ASBAREZ Online [03-16-2005]

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03/16/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) ARF Affiliate Organizations Convene Conference in Bulgaria 2) Council of Europe Calls for Release of Azeri Political Prisoners 3) Armenian FM Addresses UN Commission on Human Rights 4) Imperatives for Renewal of Armenian Church Discussed at Etchmiadzin 1) ARF Affiliate Organizations Convene Conference in Bulgaria SOFIA (ARF Press Office)--Representatives of pan-Armenian organizations met in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, March 12-13, during a conference of ARF-affiliated bodies, organized by the Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF). It coincided with commemorative events marking the 100th anniversary of Armenian Revolutionary Federation co-founder Kristapor Mikaelian's tragic death, including a pilgrimage to Bulgaria's Mount Vitosha where Mikaelian was killed. The conference reviewed implementation of projects targeted at the ARF's 29th World Congress (February 2004), and also detailed issues that Armenia, along with the Armenian people currently face. Though approaches to resolving a variety of issues were discussed, the body identified priorities, stressing that the ARF must concentrate on implementation of activities in several locations and regions, and be required to operate on multiple levels and in various sectors in order to advance certain priorities. The conference unanimously conveyed its support to ARF Armenia's policies that seek to strengthen democracy in Armenia, as well as struggle against corruption and bribery, as part of the country's internal policy. The gathering of representatives praised opposition to Turkey's entry to the European Union based on its continuous denial of the Armenian genocide, efforts to gain international recognition of the Armenian genocide, and Mountainous Karabagh Republic, as well as efforts to ensure the minority rights of the people of Javakhk, and guarantee their cultural and socio-economic rights. Specifically, attendees agreed that the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide must serve as an opportunity to stress modern day Turkey's political responsibilities, while stepping-up Genocide recognition efforts. They stressed that opposition to Turkey's entry into the EU must be based on the country's poor human rights record, unwillingness to practice democratic norms, and its continued and vehement denial of its genocidal past. 2) Council of Europe Calls for Release of Azeri Political Prisoners BAKU (AFP)--Europe's top human rights body warned Azerbaijan Wednesday that it would reevaluate its relations with Baku unless authorities released hundreds of "political prisoners." Council of Europe envoy Malcolm Bruce said he expected President Ilham Aliyev to sign an amnesty and "we expect that such a decree should free the larger part of the political prisoners and this will be a resolution of the issue in Azerbaijan." "I conveyed to the president (Ilham Aliyev) the opinion of international observers that the trials of opposition leaders were biased," Bruce said during a three-day visit to the Caucasus nation. "The president did not admit to this problem," he said. If the prisoners were not released, Baku would face the possibility of "a reevaluation of Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe's relations," at the council's April session, the Turan news agency reported Bruce as saying. Hundreds of people opposed to Azerbaijan's ruling regime were arrested following riots during presidential elections in October 2003, including seven of Azerbaijan's most vocal opposition leaders. Many have been released but the seven so-called "October detainees," were handed sentences of two to five years last year and remain in prison as do scores of others. Amnesty International slammed their imprisonment when the seven were given sentences, saying there were concerns that witnesses were pressured into giving evidence that would incriminate the defendants and that allegations of ill-treatment and torture of the prisoners were not fully investigated. Bruce said he expected Aliyev to sign an amnesty freeing most of the political prisoners interned in the oil-rich Caspian nation in the next two to three weeks, he told journalists. They agreed that "the internment of some of the opposition leaders in prison during parliamentary elections (in November) would be an undesirable phenomenon," Azer Press quoted Bruce as saying. Tensions between the opposition and the authorities have been heating up ahead of the November poll with police breaking up every protest the opposition has organized since the 2003 elections. 