ASBAREZ Online [04-05-2006]

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04/05/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Draft Law on Dual Citizenship Presented in Parliament 2) Czech Parliament Hosts International Conference on Armenian Genocide 3) Azerbaijan's Threatening Statements Will Not Bring Positive Results 4) Bomb Blast in Turkish Party Office Leaves Two Injured 5) French Court Rescinds Permission to Build Genocide Monument in Lyon 6) New EU Envoy Discusses Karabagh on First Trip to Armenia 7) EU Will Not Support Alternative Railroad Bypassing Armenia 1) Draft Law on Dual Citizenship Presented in Parliament The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) made public on Wednesday the basic principles of its draft law on dual citizenship, which would grant Armenians the right to hold dual citizenship. ARF member Armen Rustmanian said the law would was designed to consolidate Armenians worldwide for resolution of pan-national issues, to create a new opportunity for the country to become stronger, and to defend the rights of all Armenian citizens abroad. "The dual citizenship for Armenians stems from the unique situation the Armenians have found themselves after the Genocide," Mkrtchian said. Levon Mkrtchian, leader of the ARF faction in Parliament, said the party employed a team of experts, including Constitutional Court Chairman Gagik Harutiunian, to draft the law, which he said incorporates lessons learned from other nations that permit dual citizenship. Mkrtchian said they worked to set clear definitions about suffrage, mandatory military service, and other controversial issues. The legal framework envisages, among other things, that citizens willing to take part in elections held in Armenia will only be able to cast their ballots inside the country. It would also ban the opening of polling stations in Armenian diplomatic missions. The proposed principles do not specify conditions for granting diaspora Armenians the right to vote and be elected to a public office in Armenia. ARF's senior partner in the governing coalition, the Republican Party (HHK) of Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, believes that ethnic Armenian citizens of other nations can be granted that right only if they live in Armenia, have served in its armed forces, and pay taxes. Mkrtchian and Rustamian added that their legal "concept" will serve as the basis for ARF's draft law on dual citizenship that they say will be put into circulation this autumn. Introduction of dual citizenship was made possible by one of the constitutional amendments that were enacted after a referendum last November. ARF and other Armenian parties believe that a legal ban on dual citizenship, imposed under former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, was unjustified given the existence of the worldwide Armenian diaspora. 2) Czech Parliament Hosts International Conference on Armenian Genocide --Parliament members announce intentions to draft resolution to recognize the Genocide YEREVAN (Yerkir/RFE/RL)--A one-day conference on the Armenian genocide was held at the Czech Senate on Tuesday sponsored by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and organized by the Armenian Club and Senate member Jaromir Stetina. Stetina said the Czech parliament members were drafting a resolution on recognition of the Armenian genocide. He said Czech lawmakers wanted to follow the example of neighboring Slovakia that recognized officially the Armenian genocide 18 months ago. Professor Vahakn Dadrian of the Zorian Institute was the keynote speaker at the conference and gave a report on the documents kept in the Turkish archives. The conference was also attended by Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian, European Armenian Federation Chairperson Hilda Choboian, German scholar Tessa Hoffman and Turkish human rights activist Yeldag Uzcan, who resides in Germany after being harassed in Turkey. German academic Dr. Tessa Hofmann set the tone. "We have to be very aware that if a country is not pushed forward as Germany was after the Second World War by the victorious allies nothing really happens," she said. Dr. Hofmann also brought up the question about Turkey's entry into the European Union. "My conviction is that Turkey first of all has to give freedom of speech, research, and opinion to deal with its past." Hofmann said that the taboo on speaking about the Armenian massacres in Turkey was acting like a cancer in the country, spreading more taboos and acting like a brake on the development of civil society. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian readily agreed with that, although he added that he saw cause for optimism in the changing face of Turkish society. "We will have in fact in 10 years, in 15 years, a more modern Turkey and we hope that this Turkey will recognize what happened in the past," Kirakosian said. But in the meantime, he said, the past lingered on in Turkey's refusal to open diplomatic relations with Armenia and its blockade of the Turkish-Armenian border: "The Armenian-Turkish border is remaining as the last Iron Curtain," Kirakosian said. "The walls fell down after the fall of the Soviet Union and communism but still we have closed border and we have a closed border with a country who is willing to become a member of free Europe. It's not a normal thing." Yeldag Ozcan, a Turkish writer on minority rights in Turkey, said she welcomed the pressure from the EU for Turkey to cast light on the dark corners of its past. More people were now beginning to discuss the Armenian issue and other taboos. But, she said, Turkey needed to go much further. "I think there cannot be a dialogue [with the Armenians] without an apology." Ozcan said. "We cannot start a dialogue as if nothing has happened. First we have to admit that we and our ancestors are the guilty side, we have to accept there was a crime. We have to apologize and then we can start a dialogue." Like all the speakers, Hofmann agreed with that, but went a stage further, recalling that the Armenian genocide of 1915-16 played a major role in persuading the international community to act against crimes against humanity. "Without the Genocide, there would not be a UN Convention and, further on, there would not be a permanent tribunal of the United Nations," Hofmann said. "You can say that 100 years of time and reaction is a slow speed but, on the other hand, there was a reaction and we can only hope that the punishment of genocide will lead to prevention." 3) Azerbaijan's Threatening Statements Will Not Bring Positive Results (Regnum)--Azerbaijan's increasingly aggressive war rhetoric is not helping the Karabagh conflict settlement process, said Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian Co-chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. "Military solution of Nagorno Karabagh problem will be a catastrophe," said Merzlyakov, adding that all interested parties have to make every effort to prevent the conflict's transition to the military stage. "Pressure from the Azerbaijani side will not bring positive consequences," stressed Merzlyakov. He said it is necessary to strive for peace, as the possibilities of reaching a peaceful settlement have not yet been exhausted. Merzlyakov said that there is still time to settle the Karabagh conflict before the end of the year 2006. Merzlyakov also said that the mediators will arrange for another meeting between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia. "The fact is that the schedules do not coincide, and it is difficult for us to agree on a certain place and date of the meeting. On April 7, the Armenian Foreign Minister will be in Moscow while Azerbaijani Minister will be visiting Washington," said Merzlyakov, adding that the planned visit of OSCE Minsk Group to region will take place in May, after which they will discuss a meeting of the ministers. 4) Bomb Blast in Turkish Party Office Leaves Two Injured ISTANBUL (AP)--A bomb blast at an Istanbul branch of the party of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has injured at least two people. The explosion shattered windows up to the third floor at the Justice and Development Party's office in Istanbul's low-income Esenyurt district, on the European side of the city. It comes at the end of a week of unrest, attacks, and rioting that have left 15 dead, including four in Istanbul. A Kurdish militant group claimed responsibility for an Istanbul bombing on Friday, and has singled out the prime minister and his party as targets. Also on Wednesday, suspected Kurdish rebels ambushed and killed three Turkish soldiers, and are believed to have set the land mines that killed two others. A policeman wounded in a gun attack by suspected rebels also died in hospital, bringing the death toll for security forces in the day to six. The injured in Wednesday's Istanbul blast included the local head of the Justice and Development Party's youth section, party press officer Osman Bekar said. "A bomb exploded in our building; two of our people are injured," Bekar said. "There is considerable damage." Istanbul party leader Mehmet Muezzinoglu called the Istanbul bombing "an abhorrent attack," saying "those who want to harm the environment of calm and security will not get away with it." Television footage showed shattered windows and glass scattered across the street. A man with a bandage around his head was being escorted into an ambulance, and paramilitary police cordoned off the building. A firebomb was thrown at the Turkish consulate in Paris early Wednesday morning and a Turkish diplomat said Kurdish rebels were suspected of carrying out the attack. The firebomb thrown at the consulate's front door caused no injuries or damage, said Derya Tutumel, a Turkish Embassy press officer. Widespread rioting that began in the Kurdish-populated southeast of Turkey after funerals for four Kurdish guerrillas has also brought violence to Istanbul in the past week. One person was killed in a bomb attack claimed by a Kurdish group, and three others were killed after masked men threw gasoline bombs at a packed city bus. The Istanbul bombing Friday killed one and injured more than 10 others. The group that claimed responsibility for the bombing promised more attacks and threatened to carry out operations against the ruling Justice and Development Party. "The time has come for operations against the fascist party's buildings and workers," the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons said in a release posted Sunday on their website. 5) French Court Rescinds Permission to Build Genocide Monument in Lyon A Court in the French city of Lyon revoked its previously granted authorization to construct a monument to victims of the Armenian genocide. The City Council of Lyon is questioning the legality of constructing the monument. The monument, which was to be built in Lyon's city center, also elicited complaints from people living near the proposed construction site. The mayor of Lyon, Gerard Collomb announced in 2003 that Lyon would build an Armenian memorial and construction began recently. Several Turkish groups protested against the monument last month, clashing with local French youth. Police said they had to use tear gas and water cannons to separate the two groups. 6) New EU Envoy Discusses Karabagh on First Trip to Armenia YEREVAN (RFE/RL/Armenpress)--The European Union demonstrated its increased attention to resolving the Karabagh conflict on Wednesday when its newly appointed special representative to the South Caucasus singled out the issue during his first official visit to Armenia. Peter Semneby said after talks with Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian that he believes this year is still "particularly auspicious" for resolving the conflict. "Indeed, there is a window of opportunity which we need to take advantage of," he told reporters. Semneby, who arrived from Baku for a three-day visit to Yerevan, said the existing status quo hurts both conflicting parties and the region as a whole. According to him, neither of the sides should be trying to gain time, as no one will benefit from it. He said delaying the resolution process will hinder Armenia's economic development and could result in a military resolution of the conflict. Semneby said that the EU is not pleased with recent threats made by the Azeri side about a military solution to the Karabagh conflict. During the meeting, Semneby also said that his mandate will differ from the mandate of the former representative Heike Talvitie. He said that the EU intends to play a greater role in international efforts to broker a compromise settlement. Still, the envoy made it clear that the EU believes the peace process should continue to be spearheaded by the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is co-chaired by France, Russia, and the United States. "The Minsk Group is functioning very well," he said. "The peace process is alive," Oskanian said for his part. "We believe that there are still possibilities for continuing and making additional progress in the process." According to Oskanian, a lot now depends on the results of his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mamedyarov's visit to Washington later this week. Mamedyarov is scheduled to meet the Minsk Group's US co-chair, Steven Mann, and other American officials. Oskanian, who met those officials last week, will visit Moscow at around the same time. "If they register a convergence of views, there will probably be a visit to the region by the co-chairs, which may be followed by a meeting of the [Armenian and Azerbaijani] foreign ministers," said Oskanian. "But all of this depends on the results of the upcoming Mamedyarov-Mann meeting." Oskanian and Semneby also discussed issues relating to regional cooperation, Armenia-EU relations, and the development of Armenia's Neighborhood Policy Action plan with the EU. 7) EU Will Not Support Alternative Railroad Bypassing Armenia YEREVAN (Armenpress)--EU Special Representative to the South Caucasus, Peter Semneby, said during his maiden visit to Armenia that the European Union will show neither financial nor political support for Turkish-Azeri-Georgian plans to build an alternative railway from Kars, Turkey to Akhalkalaki and Tbilisi in Georgia. This decision was confirmed by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU commissioner on foreign relations and New Neighborhood Policy. The new railway would bypass Armenia, further isolating it in the region. The proposed railway is also opposed because there already exists a railroad connecting the three cities, which passes through Gyumri in Armenia. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said the EU maintains that restoration of the existing railroad from Kars to Gyumri is more reasonable than spending money on construction of a new railroad. 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) 2006 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.