Month: March 2007

9. März 2007, Tages-Anzeiger Online
Türkischer Populist Perincek verurteilt

Das Lausanner Gericht hat sein Urteil gefällt: Perincek hat gegen das
Antirassismus-Gesetz verstossen. Der türkische Populist ist damit die
erste Person weltweit, die wegen Leugnung des Völkermordes an den
Armeniern verurteilt wird.

Das Bezirksgericht Lausanne hat den türkischen Politiker Dogu Perincek
verurteilt, weil er den Genozid an der armenischen Bevölkerung durch
die türkischen Machthaber im Jahr 1915 geleugnet hatte. «Der
Völkermord an den Armeniern ist international und in der Schweiz
anerkannt», sagte Einzelrichter Pierre-Henri Winzap. Neben dem
Nationalrat und den Kantonen Waadt und Genf betrachteten auch die
Universitäten und Schulen im Land die Massaker an den Armeniern im
zweiten Weltkrieg als Völkermord.
Dass der Bundesrat es vorziehe, zu dem Thema zu schweigen, sei wegen
dessen Sorge um die internationalen Beziehungen verständlich, sagte
Winzap weiter. Der Rassist und Nationalist Perincek habe genau gewusst,
was er tue und sei deshalb zu verurteilen. Sein Motiv sei klar
rassistisch gewesen.

Er auferlegte Perincek eine Geldstrafe von 90 Tagessätzen à 100
Franken bedingt sowie zu einer Busse von 3000 Franken. Zudem muss er die
Gerichtskosten übernehmen und der Gesellschaft Schweiz- Armenien (GSA)
einen symbolischen Betrag von 1000 Franken zahlen.

Perincek sieht sich als Rassimus-Opfer
«Das ist ein rassistisches und imperialistisches Urteil», sagte
Perincek unmittelbar nach der Verhandlung. Aber das treffe nicht ihn,
sondern das Schweizer Volk, das nicht frei über die Geschichte
sprechen dürfe, sagte Perincek weiter. Er kündigte an, das Urteil
weiter zu ziehen.
Perincek sieht sich als Opfer in einer Linie mit Galilei, Robespierre
und Marx, die ebenfalls für ihre Ideen verurteilt worden seien. Der
Richter sei nicht neutral gewesen und hasse ihn. Das Urteil sei eine
Revanche des Imperialismus und folge der Unterdrückungspolitik der USA
im mittleren Osten, sagte Perincek.

Er werde seine Aussagen weiterhin machen. Wissenschaftliche
Überzeugungen könnten weder durch Drohungen oder Gefängnis
verändert werden, sagte Perincek. Vor Gericht hatte der Negationst
allerdings gesagt, dass er seine Position auch dann nicht ändern
würde, wenn eine unabhängige Expertenkommission zu einem anderen
Schluss käme als er.

Erleichterung, aber keine Freude
Perincek ist gemäss Aussagen von Vertretern der GSA die erste Person,
die wegen Leugnung des Völkermordes an den Armeniern verurteilt wurde.
Diese zeigten sich erleichtert nach dem Schuldspruch. Freude empfänden
sie aber nicht, die Ereignisse von 1915 könnten niemals dazu Anlass
geben, sagte der GSA-Co-Präsident Sarkis Shahinian.
Armenien wirft dem Osmanischen Reich als Vorläufer der Türkei vor,
in Anatolien zwischen 1915 und 1917 eineinhalb Millionen Armenier bei
Vertreibungen gezielt ermordet zu haben. Perincek hatte im Jahr 2005 in
der Schweiz mehrmals den Genozid an den Armeniern im zerfallenden
osmanischen Reich als «internationale Lüge» bezeichnet. Er war
deshalb in den Kantonen Zürich, Bern und Waadt angezeigt worden. Die
GSA war als Zivilklägerin anerkannt worden.

RA Defense Minister to pay an official visit to France

ArmRadio.am
09.03.2007 17:07

On March 10 the delegation headed by the Secretary of the Presidential
Council on National Security, RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan will
leave for France on an official visit. The delegation will have
meetings with the French Defense Minister Mrs. Michele Alliot-Marie
and Head of General Staff of the French Army. Serge Sargsyan will
visit the Ministry of Defense of France, where he will make a record
in the `Golden Book.’ The Armenian delegation is also expected to
visit the National Military Police School.

On March 13 Serge Sargsyan will meet with world renowned singer
Charles Aznavour. On March 14 the delegation will return to Yerevan.

Shooting suspect says his target was Armenian Patriarch

ArmRadio.am
09.03.2007 17:22

A Turkish man accused of firing in the air outside an Armenian Church
claimed Wednesday his real target had been Patriarch Mesrob II, the
spiritual leader of the Armenian community, the Turkish Daily News
reports referring to Anatolia news agency reported.

"I had prepared it for (Mesrob) Mutafyan II," Volkan Karova shouted to
reporters here as he and fellow suspect Yilmaz Can Ozalp were being
escorted to the prosecutor’s office to give their testimony.

It was not clear whether he had intended to physically attack the
Patriarch or scare him. A court charged the two men with "threatening
by firing shots" and "carrying an unlicensed gun" and sent them to
jail pending trial, the agency said.

Let us remind that the pair had been arrested late Sunday just hours
after two men fired a shot in the air outside a Church in the city’s
Kumkapi district.

At the time, a ceremony was being held there for slain ethnic Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink. The ceremony at the church, on the European
side of Istanbul, was to mark the 40th day since Dink, the 52-year-old
ethnic Armenian editor of the bilingual Agos weekly, was shot dead
outside his office.

Law criminalizing Armenian Genocide denial to be presented to Senate
confirmation after elections

ArmRadio.am
09.03.2007 17:45

The law envisaging criminal punishment for denying the Armenian
Genocide will be presented to Senate confirmation after the nationwide
elections in the country. Chairwoman of the European Armenian
Federation Hilda Tchoboyan told Armenpress that the law should be
presented by the Socialists, the authors of the bill, who are
currently engaged in the presidential elections expected in the
country. She noted also that much depends on these elections. `The
European Armenian Federation wants the law to be included in the
Senate agenda, therefore, the works in this direction are under way,’
Hilda Tchoboyan underlined.

Let us remind that on October 13, 2006 adopted a bill envisaging
criminal punishment for denying the Armenian Genocide, which should be
approved by the Senate within a year.

Week of NATO to be held in Armenia Mar 12-16

Arminfo
2007-03-09 12:14:00

NATO week will be held in Armenia Mar 12-16, Armenian Deputy FM Arman
Kirakossyan told journalists today.

The week will be held in the framework of Armenia-NATO
cooperation. The program of the week includes the demonstration of a
film about NATO on Armenian TV channels, the conduct of Armenia-Kosovo
TV bridge concerning the activities of Armenian peacekeepers in
Kosovo, visits by high-ranking NATO officials.

To note, Armenia has been cooperating with NATO under IPAP since 2005.

Novruz Mammadov: We Think That Armenia Will Finally Take Normal Steps
at Geneva Meeting

Arminfo
2007-03-09 16:06:00

"We hope that Armenian party will finally take normal steps at the
meeting of Foreign Ministers at Geneva," President’s Office
international relations department chief Novruz Mammadov told APA.

Saying no concrete things about the Geneva meeting he hopes for
positive diplomatic step from Armenia side. "Armenian leaders have no
other choices. So they have to be constructive and retire from their
ambitions they followed until today,’" department chief noted.

Commenting on the Forum of the Azerbaijan and Turkish Diaspora
organizations he also said that after this measure Azerbaijan will
exert much more influence on the settlement of Karabakh problem. "The
decisions made on the Forum will strengthen our positions and pressure
on Armenia more which trying to overcome the deadlock. That is why I
think the forum is an important political event. On the other hand it
is holiday. At the same time forum is important from the point of
informing world about Azerbaijan political and public life and
solution of challenges Azerbaijan faces".

MEETING BETWEEN PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN MAY TAKE PLACE
IMMEDIATELY AFTER PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, VARTAN OSKANIAN SAYS

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. "There are all grounds to suppose that
a meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in
Geneva will have positive results if only the Azerbaijani side does
not impede this and in advance does not accuse the Armenian side of
being non-constructive." Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
declared this at the March 9 press conference. He expressed
bewilderment in connection with the negative position of Azerbaijani
side to the draft document on settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
which was proposed by OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmen. In the Minister’s
words, the sides expressed satisfaction with many points of document
at the level of President’s of the two countries. "The position of
Azeris to the document does not correspond to its letter and
essence. We confirm our positive attitude to the document,"
V. Oskanian declared. He reported that the meeting between Armenian
and Azerbaijani Presidents may take place immediately after the
parliamentary elections of RA. As regards the draft resolution On
Protracted Conflicts the GUAM countries submitted for consideration of
UN General Assembly, V. Oskanian mentioned that the states having
direct interests in the South Caucasus are discontented: "They must
not pile up together all conflicts of the South Caucasus. Especially
as it is OSCE that is engaged in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict." As
regards the project of construction of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku
railway corridor, V. Oskanian said that Armenia continues to be
against that project. "This is a project having no prospect and it
will have negative consequences for the atmosphere in the region and
for regional cooperation," the Minister declared. He also reported
that his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will visit Armenia in early
April.

