Month: October 2006

Turkish Daily News
Oct 7 2006

Cicek signals changes in Article 301
Saturday, October 7, 2006

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

Justice Minister Cemil Cicek, who has been determined in his
opposition to any changes in the much-criticized Article 301 of the
Turkish Penal Code (TCK), has begun to change his mind, according to
recent reports.

Speaking to journalists in Berlin, where he is was attending a
Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (TUSÝAD)
meeting, Cicek said there was no such thing that Article 301 could
not be changed, noting that the real problem was what changes were to
be introduced.

Despite government arguments that the new TCK, which came into
effect last year, constituted significant progress in terms of rights
and freedoms, Article 301, which criminalizes insulting Turkishness,
state institutions and Ataturk, has created an uproar with one
celebrated writer after another being tried as a result.

While writers Orhan Pamuk and Elif Þafak were found not guilty of
violating the article, many other lesser-known authors were
victimized as a result without attracting too much media attention.

The European Union, which Turkey wants to join, insists the article
needs to be changed or annulled, with the government seemingly
agreeing on the necessity of a review.

The opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is opposed to any
such change and has said it would not support amendments to the
article.

Earlier this week the court that found Þafak not guilty said,
"Efforts to limit freedom of thought and expression may have serious
consequences" in its full opinion on the Þafak ruling. "It is
unthinkable to talk about crimes committed by fictional characters.
… It is necessary to define the boundaries of the ‘Turkishness’
concept and place it on firm ground."

The government has said it needs more time to assess whether it is
necessary to change Article 301. It fears a nationalist backlash
ahead of elections due next year if it tries to change the law.

Cicek said they were under pressure from the EU to change the
article but noted that he kept asking EU officials about the bill
French Parliament would soon discuss that criminalizes the refusal to
accept the Armenian genocide.

He said the government was working on changing the controversial
article. "However, citizens’ concerns need to be taken into account.
If we annul it, what will we tell the people when they ask: ‘Are you
ashamed of being a Turk?’?"

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has been openly insisting that the
article be changed, but Cicek was opposed to any such amendment,
arguing that the judiciary would fine-tune the article on its own.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has also said the government
would consider changing the article.

A European Commission source told Reuters that Brussels would study
the opinion but said a higher court has already imposed a suspended
jail sentence on another writer under Article 301 and that this
ruling set a precedent in the evolution of case law on the issue. "We
understand there is a will in Ankara to solve this issue through case
law, but this will take many years to build up. We believe Article
301 needs to be changed now," the source said.

–Boundary_(ID_svn7lxkZBwmkJ+7ErApbDg)–

Turkish Daily News
Oct 7 2006

Restoration of Armenian church in Van complete
Saturday, October 7, 2006

With the church refurbished, the number of tourists to the province
will increase, says the provincial culture manager

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

A project to restore the Armenian church on the island of Akdamar
in Lake Van is complete, according to reports.

Cahit Zeydanlý, the owner of the company that restored the church,
said the restoration process began in May 2005. The process involved
the cleaning of the roof and the frescos and figures inside and
outside the church, laying floorboards and putting in windows, he
said, noting that they had found 34 rooms in the church during the
restoration.

He said the rooms were cleaned up but were not restored because
they weren’t included in the project.

"The restoration was finished on Aug. 30 at a cost of YTL 2.6
million," said Zeydanlý, noting that five experts supervised the
efforts.

"Right now, we are in the process of refurbishing the environs of
the church. We built a pier and walkways on the island. Toilets,
guard posts, ticket booths and gift shops were built. We are also
building a cafeteria behind the church. These will be complete soon
too."

He said the church on Akdamar was the second Armenian church he had
restored, noting that the Armenian church in Bitlis his company had
rebuilt was now being used as a house of worship.

Zeydanlý said they were aware of the dangers of restoring the
church and consequently were in constant contact with the government,
Armenian officials in Turkey and around the world. He said an
Armenian architect had helped them throughout the process.

