Month: October 2006

AZERBAIJANI TV CHANNELS FORBID SHOWING FRENCH FILMS AND CLIPS

Azeri Press Agency
Oct 17 2006

Some Azerbaijani TV channels forbid showing films and clips produced
by France, APA reports. The reason for making such decision was the
adoption of bill by France Parliament which makes it crime to deny
"false" Armenian genocide.

ANS vise-president Mir Shahin proved the fact. He said that ANS decided
not to show the films and clips produced in this country after the
adoption of the law. Azad Azerbaijan TV channel also stopped to show
the films and clips. Azad Azerbaijan TV Programs Department chief
Elshen Dadashov said they did it to object to France Parliament’s
decision. Azerbaijan Television and Radio CJSC department Chief Fuad
Velikhanov also said that they stopped to display French films and
clips. Lider TV News department Chief Veli Akbar told the APA that
they have not made decisions yet and they do not consider displaying
French films and clips according their plan.

Minije Jeferli, Space TV Programs department chief said that they
made the plan of the programs before the bill was adopted so, they
continue to show French films and clips. She said if TV authorities
make decision about it they will stop showing. Chingiz Aslanov, the
assistant of Director of ITV said that they have never shown French
films.

WATCHDOG SAYS CORRUPTION IN ARMENIA ON RISE
By Hovannes Shoghikian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 17 2006

Corruption in Armenia remains widespread and has even increased
in recent years despite government claims to the contrary, local
representatives of an international anti-graft watchdog insisted
on Tuesday.

Amalia Kostanian, head of the Armenian branch of Transparency
International, said that an anti-corruption program adopted by the
Armenian government three years ago has failed to reduce the scale
of corrupt practices. She reiterated her view that the government
lacks the "political will" to tackle the problem in earnest.

"Despite what is being done in Armenia, the expert and public
perception is that not only has corruption not decreased but has even
increased, that corruption has taken new forms, that its has become
more politicized and large-scale," she told a seminar in Yerevan.

Government officials claim the opposite, however, saying that the
anti-corruption plan is being successfully implemented. They cite
a long list of laws and legal amendments adopted by the Armenian
parliament since its launch in November 2003. The process is being
overseen by a high-level commission headed by Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian.

But Kostanian insisted that the plan is inherently flawed because of
its emphasis on legislative measures. She cited a lack of popular
faith in the authorities’ stated anti-corruption campaign and the
fact that senior government officials are still rarely prosecuted
for bribery and other forms of graft.

Armenian law-enforcement authorities claim to have identified 371
corruption-related crimes last year and prosecuted 97 state officials
as a result. None of them are known to have ties with Armenia’s most
powerful individuals or their relatives.

Armenia ranked 88th out of 146 nations that were covered by
Transparency International’s 2005 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).

The Berlin-based group’s previous global survey, released in 2004,
put it in 82nd place.

A separate survey released by the World Bank in July concluded that
last year Armenian firms continued to pay bribes to government
officials at the same rate as in 2002. "Increases in bribery are
apparent in some areas, such as taxes, customs and the courts,
although the levels reported by firms in the previous survey in 2002
were extremely low," the bank said in a statement.

President Robert Kocharian’s former anti-corruption adviser, Bagrat
Yesayan, has repeatedly questioned the credibility of Transparency’s
rankings. "Corruption is a phenomenon which is impossible to measure,"
he declared last year.

Yesayan’s successor, Gevorg Mherian, was not available for comment
on Tuesday.

ALIEV VOWS TO ‘FIGHT’ ARMENIAN DIASPORA

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 17 2006

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev announced Tuesday a campaign to
counter the influence of the Armenian diaspora.

Aliev said his oil-rich ex-Soviet republic was opening embassies
and consulates in parts of the world where the Armenian diaspora was
especially influential.

"It’s no secret that California is a state with a large Armenian
population. We opened a consulate general (in Los Angeles) to be
there and to fight the Armenian lobby," Aliev said in an interview
with Arabic network Al-Jazeera, a transcript of which was published
by Azerbaijan’s state news agency Azertaj.

