Month: February 2012

TURKISH AMBASSADOR IN PARIS SAYS EXPECTS FRENCH HIGH COUNCIL TO ANNUL DENIAL BILL

Cumhuriyet
Feb 1 2012
Turkey

Turkey’s ambassador in Paris on Tuesday said he expected the French
Constitutional Council to annul a legislation that makes it a crime
to deny Armenian allegations on Ottoman era incidents of 1915.

PARIS- “We have received the result we want. We thank everyone who
extended support. Turkish-French relations could not survive with
such a law. And we expect a positive ruling from the council,” Tahsin
Burcuoglu told the Anadolu Agency.

Earlier Tuesday, French deputies and senators appealed the law to
the French Constitutional Council for annulment.

“We are optimistic and waiting for the 30-day period to expire. The
council had accepted the petition and designated a file number. The
council may appoint a rapporteur next week,” Burcuoglu said.

The law penalizes denial of the Armenian allegations with a prison
term of one year and a fine of 45 thousand euros.

From: Baghdasarian

TURKEY WARNS EUROPE AGAINST MOUNTING RACISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA

Cumhuriyet
Feb 1 2012
Turkey

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned of
rising racism and Islamophobia in Europe as he once again denounced
a recent French bill outlawing denial of Armenian genocide.

ANKARA- The French bill, was a “serious manifestation of an insidious
danger in Europe”, he said. “There is an undeniable racist approach,
a racist mentality … hidden behind this bill,” Erdogan said at a
meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara.

“This is not an affair that only concerns Turkey and France. This is
directly a European matter, a European Union matter,” he emphasised.

Turkey reacted furiously last week when the French Senate approved the
law, which threatens with jail anyone in France who denies that the
1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide.

Turkey would not remain silent to rising racism and Islamophobia
in Europe, Erdogan said, calling on friends of Turkey in Europe to
urgently address the problem.

“Turkey is a not a country that … will bow to insidiously growing
racism, xenophobia and Islamophobia in Europe,” he said. “I would
like to sincerely warn our friends in Europe that the situation in
France is a serious manifestation of an insidious danger.”

On Tuesday, two separate groups of French politicians who oppose the
contentious legislation — from both the Senate and the lower house
of parliament — said they had requested the constitutional council
to examine the law.

The council is obliged to deliver its judgement within a month,
but this can be reduced to eight days if the government deems the
matter urgent.

“I believe and hope that the constitutional council will act with
common sense and reach a conclusion that is compatible with French
values and European Union principles,” said Erdogan.

If the French senators had not taken the “racist and discriminatory”
law to the constitutional council, Turkish-French relations would
have suffered “irreparable harm”, he said.

Last week, the Turkish Premier warned that his Islamist-rooted
government would punish Paris with unspecified retaliatory measures
if French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed it into law.

Ankara has already halted political and military cooperation with
France and was threatening to cut off economic and cultural ties.

France has already officially recognised the killings as a genocide,
but the new law would go further by punishing anyone who denies this
with up to a year in jail and a fine of 45,000 euros ($57,000).

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their forebears were killed in
1915 and 1916 by the forces of Turkey’s former Ottoman Empire.

Turkey disputes the figure, arguing that 500,000 died, and denies this
was genocide, ascribing the toll to fighting and starvation during
World War I and accusing the Armenians of siding with Russian invaders.

HOW MANY ANGELS CAN DANCE ON THE HEAD OF A PIN?
by Mouhanad Halwani*

Today’s Zaman
Feb 1 2012
Turkey

This quintessential question consumed Byzantines in the mid-15th
century — right at the peak of the Turkish blitzkrieg.

While Turkish forces pounded the walls of Constantinople (with the
largest cannons known to mankind back then), monks quibbled crossly
about this complex conundrum, oblivious to the winds of change that
were sweeping across their empire.

Today, in a world existentially threatened by a worldwide economic
collapse, currency devaluation, global warming and rogue states making
away with nuclear weapons, one nation is going all Byzantine. In
a throwback to the good old days, France contemplates codifying
legislation that renders the “Armenian genocide” sacrosanct. Any
denial, debate or critical thinking incongruent with the government’s
narrative can land you one year in jail and a hefty fine of 45,000
euros. So, if you’re like historian Dr. Bernard Lewis, who posits that
“there is no evidence of a decision to massacre [Armenians]. On the
contrary, there is considerable evidence of attempt [sic] to prevent
it.” You’d better not be in France while expressing such views.

Come to think of it, it’s quite ironic. France, a country that prides
itself as the stalwart champion of equality, liberty and fraternity
comes up with a law that claws at two of its founding principles in
one fell swoop. In one bold — yet dubious — coup de maître, Paris
Match becomes Pravda.

Now I will not linger in this article on how unwise it would be for
a country to forsake the principles that made it great. Nor will I
extrapolate the dangers of curbing free speech and exercising double
standards, which amounts to taking steps down a slippery slope that
leads to authoritarianism and fascism. As for the history of the
subject matter, I will leave that to well-grounded historians to
discuss in the halls of academia as opposed to fickle politicians to
assert in the House of Commons.

This brings me to the crux of this article, which is about the nature
of France’s “Armenian genocide” legislation. History, in this case,
is not about finding the truth or granting justice to any of the
victims of World War I. Instead, history is used — nay, abused —
as a tool of foreign policy. Through highly selective and prejudicial
interpretation, history is weaponized, and the gestalt of Turkey
(its culture, its history and even its people) are branded with the
mark of Cain.

Why Turkey? Why now?

Who knows? Maybe the grounds for not admitting Turkey into the EU
have become too thin. After all, while the so-called “PIIGS states”
of the EU (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) have exposed
themselves as stagnant entities mired in ineptitude, mismanagement
and inertness, Turkey has time and again distinguished itself in the
last decade as a dynamic political player and an economic powerhouse.

Running out of solid reasons to turn down Turkey’s candidacy for
the EU club, trumped up charges are hence dug up to cast Turkey in
a negative light.

And therein lies the rub. It is one thing to criticize a country’s
economic performance or social laws. It is another to demonize an
entire people based on the subjective interpretation of a series of
events that happened a century ago.

History should be used to bring people together — to highlight how
much we all share. History should strive to build bridges between
people, not walls. It should discuss rather than denounce. Europe
tried it the other way and got oppressive colonialism, centuries of
incessant wars and two world wars in the last hundred years.

If this is not the universe telling the French to “take a hint”… I
don’t know what is.

*Mouhanad Halwani is a freelance writer based in Beirut.

NOW IS THE TIME TO KEEP QUIET
by Mehmet Ali Birand

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 2 2012
Turkey

In France, it could have been difficult to send the “Armenian genocide
denial law” to the French Constitutional Council, but there was a
probability. It was certainly not expected to be sent with so many
signatures.

The signatures of only 60 senators would have been sufficient. At
first, signatures arrived with difficulty. Then, suddenly, numbers
soared. Seventy-seven senators and additionally 65 parliamentarians
signed. This figure must have so annoyed the French President Nicolas
Sarkozy that he had a fierce reaction. Despite that, there are people
who even claim the Elysee Palace did not put enough pressure.

What will happen after this?

The Constitutional Council must make a decision by Feb. 29. It will
look for answers related to two topics:

1. Should there be a law regarding the commemorations, or is it
sufficient that Parliament makes a statement?

There are several “commemoration laws” waiting before the French
Parliament. There are many motions that call to account for past
wrongs, such as those of the Bosnian immigrants, or the French soldiers
who lost their lives in Algeria. If the “denial law” is accepted,
then the job of those waiting in line will be easier; several laws
calling the past to account will be processed one after the other. The
Constitutional Council will shed light on this matter.

2. Is the “denial law” in compliance with the French constitution?

The council has three options: (a) To reject the petition and decide
that the law is in compliance with the constitution; (b) totally
reject the law; (c) partially reject the law.

If option B or C is accepted, the law will be revoked and the
whole procedure will start again. In other words, first it has to
pass in the Lower House of Parliament and then it will be brought
to the Senate. And because all of this cannot be rushed before the
presidential elections in May, we will not hear anything of a “denial
law” until next spring.

Keep quiet until Feb. 29

The stage that has been reached today is not a victory for Turkey
and neither does it mean that the “denial law” has been avoided. A
waiting period of one month has been entered, that’s all.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s approach after the “denial law”
passed in the Senate created a very positive echo both in Paris and
in the international public. Erdogan did not yell or raise his voice;
on the contrary, he acted very cool. I think he put on a very wise
stance. I’m sure he will continue with this attitude from now on.

My concern is over the performances of some politicians who want to
carry their names to newspaper headlines and who think that what they
do or say will please the prime minister. Those Cabinet ministers or
those Justice and Development Party (AKP) politicians should know that
if they start threatening and start saying things like “France will
pay for this. We will give them hell. We will implement embargoes…”

they will not be able to scare anybody; just the opposite, they will
make the French Constitutional Council angry and maybe reactionary.

Let’s not forget that even though the Constitutional Council will
examine the law from a legal point of view, there will inevitably be
a share of political approach in it.

Please keep quiet for a while.

FARCICAL FRENCH MOVE ON ARMENIAN VOTES OVER TURKS
by Murat Yetkin

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 2 2012
Turkey

Generally speaking the Turkish media was in a joyous mood yesterday,
following a motion by a group of French legislators to annul the
French Senate’s approval of a law criminalizing denial that the
Armenian killings of 1915 in the last years of the Ottoman Empire
was a genocide.

77 members of the French Senate and 65 members of the Parliament
signed letters to the Constitutional Council claiming that the law,
supported by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was against the
French Constitution, as such a law would violate freedom of expression.

One headline went as far as to say the motion represented “142 slaps
on Sarkozy’s face.” Others had even lower tones, as if the motion
constituted a victory for Turkish thesis on the Armenian problem;
which currently stands at a shy acknowledgement of “mutual massacres.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was chic enough to say he was
happy to see that there were those in Paris to correct the mistakes,
and that one should wait for the court decision in the meantime.

President Sarkozy’s statement was a piece of political art as well;
framed as if he wasn’t expecting such a knife in his back, since many
of the opposing legislators were actually from his ruling Union for
a Popular Movement (UMP) party.

It was as if Sarkozy had not sent a message to Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan right after the Senate approved the bill to
say he had 15 days to approve it. This message effectively said:
“I give you a chance to convince French politicians to try their
chance to annul it and you have 15 days for that, but you have to
stop your campaign to discredit me.” It was after that message that
Turkish fury against the French President was toned down, with leaks
to Turkish media that a chance should be given to diplomacy.

Another statement, by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton following
the French vote, was interesting too; effectively, Clinton asked
everybody to leave the issue to historians, as if the Armenian question
was not the annual Turkey-bashing festival in Washington DC.

One might argue that this is not hypocrisy, but realpolitik in a
populist fashion.

Now the Constitutional Council will reportedly give a decision within
30 days, starting from Jan. 31, the day the appeal was lodged.

In the meantime France is approaching its Presidential elections. The
first round will be held on April 22nd; two days before the 97th
anniversary of the infamous Ottoman decree for the forced deportation
of Armenian population from the Eastern provinces under Russian
occupation during the World War I. The second round will be held on
May 6th.

Polls show Sarkozy behind his main rival Francois Hollande of the
Socialist Party; he desperately needs votes in packages, like those
of the French-Armenians, whose roots are in Turkey.

If the bill is turned down, also allowing the possibility of annuling
the recognition of 1915 killings as genocide, nothing will change for
the Armenian community in France, other than the broken and manipulated
hopes they invested in Sarkozy in the form of votes. That is why this
business-as-usual looks farcical as well.

MILLI MAJLIS TO WAIT FOR FRENCH CONSTITUTIONAL COURT’S RULING ON CRIMINALIZING DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Azerbaijan Business Center
Feb 1 2012

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. At today’s opening meeting of the spring session
the Azerbaijani MPs have discussed the adoption of the law by the
French Senate criminalizing the denial of the “genocide” of Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire in 1915-17.

MP Siyavush Novruzov suggested the ruling party and the opposition to
come forward with a consolidated position as solution of this matter
is a problem of everyone.

Parliament speaker Ogtay Asadov stressed that the government and
Milli Majlis had made every effort to prevent the decision of the
French Senate.

“Now we have to await the decision of the Constitutional Court of
France in respect of the law to plan our next steps,” the speaker said.

MP Ganira Pashayeva proposed Milli Majlis to address to the Turkish
counterparts to recognize the destroying the residents of Khojaly by
Armenians as genocide as Azerbaijanis by Armenians.

“If, however, France will pass a law criminalizing the denial of
genocide, one should reconsider the question of France’s participation
in the OSCE Minsk Group on Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno
Garabagh confict,” she said.

AZERBAIJAN CANNOT DEPRIVE FRANCE OF CO-CHAIRING IN OSCE MINSK GROUP FOR CRIMINALIZING DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Azerbaijan Business Center
Feb 1 2012

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. At the opening of the spring session Milli
Majlis has had a discussion on the adoption of the law by the French
Parliament criminalizing denial of the “genocide” of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire in 1915-17.

In the course of the discussion, parliament’s speaker Ogtay Asadov
said that although France had lost its moral right to participate in
the OSCE Minsk Group on settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict
over Nagorno Garabagh conflict, physically they would remain in the
Group, and we cannot still do anything.

“We must examine the legal side of this issue, but cannot do anything.

However, Azerbaijan will do everything necessary to protect the
interests of Turkey and Azerbaijan,” the speaker stated.

The proposal to deprive France of participation in the Minsk Group
was made by MP Ganira Pashayeva, in case France still passes a law
criminalizing denial of the “genocide” of Armenians.

HOPELESS FRIENDSHIP OF YEREVAN WITH TEHRAN

Trend
Feb 1 2012
Azerbaijan

1 February 2012, 09:25 (GMT+04:00) Trend European news service
commentator Elmira Tariverdiyeva

Rising tension over Iran, new sanctions and oil embargo do not keep
Yerevan from close cooperation with Tehran. It seemed that Armenia
receiving from the U.S. dozens of millions of dollars as financial
assistance should have joined the Western embargo. However though
Armenia has always stressed high level of relations with the West
Yerevan has no other way out and cannot afford to stop supporting Iran.

Because of the territorial claims to all around it Armenia has close
borders with 2 of its 4 neighbors – Azerbaijan and Turkey. If there is
a threat of closure of borders with Iran as well (knowing tough nature
of Iranian leaders, there is no doubt they will do that in case Yerevan
stops fully supporting Tehran), Armenia will sign death penalty for
itself. Poor Armenia which doesn’t have own reserves of hydrocarbons,
will not be able to survive under blockade conditions from the
neighbors and the single access to the external world through Georgia.

However today when Western countries do their best to stop Iranian
nuclear program, close cooperation of Armenia and Iran is impossible
not to damage international image of Yerevan. The West understands
that establishing more and more closer relations with Armenia Iran
pursues not so much economical as geopolitical goals, planning in
case of danger secure its rear as represented by Armenia. But does
the West need such Iranian ‘rear’ in the South Caucasus and won’t
the U.S and the EU stop financial assistance to Yerevan in case such
situation emerges? Even if the West turns a blind eye to hopeless
friendship between Yerevan and Iran, issue of suitability of relations’
development remains open.

Iran which ranks fourth in terms of oil reserves and second in the
list of leading natural gas producers suffers from consequences of
Western sanctions much more than officially recognizes it.

Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Ahmad Qalebani took quite surprise step
revealing information on impact of sanctions in his article published
by the Iranian Student’s News Agency (ISNA). According to the agency,
the deputy minister said production of crude oil in Iran in 2011
decreased compared to 2010. He said the decrease was caused by lack
of investment in development of oil fields.

In 2010 Iran produced on average about 4 million barrels of oil per
day and 3.5 million barrels in 2011.

The EU sanctions envisaging ban on purchase of oil, freezing of the
European assets of the Iranian Central Bank, as well as export of
equipment and technologies for the Iranian petrochemical industry
threatens Iran with serious economic problems.

