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03/21/2006
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1) ARF Condemns Lyon Demonstration Calls for Action from French Government
2) Armenian And Turkish Ambassadors to Italy Exchange Views on Armenian
Genocide
3) Turkish Army Refuses to Investigate Allegations against Top General
4) Aliyev Says Azeri Territorial Integrity Is Not Subject for Discussion
5) Armenian President Meets with Agriculture Minister to Discuss Bird Flu
1) ARF Condemns Lyon Demonstration Calls for Action from French Government
YEREVAN (Yerkir/PanArmenian.Net)–The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
Western Europe Central Committee condemned Tuesday the Turkish protest against
the construction of an Armenian genocide memorial in Lyon.
The ARF condemned the decision by the regional government of Rhone to
sanction
this demonstration of hate and denial even though they were informed in
advance
about its real goal and that the Turkish government had secretly
contributed to
this demonstration through the Turkish embassy in Paris and Turkish consulate
in Lyon.
The regional government was also aware of the contribution the Grey Wolves, a
fascist organization that threatens France and the French people.
The March 18 demonstration is one of the first instances of the Turkish
government’s decision to organize the Turkish communities in Europe. The
protests in Berlin were also organized with help from the Turkish government.
The Lyon demonstration was an example of Genocide denial, something
unacceptable in a country like France.
The prefect of Rhone, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, announced Monday that he will
prohibit all further gatherings of Turkish associations which may result in
denial of the Armenian genocide.
Lacroix said that he understood the anger of the French Armenians.
“But, from a legal point of view, we could not prohibit it. At present, we
have evidence and I will prohibit any other gathering of this type,” he
said at
a news conference.
Several Armenian organizations have decided to address Minister of the
Interior Nicolas Sarkozy so that this type of ashamed gathering “is not
held in
our country any more.”
“Mr. Sarkozy must take the necessary steps to complete the January 2001
law on
the recognition of the Armenian genocide by France,” said affirmed Martine
David, mayor of Saint-Priest (Rhone).
According to of the Coordination Council of the Armenian organizations of
France (CCAF), “the law on recognition of the Armenian genocide lacks an
article necessary for punishing those who, on our land, deny the Armenian
genocide.”
The ARF has also demanded that an investigation be launched to find the
organizers of the demonstration and to unveil the involvement of the Turkish
government in the demonstration, as well as to put an end to anti-Armenian
expression against French Armenians.
2) Armenian And Turkish Ambassadors to Italy Exchange Views on Armenian
Genocide
YEREVAN (Yerkir/PanArmenian.Net)–The Armenian and Turkish Ambassadors to
Italy, Ruben Shugaryan and Ugur Ziyal, discussed the Armenian genocide Monday
on Italian TV.
The five minute dialogue was broadcast on RAI Italian TV Channel.
Turkish Ambassador Ugur Ziyal initiated the discussion. He stated that the
Italian channel often features programming about the Armenian genocide.
He called these programs one-sided, because they only reflect the stance of
the Armenian party.
“We want Turkey’s stance to be presented as well,” Ziyal said.
He also noted that the Turkish party wrote to Armenian Ambassador Ruben
Shugaryan asking him to participate. Shugaryan agreed.
3) Turkish Army Refuses to Investigate Allegations against Top General
ANKARA (AP)–Turkey’s military rejected a prosecutor’s call to investigate a
top Turkish general for allegedly creating a secret force to fight Kurdish
rebels, saying the accusations against the military commander were politically
motivated.
Earlier this month, a prosecutor demanded that a military court investigate
whether head of land forces General Yasar Buyukanit set up a secret group to
fight autonomy-seeking Kurdish rebels. Such a move could undermine the
country’s bid to join the EU.
The accusations raised fears of a new conflict between Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted government and the country’s secular military,
which has led three coups since 1960.
Buyukanit, who will become the military’s next chief of staff, is considered
more of a hardliner than the current chief of staff. Some newspapers and
politicians have called the prosecutor’s accusation an attempt by the
government to block Buyukanit from becoming the next chief of staff. Many
observers have speculated that Buyukanit would be more likely to clash with
the
Islamic-rooted governing party.
The military statement said the accusations against Buyukanit were “more
political than legal and aimed at harming the Turkish Armed Forces.” It said
there was no need for an investigation into the general.
4) Aliyev Says Azeri Territorial Integrity Is Not Subject for Discussion
BAKU (Armenpress)–Azeri President Ilham Aliyev stated again that the issue of
Azeri territorial integrity will not be up for discussion at the negotiations
held with Armenia over the Karabagh conflict regulation.
“Azerbaijani territorial integrity and autonomy are not subjects for
discussion at the negotiations,” said Aliyev in his speech during Nevruz
spring
holiday celebrations in Baku.
Aliyev also pointed out that the only way they will settle the Karabagh
conflict is based on the interests of Azerbaijan and international norms.
5) Armenian President Meets with Agriculture Minister to Discuss Bird Flu
YEREVAN (Armenpress/RFE/RL)–Armenian President Robert Kocharian conducted a
working meeting Tuesday with the minister of agriculture David Lokian and
discussed a set of measures to prevent the spread of the deadly strain of H5N1
bird flu to Armenia from neighboring countries.
The minister briefed the president on the latest results of a joint study
conducted by Armenian and US experts, who have not any cases of bird flu in
Armenia.
During the meeting the sides also discussed the creation of about 200 small
and medium-sized agriculture processing enterprises. President Kocharian said
it is necessary to support the processing enterprises by giving them
opportunity to get credits with low interest rate.
Authorities in Yerevan already have a plan of action against H5N1. It
envisions, among other things, instructions on how to cull poultry in cases of
emergency, training of officials in charge of veterinary security, and
purchase
of special laboratory equipment for quickly detecting the virus.
Two experts from Armenia’s State Veterinary Inspectorate have already
undergone relevant training at the FAO headquarters in Budapest and two others
will do so next month.
Among the countries that have confirmed bird flu cases are neighboring Turkey
and Azerbaijan. The latter detected two outbreaks of the virus among wild
birds
earlier this month. Similar cases are being reported across Europe on a
practically daily basis. Government officials and disease experts say the
risks
facing Armenia will grow considerably with the start early next month of the
spring migration of wild birds, the main carriers of H5N1. Armenia serves as a
transit point for them.
Baghian repeated the government’s pledge to form and send special teams of
epidemiologists to locations traditionally used by wild birds for nesting.
“Possible cases of bird deaths and other extraordinary phenomena would be
immediately reported to local veterinary services,” he said.
The official also sought to ease Armenian consumers’ lingering concerns about
eating chickens, eggs and poultry products saying that local poultry farms are
being regularly inspected by his agency. “Those products are sold with
appropriate safety certificates,” he said.
The government imposed a near complete ban on poultry imports on January 3
following the deaths of three children in a village in eastern Turkey located
less than 60 kilometers from the Armenian border. They died after reportedly
contracting the disease from domestic chickens.
The Armenian authorities have also heightened sanitary controls at the border
crossings and carried out a mass vaccination of fowl in villages close to the
Turkish border.
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