Author: admin

Institute for War and Peace reporting
Dec 15 2004

Azeris Angry Over Georgia Killing

A local land dispute has escalated following the death of an elderly
Azerbaijani woman in southern Georgia.

By Sofo Bukia in Kvemo Kulari (CRS No. 266, 15-Dec-04)

The newly appointed governor of Georgia’s southern Kvemo Kartli
region, which has an Azerbaijani majority, has vowed to catch the
killers of a 65-year-old woman who died during a protest rally.

However, the killing and the long-running dispute behind it have
already taken on an inter-ethnic dimension, which is now attracting
the attention of officials in Baku.

Hilal Idrisova was killed on December 3 when a land dispute between
local villagers and a stud farm boiled over. Several dozen people
from the Marneuli district settlements Kvemo Kulari and Kirikhlo had
protested at a nearby horse stud farm, which they claim is using land
that is the villagers’ by right.

`They told us, `You have no rights to this land, so shut up and go
home’,’ said Elsevar Mamedov from Kvemo Kulari.

In the ensuing clash between the villagers and the farm’s owners,
security guards and staff, the elderly Idrisova was shot in the chest
and killed, while another local resident, Ramiz Sadygov, was shot in
the leg. Doctors treating him at the district hospital fear the limb
may yet have to be amputated.

`I begged my mum to stay home that night,’ Idrisova’s distraught
daughter Fatima told IWPR. `What’s the use of that land now that she
is gone?’

The farm’s managing director, Vakhtang Rukhadze of the Georgian Horse
Rearing Association, has rejected all accusations of involvement in
the death and wounding, and claims in turn that the villagers had
provoked his men.

`They threw rocks at us. I have three injured and concussed men to
show for it. I have no weapons, and no one at the farm has any, so
where did the shots come from?’ he asked.

`A few of our cars and items of field machinery were broken, and this
happens almost every day. We have complained everywhere, including to
the president, but no one wants to tackle this.’

The death has increased tensions in the Azerbaijani community, which
has a population estimated at between 350,000 and half a million.

Following last year’s peaceful `Rose Revolution,’ the new Georgian
president Mikheil Saakashvili declared Georgia’s Azerbaijanis to be a
`national treasure’ and promised to help them solve their problems.

However, in Marneuli, serious issues over land ownership remain.

The problem dates back to the beginning of Georgia’s land reforms in
1996, when rural collective farms were disbanded and the state gave
generous amounts of land away to peasant farmers.

But the residents of Kvemo Kulari and Kirikhlo claim they lost out in
this deal, as every household in these villages ended up with just a
quarter of a hectare of land – far less than the one hectare they
were legally entitled to.

The Kulari stud farm owns 1,155 hectares of land, 500 of which is
claimed by the local villagers for their farming needs. `There is no
other arable land in the district. The horse farm has it all,’ one
villager complained to IWPR.

The Kulari farm was formerly owned by the Tbilisi hippodrome and is
now owned by the city-based Jockey Club.

The club says it legally acquired the land at Kulari on lease for 49
years, and has all the appropriate documentation. It then leased the
farm to the Georgian Horse Rearing Association for a ten-year period.

`These are no ordinary horses,’ said Viktor Goglidze, who takes care
of the animals. `These are purebred English racehorses with all the
papers and everything. We have around a hundred and they need lots of
land.’

The owners of the stud farm are proud of their fine horses and the
distinguished history of the farm, which was founded in 1902, and
point out that the majority of its 100 grooms are Azerbaijani. They
also say that they are confident of investment from the United States
following a recent successful visit by horse specialists from
Kentucky.

However, many local villagers said that they thought the farm’s main
business was actually selling wheat to neighbouring Armenia – not
that they objected to this in and of itself.

`We don’t care who they sell their wheat to,’ said Gasham Garaev.
`It’s the land we want.’

But following the violent death of Hilal Idrisova, they are demanding
that her killers be brought to justice.

The Kvemo Kulari and Kirikhlo residents had expressed their anger
repeatedly before the shooting incident, disrupting horse farmers’
sowing work and blocking the local highway.

According to one local, Levan Mamaladze – the former governor of
Kvemo Kartli under ex-president Eduard Shevardnadze – promised the
Azerbaijanis the disputed land used by the stud farm in exchange for
their votes during the 2000 presidential campaign. Mamaladze is now
in hiding after being charged with the embezzlement of millions of
dollars.

His successor Soso Mazmishvili refused to be held responsible for any
deal or promise made before his time in office. `I told them I would
look into it,’ he told IWPR. `I’m not a feudal lord to promise any
land to anyone.’

