ASBAREZ Online [07-12-2006]

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07/12/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Sen. Feingold Adds Voice to Growing Calls For Answers 2) Russia to Keep Georgian Border Closed Despite Armenian Protests 3) Dink Sentenced to Six Months, Turkey Warned by EU 4) European Parliament Postpones Vote on Turkey 1) Sen. Feingold Adds Voice to Growing Calls For Answers WASHINGTONConcerns continued to grow this week regarding the circumstances surrounding the firing of US Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans, as Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) becomes the ninth member of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee to call for clarification of the State Department policy on the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America. In a written statement submitted as part of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Ambassador Designate to Armenia Richard Hoagland, Sen. Feingold noted that, "I want to express my deep concern about the Administration's reluctance to acknowledge the acts of genocide that were committed against the Armenians almost a century ago. The Administration's continued failure to recognize these tragic events is troubling to me and to those who share my belief that we should speak honestly about, and insist on accountability for, past crimes against humanity and genocide." Among specific questions to the Ambassador Designate, Sen. Feingold asked: n Why was Ambassador Evans removed as Ambassador to Armenia? n What is the Administration's policy towards acknowledging the Armenian genocide and what boundaries have been set for your position as Ambassador to address or speak about the Armenian genocide? n Do you anticipate that the departure of your predecessor, Mr. Evans, will harm US-Armenian relations? How do you plan to respond to those in the Armenian community who are upset about his departure? Sen. Feingold's concerns are shared by half of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee members including Senators George Allen (R-VA), Ranking Democrat Joe Biden (D-DE), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), John Kerry (D-MA) and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) who must first approve Amb. Evans' replacement prior to a full Senate confirmation. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed action on Ambassador Designate Hoagland, while quickly voting for the incoming Ambassadors to Switzerland and Ireland, who were before the Committee the same day as Ambassador Designate Hoagland. During the June 28th nomination hearing, Sen. George Allen (R-VA), Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), and Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) pressed the nominee for an explanation of the State Department's guidance regarding the use of the word "genocide" to properly characterize this crime against humanity. Senators Allen and Coleman peppered the nominee with numerous questions and expressed frustration as the Ambassador-Designate avoided giving direct answers to any of the questions, resorting to the use of euphemisms. In addition, Representatives George Radanovich (R-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and Adam Schiff (D-CA) have urged Secretary Rice to reconsider the decision to recall Amb. Evans. Over the past several months, scores of Senate and House Members have directed questions to State Department officials, calling for answers surrounding the controversial firing of Amb. Evans, including 60 Representatives who joined Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) in a letter to Secretary Rice, Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) who submitted questions to Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried, and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) who submitted questions to Secretary Rice. Massachusetts Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry also asked Secretary Rice for clarification on Amb. Evans' dismissal. The Administration has either failed to provide responses or provided responses, which have been largely perfunctory, citing that Ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the President, but giving no clear insight into the State Department's decision to dismiss the career diplomat after 35 years of distinguished service. The State Department, with the blessing of the White House, fired Amb. Evans in response to his February 2005 statements before American audiences in the United States, during which he properly characterized the Armenian Genocide as "genocide." Following his statements, Amb. Evans was forced to issue a statement clarifying that his references to the Armenian Genocide were his personal views and did not represent a change in US policy. He subsequently issued a correction to this statement, replacing a reference to the genocide with the word "tragedy." The American Foreign Service Association, which had decided to honor Amb. Evans with the "Christian A. Herter Award," recognizing creative thinking and intellectual courage within the Foreign Service, reportedly rescinded the award following pressure from the State Department in the days leading up to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Washington, to meet with President Bush. 2) Russia to Keep Georgian Border Closed Despite Armenian Protests YEREVAN (RFE/RL)Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said on Wednesday that Moscow will try to address Armenia's concerns regarding the closure of Russia's main border crossing with Georgia but stopped short of promising its speedy reopening. The issue featured large during Levitin's one-day visit to Yerevan that involved talks with President Robert Kocharian and Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian. The two men apparently reiterated Yerevan's serious concerns about negative consequences of the effective shutdown of the Georgian-Russian land border which serves as one of Armenia's few external trade routes. "This issue was included into our memorandum signed today," Sarkisian told a joint news conference after the talks. "We agreed that after Mr. Levitin returns to Moscow he will report the matter to the leadership of the Russian Federation." Levitin said the Russian government will discuss, among other things, ways of compensating Armenia for the losses incurred as a result of the border closure. Levitin also assured reporters that the border crossing at Upper Lars was not closed by Russia as part of its clearly punitive economic measures taken against Georgia's pro-Western government in recent months. He repeated Moscow's claims that the move was necessary for repairing roads and border control facilities on the Russian side of the mountainous area. Such work can only be carried out during summer months, he said, declining to announce any time frames for its completion. Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan complained at the weekend that the Russians failed to notify Yerevan about the unilateral measure, condemned by the Georgian government, beforehand. He said the border closure created a "very severe" situation for Armenia companies exporting goods to Russia and other parts of the Soviet Union via the Upper Lars crossing. "The Armenian side was not told in advance that Upper Lars will be closed," admitted Levitin. He said the Armenian leaders asked him to make sure that they have prior knowledge of such Russians actions in the future. Levitin and Sarkisian met in their capacity as the co-chairmen of an intergovernmental commission on Russian-Armenian economic cooperation. They reported and welcomed a sharp increase in the volume of bilateral trade during the first four months of this year. The Russian minister also discussed the ongoing official inquiry into the causes of the May 3 crash off the Russian Black Sea coast of an Armenian airliner that killed all 113 passengers and crew on board. The Airbus A-320 of Armenia's largest airline, Armavia, plunged into the sea under still uncertain circumstances as it tried to land at the Russian resort city of Sochi. A Russian aviation official accompanying Levitin said Russian investigators have already examined the plane's two black box flight recorders recovered from the Black Sea and other factual evidence and will present their findings later this month. "We have all the facts to fully and objectively establish the cause," said Tatyana Anodina, head of the Interstate Aviation Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States. "I think that all the materials will be made public in full by the end of July." 3) Dink Sentenced to Six Months, Turkey Warned by EU ANKARA (Combined Sources) Turkey's high court Tuesday handed down a six-month prison sentence to Hrant Dink, the editor of bilingual Turkish and Armenian weekly, Agos. The editor was convicted last year for an article criticizing Article 301, which punishes the public denigration of Turkishness or state authorities. This is the first final judgment based on the controversial article, reported the BBC. The European Commission lamented Wednesday a Turkish court ruling against an ethnic Armenian journalist for "denigrating the Turkish national identity," warning the case could cloud Ankara's EU hopes, the Agence France Presse reported. Commenting on an appeal court ruling on Dink, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn called on the Turkish government to bolster freedom of speech in the country. "I am disappointed by this judgment which limits the exercise of freedom of expression in Turkey," he said, following Tuesday's court ruling, the first such judgment based on article 301 of Turkey's new Penal Code. He noted that ruling "will set the trend for lower jurisdiction to follow when applying article 301 in the future," adding: "This is all the more serious since there are still a number of similar court cases pending. I would therefore urge the Turkish authorities to amend article 301 and other vaguely formulated articles in order to guarantee freedom of expression in Turkey," he said. Rehn underlined that freedom of expression is a key principle of the EU's so-called Copenhagen political criteria, which Ankara must adhere to if it one day wants to join the currently 25-nation bloc. "In any case, the Commission will review the situation in light of the Copenhagen political criteria in its upcoming Progress Report," Rehn said, referring to an annual report on Ankara's EU preparations due in October. Turkey began EU entry talks last October, but the negotiations are likely to take at least a decade and Ankara has been warned there is no guarantee of eventual membership. Rehn is expected to issue a report on Turkey's progress by early November, but he has already warned that membership talks, which began last year, could soon grind to a halt. There was international outcry when Orhan Pamuk, Turkey's best known novelist, was prosecuted under the article. His offense, like that of Dink's, was speaking about the Armenian Genocide. While the case against Pamuk was dropped on a technicality, Hrant Dink could go to prison if he commits a similar offense in the next five years. The human rights group Amnesty International says several other writers, publishers, artists and activists are charged with denigrating Turkishness. 4) European Parliament Postpones Vote on Turkey BELGIUMThe Vote on the draft resolution on "Turkey's progress toward accession" which should have been voted on Wednesday by the Committee for Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament was postponed due to practical reasons, reported the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (ANC of Europe). The major reason for delay was the late translation of the numerous amendments. These amendments were submitted only on Monday afternoon to the various political groups, which did not leave time to them to prepare for the vote. The European Parliament resolution will finally be voted on the first week of September 4 to 7 by the Foreign Affairs Committee and eventually on the last week of September in the plenary session. On Monday, members of the leading European Parliament factions offered to introduce the Armenian Genocide issue and opening of borders with Armenia without any preconditions as the items of the agenda of the EU-Turkey talks. The EU can freeze talks with Turkey on EU accession, stated Finnish Premier Matti Vanhanen, whose country assumed the EU presidency on July 1, the Associated Press reported.. "There is always an opportunity to stop the talks. I think Turkey knows it," Vanhanen remarked. The Finnish Premier also underscored that official Ankara should fulfill all conditions for continuing talks on EU accession, specifically normalize relations with EU member Cyprus. 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) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. 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