3) Armenian FM Addresses UN Commission on Human Rights YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian addressed the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva on March 15. On May 3, 2001, the UN's Economic and Social Council elected 14 new members to three-year terms on the UN Human Rights Commission, of which Armenia won one of those 14 seats. Oskanian explained that Armenia's membership in the Commission is not simply an organizational matter, but rather "is as much a product of our sense of responsibility as of our deep, immediate daily awareness that individual human rights, the basic human rights of a society, and individual and collective security are all inextricably, inarguably, expressly inter-connected." For Armenians, he said "the human rights principle, the concept of man's inalienable rights touches a raw nerve...We spent the greatest part of the last century under a regime that endured solely because of the absence of human rights. Immediately prior to that period, we had the dubious honor of being the century's first victims of genocide. At the end of the century, we were still fighting to secure the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabagh." Oskanian then focused on Genocide and the issue of Karabagh's self-determination. He explained that for Armenians, "As a minority, living in the Ottoman Empire, their call for the application of the lofty principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, led to their death sentence. Today, their survivors, living within and outside the Republic of Armenia, expect that the world's avowal of the universality of those same noble principles will lead to recognition that Genocide was committed against Armenians." Referring to recent calls by the Turkish leadership for a historical debate, the Minister reiterated Armenia's readiness for dialogue. "Let's not confuse the two kinds of dialogue," he said. "One is a debate about history. The other is a political discussion. Periodic calls by various Turkish administrations for historical debate simply delay the process of reconciling with the truth." On the struggle of the people of Karabagh for self-determination, the Minister remarked, "Ironically, Mr. Chairman, even as societies have learned to support the victims of domestic violence, we have not yet graduated to offering the same support to victims of international or government violence. At best, the world watches silently as the victims attempt to defend themselves, and if somehow, against great odds, they succeed, then the world quickly pulls back, as the state loudly cries foul and claims sovereignty and territorial integrity... Just as the perpetrator of domestic violence loses the moral right to custody, so then, does a government that commits and promotes violence against its own citizens lose its rights. It is in such instances that the notion of self-determination is significant and legitimate." Oskanian concluded his remarks saying, "Mr. Chairman, for us, defense and protection of human rights is not an abstract principle. It is the difference between survival and annihilation. We believe it is the same for many in the world. Yet, our individual and collective tendency is to ignore or neglect problems for which we have no immediate answer or prospect for solution. This is even truer in situations which defy belief, surpass common norms, and shake our very assumptions and values. For these very reasons, in our ever-shrinking world, what is required is resolve on the part of the committed in order to expand the engagement of those still hesitant." On the sidelines of the Commission's annual meeting, Oskanian met with Dimitri Rupel, Slovenia's Foreign Minister and Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He also met with the Foreign Minister of Finland Laila Freivalds, President of the ICRC Jacob Kellenberger, and Director General of the Geneva's office of the United Nations Sergei Orjonikidse. 4) Armenian Catholicosates Discuss Imperatives for Renewal of Armenian Church ETCHMIADZIN (Armenpress)--Under the auspices of Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Karekin II and Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia His Holiness Aram I, a meeting of delegations of the Catholicosate of All Armenians and the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia took place on March 4-5 in Etchmiadzin with the goal of further strengthening internal solidarity and preparation of a draft agenda with the theme, "The Imperative for the Renewal of the Armenian Church." On March 4, His Holiness Karekin II received the two delegations in the Mother See, gave his Pontifical blessing to the members of the delegations, and spoke of his and Catholicos Aram I's expectations of the meeting. Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan conveyed the warm greetings of His Holiness Aram I. The meeting commenced after the Lord's Prayer, the result of which was the preparation of the draft agenda. Consisting of nine agenda items, it included the primary spheres of the identity, life, and witness of the Armenian Church: the canonical condition of the Armenian Church--ecclesiological, administrative, and canonical definement, Christian and Armenian education, evangelical mission and preservation of spiritual and cultural values, liturgical and ritual life, preparation of clergy and reactivation of monastic life, ecumenical and inter-religious relations, positions on modern social and moral issues, relations between Church and State, relations between Church and Social Institutions, pursuit of the rights of the Armenian people, and the use of modern technologies. The draft agenda will be presented to His Holiness Karekin II and His Holiness Aram I for their consideration and petitioning them for the commission's work to proceed. 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.