But one week ago Mazmishvili himself was dismissed and replaced as
governor by Zurab Melikishvili, the minister for regional policy and
a former close ally of President Saakishvili.

`I hope we can work this out,’ Melikishvili told IWPR his on first
day in office. `In any case, we will have to try to [persuade] the
stud farm cede some land to the people.’

Meanwhile, the dispute in Kvemo Kartli has provoked anger in
Azerbaijan, where parliamentary speaker Murtuz Aleskerov told the
national media, `Saakashvili had promised the Azerbaijanis would be
represented in executive and legislative government and law
enforcement agencies.

`He also promised to resolve the land issue. But none of this has
materialised.’

Azerbaijani analyst Rasim Musabekov believes that the quarrel is a
symptom of both nations’ change in administration. `There was a time
when the authoritarian ruler of Azerbaijan could resolve issues with
his Georgian counterpart, but not anymore,’ he said. `Now a lot will
depend on Georgia’s Azerbaijanis themselves and how active and
persistent they are.’

Sofo Bukiya is a reporter for the newspaper 24 Hours in Tbilisi. Rauf
Orujev, a reporter for the Ekho newspaper, contributed to this report
from Baku.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

European Report
December 15, 2004

EU/TURKEY: CONSENSUS COMING TOGETHER ON ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS IN
THE SECOND HALF OF 2005

EU Foreign Ministers remained divided on a date for launching
accession talks with Turkey at the conclusion of their meeting in
Brussels on December 13. The issue will have to be settled by Heads
of State and Government at European Summit on December 16 and 17. A
date in October 2005 is mentioned most often by diplomats and appears
to be supported by a significant majority of Member States. However,
persistent differences on other items point to furious bargaining
behind the scenes in the run-up to the European Council. Firm
supporters of Turkey’s accession such as Germany and the United
Kingdom, lukewarm supporter France and detractors such as Austria
continue to lock horns. Austria in particular wants open-ended
negotiations with no guarantee of Turkish membership at the end of
the line.

Date for negotiations.

A significant majority of Member States, including Germany and the
United Kingdom, support the opening of negotiations in “autumn 2005
and most probably October 2005”. France in particular is keen to
avoid the Turkish issue interfering with the referendum on the
European Constitution, scheduled for spring 2005, concerned lest it
lend weight to the arguments of those campaigning for its rejection.
Whereas the Dutch Presidency of the EU and Turkey are pressing for
negotiations to begin in the first half of 2005, France is keen that
talks should not begin before July 2005.

Objective of the negotiations.

In order to reassure the general public and political circles, France
has called for the conclusions of the European Summit on December 17
to state that this is an “open and transparent process”. This formula
would leave the door open to an alternative “structure for
co-operation between the EU and Turkey” instead of EU membership
should the negotiations break down. The French Minister Michel
Barnier nevertheless declined to suggest what form this option might
take, choosing not to mention the “privileged partnership” defended
notably by Germany’s CDU Conservatives. President Jacques Chirac has
indeed already promised the French people that they will be consulted
at the appropriate juncture through a referendum on Turkish
accession. Besides public opinion which, according to a poll
published on December 13 by the daily Le Figaro, is 67% against
Turkish accession, France’s politicians are also opposed, notably
within the ruling right, which is divided on the issue up to the very
highest level.

Dutch Foreign Minister and acting Council President Bernard Bot
insisted there can never be a “Plan B” for Turkey whilst
acknowledging that the negotiating process remains open.

Other Member States like Austria and Denmark would prefer to offer
Ankara a “privileged partnership or special status” instead of full
accession. However, this option does not appear to be shared by the
other Member States. Berlin which firmly supports Turkey’s candidacy,
believes the opening of negotiations is in the interest of both
Turkey and the Union. “We are not deciding today on Turkey’s entry
into the EU, which might take at least 15 years”, said Joschka
Fischer. He believes negotiations should have but one goal: full
membership in the EU. He warns that “weakening this objective in
whatever way might strike a fatal blow to the process of
modernisation and reforms that has been so beneficial to Turkey”.

Cypriot question.

