Memorials: Holocausts here and there (Real ones, that is)

My Saturday started watching French news on TV.

The first item was the visit of Chirac in Armenia and him saying that if Turkey wanted to enter the EU it would have to fess up and recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915, the first one of the century, which killed as much as 1.5 million Armenians. The Turks refuse to do so, claiming that it was "only " a few hundred thousand (!) and that it was due to "internal trouble". Unfortunately the Turks are the only ones in the civilized world saying that. Chirac was clear: every nation must face its past at some point (the French lately are starting to face their colonial past).

I cannot tell you how happy for Chirac I was for once, even more so that France is one of the main supporters of Turkey application to the EU. I suspect that all this relativistic talk coming from quarters like Iran, where caveman Ahmadinejerk who is not afraid to question the Holocaust, is having a salutary effect in European public opinion. We are a civilized continent or we are not. Turkey knows the price it has to pay to become the first Islam democracy to join the first world. It is their choice. The Germans did it, why not the Turks?

Timely with the visit of Chirac we have the 65th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre where 30K, at least, Jews of Kiev were massacred in 1941 when the Germans too over. The official Holocaust had not started yet. This was just a sign of things to come. French TV was also reporting that and still able to dig eye witness (it also found a couple form the Armenian massacre). Although I could not find a link, I saw on TV Ukraine president, the Orange revolution guy, Yushchenko, now admitting the participation of Ukranian civilians at Babi Yar ravine. If anything, that revolution is also helping bringing Ukraine to the fold of real responsible nations. Yushchenko was attending the Babi Yar memorial with Israel president.

I wonder if Chavez knows about these REAL massacres. Or if he loutishly will keep following the despicable lead of the Iranian (and some lefties who should know better). Meanwhile, these TV announcements reflect perhaps that the mood is swinging in Europe, swinging away of dubious characters such as Castro, Chavez or Ahmadinejerk.