Amidst this fate of Armenia which pins its hopes on joint with Iran
projects is seen very regrettable. There were a lot of cooperation
plans. For example, first of all a question arises about projects
of construction of the third power transmission lines from Iran to
Armenia with a capacity of 800-900 MW worth $110 million, construction
of the largest in the South Caucasus hydro power plant at Aras river
worth $500 million.

Construction which should begin in 2012 will be financed by Iranian
companies. However, taking into consideration inflation rate and fall
of the Iranian rial the question arises whether these projects will be
completed. Iranian rial fell by 10 per cent during the trade session
on Jan.23 after it became known that the EU introduced economical
sanctions against the Iranian Republic.

At present one $1 in Iran amounts to about 20,500 rials. During the
last week rise of US dollar towards rial was 15 per cent and during the
month – over 50 per cent. Project of power station, for example, was
expected to take 5 years and one has only to guess what will happen to
the Iranian economy during five years. The same doubts arise in regard
to construction of oil pipeline from Iran to Armenia. New oil products,
diesel fuel and gasoline, should have been delivered via new pipeline.

US sanctions may infringe investment worth over $20 million as
mentioned in the document’s text, “directly aimed at strengthening
Iran’s opportunities to master its own oil resources”, as well
as cooperation with such financial institutions of Iran, as the
Central Bank. And none of the U.S. officials explained whether new
Iranian-Armenia oil pipeline would fall under the sanctions.

Time will show where Armenia will come, clinging to friendship with
Tehran only because Yerevan cannot establish good neighborly relations
with Azerbaijan and Turkey. However time has already showed that
one of the poorest post-Soviet republics cannot boast successes in
economy and depends on welfare of its diaspora and neighboring Iran.

From: A. Papazian

INTELLIGENCE: U.S CONCERNED OVER SITUATION IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Trend
Feb 1 2012
Azerbaijan

1 February 2012, 13:36 (GMT+04:00) U.S. intelligence is concerned
about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the possible emergence
of new terror hot spots in Eurasia, the U.S. director of national
intelligence James Clapper’s report, presented at the hearing in the
Senate Committee of U.S. Congress, said, ITAR-TASS reported.

‘The unresolved conflicts in the Caucasus and instability in some
Central Asian countries are the most possible causes of hot spots in
Eurasia’, the report said.

The potential hotbed of conflict in the Caucasus was named as the
Nagorno-Karabakh. “‘Mistrust from both sides and continued violence in
the contact line increases the risk of miscalculation that could lead
to escalation of the situation without any warning’, the report said.

Regarding Georgia, Mr Clapper expressed the view that the new Georgian
constitution strengthens the powers of the Prime Minister after the
presidential elections of 2013. He said that it gives rise to the
assumption that President Saakashvili will strive to maintain power
as Prime Minister. This may affect the prospects of easing tensions.

The report on Central Asia said that violent extremism in the region
is a reason for concern in the field of security for Moscow.

Tajikistan was referred to as a particularly important country in
the region. It has a long common border with Afghanistan.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

LAW ON “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” TARGETS TURKEY, SAYS PM

Trend
Feb 1 2012
Azerbaijan

A French law criminalizing the denial of the so-called “Armenian
genocide” is aimed at Turkey and is a hostile move, according to
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking on the TRT
Haber TV channel.

Erdogan said Turkey would not remain silent in the face of
Islamophobia, and urged Europe to act against the move.

French senators opposed to the new law have collected the required
number of signatures to submit a demand that it be blocked.

On Jan.23, after eight hours of discussion, the Senate (upper chamber
of the French parliament) voted to adopt the law criminalizing any
denial of the so called “Armenian genocide”. The proposed law received
127 votes in favor, with 86 against.

Those found guilty of breaking the law face a year’s imprisonment
and a fine of 45,000 euros.

Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that the forerunner of the Turkish
Ottoman Empire was guilty of the 1915 genocide against Armenians
living in Anadolu. The “Armenian Genocide” has been recognized by
parliaments of several countries.