During the debate, Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou called for
a gesture from Turkey before the March 2005 European Summit on the
“normalisation” of relations with the Republic of Cyprus, which
Ankara still doesn’t recognise. Mr Iacovou suggested this
normalisation might stem from the extension by the Turkish Government
of the EU/Turkey customs union agreement of 1996 to the 10 new Member
States. Such a measure would de facto represent a first step towards
recognition of the Cypriot Republic by Ankara. Mr Bot, echoed by Mr
Barnier, suggested the normalisation of relations between Turkey and
Cyprus is not “a legal pre-requisite for the launch of negotiations
with Ankara”. However, he added that it is “necessary and logical” if
Turkey wishes to join the Union. “I am negotiating with Ankara and
Nicosia and I remain optimistic as to the outcome of these
discussions”, said Mr Bot. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan meanwhile repeated during a visit to Brussels on December 10,
that Turkey’s recognition of Cyprus is not one of the so-called
Copenhagen criteria.

Armenian genocide.

At France’s behest, the issue of the Armenian genocide was once again
raised. Mr Barnier indicated that France will request in the course
of accession negotiations with Ankara that the issue of “recognition
of the Armenian tragedy” be raised. He suggested that since the
European project is built on the notion of reconciliation with others
and with one’s own past “Turkey must make this gesture”. This demand,
which Mr Bot claims is not covered by the Copenhagen criteria, has
thus far been given short shrift by Turkey which rejects the claim
that the death toll among Armenians in 1915 amounts to a “genocide”.

Parliamentary debates.

The European Parliament is meanwhile expected to vote by a clear
majority at its plenary session on December 15 to adopt the report by
Camiel Eurlings (EPP, Netherlands) on Turkey’s accession, even though
a debate on December 13 confirmed the national differences reflected
in European public opinion. Subject to some 80 amendments, the
European Parliament should adopt a non-binding opinion, the final
decision resting with the December 17 European Council. Echoing the
Commission’s recommendations of October 6, the Eurlings report
proposes opening negotiations without undue delay, whilst listing a
series of conditions that must be met by Turkey, notably recognition
of the Republic of Cyprus and zero tolerance of torture. Whilst
referring to an “open process”, the report does not go so far as to
envisage an alternative to accession. Mr Eurlings is supported within
the EPP by Spanish, Italian and British members, but has been
criticised by the Germans (CDU) and French (UMP). This is not however
likely to sway the outcome since he also enjoys the support of the
Socialists and the Greens.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
December 15, 2004 Wednesday 11:43 AM Eastern Time

Armenia – Russia’s outpost in South Caucasus – Duma speaker

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Armenia is Russia’s outpost in the South Caucasus, State Duma Speaker
Boris Gryzlov currently on an official visit in the Armenian capital
said on Wednesday.

The speaker of the lower house of Russian parliament discussed with
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan the prospects of Russian-Armenian
relations in view of bilateral political, economic cooperation,
harmonization of the legislation and cooperation on the international
arena, the presidential press service told Itar-Tass.

The Armenian president stressed with satisfaction the considerable
improvement of the trade structure with Russia this year. “The high
level of Russian-Armenian relations allows to achieve more results,”
Gryzlov emphasized.

The interlocutors discussed an upcoming meeting of the
intergovernmental committee on economic cooperation of the countries
in Moscow late in December.terprises that Armenia handed over to
Russia as the repayment of the state debt to Russia.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 15, 2004, Wednesday

BUILDING THE ARMY OF THE XXI CENTURY

SOURCE: Krasnaya Zvezda, December 11, 2004, p.1, 4

by Aleksei Ventslovsky

On December 10, Russia(tm)s Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met with
defense officials and diplomats accredited to Moscow. The meeting was
held in the Academy of the General Staff. The minister outlined the
major lines and priorities for defense construction in view of the
current international situation.

The priority tasks the minister named for the armed forces include
maintaining a nuclear potential enough to deter aggression and
improve the capacities of permanent combat readiness units. Mr.
Ivanov stressed that Russia makes a point of observing all previously
signed and confirmed international agreements.

In the minister’s words, the five-year defense schedule will be
completed in 2005 though there is ongoing work around drafting
conceptual documents related to this topical issue. The minister paid
particular attention to the concept of defense construction for the
period until 2021, the Scheme of the Russian Army’s construction and
development for the period until 2016, the national armaments program
for the period until 2015, the federal program of establishing
defense facilities across the country for the period until 2025.

The minister also pointed out that the Russian armed forces are
prepared to carry out preventive strikes on terrorist bases in any
place of the world and they will not use nuclear weapons at that.
According to the minister, currently there are up to 200 foreign
mercenaries in Chechnya, but there is no need for the all-out
presence of the armed forces in the republic as the law-enforcement
agencies and the special services backed by the forces deployed on
the permanent basis in the region are capable of counteracting
terrorists by themselves.

