ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
12/07/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Aram I Reacts Sharply to Turkish Foreign Minister's Remark 2) Gunmen Attack Armenian, Chaldean Churches in Mosul 3) Hovhannisian: Russia's Position not Conducive to Armenia's Ability to Freely Decide to Send Troops to Iraq 4) Armenia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Opens its Doors in the US 5) BRIEFS 1) Aram I Reacts Sharply to Turkish Foreign Minister's Remark ANTELIAS--His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, has invited Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit the Cilicia Museum in Cilicia to witness the "irrefutable evidence of the genocide perpetrated by the Turks." His Holiness was responding to Erdogan's comments made during the opening of the first museum in Turkey dedicated to the country's Armenian minority. The opening of the museum appears to be a calculated move by Turkey--aspiring for candidacy to the European Union (EU). The 25-nation bloc has pressured Turkey to enable its recognized minorities and the Kurds to fully exercise their rights. Erdogan's comments come just days before EU leaders are to meet in Brussels to decide whether to allow Turkey to begin accession talks on its membership. "Instead of looking at facts, people have distorted history through suppositions and misinformation," Erdogan said at the opening of the museum, referring to the genocide of Armenians in 1915 by the Ottoman government--a fact that the Turkish government vehemently denies. Alluding to the artifacts housed in the Cilicia museum of the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Lebanon, His Holiness Aram I told Erdogan that the remains of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Armenian people rescued from Cilicia speak for themselves. "You would see manuscripts, church vessels, and other articles of spiritual value, that the Armenians of Adana, Zeytoun, Hajen, Sis, and other places in Cilicia and Western Armenia saved as they fled the horrors of massacre. All these precious remains of our spiritual heritage reached Antelias via Der Zor. No one who sees these remains would talk of "assumptions" and "distortion" of facts," states the Catholicos, rather referring to them as "clear evidence of Turkish barbarism." "History is based on clear facts and not assumptions," continues the Catholicos. "As much as you and others may deny [it], the Armenian Genocide is a fact of history." The Catholicos also states that in commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Armenians throughout the world will become one force to demand the recognition of the genocide perpetrated by Turkey and restoration of their human rights thus far denied. 2) Gunmen Attack Armenian, Chaldean Churches in Mosul MOSUL (AFP/Reuters)--Two churches in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul came under simultaneous attack, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. Gunmen stormed into the city's Chaldean and Armenian churches in the latest attacks on Iraq minority Christian community, witnesses and clerics said Tuesday. "Gunmen entered the church at about 4:30 p.m. They gathered those present in one room and planted explosive charges in different parts of the building," said Father Raghid Aziz Kara at the Chaldean church. "We were then taken outside and the armed men set off the devices. We heard three blasts," he told AFP outside the church which was set ablaze. At the same moment, gunmen attacked an Armenian church, forcing out a security guard and two other people inside the building, the guard said, adding: "I heard two explosions." Smoke poured from the Armenian church and flames could be seen inside the Chaldean church, Reuters reporters said. It was not clear how many people had been in the churches when they were attacked but the number was apparently not large. Mosul, with a population of 1.2 million, is home to many of Iraq's Christians, who make up about three percent of the national population. The Chaldean church, one of the largest in Mosul, was built in the 1950s and enlarged four decades later. The Chaldeans, whose 600,000 people represent the majority of Christians in Iraq, are an oriental rite Catholic community. Armenian Christians in Iraq number only a few thousand. On November 8, at least three people were killed and 45 wounded when two suspected car bombs exploded within minutes of each other outside two churches in southern Baghdad. In a coordinated assault on August 1, six car bombs killed 10 people and injured 50 others outside churches in Baghdad and Mosul. 3) Hovhannisian: Russia's Position not Conducive to Armenia's Ability to Freely Decide to Send Troops to Iraq YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--The issue of sending an Armenian military unit to Iraq was discussed at the recently held meeting of the Armenian-Russian Interparliamentary Cooperation Commission. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Vahan Hovhannisian, who co-chairs the interparliamentary commission and headed up the Armenian delegation, reported on December 7 that the Russian side had expressed concern at the prospect of Armenian troops in Iraq. Hovhannisian said the Armenian side, in turn, raised the issue of whether Russia's forgiving of Iraq's multibillion-dollar debt is not tantamount to providing economic assistance to an Iraqi government that is an instrument of US occupation. The deputy speaker also underscored that Russia had not forgiven Armenia's debt, which is significantly less than Iraq's. "We told our Russian colleagues that their positions in international forums do not at all contribute to Armenia's ability to make a sovereign decision regarding the matter [of sending troops to Iraq]," Hovhannisian stated. The Russian side also expressed a certain level of resentment regarding Armenia's relations with NATO, according to the deputy speaker. "We clearly explained to our colleagues that those relations are one of the prongs of our independent policy, and we are not prepared to make concessions in that regard," Hovhannisian said. The head of the Armenian delegation said the sides had, nevertheless, reached an agreement to hold interparliamentary consultations regarding matters that deal with NATO. 4) Armenia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Opens its Doors in the US GLENDALE--The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Armenia (ARMCCI) opened its regional office for the US and Canada on December 7 in Glendale, California. In an effort to develop strong relations between the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Armenia and US/Canada, the office will work to create mutually beneficial ties between the business communities of Armenia and Northern America. Businessmen who wish to establish or have already established businesses in Armenia may contact the office or visit for more information. 1807 West Glenoaks Blvd., Suite 201 Glendale, CA 91201 (818) 247-0603, (818) 548-1177 5) BRIEFS Diaspora Armenian Seeks Fraud Case against Yerevan Partner YEREVAN (RFE-RL)--Prominent Armenian-American George Najarian, who has helped to ship millions of dollars worth of medical supplies to Armenia, pleaded with a Yerevan court on Tuesday to press fraud charges against his former local partner who has allegedly misappropriated his expensive property. He asked the court through his legal representatives to order state prosecutors to reopen a criminal case against the formal owner of a photo shop and two buildings currently constructed in central Yerevan. Najarian maintains that he is the real owner of the property, which he says was registered in the name of Grigor Igitian, in 1996, because Armenian law at the time banned foreign nationals from owning land. Subsequent legal amendments allowed authorities not to apply the ban to ethnic Armenian foreigners with long-term residency permits. Najarian accuses Igitian of breaking his pledge to give up the lucrative assets, in which he claims to have invested $500,000, once the restriction was dropped. Igitian denies the accusations, saying that he invested more than Najarian did; however, it is unclear how the former English-language interpreter and university lecturer could have raised so much money. Greeks Want Turkey to Recognize Cyprus Independence YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Results of a poll conducted by the To Paron weekly in Athens, revealed the results of a recent poll indicating that most Greeks are against starting accession talks with Turkey in its bid to join the European Union unless Turkey recognizes the Greek Republic of Cyprus and accepts Greece's demands regarding the Greek-Turkish relations. Nearly 82.1 percent are resolute in pressing Turkey to recognize Cyprus, while 89.3 percent believe that Athens should veto the accession talks in case Turkey fails to accept Greece's demands. Paris Sets Conditions for EU Talks with Turkey YEREVAN (Yerkir)--In its December 6 issue, the Financial Times reported that Paris will set three conditions for the start of EU membership talks with Turkey. During the December 16-17 summit, President Jacques Chirac will request to clarify that Turkey must settle for less than full membership if the talks fail. He is also expected to provide a reminder that the French people can ultimately reject Turkey's membership bid in a referendum, even if the talks succeed, and that the accession talks should not start until the second half of 2005, to prevent a dispute over Turkish membership dominating the French referendum on the EU constitution, expected by June next year. Le Figaro: Erdogan Uncomfortable with EU Distraction YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Le Figaro newspaper reported that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is uncomfortable with Turkey's preoccupation with the European Union (EU). A headline read, "Erdogan does not exclude 'no, thank you,' as an answer to Europe." The story continued, "the political parties in Turkey, as well as the people in the streets and press, have the belief that the EU requires too many conditions from Turkey compared to other candidates, and that is not fair." German Opposition Leaders Urge Schroeder to Prevent Turkey's Accession to EU YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Leaders of Germany's conservative opposition have written to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder urging him to stop the European Union from opening entry talks with Turkey. Angela Merkel, head of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Edmund Stoiber, head of the CDU's Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), argued that Turkey should be offered a "privileged partnership" with the EU instead of full membership. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung newspaper quoted extracts from the letter to Schroeder in which they said that Turkey's entry would "overstretch" the EU. No Fir or Pine Trees to be Cut YEREVAN (Armenpress)--A little more than three weeks before the New Year as Armenians begin to decorate their homes with Christmas trees, the Armenian nature protection and agricultural ministries issued a joint order prohibiting cutting of fir and pine trees in order to improve reproduction and preservation of natural woods. Both ministries said they will work closely with police to regulate cut trees and punish the culprits. 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. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress