News from the Turkish-Armenian dialog in Lyon

Hi friends, We have some bad news from Lyon, where we had organised with Deputee-Mayor Sabiha Ahmine this Turkish-Armenian dialogue which was based on our network experience (the Yavas-Gamats seminars launched by HCA-Turkey and HCA-Armenia), just before our 2006 Sidu in Die. You remember how, in the very last days, Lyon social-democrat Mayor Gerard Collomb had cancelled the official city participation, caused political trouble to his communist deputee Sabiha Ahmine, and forced us to change the conference room the very day of the initiative, after two weeks of bad polemics (where HCA has been accused of negationnism of the Armenian Genocide ! Though people like Oran Pamiuk or Murat Belge are amoung the big figures of HCA Turkey and took many times risks to raise this topic in their country, and though the Yavas-Gamats seminar is a courageous place where such a topic is deeply discussed amoung young participants from both countries, etc. It was highly insulting!). Well, one week ago, social-democrat Mayor Gerard Collomb has taken back the "civic affairs" deputation which Sabiha Ahmine is in charge of, with other words : he has fired her from her responsibilities as deputee-mayor, what she is not any more. Mayor said he did that because of three "mistakes" by Sabiha, the second one being her Turkish-Armenian initiative with HCA ! (because, he says, it should have been organised with local immigration NGOs, and she did not tell him about the project, which is wrong of course, every one knew in Lyon since June, we even had this radio program interview with local Radio Armenie... and because also, Mayor said at the end, it was international politics, not local affairs...) The other two "mistakes" by Sabiha : another civic, in France very usual initiative about votation and immigration, and third, Sabiha's participation to a demonstration for peace in the Middle East, where some participants (not at all the ones Sabiha was demonstrating with) showed up with Hezbollah flags. Sabiha is incredibly sad and shocked, like many citizens and NGOs in Lyon, like we are in HCA France. Now we are reacting and sending letters and mobilising for her inside France, with others. We'll tell you more if there are more news on that topic. Take care, friends, yavas yavas, gamats, gamats, Karine