Month: October 2006

REPORT REGARDING NAGORNO-KARABAKH DELIVERED IN NATO PA ROUZ ROUT SEMINAR
Author: J.Shahverdiyev

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 25 2006

The delegation of Azerbaijan delivered a report regarding the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the 64th Seminar Rouz Rout held within
the framework of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, a member of the
Azerbaijani delegation in NATO PA, MP Zahid Oruj told Trend.

Azerbaijan was represented at the seminar by the deputies of the
Azerbaijani Parliament Zahid Oruj and Elman Mammadov. The seminar
focused on the role of the international community in settling the
conflict in Pridnestrov, reforms with regard to defense in Moldavia
and other issues.

Oruj stressed that the report had been prepared on the basis of the
speculation of Armenia regarding human rights and democracy to bring
its independency into legal frameworks. "After the speech of the OSCE
representative, Elman Mammadov delivered a report. He spoke about
the inactive position of OSCE in this process and stressed that it
helps the aggressive policy," Oruj stated.

In addition, he pointed out that no documents have been adopted in such
seminars. Such seminars serve the study of the positions and implement
the function of brain center. "Necessary opinions are collected, the
speeches are systematized and on the base of it, NATO forms its policy
from these regions," the Deputy said. Furthermore he underlined that
the Armenian delegation did not participate at the seminar. Only the
French Ambassador to Moldavia, Armenian by origin, attended the event.

Oruj stressed that such seminars take place in various venues.

Previously such a seminar was held in Crimea. "It is planned to
hold such a seminar in Georgia. But the date of the seminar is not
confirmed as yet," he emphasized.

It should be mentioned that the 64th Rouz Rout Seminar took place in
Kishinev from 19 – 23 October.

FRANCE WRITHING IN PAIN
By Etyen Mahcupyan

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 25 2006

The bill that criminalizes the denial of the so-called "Armenian
genocide," which was adopted despite the low attendance in the French
Parliament, a fact that gives a clue to the background of the entire
issue, first encountered fierce reactions in France itself. Almost
everybody agrees that the bill contradicts the freedom of thought
and expression. Apparently, the basic fact that making somebody agree
with an idea is possible only if others are allowed to express what
they think has not been fully comprehended yet. If your objective is
not to impose an idea by means of coercion, then, you need reciprocal
conversation, which requires listening to the ideas or arguments of
others, no matter how absurd and falsified they may be.

Hence, the French bill has too many defects, holes and ambiguities
not only in terms of the freedom of thought but also in terms of
the simplest socio-psychological knowledge. Based on this fact, we
can say that the gist and objective of this bill is not the Turks
accepting the so-called "Armenian genocide"… What is more, the
objective is not even to make the "Turks" adopt a more constructive
policy vis-a-vis today’s Armenians. Because, this stance does nothing
other than sabotage the dynamics and resurgence that guide both sides
to reevaluate, understand each other, and express the outcomes gained
through this experience.

If France had aimed at Turkey accepting the 1915 massacre as
"genocide," it should have refrained from taking steps that could
possibly hinder the normalization process in Turkey. Furthermore, what
we are witnessing right now is not an approach based on humanitarian
concerns which support the afflicted.

In other words, this bill does not serve Armenia’s interests. French
authorities reported that the Armenian President [Robert] Kocharian
had stated his opposition to the bill during [President Jacques]
Chirac’s visit to Yerevan; and this report was extensively covered in
the media. This is because Armenia is aware that its future depends
on Turkey and does not approve of any action that could harm its
relations with Ankara. Finally, this bill contravenes not only the
legal criteria set by the European Parliament for member states,
but also the EU criteria. If the EU is a peace project, perhaps what
is expected of France is to pursue a policy that would foster peace
among EU members and their partner countries.

However, France could not have done this… At first sight, it seems as
if the votes of the Armenian community in the upcoming elections had
a determinative effect over adopting the bill. No doubt about it, the
Armenian lobby in France has no inherent power and political leverage
to do this on its own. The lobby perception in Turkey is nothing more
than an exaggeration that helps us conceal our weaknesses. However,
when it comes to vote-hunting, it was already crystal clear that no
party would refrain from populism. So, why was this bill brought
to parliament and why was it adopted? The reason is that France’s
self-isolation suggests a new EU project implying Turkey’s exclusion is
under way. The bill on the denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide"
is essentially a direct message to the EU, not Turkey. That is why
EU authorities immediately realized the situation, and labeled the
French move as "stupid."

What is behind all this is the inability of this country to adapt
itself to changing conditions and circumstances. France is a country
that sees itself on the zenith of modernity, thinks it is aware of
universal truths and has solved all its social problems, and possesses
a mood of psychological arrogance as inherent identity.

However, this is mere illusion… But the French have not fully
understood this yet. They have only recently begun to understand
that they are in fact adherents of an authoritarian mentality, which
thinks positivist secularism is liberty, confuses homogenization with
equality, and finds solidarity and brotherhood only in assimilation.

It is painful for societies which have abandoned critical thinking
for a while to resume it. Just like us…

CO-CHAIRS ADOPTED COMMUNIQUE ON RESULTS OF AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan –
Oct 25 2006

A communique was adopted on the results of Azerbaijani and Armenian
Foreign Ministers’ meeting held with the participation of Minsk Group
co-chairs and OSCE Secretary General’s Personal Representative Andrey
Kasprzyk in the France Foreign Ministry, APA European bureau reports.

The communique says: "It was a constructive and sincere meeting. It
will help the conflicting sides to continue the discussions of Main
Principles document. The ministers looked through the additional
elements of principles suggested by the coordinators on October 6. The
ministers agreed to meet on November 14 in Brussels."

The communique also says that the co-chairs will visit the region in
late October. The aim of the visit is to discuss the possibility of
organizing the third meeting of the presidents within 2006.

TURKS LESS KEEN TO JOIN EU

The Media Line, NY
Oct 25 2006

More than a quarter of the Turkish population believes Turkey should
not enter the European Union, a recent public opinion poll suggests.

Only about 10 percent of the population felt the same way in a similar
poll conducted last year.

The survey was published in the Turkish newspaper Milliyet. It
questioned 2,408 people and was carried out in late September.

Anti-EU sentiments have increased since the poll was conducted due
to the law passed in the French parliament that outlaws denial of
the Turkish genocide against the Armenians in 1915.

Fewer than a third of the respondents thought Turkey must enter the
EU, compared to more than two thirds who espoused this opinion in a
similar poll conducted in 2004.

The survey also indicated that 78% of Turks had no confidence in
the EU.

Turkey began accession talks with the EU a year ago, negotiations that
are likely to last at least a decade. Ankara has come under pressure
for its sluggishness in incorporating reforms.

ABDULVAHABOV: I INFORMED AZERBAIJAN AND USSR KGB ABOUT ARMENIANS PLAN

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 25 2006

Azerbaijan’s Court of Grave Crimes today continued the trial of
the gang led by Haji Mammadov, former high ranking official of the
Interior Ministry Crime Investigation Department, APA reports.

26 members of the gang stand trial presided by Judge Ali Seyfaliyev.

Defendant Ibrahim Bagirov answered lawyer Adil Ismayilov’s questions
on the murder of criminalist Rovshan Aliyev. He said that he planned
to meet with Haji Mammadov that day, but they could not meet.

Then Agil Huseynov, deputy chairman of International Bank Sebayel
branch gave free testimony and found himself innocent. He said that
he gave a credit illegally by Elchin Aliyev’s order.

The third defendant Hussain Abdulvahabov gave testimony about his
visit to Azerbaijani.

"I brought my family to Azerbaijan because of the war in Chechnya. My
brother Sidek Abdulvahabov also lived here. I wanted to go back to
Chechnya, but the border was closed. I always wanted to work in favour
of Azerbaijan. I informed USSR and Azerbaijan KGB (State Security
Committee) about Armenian’s plan to occupy Nagorno Garabagh a year
before the war," he said.

Abdulvahabov accused the court of a loyal attitude to Haji Mammadov.

"Haji blames me in his testimonies. But the court does not let me to
clarify the accusations," he said.

The trial will continue with Abdulvahabov’s testimony in the second
half of the day.

OSKANYAN: THERE IS NO NEED FOR AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S MEETING

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 25 2006

Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and
Vardan Oskanyan held five-hour meeting with the participation of
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in Paris on October 24, Tahir Tagizadeh,
the chief of Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry Press and Information Policy
Department told the APA.

They discussed new principles of the settlement of Nagorno Garabagh
conflict suggested by co-chairs. The conflict sides expressed their
positions.

"The co-chairs and ministers agreed to meet in Brussels on November
14 to bring the negotiations one step forward. After the meeting the
co-chairs will visit the region," he said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told to Radio Liberty that
Paris meeting was very constructive.

"Azerbaijan’s and Armenia’s positions are coming closer. We tried
to discuss the new principles suggested in Moscow meeting. Nagorno
Garabagh Republic was also familiarized with the documents, but it
does not mean that they agree with all the items of the document. We
have divergence with co-chairs," he said.

Oskanyan also said that there is no need for Presidents’ meeting.

"We might discuss their meeting in Brussels on November 14," the
minister said.

FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA HAS NOT CONFIRMED JACQUES CHIRAC’S PLANS TO VISIT KARABAKH

Regnum, Russia
Oct 25 2006

The matter may not concern economical development without peace;
on October 24, French Ambassador to Armenia Henry Cuny stated at a
news conference ending his diplomatic mission in Armenia. According
to him, at present, fact should be clearly recognized that Nagorno
Karabakh settlement starts from the both parties’ interests.

As a REGNUM correspondent informs, the diplomat stressed that Armenia
may not be considered as separate market now, in particular, because of
its insolvency and population’s fewness. "At the same time, Armenia’s
geographic location is rather attractive for business because it
‘opens doors to the Middle East and Central Asia; that is why, play
might be quite different, if there were no closed borders," Cuny said,
adding that it is necessary to remember both Azerbaijan and Armenia
have not been included into the EU New Neighborhood Policy. "In this
connection, conflict’s pendency leads the program’s realization into
a dead end. In such case, situation arises when two countries included
into the program have closed borders; moreover, there are no diplomatic
relations, i.e. the program will not function per se," he pointed out.

Responding to question of journalists to what extent publications
of Azerbaijani mass media concerning French president’s visit to
Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh are truthful, he informed that he did
not have such information. At that, the French diplomat added that
being an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, France has no right on one-sided
demonstrations.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITHACA HIGH TENNIS: MEHRABYAN EYES ANOTHER RUN AT STATES
By Maria Wolman

Ithaca Journal, NY
Oct 25 2006

ITHACA – Ithaca High School student Lucy Mehrabyan learned a lot
about hard work and winning as a youth on the tennis courts of Armenia.

Mehrabyan was born in Armenia and began playing tennis there at the
age of 4 before coming to the United States.

"In Armenia, we play on red clay. We don’t have many sponsored
tournaments and there are not too many opportunities, but we do train
very hard. The coaches are very serious," Mehrabyan said.

That hard work, plus a lot of tennis skill, has paid dividends for
Mehrabyan. She has not lost a high school tennis match all year.

This weekend, she will attempt to qualify for her third straight trip
to the New York state high school tennis tournament.

The Section 4 state qualifier begins Friday at the Binghamton Tennis
Center. Mehrabyan won the past two state qualifier meets and hopes
to do the same this year.

"I expect her to win it this year," Ithaca High School tennis coach
Sue Redding said.

What’s remarkable about Mehrabyan’s accomplishments is that the she
is just a freshman, meaning her previous state qualifier victories
came when she was in only seventh and eighth grades.

The top three finishers in the Section 4 state qualifier advance to
the state tournament, held the following weekend in Syracuse.

Although Mehra-byan has advanced to states the past two years, only
last year did she play well enough to advance to the second day of
state competition.

The state field will likely be wide open this year.

"I can’t say if I will win," Mehrabyan said. "I would like to play
the best tennis I can. For me, playing the best tennis I can is better
than winning."

Despite Redding’s 20 years of experience coaching high school tennis,
she too is unsure of whether Mehrabyan will be the 2006 state champion.

"I can’t say [if Lucy will win states] because I haven’t seen what’s
out there," Redding said. "I think she should do pretty well, but to
win it, I just can’t say. If she continues at the rate she’s going,
then she’s bound to win it sometime – she’s only a freshman."

Mehrabyan’s off-season is dedicated to training and practicing. She
takes lessons from a coach at Cornell University and also spends time
playing with her father and sister.

"She is very well-respected and works well on the court and helps out
members of her team. She does very well in school, and she’s got a very
hard work ethic and is very consistent [in her game]," Redding said.

Consistent tennis success has produced thoughts of turning
professional.

"I’ve been wanting to turn pro for a long time, but turning pro is
very serious. It’s a lot of moving from one place to another, and
I’d have to leave my school. For now, I think I want to try to play
at a good college," Mehrabyan said.

With professional dreams and the limitless possibilities of a college
career, Mehrabyan recognizes that her introduction to tennis in
Armenia has allowed her to keep her tennis options open.

"I know she can play at a Division I college," Redding said. "She’s
very consistent and she loves the game. This is my 23rd season [around
high school tennis] and Lucy is the best female I’ve seen out there
at such a young age."

ONLY THIRD OF TURKS SAY EU A MUST

CNN International
Oct 25 2006

ANKARA, Turkey (Reuters) — Less than a third of Turks think Turkey
must enter the European Union, a poll showed, the latest sign of
waning support for membership as Ankara faces increasing pressure
from Brussels.

The survey, carried out by pollsters A&G and published in newspaper
Milliyet, showed 32.2 percent thought Turkey "must certainly enter
the EU", a sharp decline on last year’s 57.4 percent and 67.5 percent
in 2004.

The poll, which shows a more dramatic decline in EU support than other
recent surveys, comes as Brussels urges Turkey to step up reforms and
make concessions over the divided Mediterranean island of Cyprus if
it is to avoid a possible freeze in membership talks later this year.

The poll results could make it harder for Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan, who faces a general election in November 2007, to push
through unpopular measures demanded by the EU.

Of the 2,408 people polled, 25.6 percent said Turkey "should certainly
not enter the EU", more than twice the 10.3 percent who felt that
way last year, when Turkey began entry talks.

The survey was carried out in late September, and since then
nationalism and anti-EU feeling has been fuelled further by a law
passed in the French parliament making it a crime to deny — as Ankara
does — that Ottoman Turks carried out a genocide against Armenians
in 1915.

The poll also showed that 76.5 percent of Turks expect tougher
conditions to be imposed on them in the future and only 7.2 percent
trust the EU. Many Turks, including the government, complain that
Brussels is changing the rules as it goes along over Cyprus.

The EU is due to present a report on Turkey’s progress on Nov. 8,
which will likely criticize Ankara for a lack of reform on issues
such as minority and religious rights, and freedom of speech after
nationalist prosecutors have continued to take journalists and writers
to court over insulting "Turkishness".

Meanwhile conflict over Cyprus still threatens talks as Turkey
continues to refuse to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot
planes and vessels, without concessions from Brussels.

Ankara supports a breakaway Cyprus in the north, refusing to recognize
the EU-member Cypriot government in the south.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY CAUGHT AT A CROSSROADS
By Simon Hooper for CNN

CNN International
Oct 25 2006

(CNN) — Standing at the south-easterly edge of mainland Europe,
Turkey’s fortunes have always been closely linked to the continent’s
wider historical currents.

In 1683 the Ottoman Turks marched to the gates of Vienna as they
built an empire stretching from the Balkans to the Middle East.

Even in terminal decline at the start of the 20th century, the Ottoman
Empire’s nickname, the "sick man of Europe," was tacit acknowledgement
that Turkey — at least once — had deserved a place among the great
continental powers.

In the 1920s, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern
republic, set about restoring Turkey to that status with an intensive
program of "Europeanization" which included replacing Arabic with a
new Roman alphabet and banning the fez.

Since the 1950s Turkey has been a key member of NATO, contributing
the second largest armed forces to the military alliance after the U.S.

And just as wealthy Europeans once took the Orient Express to savour
the exotic sights and flavors of Istanbul, now western holidaymakers
flock to the beach resorts of Turkey’s cosmopolitan coastline.

In a world shrunk by globalization and with Bulgaria’s imminent entry
set to expand the EU’s eastern border with Turkey, one might imagine
the ties between Europe and Ankara had never been closer.

Yet on Tuesday a poll in the Turkish newspaper Milliyet revealed that
only a third of Turkey’s population believe their country should
join the EU, less than a year after the country began negotiations
to become a full member — having been an associate member since 1963.

(Full Story)

Amid sharpened anti-European sentiment, more than three-quarters of
Turks also said they don’t trust it.

Turkish economy minister Ali Babacan, who is leading his country’s
negotiations in Brussels, believes those attitudes will change in time.

He said last week: "It will take time for Turkey to go through a
reform in mindsets. Political reforms sometimes are easy on paper
but the implementation becomes difficult."

But talks so far only seem to have accentuated cultural and political
differences that many critics opposed to Turkish membership believe
are so profound that discussions should never have started.

Ankara and Brussels are already at odds over the conditions imposed
for entry which include Turkey making concessions on Cyprus, divided
since a Turkish invasion in 1974. The Greek half of the island is
already a full EU member. (Full Story)

Ahead of a full European Commission report on Turkish progress next
month, MEPs recently voiced concerns over the "slowing down of the
reform process."

A more controversial issue has proved to be the ongoing dispute over
Turkey’s refusal to recognize as genocide the massacre of up to 1.5
million Armenians under Ottoman rule in 1915.

Last week the French parliament passed a bill that would make it a
crime to deny that the killings constituted a "genocide."

"Should Turkey recognize the genocide of Armenia to join the European
Union?" asked French President Jacques Chirac during a recent visit to
Armenia. "Honestly, I believe so. Each country grows by acknowledging
its dramas and errors of the past."

The Armenian question is also at the heart of another obstacle to
Turkish membership: the limits placed on freedom of speech by a law
making it a crime to insult "Turkishness" which has been used to
prosecute writers and publishers including Orhan Pamuk, who this
month won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

With that case dropped amid international pressure earlier this year,
many Turks considered the prestigious prize to be as much a statement
about Pamuk’s political activities as his literary skills.

The case has only served to highlight further concerns. As recently as
1997 Turkey’s military intervened to overthrow a democratic government
while the country’s vast size, extremes of poverty and the ongoing
dispute within its borders with Kurdish separatists hardly make it
a model of a modern stable democracy.

A survey in June showed 55 percent of Europeans opposed Turkish
membership. In Austria — where long memories of the Turks’ assault
on their capital perhaps linger — the figure was 81 percent.

But backers for Turkish entry into the EU believe the ultimate benefits
far out-weigh any short-term obstacles.

"We have the chance to show that a Muslim country can become a
full-fledged European democracy," said Hans-Joerg Kretschmer, the
EU’s envoy to Ankara.

Yet, ultimately, it is likely to be Turkey’s economic and strategic
importance that forces the EU into securing closer relations, whether
its citizens and politicians like it or not.

With a market of 73 million people currently experiencing eight percent
growth a year, Turkey’s economy is growing too quickly to be ignored.

"[Turkish membership] is going to happen because it is in everybody’s
economic interests," said Angel Gurria, head of the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development. "It already is happening,
the benefits are already accruing for Turkey."

And as the Silk Road once brought oriental riches to the salons of
Paris and London, so Turkey’s access to the energy rich regions of
the Caucacus, the Middle East and Central Asia will make it a key
gateway for Europe’s gas and oil supplies in the coming decades.

Others warn that the dangers of an economically powerful but
politically isolated Turkey are simply too dangerous to ignore.

British lawmaker Dennis McShane, a former UK government minister to
Europe, wrote this month in the Financial Times that a Turkey spurned
by the EU could form a Black Sea alliance with Russia, or turn towards
Iran and Pakistan to form a "crescent of influence and power" linking
a series of semi-military Islamic states from the Mediterranean to
the Indian Ocean.

"An independent Turkey, free of ties to the EU, could also clash with
European foreign policy goals by aggressively pursuing its interests
in the Mediterranean or the Middle East," warned McShane.

"Europe is doing its level best to tell Turkey it is no longer wanted
as part of the European Union. It is a high-risk game with little to
gain and everything to lose."