Month: October 2006

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT PREFERS PRO-GOVERNMENTAL BILL ON PARLIAMENT’S REGULATIONS

ARMINFO News Agency
October 3, 2006 Tuesday

Today the Armenian Parliament considered two bills on the regulations
of the Armenian Parliament and preferred the bill drafted by
pro-governmental forces.

The chairman of the parliamentary commission on legal issues Rafik
Petrossyan says from now on a deputy’s question to the government
will be sent either to the government or local administrations who
should answer the deputy within 20 days or appear in the parliament
and answer the question personally.

There will be one rather than several commissions on one and the
same bill. The bill also specifies the procedures for approving
governmental programs, calling extraordinary sessions, confirming
the president’s resignation, boycotting parliament’s work. From now
on any parliamentary group can boycott the parliament’s work for two
rather than one session which is "more democratic."

AMBASSADOR OF TURKEY TO AZERBAIJAN: WE HAVE NO BELLICOSE ATTITUDE TO ARMENIANS

ARMINFO News Agency
October 3, 2006 Tuesday

"We think it necessary starting a dialogue with Armenia," said Turkish
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Turan Morali.

APA reports that the Turkish diplomat stressed the necessity for
construction of a dialogue with Armenians. However, Armenia should
demonstrate a good attitude to both neighboring states, he said. The
diplomat said that it is very important to use all the opportunities
to make Armenia act in this direction. "We have no bellicose attitude
to Armenians. We should sit down and discuss everything. We know our
policy, our way and we will continue it," he said.

ANNUAL RISE OF PRICES FOR PRIVATE HOUSES IN ARMENIA’S REGIONS MAKES UP ALMOST 24%

ARMINFO News Agency
October 3, 2006 Tuesday

The annual rise of prices for one sq/m of private houses in Armenia’s
regions made up almost 24%, and 1.7% for July 2006. The maximal annual
rise of prices was in Aragatsotn region – 28.7% and for 1.5% for July.

The State Realty Register Committee told ArmInfo that Tavush region
ranks the second as to the rise of prices per sq/m – 28.3% (3.5% for
July), then goes Vayots Dzor region – 28.3% (2.8% for July), Ararat
region – 28.2% (1.7% for July), Kotayk region – 27.4% (2.1% for July),
Armavir region – 20.4% (1% for July), Lori region – 18.4% (1.3% for
July), Shirak region – 17.7% (2.3% for July) and Syunik region – 13.3%
(the indicator for July was left unchanged). The average price per 1
sq/m in the town of Ashtarak made up 65.2 thousand AMD, in Artashat
– 49.3 thousand AMD, in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin) – 80.3 thousand
AMD. in Gavar – 26.1 thousand AMD, in Vanadzor – 49.5 thousand AMD,
in Abovyan – 93.8 thousand AMD, (in Hrazdan – 36.9 thousand AMD,
in Tsakhkadzor – 74.9 thousand AMD, in Yeghvard – 57.3 thousand
AMD, Nor Hachn – 62.3 thousand AMD), in Gyumri – 49.9 thousand AMD,
in Goris – 53.8 thousand AMD, Vayk – 36 thousand AMD. (in Jermuk –
36.7 thousand AMD) and in Ijevan – 51.4 thousand AMD (in Dilijan –
43.6 thousand AMD).

GEORGIAN REGIONS WITH MOSTLY ARMENIAN POPULATION WILL HAVE BALLOTS IN ARMENIAN FOR ELECTIONS

ARMINFO News Agency
October 3, 2006 Tuesday

Ballots for the self-governmental elections in Georgian regions of
Samtskhe-Djavakheti and Tsalki mostly populated with Armenians will
also be issued in Armenian language – A-info news agency reports.

The source reports that the Election Committee received the ballots
on October 4. The source also stresses that all election commissions
of Georgia including the Election Committee of Djavakheti are ready
to hold the elections to the local self-government on October 5.

PREFECT OF THE PARIS DISTRICT AGAINST TURKEY TO JOIN EUROPEAN UNION

ARMINFO News Agency
October 3, 2006 Tuesday

Jacques Braveau, Prefect of Paris 9th district, will visit the Memorial
for the Victims of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire of
1915 /Tsitsernakaberd/. The press service of the Government of the
Republic of Armenia reported that J. Braveau is to visit the Museum –
Institute of Genocide of Armenians.

