Month: October 2006

17826 CARS IMPORTED IN ARMENIA IN 2006

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 17 2006

YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. Armenian State Customs Committee Chairman
Armen Avetisyan told journalists on Monday that 17826 cars had been
imported in Armenia for nine months of 2006.

The import grew 4 thousand, compared with previous year.

In his words, 10042 imported cars cost $5 thousand each.

"Mostly cheap cars have been imported in Armenia", Avetisyan said. He
said they had been sold to middle class representatives.

CENTRAL BANK OF ARMENIA PUTS INTO CIRCULATION TWO SILVER COINS AS PART OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM CAUCASUS FAUNA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 17 2006

YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. Central Bank of Armenia has put into
circulation two silver coins issued as part of international program
Caucasus Fauna, CBA press office reports.

Two species – South Caucasus brown bear and big-eared hedgehog are
depicted on the coins.

The press release says the coins nominal value is AMD 100.

The coins are made of 925(±50) silver of 38.61 mm (±0.15 mm) diameter
and 28.28 (±0.25g) weight.

The coins have been designed by specialists from Poland and made in
Poland. The press release syas 3000 coins of each type are released.

–Boundary_(ID_GKpPTrb1hWkXEmYiG5AE6A)- –

SUGGESTIONS FROM CHP LEADER BAYKAL

Sabah, Turkey
Oct 17 2006

CHP (People’s Republican Party) Leader Deniz Baykal has listed four
things to do against France’s Armenian genocide bill which was approved
by the French parliament last week.

Stating that Turkey should fight this problem with an effective legal
process, Baykal said: "We should apply to the European Court of Human
Rights in order to suspend France’s European Commission membership.

We have to apply to European Union Court of Justice and make a
sanction demand by stating what France had done was against EU Acquis
Communitaire. We have to ask Turkish citizens who either live in
France or visit that country to violate this law and keep this issue
on the agenda at all times. Also we have to rearrange our economical
relations and tenders with France according to this problem."

FRENCH AMBASSADOR POUDADE: THAT BILL HAS NO FUTURE

Hurriyet, Turkey
Oct 17 2006

In a special interview with the Hurriyet, French Ambassador to Ankara,
Paul Poudade, spoke about the French Parliament’s decision to approve
the "genocide denial" bill last week. Ambassador Poudade was careful
to underline in his comments that he felt the bill "had no future"
politically in France. His answers to some questions are as follows:

(Hurriyet): Ambassador Poudade, what do you feel the future is for
the bill approved by the French Parliament on October 12?

Ambassador Poudade: I do not believe that there is any legal future
for this bill. I do not believe it will be turned into law. In order
for it to become law, it must first be accepted, without a single word
change, by the French Senate, and then signed by the French President
to be put into implementation. This would mean the going back and forth
between the parliament and senate many times, and if the bill were not
approved by the time this particular parliament comes to a close, in
February 2007, the bill would fall by the wayside. Moreover, barring
all of this, the bill could even go to our Constitutional Court. I
think this was an untimely and unnecessary initiative. This is why
President Chirac’s phone call to Prime Minister Erdogan expressing
the hope that no damage would come to French-Turkish relations as a
result of this bill was very important.

(Hurriyet): What reaction did the French people themselves have
towards this bill?

Ambassador Poudade: The French people feel much sympathy and closeness
to the Armenians. But this bill created great displeasure in the
general society, as well as raising many question marks…..As it
was, all of the Paris newspapers, and even more importantly, all the
provincial papers (aside from one printed in Marseilles) expressed
the same opinion.

DANONE-TURKEY LAUNCHES SIGNATURE CAMPAIGN TO PROTEST ARMENIAN BILL

Zaman , Turkey
Oct 17 2006

French foods group Danone, which is one of the most well-known French
brands, will send letters to the members of the French Senate to
prevent the Armenian bill from becoming law.

Danone Turkey Director Serpil Timuray has said, "We are also against
the adoption of such a bill."