IN HOVHANNES HOVHANNISIAN’S WORDS, QUALITY OF POLITICAL FIGURES FALLS
YEAR BY YEAR IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The quality of political figures and
parties nominated for the elections falls year by year in Armenia and
this is just a disgrace for the country. Hovhannes Hovhannisian,
Chairman of Liberal-Progressive Party of Armenia, expressed such an
opinion at the March 9 press conference. In his words, today no
progress is registered in political processes, which means that the
rates of country’s development will become slower. The reason of all
this, in H. Hovhannisian’s words, is that the current National
Assembly failed to become a "political institution." H. Hovhannisian
mentioned that he has been nominated by majoritarian system at
electoral district N 5. As he forecast, he will succeed "if only the
public orients itself what kind of parliament is wishes to have –
political or criminalized and gives its preference to the political
one." He said that the slogans of LPPA at the forthcoming elections
are power shift, European integration, deepening of relations with
NATO.

ARF press conference opens is Yerevan

09.03.2007 15:37

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – A two-day conference of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation publications opened in Yerevan today. The conference,
attended by the ARF publication representatives from Armenian and
foreign countries, will discuss issues related political and
ideological issues.

In his opening remarks, ARF Bureau member and the National Assembly
deputy speaker Vahan Hovhannisian said that the press was able to set
up a network to tie all the Armenians together scattered around the
world after the genocide.

"When I am asked how to describe national and anti-national articles
or papers, the answer is quite clear to me. Regardless of political
views, if a paper, a reporter raises hope in people even with
criticism, it is national. If they disseminate disappointment, if they
picture everything as hopeless, for example, saying that
Baku-Akhalkalak-Kars railroad is the end of Armenia, this is
anti-national," he said.

After a two-year pause, Droshak, an ARF official publication, will be
published again, and its future editor-in-chief, National Assembly
member and author Roben Hovsepian, said that while many problems have
been solved, we still face some challenges.

Vache Brutian, the editor of the Asbarez daily, published in the USA,
said that Armenia is always present in the Diaspora press and he hopes
that the Diaspora will also be present in the Armenian press. Boris
Navasardian, the president of the Yerevan Press Club, said that the
ARF publications have always contributed to preserving the Armenian
identity in the Diaspora.

Aram Abrahamian, the editor of the Aravot daily, said that while he is
not a supporter of the ARF, he still believes that it is better to
have some principles than have none. He reminded the ARF Supreme Body
publication Yerkir had a very large circulation in 1990s because of
its support of values that were accepted at the time. He also noted
that the ARF publications have never participated in actions aimed
against the limitation of free speech in Armenia.

ARF Bureau representative Hrant Margarian said that the ARF
publications were not just party papers but they were for the
community. "The press is my teacher, it gives assessments to my
activities, and it is very important to pay attention to it. In every
society, values are formed from time to time, and papers have a great
role to play in it," Margarian said.

No U.S. missiles on Armenian soil – deputy FM

14:01|09/ 03/ 2007

YEREVAN, March 9 (RIA Novosti) – Armenia’s deputy foreign minister
said Friday the Caucasus state was not considering the possibility of
deploying elements of a U.S. missile defense system on its soil.

A senior Pentagon official said March 1 that the United States would
like to deploy a radar base in the post-Soviet Caucasus, without
specifying in which country. The statement further strained relations
with Moscow already unnerved by earlier reports of U.S. plans to
deploy elements of a missile shield in Central Europe.

"I would like to make an official statement that we have not received
any inquiries or proposals on that score from the U.S. or NATO
commanders," Arman Kirakosyan said.

He said Armenia’s Foreign Ministry was unaware whether such proposals
had been made to Georgia and Azerbaijan, the ex-Soviet states in the
region that Russia has singled out as the most probable sites for a
U.S. radar.

Both Georgia and Azerbaijan have said they know nothing of the plans.

Kirakosyan said Washington was unlikely to approach Yerevan with such
a proposal in the future.

Armenia is a member of a post-Soviet security group, the Collective
Security Treaty Organization, which is dominated by Russia and
believed to have been created as a way of preventing NATO’s further
eastward expansion.

The Caucasus state has also sought closer ties with NATO under an
individual partnership program, which envisions joint exercises and
training for the Armenian military.

But in Armenia’s territorial conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh, the alliance has tended to back the latter, saying
that the region is under Armenian "military occupation." Conversely,
Moscow is more supportive of Armenia on the issue.

Russia, which is anxious about NATO bases emerging in former
Communist-bloc countries and ex-Soviet republics, has blasted plans to
deploy anti-missile systems in Poland, the Czech Republic and the
Caucasus as a national security threat and a destabilizing factor in
the world.

Washington said the defenses would be designed to counter possible
strikes from Iran, which is involved in long-running disputes with the
international community over its nuclear programs.