Jacques Braveau arrived in Armenia on Sept 30 as a representative of
Bertrand Delanoe, the Major of Paris. In the course of the official
visit he met with Yervand Zakharyan, the Major of Yerevan, and Vahan
Hovhannisyan, Vice-speaker of the National Assembly. He also visited
Yerevan State University of Armenia, where he delivered a speech
against Turkey to join the EU, as Turkey does not meet a number of
criteria necessary to join the European community.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FASSIER: PARTIES ARE UNABLE TO ACHIEVE A PROGRESS WITHOUT THE CO-CHAIRS

ARMINFO News Agency
October 3, 2006 Tuesday

After the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Bucharest,
the Co-chairs made a statement wherein they said they exhausted their
creativity. Factually, we have faced a fact when we should hint the
parties that they must think over the proposals on the table better,
said OSCE MG Co-chairman Bernard Fassier (France) at a press conference
in Yerevan.

B. Fassier said that he stated yesterday in Baku that the co-chairs
have exhausted not only their creativity but also themselves after
the two-year intensive work. Nevertheless, he said that the parties
are unable to achieve a progress without the Co-chairs. He said that
the new Co-chair joining the two old ones is an additional factor
for continuation of the process, which refreshed and increased the
creative approach. The advanced key principles are the best version the
mediators could propose. They must be a basis for a future agreement
on the settlement, he said. Bernard Fassier added that there were
cases in past when a draft document was prepared before the agreement
on the key principles by the parties. Of course, they were doomed to
failure. Now, the Co- chairs try to prepare the foundation and then
erect a building on it, B. Fassier said. We encourage the parties
to search ways for establishment of durable peace, he said. By their
statement, the Co-chairs did not violate the principle of confidential
negotiations and that the approaches and the steps of the parties to
these principles remain unknown. It is not, it was not and will not
be a public information so far, B. Fassier said.

He said that G8 Summit in St. Petersburg supported the key principles
proposed by OSCE MG. However, it is not enough if the parties fail to
arrive at an agreement as their peoples are not ready for co-residence,
no one can help. The future of the country and its people depends
on the ability to arrive at an agreement, he said for conclusion. In
his turn, Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia) said that the Co-chairs proposed
additional elements to one of the principles.

However, he did not specified them.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RAMKAVAR-AZATAKAN PARTY LEADERSHIP MEETS WITH GERMAN PARLIAMENTARIAN

ARMINFO News Agency
October 3, 2006 Tuesday

Tuesday, the leadership of Ramkavar-Azatakan Party of Armenia (RAPA)
met with a member of German Bundestag, Vice Chairman of Bundestag
Caucasian group, a member of PACE, Michael George Link, RAPA press
service told ArmInfo.

Harutyun Arakelyan, leader of the party Ramkavar-Azatakan, presented
the strategy and tactics of RAPA before the parliamentary and
presidential elections. He also touched upon the development of
democratic processes, the draft of the national ideology conception,
which according to his is to be based on the model of establishment
of the national statehood. He criticized the election legislation
of Armenia that causes obstacles to the non-parliamentary powers to
enter the National Assembly.

Michael George Link agreed with the RAPA’s initiatives pointing out
that the national way of thinking should accompany development of
political ideas. A number of geo-political issues were discussed
as well.

EU COMMISSIONER SAYS TURKEY’S PACE OF REFORMS SLOWED DOWN

Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
3 Oct 06

Ankara, 3 October: "As a friend of Turkey, I want to be frank and
open with you, as friends always should be: the pace of reforms
has slowed down in the past 12 months. We expect Turkey to fulfil
its commitments as regards to the additional protocol," European
Commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn said on Tuesday [3 October].

Rehn took the floor at a meeting in Ankara on "European Social Model
and Syndicated Rights in EU Negotiation Process" arranged by Turk-Is
(Confederation of Turkish Employees’ Trade Unions).

Rehn said nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) were very important
for the steps that would be taken in Turkey’s EU process.

"The role of social partners is central in any modern society. Social
dialogue has been a cornerstone of the European project since its
very beginning.

For Turkey it is also important since one of the premises for a
successful accession is a broad societal consensus on European goals.

The same goes for meeting the challenges of globalisation. Needless to
say, trade unions play a particularly valuable role in this respect,"
Rehn stated.

