Month: February 2012

THE FRENCH STRESS TEST

Today’s Zaman
Jan 31 2012
Turkey

The news that France’s new law punishing denial of the Armenian claims
of genocide was put on hold on Tuesday after politicians opposed to
the legislation demanded that its constitutionality be examined will
have come as a big relief to Ankara.

In the same way the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) unanimously
ruled that the recognition of the Armenian genocide cannot be
criminalized in Turkey, as it constitutes a violation of Article 10
(freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights,
the French move is also a violation of the exact same article. Indeed,
if a candidate looking to join the EU adopted such a law, the EU
would condemn it and make its removal a precondition for entry. It is
shameful that a founding member of the EU can so effortlessly violate
such an important European value, particularly when they continue
to chastise other states for doing the exact same thing. And while
Turkey needs to deal with its past, this is not the way to do it.

Stress levels had hit the ceiling in recent days, with Turkish
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu claiming the French tried to “Nazify”
Turkey and to push it out of Europe, while earlier this week Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an address to the nation, declared
France a state leading the rise of a dark medieval mindset, using
language of separatism and racism. No doubt Turkey’s leadership
feels emboldened following the support offered by US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton. Clinton stated her disapproval of the French
bill, saying that the US would never follow a path that criminalizes
freedom of expression, warning against using governmental force in
order to resolve historical issues. On the other hand Turkey has been
disappointed by the approach of the EU. Turkey expected Brussels to
have a louder response to Paris. However, Davutoglu’s suggestion that
the EU place sanctions on France was just silly. Rather than following
the example of the US, the EU has not spoken out strongly against
France. Many in the EU may be far from happy with French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, for after all what happens in France also risk
damaging the reputation of the EU as a whole. EU member states have
their plates full with the eurozone crisis. However, the EU will not
want this quarrel to be a long and drawn-out affair, fearing it may
undermine efforts to build a unified approach by the EU and Turkey
on key Middle East issues such as Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the
unrest in Syria. While I doubt warm and friendly relations will be
restored as long as Sarkozy is in office, I also believe that Turkey
would not be so foolish as to base its approach towards EU-Turkish
cooperation in the Middle East region through the prism of Paris. Turks
(and others) have branded President Sarkozy racist. Looking back over
Sarkozy’s term in office, there have been several occasions when he
has acted in a way that has characterized him as such. Sarkozy is no
stranger to virulent and racist scaremongering. He has repeatedly used
the idea of a feral and alien “racaille” (scum) to scare voters into
backing him. While a number of these efforts have targeted France’s
Muslim community, including banning the burqa in 2010, other groups
have also been affected, including the Roma. In 2010 Sarkozy adopted
harsh measures against the Roma, expelling many from France, which
was severally criticized, including by his EU colleagues.

Since and prior to being elected, Sarkozy has pursued a policy aimed
at increasing support from those that traditionally back the National
Front of Marie Le Pen. Rather than dealing with France’s socioeconomic
problems head-on, he has preferred to blame them on certain immigrant
communities. While Sarkozy hopes to scoop up far-right voters, his
actions are more likely to strengthen and legitimize the National
Front.

I would also hope that France’s half a million Armenians will
take other factors into consideration when heading off to vote,
including Sarkozy’s failure to deliver on many of his election
promises, including putting more money in people’s pockets, making
significant tax cuts and making France more competitive. Ankara
continues to fume and to talk about further measures. However, those
already in place have done nothing to deter Paris. Indeed Turkey has
been taking measures (in particular regarding the defense sector)
against France since 2001, when the French National Assembly approved
a bill describing the Armenian killings as genocide, yet today France
remains one of Turkey’s biggest trading partners. Turkey has already
“nuanced” its approach and no longer talks about sanctions against
French companies. Turkey does not want to do anything that would
damage its own economic interests, and last week Economy Minister
Zafer Caglayan stated that measures will not be taken against
French companies operating in Turkey and which employ thousands of
Turks. However, just because the bill has been put on hold, it will
not change anything regarding Turkey’s relationship with its bête
noir, Sarkozy. Indeed President Sarkozy’s office had brushed off
Turkey’s recent talk of new sanctions and had vowed to enforce the
law within a fortnight. So it would seem that whatever happens next,
Turkey’s relations with France are going to remain in an extremely
precarious situation. If Sarkozy is re-elected, the situation will
become even tougher.

ARMENIAN PRIVATE’S FAMILY: SEVAG WAS KILLED INTENTIONALLY WHILE SERVING ARMY

Today’s Zaman
Jan 31 2012
Turkey

The family of a young man of Armenian descent shot dead by another
private while serving in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have said
they believe that he was intentionally killed, after new evidence
changed the course of the trial.

Pvt. Sevag Å~^ahin Balıkcı was killed on April 24, 2011, the date
the Armenian diaspora has chosen to commemorate the incidents of
1915, when hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed in the
Ottoman Empire during the World War I. Officers and other privates
in his unit, which is stationed in Batman province, testified that
Balıkcı was shot accidentally while “joking around” with a close
friend, Kıvanc Agaoglu, who allegedly fired the lethal shot. They
were serving at the Kozluk GumuÅ~_göru Gendarmerie Station at the
time of the alleged murder.

However, since Halil EkÅ~_i, a private who witnessed the incident,
changed his testimony, the Balıkcı family’s lawyer has petitioned
the court to hold the hearing of the trial earlier than the scheduled
date of March 29.

During a hearing at Diyarbakır Second Air Force Commandership
Military Court on Jan. 30, EkÅ~_i, who served in the military at the
same time as Balıkcı, revised his testimony: “Kıvanc pointed his
rifle at Sevag and pulled the trigger. His family had asked me to
testify in his favor,” indicating that Agaoglu’s family pressured
him into giving false testimony.

Despite demands following the testimony by Cem Halavurt, the Balıkcı
family’s lawyer, the court has decided not to arrest Agaoglu.

“One of the judges demanded that Agaoglu be arrested, but others
refused on the basis that EkÅ~_i was put under pressure by Agaoglu’s
family, not by Kıvanc Agaoglu,” Halavurt said.

“We are still collecting evidence on how EkÅ~_i was threatened. We
have requested his phone records. We are trying to clearly discover
if there was intent to murder or not. We might again petition for the
defendant’s arrest. The trial is ongoing,” Halavurt said, adding that
they are pleased the military court has considered their demands.

Ani Balıkcı, mother of Sevag Balıkcı who was present at the
court hearing on Monday, said that EkÅ~_i indicated in court that
the defendant had aimed his rifle at Sevag.

“The judge had a rifle brought to the court for EkÅ~_i to demonstrate
the details of the incident. He showed that the defendant intentionally
killed Sevag,” she said. “We are trying to learn why.”

In the initial stages of the probe investigators were trying to
understand whether Balıkcı was the victim of a hapless accident or
an intentional murder. Based on suspicions arising from the date of the
murder, the family had earlier filed criminal charges against Agaoglu,
claiming he had wanted to kill their son and knew what he was doing
when he fired his rifle. Agaoglu’s lawyers asserted that their client
was a very close friend of Balıkcı and fired the rifle by accident.

Earlier testimony from EkÅ~_i supported this statement. However,
EkÅ~_i, who attended court once again on Dec. 27, 2011, said he wanted
to change his initial testimony.

He said he did not see the suspect playing around with the rifle
and noted that Agaoglu’s uncle, Bulent Kaya, had visited him in his
hometown and assisted him in writing his initial testimony. He gave
his first testimony to an Aydın court on Sept. 9, 2011.

In his latest account, EkÅ~_i told the judge: “I was told by Kıvanc
and his family, especially his uncle, to testify in his favor. On the
day of the incident we were installing chain-link fencing around the
station, under orders from our commanders. As we did our work, at some
point Agaoglu unlocked his rifle’s safety catch and aimed at our other
friend, Å~^ahin. Then he fired the rifle, wounding Å~^ahin. I do not
know why Kıvanc fired at Sevag.” The next hearing of the trial will
be on Feb. 13.

TURKEY HAILS AS ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL IN FRANCE PUT ON HOLD

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 1 2012
Turkey

Michel Diefenbacher spearheaded the appeal in the Lower House of
Parliament. Turkey has hailed a motion by French legislators to
halt a bill criminalizing denials of Armenian genocide claims after
they produced the 60 signatures required to stop the draft from
becoming law.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended “wholehearted thanks”
to the French senators who appealed the law and voiced hope France’s
Constitutional Council would quash the legislation.

“I have no doubt the Constitutional Council will eventually make an
appropriate decision,” President Abdullah Gul said, adding that he
was “not expecting the French from the very beginning to let their
country be overshadowed” by the resolution.

Ankara had reacted furiously last week when the French Senate approved
the law that penalizes anyone in France who denies the 1915 killings
of Armenians amounted to genocide with jail time and a fine.

On Jan. 24 President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office brushed off angry threats
of retaliation by Turkey and vowed to sign the bill into law within
a fortnight.

But a left-wing group of senators said yesterday that they had gathered
76 signatures from colleagues opposed to the law. A group from the
Lower House of Parliament had also gathered 65 signatures yesterday and
had formally requested that the Constitutional Council examine the law.

The move raises the possibility that the law will be dismissed as
unconstitutional. The appeal was spearheaded by Jacques Mezard at
the Senate and Michel Diefenbacher, the head of the Turkish-French
Parliamentary Friendship Group. The groups said they each had
gathered more than the minimum 60 signatures required to ask the
council to test the law’s constitutionality. If the court finds the
law unconstitutional, the legislation will be rejected.

“This is an atomic bomb for the Elysee [Sarkozy’s office], which
didn’t see it coming,” said deputy Lionel Tardy, who said most of the
65 signatories from the Lower House were, like him, from Sarkozy’s
Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party. The council is obliged to
deliver its judgment within a month, but the period could be reduced
to eight days if the government deems the matter urgent.

Turkey welcomes move

Turkish officials were universal in welcoming the development. “The
fact that the application was made with over 60 signatures from both
houses [of the French Parliament] is a significant development. I
extend my wholehearted thanks to those French parliamentarians on
behalf of myself and my nation. They did what they were supposed to
do. I hope that the Constitutional Council will rectify this unjust
process and bring it in line with the values of France,” Erdogan said.

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also hailed the French senators’
move, saying that with this step France embraced its own values.

Turkish EU Minister Egemen BagıÅ~_, meanwhile, said yesterday that
“freedom of expression is one of the most important features in the
EU acquis.” BagıÅ~_ also noted European Commissioner for Enlargement
Stefan Fule’s remarks about the French resolution in which Fule said
illuminating history was the business of historians, not politicians.

France has already officially recognized the killings as 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. Around 20
countries have officially recognized the killings as genocide. Amnesty
International has criticized the French law, saying it would violate
freedom of expression.

Compiled from AFP, AA and Reuters stories by the Daily News staff.

POLITICIAN CONFIDENT OF FRENCH BILL’S APPROVAL
Vercihan Ziflioglu

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 1 2012
Turkey

Yalick expresses confidence the bill would be approved.

Amid a growing rift between France and Turkey over a recently passed
bill to criminalize the denial of Armenian genocide claims, French
deputy Valeri Boyer’s advisor Garo Yalick expressed his full confidence
the draft law would be approved.

“I have full confidence that this law is going to be approved under
any circumstances,” Yalick, a Turkish-born advisor of Armenian origin
to Marseilles deputy Boyer, told the Hurriyet Daily News.

Sixty-five deputies and 60 senators in France have appealed to the
country’s Constitutional Council to overturn the bill that was drafted
and presented to the French Parliament by Boyer of the ruling Union
for a Popular Movement (UMP) party.

“They are exercising their democratic rights in relation to the [draft]
law, but let there be no misunderstandings in Turkey. The deputies and
the senators who oppose the law are also in agreement that genocide
was committed against Armenians in 1915. It ought to be remembered
that France officially recognized the genocide in 2001,” Yalick said.

They are trying to blow this law out of all proportion in some quarters
in Turkey, he said, adding that President Nicolas Sarkozy’s leading
rival Francois Hollande had also lent his support to the bill.

“President Sarkozy was accused of political maneuvering prior to
the elections. It ought not be forgotten that one of Sarkozy’s most
potent rivals Hollande also backed the bill. There was no distinction
between the left and the right, as everyone in France is in agreement
over the definition of the events of 1915,” he said.

Galick further claimed the annulment of the bill by the Constitutional
Council would also amount to the rejection of four other laws.

“In case this law is annulled [by the court] the Jewish Holocaust
Law is also going to turn null and void. This is a law construed upon
the norms of the European Union [EU],” Yalick said.

It was a futile effort to discuss whether the bill would be annulled
as it was not a new law but rather filled a legal gap, he said.

NO ARREST FOR ARMENIAN SOLDIER’S KILLER

Hurriyet Daily News
Feb 1 2012
Turkey

A military court in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır ruled Jan.

30 to continue without arrest the trial of suspect Kıvanc Agaoglu
in the case of Sevag Å~^ahin Balıkcı, a Turkish citizen of Armenian
origin killed under dubious circumstances while performing his military
service in 2011.

“While I was drawing barbed wire in a tilted position, I heard the
sound of a G3 rifle cocking. Then I heard the sound of a gunshot. When
I turned my head and looked, [I saw] Agaoglu standing with his G3
weapon pointing at Sevag Å~^ahin Balıkcı. Balıkcı then dropped to
the ground,” eyewitness Halil EkÅ~_i said in his most recent testimony.

A court delegation decided to turn down the request for suspect
Agaoglu to be tried under arrest through a majority vote.

Upon the request of the Chief Justice, EkÅ~_i also demonstrated the
incident inside the courtroom with a G3 rifle, the standard issue
infantry rifle used in the Turkish military. The Diyarbakır Second
Air Force Command Military Tribunal had decided to reschedule the last
hearing for Jan. 30 after EkÅ~_i changed his testimony regarding the
circumstances under which Balıkcı lost his life on April 24, 2011,
the same date regarded as the anniversary of the 1915 events.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EASIER TO PUNISH MUGGERS THAN MONSTERS

Winnipeg Free Press

Jan 28 2012
Canada

CLOSE to one million people died in the Rwandan genocide in the 1990s,
and this week, after a 17-year legal battle in Canada, Leon Mugesera,
who is accused of inciting that slaughter, was finally handed over to
Rwandan authorities for trial. Canadian authorities apparently believed
this alleged author of that tribal massacre might be mistreated in
Rwandan jail and so he lived comfortably in Montreal while his appeal
ran its seemingly endless course.

Had he been accused of robbing a convenience store in Kigali, Mr.
Mugesera might have been sent back years ago, but somehow the enormity
of the crime of genocide seems to be beyond our grasp unless it is
useful for political reasons. There are, for example, about 500,000
Armenians in France, many of them eligible to vote in next year’s
presidential election.

It may be then, as some French commentators are suggesting, that is
not just coincidence or a pure act of historical humanitarianism on
the part of President Nicholas Sarkozy’s government that France this
week made it a criminal act to publicly deny the killing of as many
as 1.5 million Armenians was an act of genocide.

The Armenian genocide, as Armenians, at least, refer to it, took
place in 1915, one of the last ugly death rattles of an Ottoman
Empire that would soon be transformed into the modern, secularist,
democratic Turkey that we know today, a staunch Western ally and a
prominent member of NATO.

Armenians say the killings were deliberate and systematic. The Turks
say otherwise. The Turkish government, in condemning France’s decision,
argues the killings were the result of the chaos that accompanies
the collapse of empire, that the deaths of hundreds of thousands
of Armenian Christians and Turkish Muslims were caused by communal
violence and disease.

In a sense, it hardly seems to matter anymore. The Armenian genocide
— Canada risked the wrath of Turkey by officially recognizing it as
such in 2004 — is just one of many in 100 years of slaughter that
marked the 20th century as the Age of Genocide.

What happened in Armenia, however, did set the pattern for what would
follow in Germany, in Ukraine, in Cambodia, in Rwanda and so many
other places. And just as most of the world refuses to acknowledge
the Armenian genocide — only about 20 nations recognize it for what
it was — the Canadian immigration system refused to acknowledge the
gravity of the crimes committed in Rwanda for 17 years as Mr. Musegera
enjoyed life in this country.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney now promises to reform the
immigration appeal system for people charged with serious crimes. Most
Canadians say it’s about time, although, curiously, Musegera still
has some supporters in this country, which perhaps goes to prove the
more monstrous the crime, the more difficult it is to comprehend. A
mugging we can understand, a massacre may elude us.

…by Tom Oleson Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print
edition January 28, 2012 J2

ARMENIA, KUWAIT SEEK CLOSER TIES

Kuwait News Agency

Jan 28 2012

YEREVAN, Jan 28 (KUNA) — Kuwait’s Ambassador to Armenia Bassam
Mohammed Al-Qabandi met Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Samvel
Nikoyan discussing means of promoting bilateral relations between
the two states.

A statement by the Kuwaiti embassy, released here on Saturday, said
a meeting that grouped the two sides took place at the Armenian
parliament building, late on Thursday.

Al-Qabandi and Nikoyan stressed, during the meeting, on importance
of deepening bilateral relations between the two states on all
levels, especially at the level of parliaments, through formation
of friendship parliamentary committees, exchange of visits by
parliamentary delegations and taking steps that would serve interests
of the peoples of Kuwait and Armenia.

Nikoyan praised the State of Kuwait as the capital of investments and
businesses, stressing that economic relations would have a share in
the development of bilateral relations.

For his part, Al-Qabandi stressed on Armenia’s promising investment
opportunities and support of cooperation in this area.

At the end of the meeting, Al-Qabandi presented to the speaker
a commemorative gift, wished him and his parliament good luck in
upcoming elections, due in May, and for the Armenian people, further
progress and prosperity. (end) nk.rk KUNA 280909 Jan 12NNNN

PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS HELP ARMENIAN WOMEN CREATE SMALL BUSINESS; SELL HANDMADE TOYS

States News Service
January 27, 2012 Friday

The following information was released by the Peace Corps:

Peace Corps volunteers John Hart of Fayetteville, Ark., and Caroline
Lucas of Cary, N.C., helped launch a women-owned small business in
Armenia selling and producing handmade stuffed bears. Since the Berd
Bear project started in March 2011, the women have sold 230 bears,
and generated thousands of dollars.

“Soon after conceiving the idea, we began producing handcrafted Berd
Bears non-stop, including personalized accessories and clothing,”
said Hart, a graduate of the University of Arkansas. “This project
has been so successful, and I directly attribute that success to the
dedication of the women.”

When Hart arrived in northeastern Armenia in 2010, he worked with his
new community to identify income-generating projects for local women.

Hart soon helped create the Berd Women’s Resource Center Foundation
(BWRCF) for women to knit stuffed bears and sell them regionally.

Each stuffed bear is handmade from start to finish by members of the
group. The bear’s head, body, legs and arms are created using Armenian
knitting techniques and assembled by a group of women who stuff and
sew it together. Button eyes, a nose, and a mouth are then added,
and the bear is dressed in either standard or traditional Armenian
clothing. Male bears wear knitted sweaters and hand-sewn slacks,
and females wear hand-sewn dresses. In total each Berd Bear requires
about 18 hours of labor.

“The women of Berd are incredibly talented and hardworking. They put a
lot of pride into their craft, which is evident in each carefully and
lovingly handmade bear,” said Lucas, a graduate of Chapman University.

“As sales of the Berd Bear increase, more local Armenian women are
able to work in full-time positions with the BWRCF.”

Additional income generated by sales of the Berd Bear is used to
provide members of the foundation with training classes in basic
computer skills, business development and other topics.

“Aside from the financial benefits generated by bear sales, the women
are also gaining business and leadership skills,” continued Lucas.

“Now, these women can help support their families.”

From: Baghdasarian

PUPILS’ FILM USED IN HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE

South Wales Echo
January 27, 2012 Friday
UK

A FILM made by school pupils will take centre stage in a ceremony
today to remember victims of the Holocaust and other genocides since
the end of World War II.

Students from Maesteg Comprehensive interpreted the famous Holocaust
poem First They Came as part of their peer mentoring project.

It builds on the council’s Speak Up Speak Out campaign which
urges communities and individuals to express their opposition to
discrimination.

The ceremony will be staged in the council chamber today – Holocaust
Memorial Day.

A candle will be lit and a minute’s silence held to remember all
those lost in the Holocaust and in genocide in Armenia, Cambodia,
Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Council leader Councillor Mel Nott, who will speak at the event, said:
“This is about learning lessons from the Holocaust and applying them
to the present day.”

TRIO FOR THE CAUCASUS
by Sergei Belov

DEFENSE and SECURITY
January 27, 2012 Friday

[translated from Russian]

Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta, January 24, 2012, p. 2

IN SOCHI PRESIDENTS OF RUSSIA, ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN RETURNED TO
DISCUSSION OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT; President of Russia,
Armenia and Azerbaijan had another meeting dedicated to discussion
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Meetings of leaders of the three countries dedicated to regulation
of the situation regarding one of the disputable territories in the
former Soviet Republics began in 2008 according to an initiative of
Moscow. During all these years Russian authorities took efforts to
adjusts positions of Yerevan and Baku for the sake of the conflict
resolving by the peaceful method alone.

The parties approached the tenth meeting in Krasnaya Polyana
without any super expectations. On the contrary, Kremlin officials
even expressed a concern about the growing frequency of cases of
breaching of the ceasefire regime in the conflict zone, as well as
about appearance of victims among servicemen and civilians and about
the military rhetoric that started sounding in both countries again.

Before the meeting of the three presidents Dmitry Medvedev preferred
to talk to each of them tete-a-tete.

In a conversation with the President of Azerbaijan the Russian leader
stressed:

– We are strongly connected with the Caucasus. We are not indifferent
to everything that is happening there, as well as what is happening
in some neighboring regions. These meetings take place regularly,
there is progress some time and there are problems some time but this
dialog is useful and I hope that such contacts will be continued.

Ilham Aliyev thanked the Russian President for further intermediary
efforts in search for a solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

In conversation with Medvedev the President of Armenia called such
trilateral dialogs very useful.

According to results of trilateral negotiations the parties adopted
a joint statement that said that as a result of intensive dialog they
managed to achieve progress in coordination of the main principles of
the Nagorno-Karabakh regulation. The document said, “Bearing in mind
the importance of transition to development of a peaceful agreement,
presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia expressed readiness to accelerate
achievement of an agreement on the main principles taking into account
the work done until now.”

From: A. Papazian