Author: Andres-Papazian

DAMAS SE FELICITE DU REFUS D’ANKARA D’UNE ATTAQUE A PARTIR DE LA TURQUIE
Ara

armenews.com
jeudi 8 decembre 2011

DAMAS, 7 dec 2011 (AFP) – La Syrie se felicite des declarations
d’Ankara, qui a dit ne pas autoriser des attaques contre d’autres
pays a partir de la Turquie, a declare mercredi le porte-parole du
ministère syrien des Affaires etrangères.

“Nous accueillons avec satisfaction toute declaration turque visant
a preserver le bon voisinage avec la Syrie”, a affirme Jihad Makdessi.

“Nous regrettons que les choses se soient (degradees), et nous sommes
attaches a ce que les relations soient bonnes avec les pays voisins,
particulièrement avec la Turquie”.

“Si la partie turque decide de revoir ses positions injustifiees
(vis-a-vis de Damas NDLR), nous serons prets alors a reprendre la
cooperation”, a ajoute M. Makdessi , precisant que Damas etait “attache
a la securite et a la stabilite de la Turquie et esperait que ce
sentiment etait reciproque”. Damas a annonce avoir fait echouer lundi
soir une infiltration de “groupes terroristes” dans la province d’Idleb
(nord-ouest) depuis la Turquie voisine. Un diplomate turc a repondu
que son pays n’autorisait pas d’attaque contre les pays voisins.

La Turquie accueille environ 7.500 Syriens qui ont fui la repression
des manifestations anti-gouvernementales dans leur pays. Elle
accueille aussi des deserteurs de l’armee syrienne, dont le colonel
Riad al-Assaad, le chef de l’Armee libre syrienne, qui mène depuis
plusieurs semaines des attaques contre les forces regulières et
les milices pro-regime. La Turquie s’est joint a la Ligue arabe,
et a impose des sanctions au regime de Damas, accuse de reprimer
ferocement des manifestations anti-gouvernementales. Ankara a ainsi
gele les echanges commerciaux avec la Syrie, qui est un de ses
principaux partenaires economiques, et coupe les liens entre les
banques centrales des deux pays.

En reponse, la Syrie a suspendu l’accord de libre echange, augmente
ses tarifs douaniers et mis des entraves a la circulation des camions
a ses frontières.

From: A. Papazian

LES PAUVRES GENS DE GUEDIGUIAN

Cyberpresse

7 dec 2011
Canada

Stephanie Vallet , La Presse

Marseille, le bruit des cigales et la grogne des ouvriers syndiques.

Avec Les neiges du Kilimandjaro (du titre de la chanson de Pascal
Danel), Robert Guediguian est bien de retour a L’Estaque, ce quartier
du nord de Marseille où il a grandi et fait evoluer ses personnages,
de Dernier ete, son premier film, a Marius et Jeannette.

Le cineaste y retrouve sa famille de comediens, Jean-Pierre Darroussin,
Ariane Ascaride (sa conjointe) et Gerard Meylan, près de 15 ans après
leurs derniers emois dans la cite phoceenne.

“Tous les 10 ans, je fais le point sur le quartier où je suis ne. Je
reevalue l’etat de la solidarite ouvrière, de ces pauvres gens. Je
voulais donc revenir sur les lieux du crime et faire le point pour
voir comment les choses ont change”, explique-t-il en entrevue.

Librement inspiree d’un poème de Victor Hugo (Les pauvres gens),
cette fable politique raconte l’histoire de Michel (Jean-Pierre
Darroussin), un representant syndical d’une solidarite exemplaire,
force a la preretraite a la suite d’une vague de licenciements,
qui coule des jours paisibles aux côtes de sa compagne, Marie-Claire
(Ariane Ascaride).

Le couple fete ses 30 ans de mariage entoure de ses enfants, amis et
collègues, qui leur ont offert un voyage en Tanzanie. Un bonheur qui
va rapidement voler en eclats en raison d’un violent braquage a leur
domicile organise par l’un des jeunes ouvriers licencies avec Michel,
qui considère pourtant ce dernier comme un petit bourgeois.

“Ce qui a change depuis Marius et Jeannette, c’est que la division
du monde ouvrier n’existait pas encore de manière aussi forte
qu’aujourd’hui. Les Italiens appellent ca “La guerre des pauvres””,
explique Robert Guediguian.