In the minister’s words, the strategic missile forces are being
re-equipped with the silo-based Topol-M missile system according to
schedule. The testing of the mobile version of the system and marine
missile system of the new generation “Bulava” is equally successful.
Besides, in the following year the Navy will adopt a nuclear
submarine of the fourth generation “Yury Dolgoruky and the air forces
will adopt two Tu-160 bombers. “A great amount of new and upgraded
defense hardware will also be supplied to the general forces,” Sergei
Ivanov reported. “It is mostly meant for permanent combat readiness
troops. On the whole, meeting the main priorities will make it
possible to establish armed forces that would be able to cope with
the challenges of the XXI century.

Sergei Ivanov made a point of international issues. As he put it,
“whether we want it or not, the armed forces remain the common tool
for achieving political goals and are a very effective means of
combating global security threats, primarily terror and weapons of
mass destruction. The minister emphasized that Russia prefers to use
political, diplomatic and other non-military ways to observe and
protect its interests though it admits it has to possess enough arms
in order to make this protection effective.

The minister observed that participation of Russian battleships in
the NATO Mediterranean Operation Active Endeavor is supposed to
promote the integration of Russia into Europe. We plan to regularly
spare one or two battleships for the operation and a support vessel
from the Black Sea Navy,” he observed. In 2005, this period will
cover three months and in the years to come it may change depending
on the situation and conditions for the operation.”

Regarding the relations between the CIS states Sergei Ivanov remarked
that in 2006 the Russian border troops will pass the authority over
the Tajik-Afghan section of the border to the Tajik forces. However,
the republic(tm)s defense forces can always count on support of the
Russian military base in Tajikistan and a special border defense task
force of Russia’s Federal Security Service that is being established
there at the moment,” he said. It should be mentioned that apart from
Tajikistan, the Russian troops maintain a presence in Georgia,
Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. These troops are equally important for
security of Russia as well as Collective Security Treaty
member-states and the CIS on the whole.

Sergei Ivanov also spoke for establishing a joint Russia-Georgian
body for collaboration in counteracting terrorism. “We might propose
to the Georgian side to set up a counter-terror analytical center on
the basis of the Group of Russia Forces headquarters in Transcaucasia
which is situated in Tbilisi, he said. In Batumi, we can set up a
training center for counter-terror operations on sea and transport
communications. In Akhalkalaki, it is possible to set up a training
center for frontier troops and the emergency ministry staff on the
basis of the 62nd Russian military base.

At the close of the meeting the defense minister answered the
questions of foreign military diplomats.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Detroit News
Dec 15 2004

What kind of kids love opera? 3,000 will find out on Friday

By Neal Rubin / The Detroit News

Ed Hingelberg, the first person I ever heard sing “Amazing Grace” to
the tune of the “Gilligan’s Island” theme song, approached me the
other day with a musical question:

What kind of kids love Armour hot dogs?

Those of you too young to remember the Armour jingle can surf
directly to Google on your hiptops and look it up. For everyone else,
stay tuned; the answer will be along shortly. If it helps, the verse
mentioned six types of children.

Meantime, consider a more elevated — yet eminently approachable —
musical format, all but gift-wrapped for the holidays.

The Motor City Lyric Opera will present “Amahl and the Night
Visitors” this weekend at the Music Hall. It’s in English, it’s
inexpensive as these things go, and it gives me a chance to answer
another musical question — what do you get when the 14th of 18 kids
marries the third of nine?

Nearly 28 years together, says Patrick Lynch, a lot of singing, and a
modest two children. “We just did the division and came up with two,”
he says, “and it seemed to work for us.”

His wife, operatic soprano Mary Callaghan Lynch, founded the MCLO in
2002. Since then, thousands of inner-city kids have seen their
productions at no cost. A robust 3,000 will attend “Amahl” Friday,
which is one of the reasons she’s hoping for a beefy turnout for the
public performances Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m.

“We desperately need to sell tickets,” she says, to make all the
charitable work possible. They’re $25 for adults and $10 for children
younger than 12; call (313) 963-2366.

This is beside the point, but the Lynches met at a funeral and were
set up by their parish priest.

His family owns five mortuaries. Patrick, a baritone, is frequently
asked to sing at services, but it was young Mary Callaghan who
provided the vocals at the funeral of a close friend of his family.

“I decided right then and there I had to have a date with her,” says
Lynch, 54, of Bloomfield Hills. Leaving little to chance, he let
future bishop Bernard Harrington of Holy Name in Birmingham do the
actual asking.

One other irrelevant but noteworthy fact: Mary Callaghan Lynch is
Aretha Franklin’s voice coach. And now on with the rest of today’s
non-sequiturs.

AMONG THE brothers and partners of Patrick Lynch is Thomas Lynch of
Milford, the noted poet. Because it’s an increasingly small world, I
found myself speaking last week to Thomas Lynch of Garden City —
also an undertaker, and no relation to the Milford Lynch, no matter
how often he’s asked.

“I met him a few years ago,” says the Garden City Lynch, “and I told
him, ‘Gosh, I’ve signed so many of your books.’ ”

THE FAMOUS Armenian vocalist Onnik Dinkjian will perform a selection
of hymns Jan. 15 at St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church in Dearborn.

They tell me he’s famous, anyway. I’d have no idea, but I figure
mentioning the show is the least I could do for the Nork Marash
Medical Center in Yerevan, Armenia, the beneficiary of the night’s
receipts.

If you’re thinking I just wanted an excuse to type the words Onnik
Dinkjian and Nork Marash a few times, well, what’s the harm?

Assuming you’re a big fan of Armenian music, by the way, you’ll want
to know that Ara Topouzian and Michael Mossoian will perform tonight
at 9 at Crave, 22075 Michigan Ave., Dearborn.

Topouzian plays the kanun and Mossoian rocks the dumbeg, an
hourglass-shaped drum. The kanun is sort of a Middle Eastern zither,
if that helps any.

I didn’t think so.

YOU CAN’T get enough lyric opera, I’ve always said, so be advised
that the Great Lakes Lyric Opera will hold a Christmas concert to
benefit Mom’s Place Friday at 7 p.m. at Beverly Hills United
Methodist Church.

Tickets are $10, or $25 maximum for parents accompanied by minor
children. Call (248) 646-9777 for details.

Chances are the program will not include the Armour hot dog song,
which went like this:

Hot dogs, Armour hot dogs,

What kind of kids love Armour hot dogs?

Big kids, little kids,

Kids who climb on rocks,

Fat kids, skinny kids, even kids with chicken pox

Love hot dogs,

Armour hot dogs,

The dogs kids love to bite!

Neal Rubin appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him
at (313) 222-1874,

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Macedonian Press Agency, Greece
Dec 15 2004

THE EU SUMMIT OPENS TOMORROW
Athens, 15 December 2004 (13:08 UTC+2)

The consultation on the European Council Summit to get underway
tomorrow and expected to define Turkey’s European future, is in full
progress in Brussels.

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis in a statement to Turkish news
agency Anadolu reiterates Greece’s support to Turkey’s European
prospect stressing, however, that the country should respect
international law and the European acquis.

Meanwhile, France will raise the issues of the Armenian genocide and
Cyprus.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that his country
will not accept new terms imposed by the EU, while the head of the
Turkish diplomacy Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul asked for a date for
the opening of EU accession negotiations for Turkey in 2005.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Bloomberg
Dec 15 2004

Turkey Urged by EU Parliament to Boost Democracy (Update1)

Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) — Turkey should strengthen human rights, curb
corruption and limit the army’s role in politics to win European
Union membership, the European Parliament said in endorsing the
opening of talks to admit the bloc’s first mostly Muslim member.

The parliament in Strasbourg, France said today that EU membership
wouldn’t be guaranteed during negotiations with Turkey that may last
more than 10 years. Other possible outcomes include a “privileged
partnership” urged by politicians in EU nations including France.

“The Turkish authorities still have to adopt and implement further
reforms and put current reforms into practice,” the 732- seat
assembly said in a non-binding resolution. EU leaders will decide
when and under what terms to start entry talks with Turkey at a
two-day summit in Brussels starting tomorrow.

The parliament serves as a barometer of European attitudes toward
Turkey, which would transform the 25-nation EU by joining. The
country borders Iraq, Syria and Iran and its population of 70 million
people is larger than the combined population of the 10 mainly
Eastern European countries that joined the EU this year.

The European Commission recommended in October the opening of talks,
which may boost the Turkish economy and contribute to Middle Eastern
stability. The commission, the EU’s executive arm, also proposed an
“emergency brake” to halt the process should Turkey stray from the
bloc’s political and economic roadmap.

Timetable

Turkey pressed the EU’s national government heads to authorize the
start of talks with no new conditions.

“We don’t expect a condition we cannot accept, but if such a
condition is forced upon us, we won’t accept it,” Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters at Ankara airport today before
flying to Brussels. “We will put this thing in the refrigerator then
and move on with our lives.”

