TURKEY - July 9 - Armenian Peace Talks.

Meeting in Istanbul, prominent private citizens from Armenia and Turkey, including former government officials, put the final touches to a reconciliation commission intended to open the way for a new era in relations between two neighbouring countries divided by nearly a century of conflict and hatred. (The participants have been meeting discreetly for many months. On July 9 they spoke for the first time publicly about an effort likely to evoke strong reactions among Turks and Armenians worldwide). The private Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission is trying to foster co-operation and communication that will lead to direct talks between the governments of Armenia and Turkey. David Phillips, an American who teaches conflict-prevention at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, said: "This is not a substitute for what the Turkish and Armenian governments must do, but it can contribute momentum and develop recommendations". (Turkey broke diplomatic relations and closed its border with Armenia almost a decade ago, after war broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a traditional Turkey's ally. But the deeper division is rooted in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. By most historical accounts, the Ottomans killed more than a million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. Armenians have waged an international campaign to have the events recognised as genocide. Turkish officials reject calling the killings genocide and say there were far fewer deaths and that Turks were also killed when Armenians rebelled against the Ottoman government). The Executive Director of the Commission and former Turkish ambassador to Britain Ozdem Sanberk says: "The intent is not to find what the truth is, but it is to open new horizons for the future and enhance mutual understanding". Several commission members say initial suspicions and wariness among members gave way to an encouraging degree of co-operation and understanding. But they say uncertainties remain, including how the public will react to the commission. Van Krikorian, a lawyer from New York and the chairman of the Armenian Assembly of America, says from Geneva: "I'm sure there are people who will give us a chance, and people who are interested in keeping the situation the way it has been. It may crash and burn". But he expects the majority to welcome direct dialogue between the parties.