Rehn said: "I am glad to be today in Ankara for the first anniversary
of the EU’s accession negotiations with Turkey. The 3rd of October
2005 was a historic day. The decision opened up the process towards
Turkey’s accession to the EU and it implied a qualitative change
in our relations, as your country has since then no longer been a
candidate but a negotiating country."

"It should not be surprise to any that there is an ongoing debate on
enlargement in the EU as well as in Turkey. Such a debate is normal
and healthy.

And you should not expect it to stop: it will accompany the process
until the very end, and even beyond," Rehn said.

He said: "In the EU, this debate is wide. Voices have been raised
requesting a pause to enlargement. There are those who have concerns
about issues such as the effect on the labour market or the costs
for the present member states. There are some who wonder how EU
will function with Turkey as a member. But this debate is not
Turkey-specific, it has to do with the Union itself."

"However, it is also perfectly normal that, every time we welcome a new
member to our family, we want to ensure that the house is comfortable
and functional for everybody. In other words, the EU must be able to
effectively continue to deliver its policies. This is nothing new,
but has been the challenge of all previous enlargements," he stated.

Rehn indicated: "EU is a complex organization. We have our
institutional framework, within which the European Parliament, the
council and the commission play their distinctive roles. We are a
union of 25 member states, each of them with their democratically
elected government, its elections, its politicians who express their
views in the context of their national debate."

He said: "We should welcome this debate and meet arguments with
counterarguments, myths with facts, and, inertia with action.

Turkey’s best response is a rock-solid, resolute commitment to reforms
that would allow the country to meet the conditions for accession."

Rehn said: "Let there be no misunderstanding on the strategic value of
our common project. Europe needs Turkey as a key player, as a bridge
and as a proactive moderator. Turkish accession should set a powerful
counter-example to the alleged ‘clash of civilisations’.

Turkey is, also, essential for the stability and security of one of the
most unstable and insecure regions in the world. Turkey’s strategic
significance was once again illustrated by its decision to take part
in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon."

Rehn said: "The adoption of the ninth reform package is necessary. It
concerns a number of issues that Turkey needs to address as a matter
of urgency, even if it does not address the critical issue of free
speech. I am convinced that Turkey’s progress in resolutely pursuing
the reform agenda will have a most positive impact on the European
public opinion."

Rehn said: "Freedom of expression must be brought fully in line with
European standards. There have been altogether some 70 cases against
journalists, authors, publishers and citizen activists for supposedly
"insulting Turkishness", but in reality expressing non-violent
opinions. The prosecutions have been done on the basis of Article
301 of the penal code. We pointed out the loophole already when the
new penal code was prepared, but our advice was not taken into account.

The recent ruling of the Court of Cassation on the [ethnic Armenian
writer] Hrant Dink case set a jurisprudence which keeps freedom of
expression under threat in this country. The judicial proceedings
have a chilling effect and damage the important work carried out
by journalists, intellectuals and activists. It is high time that
Turkey brings the penal code into line with the European Convention
on Human Rights."

He said: "As regards women’s rights, the implementation of legal
provisions, for example as regards punishment of crimes supposedly
committed in the name of honour, needs to be improved."

"The terrorist activity of PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] has been
condemned by the EU without any ambiguity. But the problems of
the Southeast cannot be addressed through an exclusively security
approach. Turkey needs to develop a strategy for the region that
addresses its political and socio-economic problems together with
the cultural rights of the Kurdish population," Rehn added.

"Turkey needs to ensure that full trade union rights are respected in
line with EU standards and ILO Conventions, in particular as regards
the right to organize, the right to strike and the right to bargain
collectively. To this effect, Turkey needs to eliminate existing
restrictions and adopt a fully revised legislation in this area for
both private and public sectors," Rehn noted.

"Unfortunately, no progress has been made by Turkey on the trade union
rights recently. Therefore, one of my main messages to my Turkish
interlocutors today and tomorrow will be that we expect the government
to redress this and present a legislative initiative shortly, once the
ongoing consultation with social partners has been duly completed,"
he stated.

Rehn noted: "We appreciate the reforms Turkey has carried out in the
recent years. But as a friend of Turkey, I want to be frank and open
with you, as friends always should be: the pace of reforms has slowed
down in the past 12 months."

