Month: November 2006

OSCE OFFICE PRESENTS BOOK ON JUDICIAL SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT ARMENIAN JUDICIAL REFORMS
Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE)

Nov 16 2006
YEREVAN, 15 November 2006 – An OSCE-supported book describing the
judicial systems of 33 Council of Europe countries was launched in
Yerevan as part of a project that aims to raise awareness of the
benefits of advanced legal systems.
“Given the ongoing judicial reforms in Armenia, I believe this is a
timely publication and it will be a useful tool for lawyers to take
stock of where other OSCE countries stand in reforming their judicial
systems,” said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the Head of the OSCE
Office in Yerevan.
The book, an Armenian translation of the Council of Europe manual,
was prepared by the Training Centre of the General Prosecutor’s Office
with support from the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the OSCE’s Office
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
“I am encouraged to see that Armenia is taking steps to strengthen
the work of the courts in the field of investigation and general
court proceedings, said Berry Kralj, Chief of the ODIHR’s Rule of
Law Unit. “Independent and impartial courts are the best guarantors
of a fair trial and a democratic system based on the rule of law,”
The manual is intended primarily for lawyers, judges, prosecutors,
students and non-governmental organizations. Copies can be obtained
through the OSCE Office in Yerevan or the Training Centre of the
General Prosecutor’s Office.

AZERBAIJAN, GERMANY DEVELOP ALL-ROUND RELATIONS
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Nov 16 2006
On November 15, Chairman of Milli Majlis Ogtay Asadov has met with
the visiting state secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife
Management and Safety of Nuclear Reactors of Germany, the deputy of
parliament Mrs. Astrid Kluge and the delegation.
Speaker of Azerbaijan Parliament has told about history of friendly
ties between Azerbaijan and Germany, noting that today the bilateral
relations have entered a new stage of development. Chairman of Milli
Majlis has told: “For 10 months of current year, the trade turnover
between two countries has made 288 million dollars, that for 40
percent is more in comparison with the similar period of the last year.
Financial, bank and other economic structures of Germany actively
work in Azerbaijan, and they have enclosed significant investments in
economy, social and humanitarian spheres of our country. Cooperation
of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Azerbaijan
Republic with corresponding structures of Germany closely cooperate.
Chairman of Milli Majlis also has emphasized development of
inter-parliamentary links. He noted that at discussion of many
questions on the international actions, the deputies support position
of each other.
In detail informing visitors about the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Ogtay Asadov has expressed to the German
party gratitude for protection of fair position of Azerbaijan,
support of territorial integrity of Azerbaijani state.
Having thanked for warm reception and the detailed information, Mrs.
Astrid Kluge has noted close cooperation with the Ministry of Ecology
and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan. She has told that the purpose of
present visit consists in carrying out of consultations about expansion
of interaction in the field of ecology and wildlife management.

THERE ARE OTHER REASONS FOR URGENT SETTLEMENT
A1+
[01:42 pm] 16 November, 2006
“The OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs will consistently work on the Karabakh
conflict peaceful settlement regardless of interior conflicts
in Armenia and Azerbaijan”, Mettew Bryza, American Co-Chair told
“Trend” agency.
“We have already pointed out the 2007 and 2008 elections in the
countries under question as one of the main reasons. And we have also
noted why we consider 2006 as and ideal “window” to reach peaceful
agreement between the two countries”, said Mr. Bryza and added,
“Of course, the urgent settlement of the conflict is also determined
by other reasons”.
The American Co-Chair underlined that the forthcoming elections in
the two countries might have negative impact on the prospects of the
conflict peaceful regulation.
“We voice hope that the influence will be only positive and the people
of the two countries will inform their leaders and representatives of
the authorities that they stand for peace, stability and prosperity”,
ended Mettew Bryza.