"The church is a registered work of art. That’s why it was very
important to pay the utmost care on the rehabilitation of the
church."

He had talked to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan about the
church, said Zeydanlý, noting that Erdoðan was very interested in the
process. "The past problems between Armenians and Turks are harming
the current state of relations. I hope this church will help in
finding a common ground. This restoration is the proof that Turkey
can handle such projects. The opening ceremony may take place on Nov.
4. We are expecting the prime minister at the ceremony."

A tourism boost to the region:

Van Culture and Tourism Manager Ýzzet Kutuoðlu said a science board
and their bureaus had constantly checked the progress of the
restoration process and were pleased with the end result.

"The number of tourists coming to Van will increase with the
completion of this project. There are some groups who want to come
even now. However, we don’t want anyone here before the restoration
is complete."

–Boundary_(ID_l6ZeCoo24Wx+azbSo BEflg)–

Turkish Daily News
Oct 7 2006

For those who do not understand
Saturday, October 7, 2006

Angela Merkel, Jacques Chirac, Olli Rehn, Jose Manuel Barroso and
Camiel Eurlings all indicate with their latest remarks in this or
that manner that Turkish membership in the European Union is not
being considered.

Gunduz Aktan
Angela Merkel, Jacques Chirac, Olli Rehn, Jose Manuel Barroso and
Camiel Eurlings all indicate with their latest remarks in this or
that manner that Turkish membership in the European Union is not
being (probably has never been) considered.

The controversial report of the European Parliament (EP) Foreign
Affairs Commission has been "corrected" by the EP General Assembly.
The Armenian genocide allegation remains unchanged; it is just that
in the final text Turkish recognition of it is no longer cited as a
precondition for EU membership. In its final version the report does
refer to the alleged "Pontian and Assyrian genocides" cited in the
initial draft, but it makes those references without actually using
the word "genocide." All in all, the report seems to be written not
towards making Turkey a member but with the purpose of discouraging
Turkey from going ahead with the accession process.

Meanwhile, Chirac’s visit to Armenia has resulted, as expected, in
his voicing the "Armenian genocide" allegations — repeatedly. Chirac
is the vanguard among French politicians when it comes acknowledging
the crimes committed by his country in the past and publicly
apologizing for them. Therefore he may deem it a moral obligation for
himself to "recognize" the "Armenian genocide" as well. On the other
hand, the Armenian community in France is enjoying an increased
weight prior to a tough presidential election. So, this is more about
politics than moral obligations.

France knows that Turkey will never accept the Armenian genocide
claim. And it exploits the genocide issue so as to block Turkey’s
path to EU membership. Their new draft law envisages heavy fines and
prison sentences for those "negating the Armenian genocide." Even if
we endured all kinds of humiliation and reached the stage of signing
the accession treaty, that treaty would be subjected to a referendum
in France; and to obtain a positive result from the referendum we
would be required to "acknowledge the genocide."

The EU calls it "the need to face up to the past." That is the
principle on which the European project has been based in the
aftermath of the Holocaust. We did not play any role in that
disaster. However, obviously if we are to be admitted into the ranks
of the genocide perpetrators, we too will have to find ourselves a
proper case of genocide, declare our regrets for "having committed
it" and pledge not to do any such thing ever again.

Until she became chancellor, Merkel had advocated a "privileged
partnership" status for Turkey as opposed to full membership. Now she
seems not to be opposing Turkish full membership. She must have
adopted that role as a result of the "re-casting of the roles" with
France. This way she will prevent a disruption of her relations with
the sizable Turkish community in Germany. Meanwhile she sees the
Cyprus problem as an issue that can suitably be used in order to
block our path to EU membership.