He stated: "The expectations have risen since Turkey became a
negotiating country on 3 October last year. It is therefore all the
more important that new initiatives are taken and tangible progress
is still achieved before the Commission will present its report on
8 November."

"Since signing the Additional Protocol of the Association Agreement
in July 2005 as a condition to open the accession negotiations,
Turkey has not moved towards its implementation. It has not removed
obstacles to the free movement of goods, including restrictions
on transport links with Cyprus. Y et, this is a legal, contractual
obligation Turkey has made," he noted.

Rehn said: "Our common endeavour of the EU accession process with
Turkey is not only about reforms and chapters. It is as much about
communication and mutual understanding."

Stating that many Europeans ask questions which concern geography,
culture, religion, civilization, history, Rehn indicated: "They ponder
what will be the impact of Turkey’s EU accession on the philosophy
of the European integration and on the effective functioning of the
EU. Many concerns are understandable and must be addressed in the
course of the negotiations. Others result from ignorance of what
Turkey is today."

"Concerns of the Turkish public opinion seem to be of a different
nature. The main challenge is the perceived uncertainty of the EU’s
true intentions towards Turkey. As I said, we mean business, and
you can rest assured that the EU is committed to pursue Turkey’s EU
accession, on the condition it meets our criteria fully," he stated.

"Be that as it may, we must get to know each other better. This is the
aim of the Commission’s programme to enable a civil society dialogue
between Turkey and the EU. Some 70m euros will be committed to this
programme in 2006," Rehn stressed.

"If Turkey succeeds in its reforms and meets the criteria of accession,
it will become an ever stronger bridge of civilizations.

This is a great opportunity for both Europe and Turkey, especially for
their younger generations. I want to make sure that this opportunity
is not missed," he added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY EXPRESSES "DEEP SORROW" AT CHIRAC STATEMENT IN ARMENIA

Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
3 Oct 06

Nkara, 3 October: Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed deep sorrow over
statements of French President Jacques Chirac who supported so-called
Armenian genocide during his visit to Armenia.

Foreign Ministry stated that it is not possible to accept Chirac’s
definition of the incidents (which occurred under World War I
conditions in 1915 and were interpreted differently by many respected
international historians) as "genocide".

"However, when several implementations during colonialism period
of France were brought onto agenda last year, President Chirac had
defended the view that historical incidents should be examined by
historians," noted the ministry.

"Turkish people have rightfully reacted to Chirac who is making
groundless statements and giving an impression as if so-called Armenian
genocide is among Turkey’s EU criteria instead of supporting Turkey’s
proposal to Armenia to examine the allegations in a joint commission
of historians for which we have not yet received a positive response,"
added themMinistry.

EU OFFICIAL RESPONDS TO TURKISH ARMY CHIEF ON MILITARY’S ROLE; VIEWS FREEDOMS

Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
3 Oct 06

Ankara, 3 October: Freedom of expression, religious freedoms and
civilian-military relations are political criteria that Turkey
should fulfil, as all other member states have done, said Hansjoerg
Kretschmer, the head of the delegation of the European Commission
to Turkey.

Appearing on a live broadcast on Turkish private NTV channel,
Kretschmer underlined importance of progress in political criteria,
and said that Turkey has to do more.

Kretschmer noted that EU’s stance towards civilian-military relations
is obvious, and he expressed his views about this matter in a meeting
held by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV),
when commenting on yesterday’s remarks of Chief of General Staff Gen
Yasar Buyukanit at the War Academies.

Recalling Buyukanit’s words that "the army has a different role in
Turkey", Kretschmer said: "There are two different positions and
views. And the commanders said that the TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) is
different from the armies in the EU. We will see if it changes within
the negotiation process. Civilian-military relations are important in
the EU process, and it should be solved. I think that it is possible."

Kretschmer expressed belief that Turkey will fulfil all required
criteria, adding: "I am hopeful and optimistic. I think that Turkey
will be successful at the end of the process."

On the so-called Armenian genocide allegations, Kretschmer said that
it is not one of the accession criteria but it can be effective within
the general framework of the accession process.

Kretschmer noted that Turkish government is determined and willing
to make more reforms.

Commenting on the views that the EU is trying to divide Turkey,
Kretschmer said: "It is even impossible to talk about Turkey’s
division. Political criteria are for the best interest of Turkey and
Turkish people."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress