ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
04/21/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) BREAKING NEWS: Canada Recognizes Armenian Genocide 2) Turkey Deals Blow to EU Bid, Convicts Jailed Kurdish Activists in Retrial 3) Anticipation Surrounds Canadian Parliament Vote 4) TARC Sought to Gain Publicity, Not Results Says Mkrtchian 5) Quebec's National Assembly Commemorates Armenian Genocide 6) Kocharian, Ordway Discuss Millennium Challenge Account 7) Construction of Modern Nuclear Power Plant a Viable Option 1) CANADA RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE --NATO MEMBER JOINS GROWING NUMBER OF NATIONS OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZING TURKEY'S CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY --ANCA PRAISES ANC OF CANADA FOR SUCCESS IN TWO DECADES-LONG EFFORT OTTAWA (ANCA)--With an overwhelmingly favorable vote of 153 to 68 in Parliament today, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member Canada joined the growing number of nations that have formally recognized the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The motion reads, simply "That this House acknowledges the Armenian genocide of 1915 and condemns this act as a crime against humanity.' "Armenians in America and throughout the world welcome this historic step by Canada," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "The Canadian Parliament, in rejecting intense Turkish government pressure, took an important step in further isolating Turkey for its shameful, international campaign of genocide denial." Today's action, which followed yesterday's second reading of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, Bill M-380, is the culmination of more than twenty years of work by the Armenian National Committee of Canada, (ANCC) in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and throughout the country. An ANCC team has been in the nation's capital for the past several weeks representing the community's views on this matter. Bill M-380 was introduced last year by Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral (Bloc Québecois), seconded by Sarkis Assadurian (Liberal), Alexa McDonogugh (National Democratic Party), Jason Kenney (Conservative Party). On February 21st, the Parliament held its first reading, which included an hour of debate on the measure. Among those speaking in favor of the Resolution during the first reading were Derek Lee (Liberal), Eleni Bakopnaos (Liberal), Francine Lalonde (BQ), Stockwell Day (PC) and the Hon, Lorne Nystrom (NDP). The governing Liberal leadership paved the way for this vote by allowing a "free vote," meaning that individual members are allowed to vote their conscience, without any pressure or negative repercussions from their respective party leaderships. 2) Turkey Deals Blow to EU Bid, Convicts Jailed Kurdish Activists in Retrial ANKARA (AFP)--A Turkish court convicted human rights award winner Leyla Zana and three other former Kurdish lawmakers in a retrial and ordered them to stay in jail, in a highly criticized verdict likely to hurt Turkey's aspirations to become a member of the European Union. The panel of three judges at the state security court here unanimously imposed a 15-year prison sentence on Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan and Selim Sadak, confirming their 1994 convictions for membership of an armed Kurdish rebel group. Under Turkish law, the four former lawmakers, who have already been in jail for a decade, will be up for release in 2005. Wednesday's ruling was promptly denounced by the European Commission and European observers closely following the retrial which the European Court of Human Rights had ordered after finding the original 1994 proceedings unfair. The verdict "gives rise to serious concern in the light of the (EU's) political criteria and casts a negative shadow on the implementation of political reforms in Turkey," a spokesman for the commission said in Brussels. In Ankara, Luigi Vinci--a member of the European Parliament, which awarded the 43-year-old Zana its Sakharov prize in 1995--described the verdict as "shameful" and said: "This verdict is an insult to the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights which had ordered a retrial." German parliament speaker Wolfgan Thierse, on an official visit to Ankara, also warned that the verdict could present an obstacle to the mainly Muslim country's efforts to integrate with Europe. "It will be very difficult for Turkey to overcome the effect that this trial will have abroad," Thierse told Turkish officials, according to German diplomats. The retrial of Zana and her co-defendants--seen by the European Union as a test of Ankara's resolve to embrace European democratic norms ahead of a key December decision on whether to start membership talks--was also condemned by critics as flawed. "The court referred to our defendants as 'convicts' from day one. That finished it all. We have been knowingly striving for nothing for the past 13 months," defense lawyer Yusuf Alatas told reporters. Stuart Kerr of the International Commission of Jurists--a Geneva-based watchdog of compliance with international law--also accused the court of bias. "Unfortunately, we have not been satisfied that there has been a fair trial. Of particular concern was the violation of the presumption of innocence," he said. Alatas said they would appeal the verdict and go to the European Court of Human Rights again if need be. "I have to say with regret that I believe this trial will also be condemned by the European Court of Human Rights and this will be a first in the world," he said. The four defendants were not in the courtroom on Wednesday as they have been boycotting the proceedings in protest at the progress of the trial. Zana entered the Turkish parliament in 1991, becoming the first Kurdish woman to do so, and caused an uproar during her swearing-in ceremony by speaking Kurdish in the general assembly. In December 1994, the four were sentenced to 15 years in jail on charges of belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The PKK led a 15-year bloody campaign for Kurdish self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. It declared a ceasefire in 1998, and since the capture of its leader Abdullah Ocalan the following year, it has vowed to pursue peaceful means for political change. In 2001, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the trial against Zana and the others had been unfair because they had been unable to have key witnesses questioned and had not been informed in time of changes to the charges against them. They were allowed a retrial in March 2003 under democratic reforms Ankara adopted to bring itself in line with the EU. 3) Anticipation Surrounds Canadian Parliament Vote OTTAWA--Canadian-Armenians anxiously await the outcome of the vote on M-380, a motion in the Canadian parliament acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and condemning it as a crime against humanity. The vote was scheduled for late Wednesday. The Canadian government has a history of a negative position vis-à-vis official recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and has actively lobbied against adoption of motions on the Armenian Genocide. The understanding between the government and the Armenian National Committee of Canada this time around, is that the ministers constituting the government would be voting against the measure, but that members of parliament (MPs) belonging to the governing party would be allowed to vote according to their conscience. The Turkish Ambassador to Canada has also become involved, calling on members of parliament to vote against the motion, citing harm to Turkish-Canadian economic and political interests. Armenia's Ambassador to Canada, in turn, has written MPs, urging them to adopt the resolution. Canadian companies SNC Lavalin and Bombardier urged parliament's Conservative Party members to strike down the motion, saying that its passage would harm the economic interests of Canada and Turkey. Bombardier has a deal with Turkey to construct a railway; SNC Lavalin built the Ankara subway and has ongoing contracts with Turkey. Turks from throughout the US and Canada have been carrying out an extensive e-mail campaign against the adoption of the resolution, while the ANCC and the AYF of Canada, have conducted their own massive e-mail campaign in favor of the resolution. 4) TARC Sought to Gain Publicity, Not Results Says Mkrtchian YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)--ARF's Levon Mkrtchian addressed the negative consequences of the Armenian Turkish Reconciliation Commission (TARC) during an April 21 seminar in Yerevan organized by the Nigol Aghbalian Student Association and the section of the Middle Eastern Studies Club dealing with the Armenian Case. The seminar dealt with processes in gaining international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Mkrtchian said that TARC not only disrupted the internal unity of the Armenian people, but it also hindered efforts to gain international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Mkrtchian, who is the ARF faction head in Armenia's National Assembly, asserted that TARC was set up in the heat of struggling for the international recognition of the Genocide, when the process of international recognition of the Genocide was at a very successful level in the US. "The process had reached Europe, and there was real panic in Turkish circles, and among Turkey's supporters." Addressing TARC's goals, Mkrtchian said it was established more so for gaining publicity than seeing results. "Certain persons with scientific or diplomatic experience united, and tried to speak with similar people from the neighboring country." The questions that consistently remained since TARC's inception, said Mkrtchian, were: "Who authorized that certain persons represent Armenia, and approved their level of representation; what were the primary topics of conversations; what fundamental approach was clarified, and to what degree did the approach consider the position of various Armenian political layers; and how informed is the Armenian society, or at least the political arena of the an established agenda?" Mkrtchian said that the 1998 inclusion of the international recognition of the Genocide in Armenia's foreign policy agenda can be considered our greatest victory, because it has become, in essence, the Armenian government's policy to take care of national issues and pursue a solution within the framework of international law. "As a result of the persistent, decades-long effort--first in the Diaspora, then within Armenia, the pursuit for international recognition is yielding concrete results," said Mkrtchian, pointing to official recognition by the parliaments of various countries. 5) Quebec's National Assembly Commemorates Armenian Genocide MONTREAL (ANCC)--The National Assembly of Quebec commemorated the 89th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in the presence of his Eminence Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate of the Prelacy of Canada, as well as a delegation from the Armenian National Committee of Quebec. In a motion that was passed unanimously, parliamentarians paid tribute to the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide and the resulting impact of the survivors as well as their progeny. The National Assembly of Quebec has commemorated the Armenian Genocide since 1980, and in November 2003, passed a law designating April 24 as a day of commemoration for the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian National Committee of Quebec is a grassroots organization representing the interests of the Armenian Community in Quebec. 6) Kocharian, Ordway Discuss Millennium Challenge Account YEREVAN (Armenpress/US State Dept.)--President Robert Kocharian met with US ambassador to Armenia John Ordway and USAID/Armenia Mission Director of Robin Philips, on Wednesday to discuss US humanitarian aid projects implemented in Armenia, as well as Armenia's participation in the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), a program designed to spur economic growth and attract necessary investment to poorer countries seeking to finance their own futures. Under the MCA, qualifying countries propose specific programs to address the greatest obstacles to their development. MCA will be awarded to governments, non-governmental organizations, and private organizations, for programs that promote good governance, further economic reform and anti-corruption efforts, develop enterprise and the private sector, build capacity for trade and investment, raise agricultural productivity, and promote health and education. A new government corporation will administer MCA grants to ensure effective implementation. 7) Construction of Modern Nuclear Power Plant a Viable Option YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Armenia's energy Minister Armen Movsisian said that Armenia's nuclear power plant will operate until an alternative energy source, with the capacity of producing the same amount of energy at equal cost is found. He added that the European Union's proposed $100 million in assistance covers only an eighth of the total funds necessary to find an alternative energy source. He suggested that the construction a modern nuclear power plant in Armenia presents a more viable solution than the option of producing alternative energy; however, Movsisian noted that Armenia's budget is unable to cover the immense cost in building a new plant. Asked about the handling of nuclear waste, the minister said that by way of a grant from the French government, dry warehouses currently in use were built for that specific purpose. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.