ASBAREZ Online [08-22-2005]

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08/22/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Sense of Justice Has No Equal 2) Truth First, Then Reconciliation Says Visiting Howard Dean 3) Lake Sevan Sets Stage for Kocharian, Saakashvili Informal Talks 4) Kurdish Rebel Ceasefire Meets with Chilly Reaction in Turkey 5) ECHR Fines Turkey for 'Freedom of Expression' 1) Sense of Justice Has No Equal Azeri Oil Money Does Not Intimidate Armenia Says Oskanian YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--In a strongly worded statement released over the weekend, Armenia said that Azerbaijan's planned military buildup would not force Armenia into making increased concessions in negotiating the Mountainous Karabagh conflict. The statement came in response to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev's pledge to boost his country's military budget by 70 percent through multimillion-dollar proceeds from its soaring oil exports. Aliyev said in a speech last Tuesday that increases in Azeri military spending will eventually force Armenians to make more compromises on Karabagh But in his written statement, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian point-blank stated: "They can neither seduce nor, worse, scare us with their oil. Armenia always has the ability to militarily counter any Azerbaijani military budget. In fact, the advantage that Armenians have over Azerbaijan is not in military expenditures or arms, but in the justness of the cause." Oskanian also said that Azeris will always lack the motivation to win back Mountainous Karabagh, and that the international community has come to terms with Armenian control over Karabagh. "Armenians believe that the Mountainous Karabagh cause is just, and in case of war, they will be fighting for their own homes and land. This is not what the Azerbaijanis did or would do," he said. "It would be better for Azerbaijan to compete not militarily, but engage in healthy economic and political competition," said Oskanian. "And in those realms, today, Azerbaijan is far from challenging Armenia or even Mountainous Karabagh." The chief of the Armenian army staff, Colonel-General Mikael Harutiunian, also brushed aside Aliyev's threats on Monday. "I think they ought to invest that money in the socio-economic development of their country and people who are poor and starving," he said. Harutiunian also warned that the Armenian side "will not stay idle" either. "We are also preparing and although we are not going to invest big money, we will invest enough," he said without elaborating. The latest round of war of words between Armenia-Azerbaijan comes on the eve of Aliyev's talks in Russia with President Robert Kocharian, which international mediators say could mark a turning point in the long-running efforts to broker a solution to the Karabagh dispute. Oskanian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will meet in Moscow on Wednesday to prepare for those talks. Speaking to journalists in Baku on Friday, Aliyev said although the conflicting parties have made serious progress towards a peaceful settlement there are still "serious differences." He claimed that they have been discussing a "step-by-step" peace accord that would indefinitely delay agreement on Karabakh's status. But Oskanian denied this, saying that the Armenia is only ready to accept a "package" deal that "may be implemented in stages." He also said the international community is "assessing the situation more realistically" than Azerbaijan. "The international trend regarding conflicts--East Timor, developments around Kosovo, the Sudan Agreement--all these developments demonstrate that the international community today is leaning towards greater respect for the right of peoples to self-determination," he said. 2) Truth First, Then Reconciliation Says Visiting Howard Dean YEREVAN (ANCA/RFE-RL)--Former US presidential candidate Howard Dean ended a two-day visit to Armenia this weekend with a pledge to drum up greater support among fellow Democrats in US Congress to pass legislation recognizing the Armenian genocide. Dean, who now heads the Democratic National Committee, criticized the Bush administration for its failure to publicly refer to the 1915-1918 mass killings and deportations of Armenians as a genocide. He said Washington should not fear antagonizing the government of Turkey, a key US ally, which strongly denies the Genocide occurred. "The truth is that the Armenian genocide took place 90 years ago," the former governor of Vermont told reporters after laying a wreath at Yerevan's hilltop memorial to some 1.5 million victims of the genocide. "Over a million people were killed. There is no question that the United States should recognize this." "Sometimes facts are inconvenient," he said, commenting on the Bush administration's stance on the issue. "It is true that the Turks are great friends and allies of ours, but every country does things wrong once in a while. Our country enslaved millions of Africans for a long time. So we have to look back at the past. If you want to have reconciliation, you first have to have the truth." Dean pledged to recognize the Armenian genocide during his unsuccessful campaign to secure the Democratic Party's nomination in the last elections. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who unexpectedly defeated Dean in the Democratic primaries, gave similar promises. Dean grinned when asked whether he thinks the US would have already recognized the genocide if Bush had failed to win reelection. "There is no way of knowing that," he said. "I believe that the Democratic Party has to deal with what the facts are. And the facts are that a genocide occurred. You can't pretend that it didn't happen." Dean went on to express his support for a draft congressional resolution that calls on Bush to "accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide" in his annual messages to the US-Armenian community. "The Democrats do not control the House [of Representatives] or the Senate or, unfortunately, the White House," he said. "But when I get home I will be speaking with the Democratic leadership of the House and ask them to support this resolution. And if we get a few Republicans we can pass it." The Armenian Genocide Resolution, which was formally introduced on June 14 by Representatives George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), calls on the President Bush to ensure US foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution includes thirty detailed findings from past US hearings, resolutions, and Presidential statements, as well as references to statements by international bodies and organizations. Dean, who many Democrats hope will help to revive their party's fortunes, said that the existence of the influential Armenian-American community was a key reason for his decision to visit Armenia. His meetings on Friday with President Robert Kocharian and other senior officials in Yerevan were organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The meetings focused on US-Armenian relations and the situation in the region. "It is very important for us in the United States to have a strong Armenia," said Dean. "We want Armenia to succeed as a democratic state and I think Armenia has done well in the last ten years. There is more that needs to be done, but I'm very pleased by the progress and I hope the progress will continue." 