ASBAREZ ONLINE [10-26-2004]

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10/26/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Kocharian Pleased with International Community's Attention to Stability in South Caucasus 2) Human Rights Report May End Up in Court 3) Turkish Foreign Minister Sees 10-Year Accession Process as Realistic 4) Georgia Disagrees with Russia's Assessment of Regional Conflicts 5) Gorky's Pirate I Sells for 1,949,969 euros at Paris Auction 6) Armenia's Men at Third 1) Kocharian Pleased with International Community's Attention to Stability in South Caucasus YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)--President Robert Kocharian provided the history and the current developments in the Mountainous Karabagh conflict settlement process during his meeting with members of the joint mission of the German Marshall Fund of the US (GMF) and the Project on Transitional Democracies (PTD). Noting that a resolution to the Karabagh problem is important both to Armenia and the entire region, Kocharian said, "It is appreciated that the problem is getting the attention of various centers and individuals of expertise, and there is certain interest to study it more deeply in order to become acquainted with details on the spot." The President pointed to the significance of the international community's focus on establishing peace and stability in the South Caucasus, evidenced by the GMF/PTD joint mission there. Armenia's foreign policy, relations with the neighboring countries, and the country's economic development were also discussed. The German Marshall Fund of the United States is an American public policy and grant making institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between the United States and Europe. All GMF activities are organized within three principal program areas: transatlantic policy, transatlantic leadership, and wider Europe. Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. The Project on Transitional Democracies was established in 2002 to facilitate the democratic transformation of Europe's new post-1989 democracies and educate key decision-makers and the political leadership of the countries in transition. 2) Human Rights Report May End Up in Court The controversial report by the Prime Ministry's Human Rights Advisory Board was rejected by senior officials, who denied it was commissioned by the government. (NTV-MSNBC)--A report on ethnic minorities in Turkey, released by an advisory body linked to the office of the Turkish Prime Minister, may end up in court, with one member of the Human Right Advisory Board saying he has applied for its authors to be prosecuted. Fethi Bolayir, a member of the board, said on Monday that the report attacked the national and spiritual values of the republic. Bolayir, who is also the chairman of Social Thinking Association, described the report as a "a document of treason" and called for legal action to be taken against those involved in preparing it. Issued last week, the report recommends greater recognition be given to ethnic minorities in Turkey. Currently, only three ethnic minorities--the Jews, Armenians, and Greeks--are officially recognized. But Bolayir stressed the report disregards the Laussane Treaty, the international treaty that established the status of minorities in Turkey. "If this report--which suggests that the unchangeable articles of the constitution that limits minority and cultural rights, be changed--then what is it, if not a document of treason," he said. Bolayir also stressed that his organization supports ridding of injustices, corruption, and poverty, but not the division of the Turkish Republic. He revealed that of the 30 members of the board, seven voted against the report, and that changes in the section covering minorities were made without the knowledge of certain members, thus a clearly abuse of office and breach of confidence. Chairman of the board Ibrahim Kaboglu, said the report had been submitted to the Prime Ministry, but government officials denied having anything to do with the report. 3) Turkish Foreign Minister Sees 10-Year Accession Process as Realistic PRAGUE (AFP)--Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday that he believed it would take his country around 10 years to join the European Union once negotiations got under way. Speaking during a visit to the Czech Republic, Gul said fulfilling the criteria for accession would not be easy. "First we need a clear-cut date for accessions to start. We know the negotiation period is not easy, particularly for big countries. And we know as a big country that it will take longer, maybe 10 years," he told a press conference. "But it depends on our performance when we fulfill the criteria and when we close the chapters," he added. The EU summit is due to decide in December whether to adopt the European Commission's recommendation and give the green light to launching accession talks with Ankara. Gul's Czech counterpart Cyril Svoboda said the Czech government believed the Commission's assessment of Turkey was "fair." "The Czech Republic has made clear that it supports Turkey launching negotiations and that it is right to launch the process," he told journalists. During Gul's visit, the two countries agreed to work to cancel visa requirements in the very near future. 4) Georgia Disagrees with Russia's Assessment of Regional Conflicts TBILISI (Itar-Tass)--In response to a statement by Russia's foreign ministry regarding the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Georgian Foreign Ministry disagreed with Russia's assessment, saying, "Today, Russia is trying again to justify the separatist regimes in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and shift the blame to the Georgian side." The Russian Foreign Ministry statement read, "Russia favors a political and peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Georgia; these conflicts have resulted from minority rights violations that have not allowed the preservation of national identity and autonomy within the sovereign Georgian state." The Georgian Foreign Ministry responded by saying, "The Russian side is either not fully informed about the history of these conflicts in Abhkazia and South Ossetia or does not want to recognize objective facts." 5) Gorky's Pirate I Sells for 1,949,969 euros at Paris Auction PARIS--Arshile Gorky's 1942 work Pirate I sold for 1,949,969 euros during the first day of a three day auction in Paris on October 5. The estimated price of the work was 1.4-1.6 million euros, the highest estimated price for any single item in the sale. Pirate I was part of the massive private collection of New York art dealer Julien Levy, in whose gallery Gorky had a number of shows in the 1940s. Also in that collection was Gorky's 1946 work Sans Titre, estimated at 50-60,000 euros, which sold for 98,672 euros. Gorky's 1942 piece Pirate II, estimated at 1,100,000-1,300,000 euros, was purchased for 1,149,500 euros during session two of the auction. Among the more than 800 paintings and drawings on the auction bloc were four paintings and eleven drawings by Gorky, a few of which are barely known to the public. The auction sale by François Tajan, who is among the most famous of Paris auctioneers, included works by Hans Arp, Dali, Toulouse-Lautrec, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernest, Fini, Lichtenstein, Magritte, Man Ray, Matta, Naguchi, and Tanguy. 6) Armenia's Men at Third After 11 rounds of competitions at the 36th Chess Olympiad in Mallorca, Spain, Armenia kept its third position intact with an easy 2.5-1.5 victory over Switzerland and moved to 29 points just behind Russia and the Ukraine, which holds first place. Rafael Vahanyan won his match, while Vladimir Hacopyan, Levon Aronyan, Gabriel Sarkissian all drew theirs. After beating United States 2.5-1.5, Russia remained in second place, and now trail Ukraine by 2.5 points, while Israel stands fourth on 28 after comprehensively beating Azerbaijan 3-1. Armenia's women Elina Danielian, Lilit Mkrtchian, Nelly Aginian, and Siranush Andriasian are in the 14th spot, with China at first, followed by Georgia and the US. 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. --Boundary_(ID_JaQCTxUqMTosmxBmHiYoHw)-- From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress