADL, and Mr. Tarsy," said Anthony Barsamian, a Sherborn resident and member of the board of directors for the Armenian Assembly of America. "And I call upon the ADL nationally to change its position at this point. It's incumbent upon the ADL to unequivocally affirm the genocide."

Officially, Foxman says, the ADL has no position on the genocide issue. But it does not support the legislation in Congress. In an open letter to be published in advertisements in local newspapers this week, the ADL called the legislation "counterproductive" and the organization, founded in 1913 to fight anti-Semitism, worried what effect passing the legislation would have on Jews living in Turkey.

Documents obtained by the Globe yesterday show that this is a position that Foxman has held at least since 1984. But critics say it is a hypocritical position for an organization dedicated to speaking out for human rights.

Yesterday local residents spoke out against the national ADL's position and Tarsy's firing.

"I think that the ADL stands for stopping bigotry, and I think for us not to make a stand on the issue of Armenian genocide is a mistake," said Jon Rotenberg of Brookline, who is Jewish. He said he believes the national ADL should reinstate Tarsy.

Bernard H. Mehlman, a retired rabbi at Temple Israel, Boston's largest synagogue, said it is clear that Turkey's position as an ally to Israel was playing a role here. And past and current regional ADL board members said the recent events had hurt the reputation of the human rights organization.

"We're very, very upset with the way this has come down with Andy," said board member Jason Chudnofsky. "It's hard to justify the way that has been handled. Things could have been handled a lot more professionally, and not so emotionally."

Chudnofsky said he did not plan to resign. For him, and many other board members, the goal now is to work from within the organization to create change.

"This is all new territory," said Sam White, another member of the regional board. "I think most of us do not plan to quit, but do plan to stand up and do what's right. Everyone is steadfast on standing up and not backing down."

A meeting of the entire board has been scheduled for Wednesday morning. What happens after that, board members say, they are not quite sure. But Richard Morningstar, a former chairman of the regional board's executive committee and the former US ambassador to the European Union, said the reputation, membership, and fund-raising capabilities of the regional ADL may hang in the balance.

"I think it's extremely unfair that Mr. Tarsy has been terminated because he and the executive committee of the regional board had a different view from the national office," said Morningstar, a Marion resident. "I believe that the ADL will suffer significantly in this area unless the situation is rectified."

John M. Guilfoil contributed to this story. Keith O'Brien can be reached at kobrien@globe.com, Matt Viser at maviser@globe.com