A total of 23,000 people are expected to sign the letter by Nov. 30,
which bears the emblem of the "Danone Turkey Family."

There will be a list of the 700 employees and 15,000 farmers from
whom Danone buys milk along with its 600 branches across the country
below the letter.

Timuray said that they printed 100,000 petition letters adding,
"We expect our employees to sign the petition."

The director remarked that they would submit the petitions to the
French Senate and she added that Danone Executive Manager Franc Riboud
sent a letter to the French Parliamentary President before Oct. 12
in which he explained the dangers of adopting the Armenian bill.

According to data provided by the company, Danone has a total of 400
million New Turkish Liras (YTL) invested in Turkey.

Danone managers in France were informed about the campaign, said
Timuray, adding that the managers were respectful to our beliefs and
agree with our civil action.

Timuray explained that Danone was a company operating in 32
countries across the world which it gives importance to the regional
sensitivities.

She expressed that there would be no change in their investment plans
and they would not revise their target of becoming a market leader.

Answering questions from members of the press, Timuray said that
there had been no decline in sales up until now.

In answer to another question, Timuray remarked that they may place
advertisements in French newspapers about the subject.

"Different reactions may come from society, but the important thing
is to do so in a reasonable way," said Timuray when asked about the
boycott of French goods.

FRANCE IN DENIAL

New York Times
Oct 17 2006

Editorial

We’ve argued many times that Turkey must come to grips with the crimes
of its past and stop prosecuting writers who mention the Armenian
genocide of the early 20th century.

But we found it as absurd and as cynical when the French National
Assembly voted overwhelmingly last week to make it illegal – on pain of
a fine and imprisonment – to deny that there was an Armenian genocide.

France’s Senate still has a chance to throw out this outrageous bill,
and we hope it does. We hope, too, that the Turks do not retaliate
with something similarly nutty, like making it a crime to deny French
colonial atrocities in Algeria, as some legislators have suggested.

Enough damage has already been done.

There is no doubt that the sooner Turks confront their past the
better. They are beginning to, in large part because of the lure of
membership in the European Union. That does not excuse the way French
politicians are trying to exploit anti-Turkish feelings while playing
up to the large Armenian-French constituency.

There are a lot of reasons why this is wrong. It could further fan
anti-Muslim feelings in France, and we’ve already seen the potential
for a violent backlash. It is also a blow to freedom of _expression –
not exactly the standard that E.U. members want to set while they
lecture the Turks about being more respectful of human rights and
democratic norms.

Yes, France is one of a dozen European countries that have laws
against denying the Holocaust. There is an argument that they, too,
violate freedom of _expression. But those laws at least are based
on the threat posed by die-hard anti-Semites who still subscribe to
Hitler’s racist theories.

The Armenian question poses no dangers in France. Playing politics with
it trivializes not only the Holocaust, but also the Armenian genocide.

NO BALANCE IN FRANCE BOYCOTT
By Isa Sezen, Zelis Yildiral, Istanbul

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 17 2006

French firms that have Turkish partners employ about 45 thousand
Turks. Observers note that boycotting these firms, which manufacture
their products here, will inevitably damage the Turkish economy.

The economic boycott started in retaliation for the law passed in
France criminalizing denial of an Armenian genocide during World War I.

While French products are being boycotted directly, confusion surrounds
the Turkish partners of French firms and Turkish firms mistaken for
French because of their names.

The fact that some firms, such as LC Waikiki, a Turkish firm, and Avon,
an American one, are on the boycott list is causing uneasiness about
possible unfair conduct of some firms who might attempt to damage
the reputation of their competitors.

The call to not purchase ‘Made in France’ products, mostly cosmetic
ones, still affects Turkish-partnered firms, which would cripple a
certain section of the economy employing 45 thousand Turkish citizens.