The commission traditionally sides with the member countries. The
current commission backs our membership bid. However, the EU member
states lack the common political will needed for that. And this makes
the commission’s job extremely difficult. We have reached a certain
point where neither the new government of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (KKTC) nor this or any future government of Turkey
can possibly back down. This impasse cannot be overcome with the kind
of proposal the Finns have offered. There is only one way out: The EU
has to acknowledge the erroneous nature of its Cyprus policy and make
the Greek Cypriots toe the line. Since this is not being done, the
commission is focusing on the reforms; however, the lack of political
will has undermined the Turkish government’s eagerness to make
further reforms.

When referring to reform they are talking about the rights of
minorities and Christians, and Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code
(TCK). Almost all of those that have been in trouble due to that
article are "intellectual" Turks who have "acknowledged" the
"Armenian genocide." Therefore, the calls for abolition of Article
301 are aimed at bringing about widescale public discussions in
Turkey on the "Armenian genocide" issue. In other words, these calls
are justified in principle, but the purpose seems hardly justified.
Indeed, it was pointed out to Rehn that the EU demands from Turkey
conflicted with the situation in France (regarding the genocide law
in the offing) and the Netherlands (where Turks who reject the
Armenian genocide allegations are not allowed to run for parliament
seats). He had a hard time trying to respond to questions in this
vein.

Barroso’s latest statement shows that the commission does not fully
back our membership, either. Barroso first talked about suspending EU
enlargement until institutional reforms are made, that is, until the
EU Constitution problem is resolved. Then he pointed out that Turkey
could be a member in 15, 20 or 25 years. What kind of impression have
we given them that they seem to think that we would wait all those
years?

Viewed together, these signs show clearly that basically the EU
does not want to make Turkey a member but that it is unwilling to
openly say so since that would entail a political price. Obviously,
it aims to exasperate Turkey by waging a "guerrilla war" on secondary
issues.

If Turkey’s prestige is to be maintained, even at a minimal level,
we must immediately get out of this masochistic mood we seem to have
plunged into. Otherwise we will come to hate the West, the EU and
Christianity. And our naive liberals and the Justice and Development
Party (AKP) will have to pay for that situation.

Turkish Daily News
Oct 7 2006

Week of building bridges with Europe
Saturday, October 7, 2006

Three European capitals — Brussels, Paris and Berlin — talked about
Turkey this week. With the anniversary of the start of talks with the
European Union, Turkey was on the agenda for an entire week with its
politics, arts, and hopes for the future.

Gila Benmayor
Three European capitals — Brussels, Paris and Berlin — talked
about Turkey this week. With the anniversary of the start of talks
with the European Union, Turkey was on the agenda for an entire week
with its politics, arts, and hopes for the future. I could only
participate in the Brussels leg of the "Turkey@Europe" program
organized by the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association
(TUSÝAD).

The week of "conquering Europe," led by TUSÝAD’s honorary president
Bulent Eczacýbaþý, its executive board director Omer Sabancý and
introduction committee president Umit Boyner seems to have reached
its goal, if one looks at the picture in Brussels.

The interest shown in the meeting, which took place in the European
Policy Center Hall, was so high that some of the audience could not
be seated.

And who attended that meeting?

Former British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, European Parliament
member and former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, the European
Commission’s Enlargement Director Michael Leigh, European Parliament
member Joost Lagendijk and Turkish State Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister Abdullatif Þener, among others.

Foreign speakers were particularly sensitive about two issues:
Article 301 and Cyprus.

Lagendijk, who’s set to marry a Turkish girl in the near future,
underlined double standards concerning this article in two European
countries.

One of these double standards is the proposal the French Parliament
will vote on Oct. 12, which would criminalize denying claims of an
Armenian genocide. The other one is the pressure applied on Dutch
parliamentary candidates of Turkish origin to force them to accept
Armenian genocide allegations.

According to Lagendijk, both France and the Netherlands’ attitude
is a violation of freedom of expression.

Another surprise which came in that meeting was State Minister
Þener’s speech delivered in "French."

The minister, who read out the text in front of him quite well,
surprised those in the meeting hall.

However, it soon became apparent that the minister — who learned
French in his student years and even wrote a doctoral thesis in
French — can read that language very well but cannot speak it
spontaneously.