TURKISH ARMY GENERAL REVEALS MILITARY RIFT WITH FRANCE
Kuwait News Agency, Kuwait
Nov 16 2006
Turkish army general reveals military rift with France
(with POL-FRANCE-TURKEY) ISTANBUL, Nov 16 (KUNA) — Turkish Land
Forces Commander General Ilker Basbug said Thursday that Ankara halted
military cooperation with Paris after the French Parliament officially
recognized the Armenian genocide of 1915.
Basbug said in a statement that the historic Turkish-French
relationships were severely hit by the irresponsible initiative
adopted by a number of French politicians based upon “weak claims.”
Whether Turkey canceled any exchanged visits between both sides,
the general said there have not been any high-rank exchanged visits
with France for a while.
Earlier today, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei
said that Paris did not received any official communication on a
military rift from Turkish authorities.
On October 12, the French parliament approved a draft law punishing
anyone who calls into question or disputes the Armenian genocide,
a similar move to that made by the Parliament on the Jewish holocaust
several years ago.
The new law completes a previous one issued in 2001 that recognizes
the Armenian genocide and includes a one year sentence in jail and
a 45,000 Euro fine for those who question the incident.
On the other hand, Turkey is intending to issue a law punishing anyone
who calls into question the French genocide in Algeria in response
for the French law.
Armenia claims that 1.5 million people were killed in massacres
committed by the Ottoman Empire during World War One, while Turkey
disputes the Armenian claims, saying that 300,000 Armenians and 300,000
Turkish people were killed in the Armenian uprising against the Othman
Empire done in cooperation with the Russian forces. (end) ta.
ge=en&DSNO=922887

SYSTEM OF A DOWN SINGER SPEAKS OUT ON TURKISH REPRESSION
Blabbermouth.net, NY
Nov 16 2006
Launch Radio Networks reports: SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian
has sent out a message asking fans to write letters to the Turkish
government protesting a law in Turkey called Article 301, which makes
it a crime to say or write anything deemed to be “un-Turkish.”
Tankian wrote, “Journalists, writers and many others who are vocal are
facing trials under this law. In fact this year’s Nobel Prize winner
for literature, Orhan Pamuk, escaped conviction on a technicality
for his mention of the one million Armenians living in Turkey who
were murdered in the first part of the 20th century.”
Tankian asks that fans join members of Amnesty International in sending
emails to the Turkish government asking them to “uphold the right to
free speech and repeal Article 301 of the penal code.”
Tankian added that the government of Sudan is also guilty of repressing
speech, explaining, “In the Sudan today, tens of thousands have been
killed and millions more have been driven from their homes.
The Sudanese Government will not acknowledge the extent of the tragedy
and refuses to protect its own people.”
In addition to being a member of Amnesty International, Tankian is
a co-founder, with AUDIOSLAVE’s Tom Morello, of the political and
social activist organization Axis Of Justice.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN is featured in a new documentary called “Screamers”,
about the history of genocide throughout the 20th century. The film
will premiere in Los Angeles on December 8 and expand to other cities
in January.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN is currently on an extended hiatus following the
release of its “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize” albums last year and the
touring that followed.

FRANCE DOWNPLAYS DISPUTE WITH TURKEY
By Jenny Barchfield Associated Press Writer
CBS News, NY
Nov 16 2006
France downplays Turkish suspension of military ties in riff over
mass killing of Armenians
(AP) France’s Defense Ministry said Thursday there was no immediate
impact from Turkey’s announced suspension of military ties in a
dispute over the mass killing of Armenians in the early 20th century.
Turkey’s land forces commander, Gen. Ilker Basbug, announced the
cut Wednesday amid a debate over whether 1915 killings of Armenians
constitutes genocide. France’s lower house of parliament has passed
a bill outlawing denials that genocide occurred, angering Turkey.
Defense Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau noted that the
suspension came from a military commander, not from Turkey’s civilian
government, and that French authorities had not received official word
from Turkey on delays or cancelations in joint military operations.
France believes that existing cooperation with Turkey will continue.
Specifically, Bureau mentioned operations in the Balkans and in
Afghanistan.
“There is a relationship of work and cooperation in these operational
commitments with Turkey that are extremely important and which,
in our eyes, will continue,” he said.
Bureau said Turkey could retract permission for French military
ships to dock in its waters and make it more difficult for France to
obtain permission to fly through Turkish airspace, but that had not
yet happened.
“Until now, the announcement has not had any practical and concrete
effects,” he said, although he added that they could come in the
future.
He described military cooperation between both countries, which include
joint exercises and training as well as peacekeeping operations, as
“constant” and “continuous.”
Turkey is scheduled to take over command of a NATO peacekeeping
operation in Kabul, Afghanistan, from France in April 2007, Bureau
said. He added that any Turkish decision to pull out of its engagements
in Afghanistan would hurt NATO more than France.
Turkey vehemently denies it committed genocide against Armenians,
although many nations have classified the killings as such and say
some 1.5 million Armenians were killed.
Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died in mass
expulsions and fighting, but says the number is exaggerated and
that most were killed in interethnic battles as the Ottoman Empire
collapsed.
In France, which has a large Armenian community, the lower house
of parliament infuriated Turkey in October by approving a bill that
would make it a crime to deny that Turks committed genocide against
Armenians. But the bill is not expected to become law because President
Jacques Chirac does not approve of it.
The Armenian issue is one of the most divisive and emotional in
Turkey. Those who classify the killings as genocide are often accused
of treason.
The European Union has criticized the French bill, saying it does
not respect the principle of free expression and does not promote
dialogue with Turkey, a hopeful EU candidate.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei highlighted
the extent of cooperation between the two counties, saying their
armed forces work together “very closely in several theaters.”
“In Afghanistan, our troops, like those from Turkey and Italy, are
stationed at the same base in Kabul,” said Mattei.
“Our troops are also engaged side by side in Lebanon, Bosnia, Kosovo
and in Congo,” he said, “so there is close cooperation and great
mutual respect between the French and Turkish armed forces.”
/11/16/ap/world/mainD8LEA3F80.shtml

ESF TO BESTOW GRADUATE OF DISTINCTION AWARDS
Curtis H. Bauer, Col. Richard P. Wagenaar, Steven Anlian
SUNY-ESF Headlines, NY
Nov 16 2006
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
(ESF) and its Alumni Association will bestow Graduate of Distinction
honors on three of its alumni during convocation ceremonies Dec. 8.
Being honored for contributions to their communities and ESF are
Curtis H. Bauer, Col. Richard P. Wagenaar and Steven Anlian.
A 1950 graduate of the forestry program at ESF, Curtis H. Bauer founded
a consulting forestry business and built it into the largest in New
York state.
Three years after graduating from ESF, Bauer founded his consulting
forestry firm. By the time he sold the Jamestown-based business in
1991, Forecon, Inc, counted among its clients some of the largest
industrial forest products firms in the country. Over the decades
he employed numerous ESF alumni, giving them a start in their own
natural resource careers.
Bauer’s list of professional honors and affiliations reflect his
long-standing passion for, and commitment to, his field. He was
elected a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) in 1985,
due to his prominence in his profession. The New York Chapter of the
SAF recognized him with its prestigious Heiberg and “Forester of the
Year” awards.
Bauer has served on the college’s board of trustees for 30 years,
including several years as its chairman. He has also served on the
ESF College Foundation and chaired or served on advisory committees
for the Faculty of Forestry and Natural Resource Management.
Bauer will be presented with ESF’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Col. Richard P. Wagenaar, a 1982 forest and natural resource management
graduate, has served his country in many capacities through the
U.S. Army and its Corps of Engineers. In his latest position his
work is influencing the lives of countless residents as leader of
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for New Orleans.
Wagenaar was only six weeks into his new job when Hurricane Katrina
hit southeastern Louisiana. Now working with a massive $3 billion
budget, he is responsible for a jurisdiction that includes 2,800
miles of navigable waterways, 1,300 miles of levees and floodwalls,
six major flood control structures and other projects to protect
coastal wetlands and the city of New Orleans.
Wagenaar uses his ESF background to bring an environmental scientist’s
point of view to the job thereby looking not only at obvious safety
concerns, but also ensuring the protection of marshes and the
availability of fresh water.
A decorated military officer, he has eight meritorious service
medals and three Army commendation medals among many other honors. He
graduated from several elite military education programs such as the
Industrial College of the Armed Forces and holds two master’s degrees.
Wagenaar will be presented with the Alumni of Distinction Award.
A 1975/76 graduate of the landscape architecture program Steven Anlian
has dedicated himself to helping rebuild homes, cities, and lives as
an expert in disaster relief.
Anlian took a leave of absence from his position at HOH Associates,
a nationally recognized urban planning and landscape architecture
firm, to volunteer with Armenia’s national planning agency after
the devastating earthquake there in 1989. He did this as a Fulbright
scholar. For his work, he was appointed an honorary member of President
Gorbachev’s Commission on Armenian Recovery.
In 1991, recruited by the U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID), he served as resident advisor to the newly independent
Government of Armenia to assist with its rebuilding.
In 1998, returning to Armenia, Anlian developed the “New Strategy
for Armenia’s Earthquake Zone,” which presented innovative solutions
to providing permanent shelter for the displaced families in the
earthquake region and jump-started stalled recovery efforts. This
guided USAID in programming $34.2 million for the recovery program.
In July 2006, Anlian returned to Washington, D.C. as the director
of infrastructure in the department of operations for the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, the new federal corporation redefining American
foreign assistance. Thus he will assist with future natural disasters.
Anlian will be honored with the Graduate of Distinction Award.
6.distinction.htm

FRANCE HAS NO CONFIRMATION OF MILITARY RIFT WITH TURKEY – OFFICIAL
Kuwait News Agency, Kuwait
Nov 16 2006
France has no confirmation of military rift with Turkey – official
PARIS, Nov 16 (KUNA) — France has not received any official
confirmation that Turkey intends to halt military cooperation with
the French army because of ongoing tensions due to France’s position
on the alleged Armenian genocide in 1915.
Several years ago, the French parliament officially recognized the
Armenian genocide which is said to have claimed around one million
lives.
Turkey disputes the Armenian version and the figures put forward
by Armenia.
The situation further deteriorated when the French Parliament last
month made it a crime to call into question or dispute the Armenian
genocide, a similar move to that made by the Parliament on the Jewish
holocaust several years ago.
The latest French move incensed Turkish authorities and resulted in
the reports from the Military High Command in Ankara that cooperation
with France will be halted.
“To my knowledge, we have not received any official communication on
this subject from Turkish authorities,” Foreign Ministry spokesman
Jean-Baptiste Mattei said.
“Concerning our relations with Turkey in military matters, our armed
forces cooperate closely in several operational theatres (and) in
the framework of multinational operations,” the French official noted.
He cited, in particular, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Bosnia, Kosovo and
the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“There is, thus, a close cooperation and a great mutual respect
between the French and Turkish armed forces,” he indicated.
There have been calls in Turkey for boycotts of French goods and other
retaliatory measures in addition to ending cooperation in a number of
areas because of the French Parliaments move on the Armenian genocide
issue.
.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=922838

RUSSIA WITHDRAWS MILITARY EQUIPMENT FROM GEORGIAN CAPITAL
International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Nov 16 2006
TBILISI, Georgia: A convoy of Russian military hardware and other
equipment left the Georgian capital Thursday en route to a base in
Armenia, a Russian official said Thursday, in the latest pullout of
materiel from the Caucasus Mountains nation.
The convoy – the first from the Russian forces’ central military
garrison in Tbilisi – was pulled ahead of schedule, said a deputy
commander overseeing Russian forces in the country, who asked that
his name not be used since he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Nearly 390 personnel, more than 100 pieces of military vehicles and
some 350 tons of weapons and other equipment will be withdrawn by
year’s end, the official said.
After months of contentious negotiations, Georgia and Russia reached
agreement last year on pulling Russian forces out of two bases, which
both are scheduled to be fully closed by October 2008. Much of the
equipment was to be shipped to the Russian base at Gyumri, Armenia.
The closure affected some 3,000-4,000 Russian troops at the bases.
Relations between the two countries have plummeted in recent months
as Georgia accuses Russia of supporting separatists, and Russia fears
Georgia is moving further out of its shadow toward the West.
Interfax said the equipment was pulled out of the Tbilisi garrison
ahead of schedule due to the tense state of relations.

TO D.C. ON FOOT
Georgetown University The Georgetown Voice, DC
Nov 16 2006
Georgetown’s STAND and Armenian Student organization joined George
Washington University students Nov. 5 to welcome six Armenian-American
students who walked from Los Angeles to D.C. to call attention to
the genocide in Darfur.
The students’ march began on June 27 and ended Nov. 1. After their
arrival at GW, the University hosted a discussion forum on genocide
with Journey for Humanity, the genocide-awareness organization that
sponsored the students.
“Walking is symbolic of genocide,” Edward Majian, one of the marchers,
told the GW Hatchet. “We are walking in an attempt to be in solidarity
with those people,” he said, referring to Darfur victims as well as
those of past genocides.
On its web site, Journey for Humanity kept an online report and
diary of the six students, in which they reflected not only on Darfur
genocide but on the more obscure Armenian genocide of 1915-1923.
-16/news/news-hits