Saban Erdikler, the chairman of International Investors Association
(YASED), which aspires to make Turkey a more attractive country for
direct foreign investments, says that, "the inability to establish a
balance in the boycott would amount to shooting ourselves in the leg."

The members of the association are all professional managers of
international firms operating in Turkey. The fact that the Turkish
partners of French firms will suffer damage keeps forcing boycott
organizers in Turkey to step back. With Total in top position on the
list, the Consumers Union of Turkey deleted CarrefourSA from second
place considering its contribution to many branches of business and
employment in Turkey.

After the passage of the bill in the French Parliament, the inclusion
by some internet sites of many companies on the boycott list regardless
of their origin a sparked a debate about the trustworthiness of
such sources.

A similar debate occurred when relations with Italy were tense owing
to Turkey’s extradition demand for Abdullah Ocalan, head of the PKK.

A major furniture company, Bellona, because of its Italian-sounding
name was obliged to publicly announce that it was a Turkish firm.

When the crisis over the offensive cartoons broke out, some German
and Italian products were also put on the boycott list.

Bulent Deniz, president of the Consumers Union, complained that the
authors of such lists are unknown and went on to caution that: "The
e-mails spreading in cyber-space are open to any kind of abuse. Some
names on the list might have been put there because there is little or
no information about them, or because certain ill-intentioned people
want to vilify their competitors."

He advised that such lists not be taken seriously and emphasized that
they do not prepare such lists themselves due to their unpredictability
and the difficultly in controlling them.

On the other hand, Turkey must tread carefully with Turkish-partnered
firms like CarrefourSA, the first one that comes to mind.

Saban Erdikler, chairman of International Investors Association,
noted that, "these firms should be viewed as companies using Turkish
raw materials and serving Turkey."

After calling for a boycott against the oil company Total, the
Consumers Union took CarrefourSA off the list for such reasons.

Their decision to exclude firms depends on the investments made by
a firm with their Turkish partners. Bulent Deniz remarked that:
"Our priority this week was CarrefourSA, however we changed our
minds because it feeds many branches of business and contributes to
employment greatly. The committee we’ve formed is carrying on its
work on finding new names that will attract people’s attention like
Total did."

Legal advisor of United Brands Union (BMD) Vehbi Kahveci noted that
it was nonsense to punish those manufacturing their products here
and who pay taxes.

"The owners of the boycotted stores are Turks and they employ many
workers," Kahveci said, adding that: "because of competition among
brands, many are trying to abuse the situation; however the conscious
consumer will not allow this. There is a total sum of $10 billion in
trade volume between the two countries. There are 524 firms operating
in Turkey with French capital."

"This Amounts to Shooting Ourselves in the leg"

France is third on the list of the largest foreign investors . As of
2005, their international investments equaled $115 billion. On the
contrary, foreign investment in France is about $63 billion dollars.

Saban Erdikler stresses that France’s share in the $12.4 billion
dollars of foreign capital that came to Turkey in the first eight
months of this year is $330 million. Turkey ranks among the first
five countries to which France exports.

The crisis so far has not caused any trouble in the movement
of capital, he said, but added: "it should not be overlooked that
dragging a boycott, a judicial topic by nature, into the economic
sphere will naturally harm Turkey. Also, it is not right to see the
firms founded here with French capital as completely French.

Ultimately, they are firms founded in Turkey, using a Turkish labor
force and Turkish raw materials that serve Turkey."

Erdikler also emphasized that Turkey should defend its cause through
the international courts available.

OSCE REPRESENTATIVE URGES FRENCH SENATE TO REJECT CRIMINALIZATION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL

Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE)

Oct 17 2006

VIENNA, 17 October 2006 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the
Media, Miklos Haraszti, expressed his concern today about the French
National Assembly’s adoption in a first reading of an amendment that
aims to criminalize the denial that the 1915 killings of Armenians
in Turkey was genocide.

In a letter sent to the President of the French Senate, Christian
Poncelet, the Representative asked the Senate members to reject the
amendment when it reaches the Senate in its capacity as second chamber.

"I acknowledge the humanitarian intentions of those members of
the Assembly who support this proposal. However, the adoption of
the amendment raises serious concerns with regard to international
standards of freedom of expression," wrote Haraszti.

"It is in the name of these same standards that I continue to call upon
Turkey to remove Article 301 of the Penal Code, ‘Insulting Turkish
identity’, which prosecutors in Turkey repeatedly use in the context
of the Armenian genocide debate."

France recognized the genocide in the 19 January 2001 Law. The proposed
amendment would introduce a punishment for denial amounting to one
year’s imprisonment and a fine of EUR 45,000.

"Both the fact of criminalization of statements, and the severity
of the sanctions would infringe upon editorial freedom in France,"
added Haraszti. "The adoption of the amendment by France, a nation
with a long-standing tradition of freedom of expression, could set
a dangerous precedent for other nations of the OSCE."

IRAN’S "LITTLE STAR" RISES IN ARMENIA

Mehr News Agency, Iran
Oct 17 2006

TEHRAN, Oct. 17 (MNA) — The Armenian version of the children’s book
"The Little Star", written by Iranian author Mohammadreza Yusefi,
was recently published in Yerevan.

The book has been rendered into Armenian by George Asaturian and
Hunan Karapitian illustrated it.

PAMUK: THE THORN IN TURKEY’S SIDE

Hindustan Times, India
Oct 17 2006

Press Trust of India
Stockholm

Orhan Pamuk, who was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature,
is Turkey’s best-known author, but also a straight-talking rebel
whose views on his country’s history have caused a storm both at home
and abroad.

Recent statements on both the situation of Turkey’s Kurds and the
killings of Armenians in the early years of the 20th century turned
Pamuk into a controversial figure.

"One million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in these lands and
nobody but me dares talk about it," Pamuk, 54, told a Swiss magazine
in February 2005.

The remarks, which sparked outrage in Turkey, prompted a public
prosecutor to file charges against Pamuk for denigrating the country’s
national identity.

The charges were dropped early in 2006, but the damage had been done.

Death threats followed, and a provincial official even ordered the
destruction of Pamuk’s books — a move nullified by the government,
touchy on rights issues as it strives to make Turkey a full member
of the European Union.

Torn between his political dissidence and his desire to see Turkey in
the EU, Pamuk said he was irked to see the country’s many opponents
in Europe using his court case to argue against Turkey’s membership.

The country’s decades-old attempts to become fully European,
accompanied by clashes between Islam and secularism and tradition
and modernity, and the often painful social and psychological impact
of the aggressive westernization that followed the collapse of the
Ottoman Empire, form the core of Pamuk’s writing.

Born on June 7, 1952 into a wealthy, westernized family, Pamuk gave up
architecture studies at the age of 23 and devoted himself to writing.

He published his prize-winning first novel, Cevdet Bey and His Sons,
seven years later.

Pamuk mostly shuns the public eye, chain-smoking and writing for long
hours in an Istanbul flat overlooking the bridge over the Bosphorus
linking Europe and Asia.

Often casually dressed with jacket over T-shirt, his boyish appearance
offset by greying hair and thick glasses, Pamuk talks a mile a minute,
the words spilling out in bursts as he grimaces and gesticulates.

He first drew the ire of the state in the mid-1990s when he denounced
the treatment of the Kurdish minority as the army waged a heavy-handed
campaign to suppress a bloody separatist insurgency in the south-east.

The government extended an olive branch in 1998, offering him the
accolade of "Artist of the State," but Pamuk rejected the honour.

By then, he had become the country’s best-selling author. His sixth
novel, My Name Is Red, brought him international fame and a slew
of awards.

His books, translated into 32 languages, are: Cevdet Bey and His Sons
(1982), The Silent House (1983), The White Castle (1985), The Black
Book (1990), The New Life (1994), My Name Is Red (1998), Snow (2002)
and Istanbul (2003).