Aliev said his country planned to open an embassy in Argentina, where
the Armenian lobby "is strongest among Latin American nations." "One
might ask, ‘Why open an embassy in a country with which we have no
serious links.’ But we’re opening an embassy to fight the Armenian
lobby on its own turf," Aliev said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a territorial dispute over
the Nagorno-Karabakh ethnic-Armenian enclave since before the break-up
of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan lost control of the territory and seven
surrounding regions during a war in the early 1990s, but Karabakh’s
status has yet to be settled. Diaspora Armenians are key to financing
the rebel government controlling the enclave. The world-wide Armenian
diaspora has numbered in the millions since Armenians were forced out
of Ottoman Turkey in a series of massacres and forced marches during
World War I.

Aliev said Azerbaijan’s new oil wealth gave it a chance to
outweigh ethnic-Armenians’ influence abroad. "What is attractive
about Armenia…? Only the fact that it has a rich diaspora that
influences the policies of various countries," Aliev said. "Azerbaijan
is a country that will supply Europe and world markets with energy
resources. Imagine Azerbaijan on one side of the scale and Armenia
on the other."

EXPERT: ARMENIA’S POSITION ON JAVAKH IS FORMED IN THE WEST

Regnum, Russia
Oct 17 2006

An extended dialog is being carried out now between Armenia
and Georgia, where Yerevan takes an inferior position. However,
the determining role in the dialog is played not by the bilateral
relations, but by the West’s position and goals in the Javakh area
(Armenian-populated region in Georgia – REGNUM). Armenian political
analyst Igor Muradyan expressed such opinion talking to reporters in
Yerevan on October 17.

In general, Muradyan motivates the assumption by the fact that Armenia
has nothing to take from Georgia, and Yerevan does not interfere
into the Javakh process only because there is such directive by the
West. The expert finds it difficult to say what the price of Armenia’s
neutrality on this issue is. He believes that West’s interest in
Javakh should not be underestimated. A narrow group of top-level
experts is being occupied with the problem in the West; key figures
are EU High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Javier
Solana in Europe, and US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and
Eurasia Daniel Fried in the USA, Igor Muradyan believes. "The matter
is, that Western expert community derives from the fact that Georgia
cannot secure its safety on its own. In this connection, the West is
going to settle the task on its own," Igor Muradyan says.

Grounding on this logic, he considers the process at the US parliament
aimed at easing the process of deploying US military forces in the
territories of other countries. Importance of the problem, the analyst
believes, is stressed in connection with the fact that the US-Turkey
relations and relations between the USA and the Black Sea countries
depend on the future of Javakh. In this connection, the expert says,
the West is trying to rule out internalization of the Javakh issue
and prevent the situation from exacerbating, so, Armenia is being
engaged in this very process.

"There is no conspiracy between Armenian and Georgian leadership
concerning the Javakh problem. It is just Armenia having serious
obligations to the West in this aspect," Muradyan says. As an example
of cooperation of Armenia, Georgia and the West he cited recent arrest
of one of United Javakh leaders, Vahagn Chahalyan. "They should release
this guy, persuade United Javakh members to go into parliament,
initiate a political process and work at settling problems of the
region." As for Russia’s stance on the issue, Muradyan believes it
is inactive, for which there are objective reasons.

AZERBAIJAN DOES NOT INTEND TO SEEK EXPELLING FRANCE FROM OSCE MINSK GROUP

Regnum, Russia
Oct 17 2006

"I have not heard of any official announcements that Azerbaijan is
seeking expulsion of France from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs,"
Head of the Information and Press Department at the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry Tair Tagizade is quoted as saying to Day.az, while commenting
on calls for it after the lower house of France’s parliament passed
a law that envisages criminal punishment for denial of the Armenian
Genocide.

In this connection, he noted that "diplomats have to work with
reality of political facts." "France’s foreign policy is formed les
by the parliament and more by the French foreign ministry. So, I do
not understand, on what proponents of expelling France from the MG
co-chairs ground," Tair Tagizade said.

Commenting on a statement by the bloc of Azerbaijani parties "Our
Azerbaijan" on necessity to freeze all relations with the country,
impose an embargo on French goods, recall the ambassador from Paris
and so on, he noted that "any political force in the country has a
right to make these or other statements." "In this case, aspiration
can be seen vividly to gain political profit grounding on any issues,
including those that are not supposed to be subject for speculations,"
the head of the information and press department said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

"RESPOND FRANCE BY PROMOTING FREEDOMS"
Erol Onderoglu

BÝA, Turkey
Oct 18 2006

PEN’s Sayar gives out signals on freedom of expression after "genocide
vote" in France saying "retaliation should be by abolishing article
301". TGC’s Erinc refutes France PM’s statement. Prosecuted journalist
Duzel wants to see what happens ýn practice.

BÝA (Istanbul) – What kind of messages do statements made by Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government after the French
Parliament’s vote on the "Draft Law to Punish Those Who Deny The
Armenian Genocide" entail for development of freedom of expression
in Turkey?

International PEN Turkey Chair Vecdi Sayar who believes the statements
are encouraging says "In retaliation to the Genocide Bill, Turkey
should rid herself of article 301 and similar constraints on freedom
of expression".

Journalists Association of Turkey (TGC) chair Orhan Erinc, meanwhile,
refers to television news program on which the Prime Minister is being
quoted saying "Freedom of expression is banned in France. Over here
we can talk as we wish".

"I wish" says Erinc. "I prefer to see these remarks of the Prime
Minister as a message that the obstacles placed in front of the freedom
of expression in the Penal Code (TCK) and the Anti-Terror Law (TMY)
will be lifted".

Subject to a series of enquiries and prosecutions based on her
important interviews published in the "Radikal" newspaper, journalist
Nese Duzel believes one should not take the government for its words.

"I don’t know what will be changed in Turkey. Let’s see what happens
in practice" she cautions.

Government doesn’t give credit to "tit for tat"

In the days during which the Armenian genocide bill was being debated
in France and passed at parliament, messages of "boycotting French
products" spread in Turkey.

The Parliament Justice Commission chaired by Justice and Development
Party deputy Koksal Toptan intended to react to the bill with a Turkish
draft that was alleged to be five months old which would recognize
the Genocide in Algeria [committed by France] and criminalize the
recognition of the Armenian genocide.

Although criticism of France was severe and sporadic boycotts occurred
at public level in some wok places, government members agreed on the
position that Turkey should not make te same mistake.

Historian, EU and RSF reaction to France

In this period France, a part of the European Union that has on the
international arena wanted for article 301 in Turkey to be abolished,
was accused itself of shackling down opinions.

Not only Turkey but officials of the EU as well as the Paris-based
Reporters Without Frontiers (RSF) organization reacted to France.

Following these developments, bianet asked their opinion of the future
of freedom of expression from International PEN Turkey Center chairman
Vecdi Sayar, TGC chairman Orhan Erinc and journalist Nese Duzel.

Sayar: Retaliate by lifting 301

PEN Turkey Center chairman Vecdi Sayar believes that in retaliation
to the French bill, Turkey most conclusive step would be to abolish
article 301 of the TCK and similar other restrictive legislation.

"Government statements are giving such positive indications in this
direction" he says. "I believe this would be the correct thing to do.

Perhaps we can extract something right out of the mistake in France".

Erinc: We can’t talk how we want

Referring to PM Erdogan’s remarks on a CNN Turk television program
saying "Freedom of opinion is banned in France. Over here we can talk
the way we wish" TGC’s chairman Erinc says he does not share this view.

"While it is impossible not to share he view of the Prime Minister
in his first sentence, the remark that we can talk the way we wish
is a view that unfortunately we cannot share" Erinc said.

Erinc prefers to see Erdogan’s remark as an indication that
restrictions on the freedom of expression brought on by some articles
of the TCK and TMY will be lifted and adds, "Otherwise, looking at
the prosecutions launched against freedom of expression, it is not
possible to accept these words of the Prime Minister".

Noting that 69 court cases had been filed in Turkey under article 301
in the past year, Erinc says the effect of the French vote on Turkey
could have been negative. In his words, "With its vote France has not
only completely disregarded its own freedom of expression, but has
also pulled up a wall in front of the changeability of the articles of
law that impose a bottleneck on the freedom of expression in Turkey".

Duzel: Not waiting for anything, looking at practice

Journalist Nese Duzel who has been charged for "enticing hatred
and enmity" but later acquitted for her important interviews in
"Radikal" newspaper with Alawite leaders is now subject to an enquiry
and prosecution for "propaganda of a terrorist organization" due to
her reporting on the views of various experts and politicians on the
Kurdish issue.

"I don’t know what will be changed in Turkey" she says "but we need
to look into what happens in practice".

Duzel has a gloomy look at the future and recalls "With 301
the government withdrew what it had given. Many leaps towards
democratization in the past two years have been withdrawn with the
TMY and the new TCK".

Noting that legislation restricting freedom of expression continued
to exist in the new penal code, Duzel says "A progressive step has
not yet been taken. In practice it has started to become like the
past too because cases that to me once had come to an end are being
revived again".

Dink: Let us do what is correct

Appearing on an NTV live program the previous evening, Armenian-Turkish
journalist Hrant Dink who is prosecuted in Turkey for his remarks
recognizing an Armenian genocide, said the French vote results could
actually be favorable for Turkey and that Turkey should do what
is correct.

Editor-in-Chief of the Armenian-Turkish "Agos" newspaper, Dink said,
that Turkey would not be the one to lose out of this bill and expressed
belief that "after this, Turkey will display the freedom of expression
that has been taken from its hands".

Stating that until the French vote the world public opinion saw
the Armenians as the aggrieved and the Turks as being unjust, Dink
noted "From now on the Turkish expression has become the one that is
aggrieved. I believe that the Turkish official expression will use
these conditions and will display the freedom of expression that has
been taken from its hands".

Dink said that anti-EU circles could be expected to exploit the
development and that this itself could lead to problems in Turkey’s
relations with the Union.

Saying that the French Parliament continuously used the expression
that "Turkey should look to itself", Dink asked "is Turkey going to
be able to look to itself? They have mentioned [Penal Code] article
301. These are not wrong either. There we are against the [violation
of] freedom of expression. But in Turkey there are laws, cases, that
repress the freedom of expression. Let us do what is right. After that,
as France has done in their mistake, they will be left isolated".

What did government officials say?

On the freedom of expression, senior government officials have made
some recent remarks that were widely reported in the media. State
Minister and chief negotiator Ali Babacan told Turkish journalists
in Brussels that the French decision would affect feelings towards
the EU in a negative way.

Babacan said, "If the French make mistakes, it is not correct for
us to give a response with further mistakes. We will continue with
our reforms. What is correct is clear and we will continue what is
correct with reforms".

Gul: Progress will continue

Visiting Luxembourg for a meeting Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul emphasized the difference between Turkey and other countries.

"Our difference is that we are aware of what we are missing," he said
adding, however, that the country had advanced much in a short time.

"Some things do overshadow the progress we have made," he said. "We
still have things to do and we are determined to do them".

–Boundary_(ID_owa4mItPNAnqJMmNZ4Tj9Q )–

CABINET MAINTAINS LINE OVER ANTI-RACISM LAW

Swissinfo, Switzerland
Oct 18 2006

The cabinet does not think the Swiss anti-racism law should be changed
– despite comments by the justice minister, Christoph Blocher, to
the contrary.

Blocher caused a storm of protest while on a trip to Turkey earlier
this month when he said he was intent on revising the legislation. On
Wednesday the cabinet said it regretted the incident.

"The cabinet remains opposed to a pure and simple abolition of the
anti-racism law," said Swiss President Moritz Leuenberger. "This text
will remain in force and will continue to be used."

He said it was legitimate to propose making modifications, but said
the cabinet regretted that the discussion had been started during a
visit abroad.

This gave the impression that Switzerland could be pressured into
changing its laws depending on certain circumstances, Leuenberger said.

Blocher, a leading light of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, had
remarked during his Turkish trip that part of the anti-racism law –
which was adopted in 1994 and includes sections aimed at preventing
revisionist views about the Holocaust – gave him a "headache".

The law has led to investigations in Switzerland against two Turks,
including one historian, for allegedly denying the 1915 Armenian
massacre.

Armenians say around 1.8 million of their people died as a result of
a forced mass evacuation by the Turkish government during the Ottoman
Empire. Turkey puts the figure closer to 200,000. Under Swiss law any
act of denying, belittling or justifying genocide is a violation of
the country’s anti-racism legislation.

However, Blocher said at the time that it was ultimately up to the
government, parliament and possibly the population, to decide on
any changes.

Under scrutiny

According to Leuenberger, Blocher has told his cabinet colleagues
that a working group at his ministry was already re-examining the law,
in particular article 261bis, the cause of Blocher’s headache.

The justice minister was ready to include a member of the Federal
Commission Against Racism in this work, Leuenberger added, refusing
to any further questions on the matter – which caused a media and
political outcry in Switzerland – saying the content of cabinet
meetings was confidential.

For his part, Blocher, speaking at a different media conference
earlier in the day, said he was simply waiting for the feedback from
his working group by the end of the year.

"It’s about making the anti-racism law clearer, more secure and
unambiguous," he said.

swissinfo with agencies

KEY FACTS

Swiss anti-racism legislation was adopted in 1994, among other things
to prevent revisionist views about the Holocaust. In 2005, Swiss
authorities launched criminal investigations against the historian
Yusuf Halacoglu, the president of the Turkish History Organisation,
and the politician Dogu Perincek for allegedly making comments in
Switzerland denying the 1915 Armenian massacre. Armenians say around
1.8 million of their people were killed. Turkey disputes this, putting
the figure closer to 200,000. Under Swiss law any act of denying,
belittling or justifying genocide is a violation of the country’s
anti-racism legislation.

ARMENTEL INSTRUCTED TO RESUME PROVISION OF SERVICES TO 134 ORGANIZATIONS AND PERSONS

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 18 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. By the October 18 decision of
the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission, ArmenTel company
was instructed to resume temporarily the provision of telephone
services to 134 organizations and persons. The provision of services
was suspended on September 7. According to ArmenTel, the indicated
organizations and persons received voice services via the Internet,
which represented a violation of ArmenTel’s monopoly right.

NT correspondent was informed from the RA Public Services Regulatory
Commission that administrative procedure was initiated in connection
with violation of ArmenTel’s exclusive rights. A respective decision
will be taken based on the procedure results. ArmenTel was instructed
to present facts and evidence that the indicated organizations and
persons violated the exclusive right reserved to the company by its
licence no.60.

TURKISH SUPERMARKET CHAINS BOYCOTT FRENCH GOODS

FreshPlaza, Netherlands
Oct 17 2006

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared that he did not support
any boycott against the French goods, yet some Turkish supermarket
chains started economic boycott against the French goods.

The passing of the controversial Armenian genocide denial bill in the
French parliament has prompted strong reactions in Turkish business
circles. Kiler and Afra, two big Turkish market chains, yesterday
declared that they will never sell French goods. Many French products
were removed from these market shelves.

Carrefour, French-Turkish market company, has also been one of the
boycott targets after the French Armenian bill. The number of customers
visited Carrefour has radically decreased in last two days.

The parking areas of the market mostly empty yesterday.

Some of the Turkish political parties list the names of the
French products not to buy. Turkish Labour Party (Isci Partisi),
leftist-nationalist, called all Turks inside and abroad not to buy
French goods and services.

Some of the Turkish citizens, who were in holiday in Paris, cut short
their holidays to protest France’s attitude in Armenian issue. Gulben
Ergen, Turkish famous singer, was one of these protesters. Ergen
arrived Istanbul yesterday and said that the reason is the French
Armenian bill. Many more Turkish tourists postponed their France
visits.

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE OF ARMENIA HAS BROUGHT A CHARGE AGAINST HAKOP HAKOPYAN

Regnum, Russia
Oct 18 2006

The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia has filed a charge against
MP Hakop Hakopyan. Hakopyan is charged with forming a group and
committing an act of hooliganism with the use of firearms (point 4,
article 38-258 of Armenia’s Criminal Code). He is also charged with
tax avoidance (point 2, article 214 and article 205), complicity in
the deliberate destruction or damage of property (point 2, article
34-214, point 1, article 38-185) and some other misdeeds.

To remind, on October 8, Hakop Hakopyan was caught trying to penetrate
the territory of the ArmRosgazprom gas-distributing station in the
village of Hayanist and began a squabble with the members of the Full
Contact Fighting Federation who guarded the territory. The sides used
firearms. As a result, the president of the federation, a coach and
Hakopyan’s driver were taken to hospital with injuries. The police
found a Winchester gun on the scene.

On October 11, Hakopyan was released from the Yerevan-Center
penitentiary because of the expiry of the 72-hour period of custody.

On Oct 13 the Armenian Parliament granted the petition of Public
Prosecutor Agvan Hovsepyan for depriving Hakopyan of his deputy
immunity. During the meeting, Hakopyan said that he did not regret what
he had done as his voters were there and he just wanted to stop the
fight. "You shouldn’t talk about this incident as if it is a crime of
the century," he said and noted that 90% of the charges were groundless
and he was ready to disprove all of them alone if the justice was fair.