Þener, who stumbled when addressed by Enlargement Director Leigh in
French, clearly demonstrated the weakness of our educational system
in teaching foreign languages.

Indeed, foreign languages are the most important tool for building
a bridge to Europe.

The other instrument is undoubtedly music. I am writing so under
the influence of that spectacular night I witnessed in Brussels.

The final activity of the Turkey@Europe program was a concert given
by the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra with director Gurer
Aykal at Bozar Palace, which hosted the Female Sultans exhibition
from Turkey a couple of years ago.

The orchestra of the Borusan Group — the main sponsor of the
International Istanbul Music Festival for 10 years — played pieces
from Schubert, Mozart and Ferit Tuzun.

Some 1,200 guests were present at Bozar Palace that night. Judging
by the applause, the audience had an unforgettable night.

The final piece chosen by director Aykal was extremely significant:
"Habudiyara," composed by Ferit Tuzun.

Like I say, if language is one way to build bridges, music is the
other.

The state of German and Austrian support:

The European Stability Initiative (ESI) announced the results of a
survey on Turkish membership shortly before German Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s visit to Turkey.

According to the results, 81 percent of Austrians and 69 percent of
Germans oppose Turkish membership.

Germans who earlier opposed Turkish membership on the basis of
cultural differences are now citing Islam and honor killings as the
bases of their objection.

However, according to ESI’s findings, some among the social
democrats of Austria are positive about Turkish membership, such as
Vienna’s mayor and the governor of Salzburg.

However, nobody from Turkey has contacted these people

Romania and Bulgaria, which are to join the club in 2007, are
organizing campaigns emphasizing the cultural wealth of their
countries, but Turkey has done nothing.

We are simply sitting and making no effort.

We can’t win the minds and hearts of Europeans with only TUSÝAD’s
conscientious initiatives.

–Boundary_(ID_4WF/JUqorohxOC3vq0il8 A)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish Daily News
Oct 7 2006

Ankara warns Paris not to risk its friendship
Saturday, October 7, 2006

Turkey’s people will perceive the adoption of controversial
‘genocide’ bill as a hostile attitude on the part of France, the
Foreign Ministry says, as the prime minister will today discuss the
problem with French businessmen in Istanbul

ANKARA – Turkish Daily News

Turkey has reminded France of the importance it attributes to
bilateral political and economic ties between the two countries as
well as of the sensitivity of Turkey’s people regarding a highly
contentious bill that penalizes any denial of an Armenian "genocide"
at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

"The Armenian issue has poisoned bilateral ties in the past, but
the bill will inflict irreparable damage to our relationship,"
Foreign Ministry spokesman Namýk Tan said on Friday, referring to the
vote at the French National Assembly scheduled for Oct. 12 at the
request of the main opposition Socialist Party, the bill’s architect.

The spokesman clearly warned that the move could jeopardize
"investment, the fruit of years of work, and France will — so to
speak — lose Turkey."

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent a letter this week to his French
counterpart, Jacques Chirac, on the issue and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan will discuss the problem on Saturday with French
businessmen in Istanbul, Tan said.

Though the conservative majority in the French Assembly opposes the
bill, Turkey fears many opponents will not vote against it for fear
of upsetting France’s 400,000-strong Armenian diaspora ahead of
elections next year.

"The Armenian lobby should abandon backstage games and come up with
concrete arguments supported by historical facts," diplomatic sources
earlier said, referring to Ankara’s proposal last year to establish a
joint committee of Turkish and Armenian experts to study allegations
of an Armenian genocide in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.

–Boundary_(ID_gJCoGFNyIPa+seJFgxazRg)–

Exhibition Dedicated to the Armenian Armed Forces
History to Be Held in Greece in 2007

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2006 15:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ October 3 Secretary of the National Security Council
at the RA President, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan, who is on a
working visit to Greece, attended the 14th Defendory International
exhibition of defense systems. As RA Defense Minister’s Spokesman,
colonel Seyran Shahsuvaruan told PanARMENIAN.Net, Serge Sargsyan also
attended the pavilion of Armenian-Greek LT PIRKAL where he met with
the Greek administration of the enterprise.

The Armenian delegation visited the military academy of the Greek
land forces to meet with the teaching staff and cadets. Besides, the
delegation members attended the military museum of the Greek Ministry
of National Defense. Upon completion of the meeting the sides agreed
on organization of an exhibition dedicated to the history of the RA
Armed Forces.

October 4 the Armenian delegation met with Greek Defense Minister
Evangelos Meimarakis to discuss the Armenian-Greek military relations
and achieve agreements on expansion of cooperation in military
education and peacekeeping. Serge Sargsyan also met with the Armenian
community of Greece.

Life of RA Police State Guard Department Chief Attempted in Yerevan

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2006 16:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Life of Aram Zakaryan, the chief of the department
of the state guard of the RA Police, was attempted yesterday in
Yerevan. As reported by the press service of the RA Office of
Prosecutor General, yesterday evening at 10.10 p.m. local time
an unknown fired on Aram Zakaryan, who was in his garage, and
escaped. Zakaryan was wounded in the chest. A criminal case in
compliance of Article 34 and Article 104 of the RA Penal Code was
initiated.

Turkish State Minister Warned EU Not to Meddle in Turkish-Armenian Relations

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2006 17:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish State Minister Abdullatif Sener yesterday
warned the European Union not to meddle in Turkish-Armenian bilateral
relations. "French President Jacques Chirac said that recognition
of the Armenian Genocide should be a precondition to Turkey’s
EU membership. An Armenian bill is being discussed in the French
Parliament introducing fines and prison terms for those who deny the
Armenian Genocide. It is not possible to accept such an attitude. This
is against the cultural atmosphere the EU is trying to create," Sener
said. Stressing that Armenia is not a European and a third party for
the EU, Sener said "it is meaningless to bring this matter up as part
of Turkey’s EU membership process." The Turkish State minister went
on with his warning, saying, "Whether it is an EU member or another
country, everybody who is trying to influence Armenia’s policy from
the outside should give up their endeavors. Chirac’s remarks are
insincere," reports The New Anatolian.

Washington and Moscow Unanimous on RA Future Presidentia Contender

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2006 18:01 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S.’s informal opinion is that Serge Sargsyan
will be the next President of Armenia, military and political expert
Richard Giragossian said in Yerevan. According to him, the incumbent
Defense Minister suits both Washington and Moscow. "Only he can secure
the stability of the state. This is the most important thing for
us. Democracy in Armenia will develop step by step, without shocks
and it’s convenient for all. The opposition is too weak to come to
power and all the more to secure stability," the American expert said.

Armenia Lucky Not to Have Oil and Gas

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2006 18:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia is lucky not to have oil and gas, U.S. expert
Richard Giragossian said in Yerevan. In his words, the states with big
supply of energy resources are totalitarian and poor as a rule. "The
only exception is Norway, which discovered oil after establishing a
well formed political system and sustainable economy. So, from this
viewpoint Azerbaijan has a gloomy outlook," he said.

At the same time the U.S. expert remarked that in the 21st century
fiber-optic cable will be more important than oil pipelines. "The
future of the world is high technologies and IT development. The
problems of cyber security are being put in the forefront,"
Giragossian said.

He also remarked that the political and commercial benefit from
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline fully depends on the Kazakh
oil. Presently the oil-bearing zone of the Persian Gulf is the most
important strategic task for the U.S. Caspian region is a secondary
and not a very important task. According to the expert, under such
circumstances Azerbaijan will move towards East and Central Asia
rather then towards Europe.

Georgia moves in the opposite direction, that is towards Europe. Thus,
Armenia may remain alone, in the role of Russia’s only ally, what can
jeopardize the national security. Armenia is most likely to face the
West,’ the expert said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress