ASBAREZ Online [01-12-2005]

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01/12/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Oskanian Holds Press Conference after Meeting with Azeri Counterpart 2) Schwarz Joins Congressional Armenian Caucus 3) Turkey Criticized by Europe's Rights Court over Treatment of Journalist 4) Kocharian, Vardanian Prioritize Social Sector 1) Oskanian Holds Press Conference after Meeting with Azeri Counterpart YEREVAN (Armenpress/RFE-RL)--Foreign Affairs Minister Vartan Oskanian revealed during a press conference on Wednesday that 2005 could prove to be decisive for the resolution of the Mountainous Karabagh conflict. "The second phase of the Prague process will be qualitatively different from the previous phases," he said, referring to his face-to-face meeting with Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on Tuesday. "A serious political will and consistency must be displayed here. The year will be quite intensive," he told a news conference Yerevan. Without divulging details about his meeting with Mammadyarov and separate talks with international mediators also held in Prague on Tuesday, Oskanian said that the conflicting parties have yet to reach a full agreement on "the framework of issues" that have been the main subject of their discussions since last spring. Noting that the Azeri press very often releases inaccurate information, Oskanian stressed, "We have entered a more serious round in the negotiation process and in order not to put the other side in a difficult position we must be careful in our statements." Mammadyarov was similarly reserved in publicly commenting about the meeting. "We are happy with the current level of discussions," Azeri media quoted him as saying. "The main result of the meeting is that the parties agreed to continue negotiations in a positive spirit." 2) Schwarz Joins Congressional Armenian Caucus Detroit, MI (ANCA)--Newly elected Rep. John "Joe" Schwarz has become the newest member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. Schwarz's entrance into the Caucus brings its membership to over 140. During Schwarz's campaign for Congress last year, the ANC of Michigan played a key role in supporting the candidate by introducing him to members of the local Armenian-American community, as well as co-sponsoring a fundraiser with Armen-PAC and AAPAC of Michigan last June before Michigan's August primary election. Schwarz's 7th Congressional District stretches from Western Washtenaw County near Ann Arbor to Coldwater, near the Indiana border. With Schwarz's Caucus membership, Michigan's 15-member Congressional delegation will now have 13 Caucus members. "I am very appreciative for the superb support given to my candidacy for Congress by the Michigan Armenian-American Community, and I look forward to being an active Member on the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues," said Schwarz. "As a student of history, I have always been fascinated by the history, the great trials and tribulations, and the pride in heritage of the Armenian People." "We welcome Joe's membership in the Armenian Issues Caucus and look forward to working with him on a number of issues of special concern to his Armenian-American constituents," said Georgi-Ann Oshagan, ANC of Michigan chairwoman. "Joe promised us here in southeastern Michigan that he would immediately join the Caucus if elected, and he kept that promise." Schwarz is a practicing physician and served in Vietnam in the US Navy. He also worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. Schwarz was most recently a state senator from Battle Creek, and is a former city commissioner and mayor of Battle Creek. Founded in 1995, the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues is a bipartisan forum for the discussion of policies to foster increased cooperation between the United States and Armenian governments and to strengthen the enduring bonds between the American and Armenian peoples. It was founded by Congressmen Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and John Porter (R-IL) and is currently co-chaired by Rep. Pallone and Michigan Republican Joe Knollenberg. 3) Turkey Criticized by Europe's Rights Court over Treatment of Journalist STRASBOURG (AFP)--Turkey was criticized by the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday over its treatment of a journalist who reviewed books about the sensitive Kurdish southeast of the country. One of the books reviewed by Attila Halis in January 1994 was written by convicted Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who for many years was Turkey's most wanted man. Ocalan was captured by Turkish undercover agents in Kenya in 1999, brought back to Turkey, and sentenced to death. His sentence was later changed to life in prison. Rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have been held responsible by Ankara for a 15-year civil conflict that claimed more than 30,000 lives in southeast Turkey. Halis was given a one-year jail sentence and a heavy fine in March 1995 for disseminating propaganda after a trial presided over by a Turkish military judge. After losing an appeal, Halis went on the run, but the Turkish police caught up with him in March 2002. His sentence was finally suspended in July the same year. The European court declared that Ankara had violated the European Convention on Human Rights in two areas: the right to freedom of expression and the right to a free and fair trial. "The applicants conviction was disproportionate to the aims pursued and, accordingly, not necessary in a democratic society," the court declared. The article was never actually published, as the January 2, 1994 edition of the paper, Ozgur Gundem, was seized before it was distributed. At a historic summit in Brussels in December, Turkey was invited by the European Union to begin membership talks in October; however, the country was advised that it must ensure that recent legislation adopted to improve human rights was applied at all levels. The president of the European Court of Human Rights Luzius Wildhaber recently declared that Turkey's once widely faulted legal practices were approaching European standards. 4) Kocharian, Vardanian Prioritize Social Sector YEREVAN (Yerkir)--President Robert Kocharian and Labor and Social Affairs Minister Aghvan Vardanian discussed social sector reforms on Tuesday, and announced that their 2005 priorities include reforming the pension system. They proposed the introduction of a mixed system that combines public and private sources to finance pensions. Vardanian said the two also discussed the introduction of Social Security cards to the country, noting that 2.2 million people have applied, and 1.6 million have already been issued cards. The Social Security Foundation was also reviewed at the meeting, the minister said, adding that beginning this year, the social security tax will be collected by the Tax Inspectorate. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.