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01/31/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) OSCE Mission Inspects Occupied Azeri Lands 2) European Armenians Denounce Removal of Armenian Genocide from German Schools 3) Wales Community Commemorates 90th Anniversary of Genocide 4) Armenian Dram Again Rising against Dollar 1) OSCE Mission Inspects Occupied Azeri Lands STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)--Officials from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) began on Monday, a first-ever international inspection of Armenian-controlled Azeri territories around Karabagh, aimed at investigating Baku's allegations that they are being illegally populated with Armenians. The fact-finding team, led by a senior German Foreign Ministry official Emily Habber, and accompanied by the French, Russian, and US co-chairs of the OSCE's Minsk Group visited the Kelbajar district west of Karabagh before arriving in Stepanakert later in the day. They met there with Mountainous Karabagh Republic President Arkady Ghukasian. "We have heard many interesting details and I am confident that those details will help us assess the situation correctly," Habber told local journalists afterward. Stating that their mission is technical and not political, she said the OSCE mission will spend ten days traveling around the occupied lands and submit a report to the Minsk Group later on. The fact-finding mission was sent to the region as a result of a compromise agreement between the conflicting parties and the mediators that prevented a vote in the UN General Assembly on an Azeri draft resolution that condemned the decade-long occupation of the seven Azeri districts seen by the Armenians as a vital buffer zone guaranteeing Karabagh's security. The resolution was endorsed by many Islamic nations but the United States, Russia, and France warned that it would hamper their peace efforts. Meeting with the OSCE officials, Ghukasian reaffirmed that his government is not encouraging the resettlement of Armenian families in those areas and said those Armenians who have moved there since the 1994 ceasefire are mostly former refugees from Azerbaijan. Ghukasian also urged the visitors to inspect Azeri-controlled areas of Karabagh that were formerly populated with Armenians. He expressed hope that the mission's report would contribute to forming a constructive environment for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, as well as conclusively dismiss the false claims of Azerbaijan. The OSCE delegation held talks with Azeri officials in Baku before traveling to Karabagh via Armenia. 2) European Armenians Denounce Removal of Armenian Genocide from German Schools BRUSSELS(Combined Sources)--Reacting to the eastern German state of Brandenburg's removal of a reference to the Armenian genocide from a German school curriculum, the European Armenian Federation denounced the unacceptable attitude of the state, expressing that the decision of the local German authorities is symptomatic of a lack of courage by a certain segment of European leaders in dealing with this critical issue. Following extensive pressure from Turkish authorities, the German state of Brandenburg eliminated half a sentence on the Armenians included in ninth and tenth grade history classes after a Turkish diplomat complained to state Prime Minister Matthias Platzeck, the newspaper Die Welt reported. Prime Minister Platzeck is a member of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrats (SPD). Schroeder is a strong supporter of Turkey's bid to become a member of the European Union. The Federation explained that this position only encourages Turkey to export its denialist propaganda to Europe. It continued to deplore the deep consequences of the complicity between and European leaders and Turkey's historical revisionists on the European project. "How can we believe the goodwill statements made by German leaders when they allow genocide denial to be instilled in the minds of the German children?" asked Hilda Tchoboian, chairwoman of the European Armenian Federation. "The 90th anniversary of the Genocide must mark the end of European complicity, as shown by its silence during the extermination of the Armenians. We call upon all German political leaders to turn this regrettable initiative into an act of justice best representing this great nation," said Tchoboian. Brandenburg was the first German state in 2002 to include the Armenian genocide in its teaching guidelines. In October 2004, however, the Ministry of Education reversed a decision calling on Bochum's Institute for Genocides and Diasporas to prepare a book on the Armenian Genocide. The book would have been the first of a series of three on genocide related issues and collective violence in the twentieth century. The order was cancelled by incoming Minister of Education Holger Rupprecht (SPD), at the request of Prime Minister Platzeck, who had succumbed to Turkish lobbying efforts. Bochum University's Director of the Institute for Genocides and Diasporas, Prof. Mihran Dabag, denounced the decision, stating, "The Armenian genocide is inseparable from European remembrance. It is the first genocidal achievement of our common history." He continued to argue that, "At the very time when the world commemorates the victims of the Nazi camps, our country must, if we are sincere in our fight against negationism, and give a firm answer to Turkey's denial. The Brandenburg government must reconsider its decision and carry out its genocides teaching project." The Potsdam government's announcement provoked a chorus of protests in German television news shows and dozens of print articles, available on the European Armenian Federation's website-- Policy-makers from throughout the political spectrum denounced the unacceptable position of the state. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which serves as junior coalition partner in Brandenburg's government, is infuriated over the change to the state's schoolbooks. "The impression created is fatal," said Sven Patke, the state CDU secretary general. The head of the Central Committee of Armenians in Germany, Schavarsh Ovassapian, told Die Welt the move was "a scandal." "It is depressing, if what's in schoolbooks in Brandenburg can be dictated from Ankara," he said. 3) Wales Community Commemorates 90th Anniversary of Genocide LONDON (Combined Sources)--On Wednesday, January 26, the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide was marked at a commemoration held at the "Temple of Peace and Health" in Cardiff, Wales. Organized by the Welsh Center for International Affairs (WCIA), the event also commemorated the Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazi regime, and was attended by a number of government representatives, including the First Minister of the National Assembly of Wales, Rhodri Morgan. The commemoration drew the attention of the British government, which listed it on the website government sponsored site dedicated to the National Holocaust Memorial Day. During the commemoration, Jenny Randerson, a senior figure of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and a former minister in the Assembly, spoke about the Republic of Turkey's denial of the 1915 genocide and its policy of exerting pressure on all those who affirm the genocide. Randerson has been harassed by the Turkish government since 2001, when she made her first public statements about genocide. Established in 1973, the WCIA is organization dedicated to promoting world peace, securing human rights, and educating the public about atrocities of the past. 4) Armenian Dram Again Rising Against Dollar YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--The US dollar fell against Armenia's national currency, the dram, despite the dollar's rally in world financial markets this month. The dram gained 5 percent in value against the dollar over the past 10 days, approaching its three-year high registered in the middle of December. It was trading at an average of 473 against $1 on Monday, with a 20 percent increase in value from a year ago. The trend is surprising given the almost 5 percent increase in the dollar's value against the euro since the beginning of this month. Some economists speculate that the Central Bank is artificially bolstering the dram in an effort to benefit importers of key commodities. The Central Bank argues, however, that the stronger dram is the result of increased cash remittances from Armenians working abroad. An estimated amount of at least $760 million was sent to Armenia last month through banks and wire transfer networks. The bank's chairman Tigran Sarkisian insisted that the strong dram is a positive for the Armenian economy because of resulting low levels of inflation. "The dram's strengthening has had a major restraining impact on the prices of imported goods," he said in late December. 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