Erdogan is counting on the prospect of membership to boost foreign
investors’ confidence in the Turkish economy, helping bring down
unemployment and the costs of financing $220 billion in debt.

“The opening of negotiations will be the starting point for a
long-lasting process that by its very nature is an open-ended
process,” said the EU parliament.

Lawmakers expressed concerns about “hundreds” of reported cases of
torture in Turkey over the past two years, religious discrimination,
corruption that “seriously affects economic, political and social
life,” and the military’s influence over the government.

Cyprus

The parliament said it was also concerned about the presence of
30,000 Turkish troops in northern part of EU member Cyprus, divided
since Turkey invaded the Mediterranean island three decades ago.

The northern Turkish-speaking region, whose government is recognized
only by Turkey, remains outside the EU because the Greek-speaking
southern part rejected a United Nations-backed unification plan
earlier this year.

The EU assembly objected to Turkey’s refusal to recognize Cyprus.
This concern is a potential obstacle to the start of talks and was
echoed by Commission President Jose Barroso.

“If you want to become a member of a club, isn’t it normal to
recognize other members?” Barroso said in a parliament floor debate.

Turkey may resolve this problem by signing a protocol extending an
association accord with the EU to Cyprus, a Dutch diplomat told
reporters in Brussels. EU leaders will probably agree to start talks
in the second half of 2005, a German government official told
reporters in Berlin.

Germany, France at Odds

The prospect of Turkish membership has split the EU including
traditional allies Germany and France. Germany’s Social
Democratic-led ruling coalition wants talks to start next year with
membership as the sole goal, while France’s right-of-center
government wants a minimum one-year delay and a reference in the
negotiating mandate to a possible result falling short of accession.

A poll by market researcher Ifop for Le Figaro newspaper showed that
67 percent of French respondents and 55 percent of Germans oppose
Turkey’s candidacy. Ifop surveyed 4,813 people in Germany, France,
Italy, Spain and the U.K. from Nov. 25 to Dec. 3. The company gave no
margin of error for the survey.

Politicians including France’s Nicolas Sarkozy, the former
right-of-center finance minister who may run for president in 2007,
have expressed opposition to Turkish membership. They cite the
financial cost of accepting a nation where production per person is
about a quarter of the EU average and a loss of the bloc’s political
and cultural identity.

Unemployment

Turkey had unemployment of more than 10 percent at the end of 2003
and inflation topped 50 percent for 20 of the past 30 years. By 2025,
it would eat up about 16 percent of the EU’s 100 billion euro ($133
billion) annual budget, according to the commission.

With higher birthrates than EU countries such as Germany and France,
Turkey could also gain more voting clout in the EU than existing
members have.

EU parliament members who oppose Turkish membership failed to push
through amendments to the resolution mentioning the need for an
alternative to accession, Turkey’s “Asian” character and the EU’s
“Christian roots.”

Members concerned about human rights succeeded in adding an amendment
calling for a formal acknowledgment by Turkey of its responsibility
for the massacre of Armenians in 1915. The amendment calls on the
commission and the EU’s national governments to demand that Turkey
recognize the “genocide.”

Pressure Point

“We need to exert pressure and make sure Turkey knows what needs to
change,” said Dutch Conservative EU lawmaker Camiel Eurlings, who
steered the resolution through parliament. The assembly approved it
by a vote of 407 to 262 with 29 abstentions.

Turkey’s ties with the EU began with a 1963 trade accord that the
bloc suspended during subsequent periods of military rule in Ankara
and encompass a customs union created in 1995. Turkey formally
applied for membership in 1987 and was given candidate status in
1999.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Jonathan Stearns in the Brussels bureau at
or [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Catherine Hickley at [email protected].

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
Dec 15 2004

The Worrying Developments of the Debate in France
by Didier Billion
Deputy Director of IRIS

It is often said that the debates over Turkey’s application for
membership into the European Union (EU) reveal the fact that the
European project has come to a standstill and that they reflect a
lack of vision from its leaders. This remark is quite relevant but
does not explain why this issue has become so impassioned and
exacerbated in France. It is therefore necessary to assess the
reasons for such agitation, because many European observers are
having difficulties understanding why a country which has in recent
history shown Turkey real and frequent political support should have
these concerns.

Many analysts suggest that one reason for France’s reluctance could
be a result of religious matters. Although this case is acceptable,
it only partially reflects the complexity of this issue. It is
otherwise difficult to understand why other members of the European
Union, with strong religious beliefs, such as Spain, Italy and
Poland, are as far as they are concerned rather favourable to the
prospect of Turkish membership. When one considers the worrying
progression of Islamophobia in France, it is obvious that the
religious dimension explains, in part, some of the tensions. In
reality, the religious issue meets with such a negative response due
to the French political structure.

In France the Front National, a right wing extremist party, has grown
over the years and now obtains 15 to 18% of the ballots. This party
is followed closely by an affiliated faction of sovereignists, which
obtains 4-10% of the votes. These two political trends have made the
refusal of Turkey’s membership one of the main lines of their
political stance. They would try to make you believe that what is at
stake is the protection of a Christian West. The fact that such
totally idiotic remarks should be uttered in the homeland of the
Enlightenment, of the French Revolution and of human rights, shows
just how distressing the decline in standard of the political and
intellectual debate has become …

But worse can perhaps be found elsewhere! Opposition to Turkey’s
accession took a turn for the worst and spread among the ranks of the
right wing’s majority when Nicolas Sarkozy used it as a lever in his
fight with Jacques Chirac. One could then witness the UMP (i.e. Union
for Popular Movement, the largest French conservative party) members
changing sides and swinging over to the cons. The right wing parties
have therefore used Turkey’s issue as a strategic tool in the
political fight for purely mean electoral motives. The right wing
leaders chose an issue, which was supposed to curb the growing weight
and progress of the Front National while, they wrongly believed, at
the same time soothing the fears of part of the political opinion.
Such a populist drift clearly does not do justice to the historical
stakes involved in Turkey’s entry into the E.U. One can then
legitimately wonder about the second-rate quality of political
officials who prefer to feed what they believe to be fears generated
by the construction of the European Union, rather than drawing
constructive and stimulating prospects for the future in order to
strengthen the E.U. One also ought to consider the fact that some
leaders of the Socialist party are not doing any better to set
themselves apart. Although one must acknowledge the fact they do not
use the religious issue as a political tool, they are nonetheless
embarking on a kind of demagogic spiral, intensified by the Armenian
lobby’s pressures, known for its influence on some socialist
representatives.

Fortunately, contrary to this politicking abuse of the debate, the
State, and in particular the presidency of the Republic and the
ministry of Foreign Affairs, brings credit on itself by firmly
maintaining its stance, by giving its policy long term perspective,
and by underlining the advantages for the E.U to integrate Turkey at
the end of the negotiating period.

Such a drift was in fact possible in France because of the existence,
in the background, of a favourable environment as regards to the idea
itself of the European construction. This vision comes from a
fundamental contradiction regarding the issue of the E.U’s future and
the role France intends to have. Paris considers that it must play a
central role in the European process and that the E.U. ought to
reflect its own values, models and ways of life. Yet, with the
ongoing enlargement of the European Union, this stance becomes less
and less relevant. This explains how the French identity crisis, in
the face of the other European countries, is taking such a
considerable role in Turkey’s chances of accession. If France was
convinced to keep its central position in the E.U. it would be less
inclined to see Turkey’s application as an Anglo-Saxon plot aimed at
weakening its own vision of Europe. It is worrying to note that today
Turkey fills this particular need felt by some countries to form
their identity against the other and it is unbearable that she should
bear the brunt. Inopportunely it really seems that in the aftermath
of September 11, 2001, Islam has become the epitome of “Otherness” in
the French collective unconscious.

The debate about Turkey’s membership must be dignified and
dispassionate because it deals with the future of Europe and its role
in the future world.

(IRIS = Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques –
Paris)

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IranMania News, Iran
Dec 15 2004

Iran sports news in brief

LONDON, Dec 15 (IranMania)

– Farhad Kazemi, head coach of Iran’s Sepahan Club banned the players
belonging to the ethnic Armenian minority in Iran from going on
Christmas vacation. Sepahan is to represent Iran in the Asian Clubs
contests which will kick off in December.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Jakarta Post, Indonesia
Dec 15 2004

Dividing the Ukraine, Putin’s imperial dream

Vytautas Landsbergis, Project Syndicate

To divide a people in order to conquer them is an immoral strategy
that has endured throughout recorded history. From Alexander the
Great to Stalin the Cruel, variants of that strategy have been used
to keep nations in thrall to the will of an emperor.

We are now seeing this strategy at work again as President Vladimir
Putin stealthily seeks to restore Kremlin supremacy over the lands
treated as “lost” when the USSR imploded in 1991. In so overplaying
his hand in Ukraine’s recent election, however, Putin clearly
revealed to the world his neo-imperialist designs.

In the wake of the euphoric mass protests in Kyiv, Russia’s president
has since said that he can work with whatever government Ukraine’s
people choose. These are mere words, for in mind and action Putin
does not want anyone to rule Ukraine that he has not put in place. No
price is too high to achieve that end, so traditional threats about
dividing Ukraine have been used.

I speak as someone who has been on the receiving end of Russian
imperialist designs. When Lithuania and then the other Baltic States
— Estonia and Latvia — which were occupied by Stalin early in World
War II, seized their opportunity for freedom in 1990-1991, the
Kremlin did not sit on its hands. It knew that the rest of Russia’s
colonies — the so-called “Soviet republics” — would want to follow
the ungrateful Baltic countries into freedom.

Although Russia’s rulers were by then communists in name only, they
didn’t hesitate to reach for the old Leninist recipes. They began to
foster and incite splits and confrontations. They stoked supposed
resentments among different national or ethnic communities based on
Lenin’s idea that even small groups of villages could demand
territorial autonomy.

Note the word “territory.” The demands were never about normal
cultural autonomy as a means of continued identity and supposed
self-protection. Only territorial autonomy, it seems, would do.

This way, minorities become easily manipulated majorities. Divide
enough, stoke enough resentment, and a nation becomes nothing more
than a ruined society within a national territory. Arm some of these
manufactured minority structures so that they can demand autonomy at
the barrel of a gun, and you get the kind of chaos the Kremlin can
use to reassert its control.

Fortunately, Lithuanians — as well as Estonians and Latvians —
understood this game. It failed also in Crimea when Russia sought to
deploy its old strategy of divide and rule there in 1991. But these
defeats did not inspire the Kremlin to abandon the basic strategy. On
the contrary, Russia’s imperial ambitions persisted, and persistence
has paid off.

Around the Black Sea, Russia has called into being a series of
artificial statelets. Georgia and Moldova have both been partitioned
through the creation of criminal mini-states nurtured by the Kremlin
and which remain under its military umbrella. Indeed, in the very
week that Putin was meddling in Ukraine’s presidential election, he
was threatening to blockade one of those statelets, Georgia’s
Abkhazia region, after it had the temerity to vote for a president
the Kremlin did not like.

Moldova has been particularly helpless in the face of the Kremlin’s
imperial designs. A huge Russian garrison remains deployed in
Transdneister, where it rules in collaboration with local gangs.
Proximity to this lawless territory has helped make Moldova the
poorest land in Europe. To the east, Armenia and Azerbaijan were
pushed into such bloody confrontation at the Kremlin’s instigation
that the only way for them to end their ethnic wars was to call in
the Russians — as in Transdneister — for a kind of “Pax Ruthena.”

Now Ukraine’s people may face a similar test after supporters of
Viktor Yanukovich threatened to seek autonomy should the rightful
winner of the country’s presidential vote, Viktor Yushchenko,
actually become president. Who can doubt that the hand of Russia is
behind this? Would Moscow’s mayor Yuri Luzkhov, a loyal creature of
Putin, have dared to attend the rally where autonomy was demanded
without the sanction of the Kremlin’s elected monarch? Indeed, Putin
openly claims this part of Ukraine as a Russian “internal matter.”

It is to be hoped that Ukraine’s Russian-speaking citizens, having
witnessed the economic despair — and sometimes the bloodshed —
caused by the Kremlin’s manufactured pro-autonomy movements, will
realize that they are being turned into Putin’s pawns. The test for
Viktor Yushchenko and his Orange revolutionaries, as it was for
Lithuania’s democrats in 1990-1991, is to show that democracy does
not mean that the majority suppresses any minority. Lithuania passed
that test; I am confident that Viktor Yushchenko and his team will do
so as well.

But Europe and the world are also being tested. Russia is passing
from being the Russian Federation of Boris Yeltsin to a unitary
authoritarian regime under Vladimir Putin and his former KGB
colleagues. Europe, America, and the wider world must see Putin’s
so-called “managed democracy” in its true light, and must stand
united against his neo-imperialist dreams.

The first step is to make Russia honor its binding commitment to the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as to
the Council of Europe, to remove its troops from Moldova and Georgia.
Any plans to “defend” Yanukovich and the eastern part of Ukraine by
military force must be confronted.

Vytautas Landsbergis, Lithuania’s first President after independence
from the Soviet Union, is now a Member of the European Parliament.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress