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10/27/2004
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1) Turkish EU Bid Gets Vocal Support from German, French Leaders, but Chirac
Says ‘Not A Done Deal’
2) Armenia Marks Parliament Attack Anniversary
3) Turkey Condemned by Human Rights Court for Torture of Alleged Kurdish
Militant
4) Two Armenians in Lebanon’s Final Cabinet Lineup
5) Deliberation in Case Against Turkish Consul of France Underway; Verdict to
Be Announced on November 15
6) Kocharian Congratulates the Armenian Sailors of ‘Cilicia’
1) Turkish EU Bid Gets Vocal Support from German, French Leaders, but Chirac
Says ‘Not A Done Deal’
–German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac have
reiterated their support for Turkey’s EU bid, saying they will vote for
setting
a date for the start of accession talks when EU leaders meet at a summit in
December.
(International Herald Tribune, AFP, BBC, Reuters, Deutsche Welle)–German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan,
said the EU’s December summit should set a date for starting accession talks
with Ankara.
Reiterating their support for Turkey’s EU bid, German Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac said on Tuesday that they would
vote for opening accession talks with Ankara at the Union’s December summit in
Brussels.
“We are both of the opinion that on December 17, it is about a decision that
should give Turkey the opportunity to negotiate with the Commission with the
explicit aim of Turkey joining the EU and with no other aim,” Schroeder said
after a meeting with Chirac in Berlin, preceding three-way talks with Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Brussels summit, he added, would
serve
as a probable starting point for negotiations.
Earlier this month, the European Commission (EC) gave its preliminary
approval
for starting membership negotiations with Turkey. But it also warned that the
process could be suspended at any time if Ankara fails to meet its political
and human rights reform commitments. The commission’s recommendations are
expected to serve as a basis for the EU leaders’ decision in December.
Chirac said on Wednesday that Turkey’s EU membership bid was “not a done
deal,” although he believed it was in Europe’s best interests, a government
spokesman reported after a cabinet meeting.
“It is for Turkey to do the necessary to join the European Union, not for the
EU to adapt to Turkey,” he was quoted as telling ministers.
“It will demand a considerable effort by Turkey and a lot of time, and it’s
not a done deal,” he added, telling reporters the talks were likely to begin
“in 2005 or around 2005,” cautioning that it could take 15 years for Turkey to
complete its negotiations and eventually join the Union. “Adapting all of
Turkish law to the laws of the EU will demand a very major effort,
particularly
on Turkey’s part,” he said.
Should negotiations fail to result in Turkey joining the EU, another option
would be a “system designed to conserve strong links with Turkey”, Reuters
quoted the French president as saying.
Significant opposition to Turkish membership exists both in France and
Germany, with many worrying that the EU labor market would be flooded.
Responding to domestic pressures, Chirac has said Turkey’s EU entry bid
will be
put to a referendum in his country–an idea which sparked fierce criticism by
Turkish officials, who say none of the ten Central and East European countries
which joined the Union on May 1 were subjected to such a plebiscite.
“The rules of the game are known and established. You cannot have new rules
once the match has begun,” Erdogan was quoted as saying in Berlin on Tuesday.
He has sought to allay fears of a “clash of civilizations,” saying that his
country’s membership would instead reconcile Europe and the Muslim world.
Asked about the referendum on Tuesday, Chirac said it would only take
place at
the end of the negotiation process, voicing confidence that “the problem will
provoke much less passion at that time.” Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio
also voiced support for Turkey’s EU bid on Tuesday, viewing its eventual
admission to the club as “a promising venture of mutual interest.”
“On the one hand, it would reinforce the national consensus regarding the
secular nature of the Turkish state while, on the other hand, it would
certainly contribute in the turbulent world which we live in since September
11, for a better perception of Europe in Muslim nations,” said Sampaio,
addressing a conference on the future of Europe in Lisbon.
Also on Tuesday, Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda met with Turkish
counterpart Abdullah Gul, and voiced support for starting accession
negotiations. The two officials also said their countries planned to discuss
future visa liberalization.
2) Armenia Marks Parliament Attack Anniversary
YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–Senior Armenian government officials marked the
fifth anniversary of the 1999 attack on Armenia’s parliament by visiting the
Yerablur military cemetery in Yerevan, where eight top government officials
are
laid to rest alongside hundreds of Armenians who died during the 1991-94
war in
Mountainous Karabagh.
Prime Minister Andranik Markarian visited in the morning together with
members
of his government, parliamentarians, and senior law-enforcement officials.
“The
1999 terrorist act pushed Armenia several years back,” Markarian said after
laying flowers at his predecessor’s grave. He said the two assassinated
leaders
laid the groundwork for Armenia’s economic recovery.
Foreign minister Vartan Oskanian, who also was at the cemetery, said Armenia
should reinforce its borders to prevent the country from becoming a transit
route for terrorists.
3) Turkey Condemned by Human Rights Court for Torture of Alleged Kurdish
Militant
STRASBOURG (AFP)–The European Court of Human Rights condemned Turkey on
Tuesday for the 1998 torture of a man accused of having links with the Kurdish
Workers’ Party (PKK–now renamed KONGRA-GEL).
It dismissed a similar case brought by a second man arrested in the same
incident but found Turkey guilty in both cases of failing to provide an
effective remedy to complaints of ill-treatment.
Turkish police arrested Abdurrahman Celik and Kasim Imret on May 17, 1998 on
suspicion of acting as couriers for the PKK; they were later cleared of the
charge.
Both Celik and Imret said that while in detention, they were subjected to
electric shocks, notably on their genitals, and also beaten, deprived of food
and water, kept in isolation, immersed in cold water and threatened with
death.
The Turkish government argued that injuries found on Celik’s body–a large
bruise under one eye and lesions in the groin area–were the result of a fall,
an account the Strasbourg-based court found “not very convincing,” ruling that
they were the result of treatment for which the Turkish government was
responsible.
Accordingly, it found that Turkey had violated an article of the European
Convention on Human Rights prohibiting torture.
In the case of Imret, it acquitted Turkey on the grounds that the plaintiff
had not provided proof of his allegations.
But it ruled that the Turkish authorities had been remiss in failing to
rapidly prosecute the police officers involved, and found Turkey in breach of
its obligation to provide an effective remedy to the men’s complaints.
Turkey was ordered to pay 10,000 euros (12,800 dollars) to Celik and 5,000
euros to Imret.
4) Two Armenians in Lebanon’s Final Cabinet Lineup
–30 member government includes two Armenians
BEIRUT (Daily Star)–Prime Minister-designate Omar Karami formed a
30-minister
Cabinet on Tuesday that includes two candidates proposed by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Sebouh Hovnanian and Alain Tabourian to represent
Lebanon’s Christian Armenians. Hovnanian will again serve as Sports and Youth
Minister, while the incoming Tabourian was named Minister of State.
Karami’s Cabinet is the first to include two women, Leila Solh, daughter of
former Prime Minister Riad Solh and aunt of billionaire Saudi Prince Walid Bin
Talal, and Wafaa Hamza, a Shiite close to Speaker Nabih Berri. Karami said,
“Women constitute half the Lebanese population.”
Two of the most prominent portfolios, the defense and foreign ministries,
were
given to Syria’s allies Abdel-Hamid Mrad and Mahmoud Hammoud, while Syria’s
strongest ally, Suleiman Franjieh, was named interior minister.
Karami named economist and former Minister Elias Saba as finance minister, at
a time when his government is suffering from an estimated $35 billion national
debt.
Druze Talal Arslan was named minister of the displaced, replacing his
opponent
Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt, who said he will not participate in any Cabinet under
Lahoud’s mandate in opposition to the extension of the president’s term for
three years on Sept. 3.
In accordance with the Taif Accord, the Cabinet must include equal Christian
and Muslim representation spread between six Christian Maronites, four
Christian Orthodox, three Christian Catholics, two Christian Armenians, six
Shiites, six Sunnis and three Druze, headed by a Sunni Muslim prime minister.
The Cabinet was announced following extensive and lengthy consultations
between Lahoud, Berri, and Karami over the past five days.
Sources close to the Cabinet discussions said that Berri vetoed the presence
of former Speaker Hussein Husseini in the Cabinet and demanded that the names
of all six Shiites ministers receive his approval.
Berri, who heads the Amal Movement, issued a statement on Tuesday denying all
information about a “Shiite obstacle” in the Cabinet reshuffle.
“There is no Shiite obstacle at all in the Cabinet reshuffle. Several of the
names mentioned in the press are inaccurate,” the statement said.
After resolving the interior ministry obstacle, granted to outgoing Health
Minister Suleiman Franjieh after outgoing Interior Minister Elias Murr
announced he would not participate in the next Cabinet, other difficulties
emerged over the past 24 hours concerning the names to be appointed in the
culture and education ministries.
The new Cabinet excludes members of the opposition, such as Jumblatt’s
Democratic Gathering parliamentary bloc, the Qornet Shehwan Gathering and any
ally of Hariri.
Karami’s extensive attempts to include members of the opposition in his
Cabinet failed late Monday. The opposition groups, although not opposing
Karami
personally, are determined not to participate in a cabinet that falls short
concerning basic national objectives, such as implementing the Taif Accord.
They have also repeatedly said that the next cabinet will not bring any
improvement to the current situation.
“We refused to participate in the next cabinet knowing…that the opposition
would be a minority and could not make any difference to face the majority of
pro-regime parties and forces that are determined to keep the situation going
as it is now,” said Qornet Shehwan Gathering member Batroun MP Butros Harb
in a
statement Tuesday.
What remains to be seen following the Cabinet reshuffle is whether it will be
granted the confidence of Parliament, which requires the vote of 86 out of its
128 MPs.
According to Article 64 of the Constitution, “The Cabinet does not exercise
its powers before it gains Parliament’s confidence.”
The 29 MPs who voted against the constitutional amendment of the extension of
Lahoud’s term may refuse to cast their vote for the new Cabinet. However, such
a number would not affect the Cabinet’s legitimacy. But if Hariri’s
parliamentary bloc decided not to vote in favor of the government, in addition
to the 29 other MPs, Karami’s Cabinet would not be able to exercise its
powers.
5) Deliberation in Case Against Turkish Consul of France Underway; Verdict to
Be Announced on November 15
PARISLawyers representing the Armenian National Committee of France in its
legal suit against Turkish Consul General Aydin Sezgin, presented their
argument before a Paris court on October 11. After listening to the parties,
the court decided to postpone the verdict to November 15.
“We are confident that the court will return with a favorable verdict,”
stated
ANC France Chairman Harout Mardirossian, after sitting through the hearings.
“Neither the opposing party, nor the public prosecutor contested the validity
of the facts presented by our side.”
On his personal webpage, the Turkish Consul General includes a copy of
“Armenian Allegations and Historical Facts”–the Turkish government’s
ten-point
thesis, which denies the historical validity of the genocide perpetrated
against the Ottoman-Armenians during World War I. After some deliberation, the
ANC decided to bring the matter under the attention of the French courts.
Wanadoo France Telecom, the internet company that hosts Sezgin’s webpage, was
also identified as a defendant in the suit. After refusing to suspend Sezgin’s
site, the ANC moved to gain convictions against both the counsel general and
the web hosting company for their respective roles in producing and
distributing denialist propaganda.
“As French citizens, we are confident in the justice of our country,”
concluded Mardirossian.
6) Kocharian Congratulates the Armenian Sailors of ‘Cilicia’
YEREVAN–On Tuesday, President Robert Kocharian congratulated the crew of
“Cilicia” after the successful completion of the first leg of their voyage.
The
president confirmed the Armenian government’s willingness to assist the crew
members, who have “shown to be steadfast in their goal and ready to overcome
all sorts of difficulties.” The sailing ship is named and modeled after the
13th century vessels used in and around the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia.
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