3) Lake Sevan Sets Stage for Kocharian, Saakashvili Informal Talks LAKE SEVAN--President Robert Kocharian met with his Georgian counterpart Mikhail Saakashvili at a popular Armenian resort on Monday for informal talks, according to a presidential source. Sources in the Armenian presidential administration said that Saakashvili arrived in Yerevan on Sunday and joined Kocharian at his summer retreat on the shore of Lake Sevan. His Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili later joined them. The last meeting between the two leaders took place at a Georgian ski resort last April, when they discussed tensions in Georgia's impoverished Javakhk region, which is mostly Armenian-populated. According to a Russian news agency, the situation in Javakhk was again on their agenda. The Armenian and Georgian prime ministers paid a joint visit to the restive region late last month, promising joint efforts to alleviate socioeconomic problems. The Georgian premier Zurab Noghaideli announced his government will use additional U.S. assistance that will be provided to Georgia to rebuild the local roads and other infrastructure. Speaking to a group of Armenian journalists last week, Saakashvili called for the establishment of closer economic ties between the two neighboring countries. "Developing without each other would not be rational, natural or right," he said. 4) Kurdish Rebel Ceasefire Meets with Chilly Reaction in Turkey ANKARA (AFP)--Turkish officials snubbed a decision by the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for a one-month ceasefire, as analysts predicted no breakthroughs in the conflict that continues to burden Ankara as it prepares for accession talks with the European Union. The PKK's decision to stop armed action until September 20 followed a landmark pledge by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week to resolve the Kurdish problem with "more democracy" and mounting calls by civic groups on the PKK to lay down arms. Government officials refused to comment on the cancellation of a news conference by the PKK's political wing KONGRA-GEL, which was scheduled to take place in Belgium. Kurdish sources, however, described the move as Turkish pressure on Belgium. The PKK has fought Ankara since 1984, and is blacklisted as a terrorist group by Turkey as well as the EU and the United States. "It is out of the question for us to comment on this issue," said Akif Beki, Erdogan's spokesman. A senior foreign ministry official, who requested anonymity, stated that "those people are terrorists and it is not possible for us to qualify their actions either as positive or negative." Ankara has meticulously avoided any move that could imply recognition of the PKK. "We will closely watch the developments in this one-month period. We will give time to Prime Minister Erdogan's well-intended efforts," KONGRA-GEL head Zubeyir Aydar told the pro-Kurdish MHA news agency. The PKK has markedly intensified attacks on the army in the past several months since calling off a five-year unilateral truce in June 2004 on the grounds that Ankara did not respond in kind. Turkish officials have also blamed the PKK for several deadly bomb blasts in Istanbul and tourist resorts, but the rebels have denied responsibility, putting the blame on a radical splinter group. In Diyarbakir, the central city of the mainly Kurdish southeast, Kurdish activists who had urged an unconditional truce expressed disappointment with the one-month ceasefire but kept their hopes alive that it could help build confidence between Ankara and the rebels. "The announcement falls short of our expectations, but a partial ceasefire will end the fighting and should be seen as a beginning, an opening for a resolution of the conflict," Mesut Bestas, a senior local politician, told AFP. Analysts were less optimistic. Political scientist Dogu Ergil said the PKK move was "political blackmail" aimed at extracting concessions from Ankara as it gears up for accession talks with the EU on October 3. "The PKK has no genuine political agenda," he said. "Its real concern is to secure an amnesty for its militants and get [jailed PKK leader Abdullah] Ocalan out of prison." Ismet Berkan, editor-in-chief of the Radikal daily, said the army was unlikely to stop cracking down on the PKK, which would give the rebels an easy pretext to renew armed action. "It is inconceivable for the army to stop operations against militants up in the mountains who possess hundreds of kilograms of explosives and mines," he wrote in anticipation of the ceasefire announcement. The conflict has claimed some 37,000 lives since 1984, when the PKK took up arms for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast. The brutal state response led to gross human rights breaches on both sides and opened a wide confidence gap between Ankara and the Kurds, who make up about a fifth of Turkey's 70-million population. Anxious to boost its EU membership bid, Ankara has ended 15 years of emergency rule in the southeast and allowed the Kurdish language to be taught at private courses and used in public broadcasts over the past several years. Even though the reforms are believed to have diminished popular support for the PKK, Kurdish activists say Ankara should further expand the minority's freedoms. 5) ECHR Fines Turkey for 'Freedom of Expression' STRASBOURG (BIA)-- The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) handed Turkey a fine of 400,000 dollars in damages so far this year in legal cases about freedom of expression and fair trial. The court fined Turkey 166,000 dollars in similar cases last year. The ECHR ruled that Turkey should pay 20,500 dollars in damages to Socialist Part (SP) leader Dogu Perincek; a total of 36,100 dollars to Gunluk Emek newspaper's chief editor Ahmet Ergin and owner Halit Keskin, and 116,200 dollars to Ilkay Adali, the wife of journalist Kutlu Adali who was killed in northern Cyprus, among other people. Since 2004, Turkey has been fined 557,554 dollars in damages for violating article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which oversees freedom of expression, article 6/1, which calls for a fair trial, and article 2, which concerns not "investigating enough" journalist deaths. 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) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. 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