“Ce qui est le plus difficile, c’est d’essayer de rester fidèle a ses
idees en vieillissant. C’est la question que se posent les personnages
du film en disant: Qu’auraient pense les jeunes gens militants que
nous etions des adultes que nous sommes devenus? “, poursuit-il.

Jean-Pierre Darroussin incarne Michel, un justicier, sorte d’hybride
entre Jean Jaurès et Spider-Man, dont l’humanisme le mènera jusqu’au
pardon et a l’empathie envers son agresseur. “C’est un personnage
très proche de moi et de ma famille. Mon père aurait pu etre comme
ca, car mes parents etaient des ouvriers et j’ai ete forme par cette
culture-la, cette ambition d’etre fier tout en etant au service d’un
patron”, note le comedien.

Au prochain rendez-vous

Si Robert Guediguian travaille actuellement a l’ecriture d’un prochain
film sur l’Armenie, dans lequel il projette d’observer comment
une communaute reste soudee sur trois generations autour de l’idee
du genocide et de sa reconnaissance, il souhaite dès que possible
se faire a nouveau le porte-parole des pauvres gens de l’Estaque,
a condition de toujours pouvoir le faire avec sa troupe de comediens.

“On reste fidèle a cette idee qu’on avait quand on etait jeune de
faire une troupe de cinema. On a cette liberte, cette resistance
de ne pas etre dans le metier totalement comme tout le monde, car
on est un peu les proprietaires de notre manière de travailler”,
explique Jean-Pierre Darroussin, qui incarnera Maître Panisse dans la
trilogie de Marcel Pagnol Marius, Fanny et Cesar, portee a nouveau
l’ecran par Daniel Auteuil et dont le tournage se fera a Marseille
d’avril a juillet prochain.

“Pour le moment, je vais me consacrer a l’ecriture de deux scenarios.

Je me dis qu’il y aura peut-etre un qui va plaire! Le premier parle
de schizophrenie, de manière assez humoristique et surrealiste, et le
second, d’un agent en communication au coeur de scandales financiers”,
conclut Jean-Pierre Darroussin.

From: A. Papazian

ARF’S INITIATIVE NOT BACKED BY THE PARLIAMENT

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 8, 2011
YEREVAN

The claim presented by the ARF on expressing vote of no confidence to
the Armenian Government was put for voting today. Armenpress reports
before the voting started, representative of the Heritage faction
Armen Martirosyan asked to take the floor and on behalf of the RPA
faction, vice-speaker Eduard Sharmazanov asked to speak up and noted
that their party will vote against it.

Sharmazanov said it is natural that an opposition party demands
resignation of government, pointing out that the RPA too speaks
for systematic changes in the country but there is no need for the
government to resign.

The initiative of the ARF was backed by 13 members of parliament,
48 voted against and 4 abstained.

From: A. Papazian

OFFICIAL: EXPANSION OF MEDIA RELATIONS WITH NEIGHBORS A PRIORITY

IRNA
Decemver 6, 2011
Tehran

Tehran, Dec 6, IRNA – Expansion of media relations with neighboring
countries is a priority, Iranian Deputy Culture Minister for Press
Affairs Mohammad-Jafar Mohammadzadeh said here Monday.

He made the remarks in his meeting with visiting Head of the Public
and Political Affairs Department at the Presidential Administration
of Azerbaijan Ali Hasanov.

The official stressed the need for closer and deeper cultural relations
between Tehran and Baku.

‘Islamic unity among the regional countries can prevent the colonial
purposes of the arrogant powers and the Zionist regime and help the
establishment of a new Middle East based on the people’s votes,’he
said.

Hassanov, for his part, emphasized the need for further development
of relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic
of Azerbaijan.

‘Hostile media are trying to disturb good relations between the
Iranian media and the Azerbaijan Republic media,’ he stated.

Teh Head of the Public and Political Affairs Department at the
Presidential Administration had also a meeting with the head of Iran’s
national broadcaster, IRIB.

Iran has an embassy in Baku and a consulate-general in Nakhchivan
City. Azerbaijan has an embassy in Tehran and a consulate-general in
Tabriz. Both countries are full members of the Economic Cooperation
Organization (ECO) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Iran and Azerbaijan have also both majority Shi’a populations and
share many cultural connections.

Nevertheless, the relations between the two republics are developing.

On December 20, 2005, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev and the
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attended the opening ceremony
of a new gas pipeline from Iran to Azerbaijan’s landlocked Nakhchivan
Autonomous Region, which is separated from the mainland of Azerbaijan
by a strip of Armenian territory. Nakhchivan has been cut off from
gas supplies as a result of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh. Under a 25-year swap contract signed between the
two countries in August 2004, the new pipeline will supply the region
with Iranian natural gas. Azerbaijan will also deliver its gas to
Iran’s northeastern provinces.

On February 3, 2007 Azerbaijan’s minister of communications and
information technology, Ali Abbasov, and the head of the Iranian
State Broadcasting Agency, Ezzatollah Zarghami, signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral media cooperation.

From: A. Papazian

CLINTON TO STRESS DEMOCRACY, RIGHTS IN OSCE TALKS

Agence France Presse
December 5, 2011 Monday 9:23 PM GMT

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Vilnius Monday to
promote democracy and human rights in the ex-Soviet bloc and Central
Asia, including media rights in the digital age, aides said.

Clinton will discuss Tuesday the crackdown on the political opposition
in Belarus and Ukraine at a meeting of the 56-nation Organisation
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Lithuania’s capital
Vilnius, they said.

The chief US diplomat, they said, will meet a dozen activists from
authoritarian Belarus, Lithuania’s neighbour where strongman Alexander
Lukashenko has jailed his political opponents.

Clinton will discuss “first and foremost” the situation in Belarus
where two presidential candidates from last December’s election are
still in prison, a senior State Department official said.

“We consider them political prisoners,” the official told reporters
on the condition of anonymity during Clinton’s flight from Bonn,
Germany to Vilnius.

Officials said she will also raise the case of Ukraine’s opposition
leader Yulia Tymoshenko who was jailed for seven years in October
in what she has been described as a political vendetta by President
Victor Yanukovych.

Yanukovych clinched a narrow victory over her last year in a bitter
national poll.

Clinton has said she also would discuss with OSCE officials their new
report about irregularities in the Russian parliamentary elections,
including alleged attempts to stuff ballot boxes.

During her visit here, Clinton “will draw particular attention
to questions of media freedom, protections of journalists, and
particularly protection of journalists in the digital age,” a US
official said.

The United States, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada and other countries
are pushing for the OSCE to adopt a document supporting the fundamental
freedoms of journalists in the the digital age, US officials said.

There is particular concern that bloggers and other journalists
using electronic media are being targeted in “all of the countries
of Central Asia, Belarus, Russia, Turkey,” a second State Department
official said.

The document would require unanimous support to pass, which is not
guaranteed, officials said.

And Clinton, the aides said, will discuss Moldova’s simmering
two-decade conflict with breakaway Transdniestr region as well as
the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis, who will meet Clinton
on Tuesday, told AFP that Lithuania is the “best location to send a
strong signal supporting democratic leaders and organisations.”

Former Soviet-ruled Lithuania, now a European Union member, is coming
to the end of its year-long term as president of the 56-nation OSCE,
whose membership stretches from the United States to Russia and
Central Asia.

The OSCE, which aims to monitor and encourage democracy and human
rights in its region, was spun out of an earlier body created to ease
Cold War tensions.

From: A. Papazian

ROUND TABLE ON KARABAKH CONFLICT TO BE HELD IN FRENCH SENATE

news.az
Dec 6 2011
Azerbaijan

A discussion on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
is to be held in the French Senate on 8 December.

The round table will discuss the topics “Conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan, forgotten conflict” and “French co-chair of the OSCE
Minsk Group”, ANS PRESS reported.

France is one of three co-chairs, alongside Russia and the USA,
of the OSCE Minsk Group, the international body seeking to mediate
a solution to the Karabakh conflict.

The Azerbaijani embassy in France has helped to organize the event,
which will involve deputies, politicians and historians from both
countries.

A photo exhibition on the conflict will be organized to accompany the
round table and traditional mugam music will be performed by singers
(khanende) from Karabakh.

From: A. Papazian

THE BENEFITS OF THE DERSIM APOLOGY TO TURKISH-US TIES
by Ali H. Aslan

Today’s Zaman
Nov 28 2011
Turkey

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s apology made on behalf of the
state to the Alevi-Kurdish citizens of Dersim for the massacres and
deportations they were subjected to in the 1930s will improve Turkey’s
image in the West and in the United States, and will particularly
increase its capacity to act in the US Congress.

The representatives of certain non-Muslim groups of Ottoman origin in
the United States use every opportunity to defame Turkey. At the base
of these extrajudicial executions in the Diaspora lie past accounts
and prejudices. Many tragic events that took place in our region,
the Armenian deportations in particular, are constantly put under
scrutiny with great exaggeration. The claim is that Turkey always
denies its past mistakes and that is why it is not a democracy
that deserves a place in the western world. The self-criticism on
Dersim that Prime Minister Erdogan’s made on behalf of the state,
will weaken such accusations and will provide the friends of Turkey
in Europe and the United States with a precious counter-argument.

This month, the US Congress opened once again its history books
against Turkey. The Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs
at the House of Representatives asked to discuss draft bill 2362 in
favour of Turkey. (The bill allows Turkish companies to invest in
lands assigned to native tribes without a need for approval by the US
federal government.) Certain congressmen affiliated with the Armenian
and Greek lobbies that were disturbed by the possibility that Turkey
will be put on the agenda in a preferential position, sent a letter
to Subcommittee Chairman Don Young. The letter signed by the Democrat
Congressmen John Sarbanes and Frank Pallone, claimed that the right
to use the tribal lands were given to Turkish companies “selectively.”

The letter read: “Turkey’s recent and past actions make this draft law
‘indefensible.'” The opposing members of the House of Representatives
requested that Turkey’s recent and past mistakes including their
treatment of the Kurds and Armenians be also addressed at the session.

Their request was not accepted. The draft law, which was later brought
before the Natural Resources Committee was sent to the Plenary Session
with 27 votes against 15, despite all the efforts to sabotage the
process.

Obama Gained a Trump Card Against Congress

Turkey has made notable progress in the field of democracy including
the latest Dersim apology, however, it seems like there will always
be critics at home and abroad who will prefer to focus on the empty
half of the glass that is getting increasingly smaller. For instance,
lately, problems concerning the freedom of press and expression have
been on the agenda. The claims and criticisms are undoubtedly not
baseless. For instance, the problems in the Counterterrorism Law are
to a great extent the factor that led to the situation of the detained
journalists who are suspected of being a member of the Ergenekon and
fall in the grey area between the right to freedom of thought and the
crime of membership in a terrorist organization. On the other hand, we
cannot deny the fact that a group of Turkish intelligentsia, among them
journalists, reflect the problems in the system to the public at home
and abroad with exaggeration and by giving misleading information. As
a result of this, there is an increase of publications that harm the
image of the Turkish democracy in the international media. Those who
are jealous of Turkey’s increasing soft power in its region could not
be any happier. They say: “How can Turkey be an example to the Arab
revolutionists with this defective democracy?” The self-criticism
on Dersim will strengthen Turkey’s exemplary position in democracy,
and will clear its way in the international arena.

Then, what does the prime minister’s apology mean in terms of
Washington? The Obama administration has gained a trump card against
Congress which always tries to obstruct the establishment of close and
strong relations with Ankara on the pretext of Turkey’s current and
past problems concerning human rights. The fact that the apology will
potentially alleviate the controversies between the Turks and the Kurds
and the Alevi and the Sunni, is another advantage for the White House
that is in favour of democratic stability in Turkey. Washington will
be pleased to see a maturing Turkish democracy becoming more compatible
with the US democracy. On the other hand, the great political goal that
Prime Minister Erdogan scored against the CHP [Republican People’s
Party], especially against its chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, in the
Dersim discussions, will cause great concern among many US authorities
and observers who wish to see a better opposition against the AKP
[Justice and Development Party]. In the final analysis, the Americans
would not want the Turkish secular circle, which they feel is closer
to themselves in the cultural sense than the religious, to lose too
much power. The people in Washington, where there is still a great
concentration of Kemalists, are particularly disturbed by the fact
that the arrows of criticism have reached Ataturk.

The prime minister’s Dersim apology is a historic development. The
Americans who openly discuss the shameful events in their history
such as slavery, discrimination against the blacks, and massacres
against the Indian population are familiar with such self-criticisms
and apologies. I am sure, though, that they were a little surprised
that Ankara achieved this. Turkey must continue its historic process
of transparency not defensively by productively like Prime Minister
Erdogan has done it. We must be able to teach certain historical facts
that we are not proud of in the formal training of our children as
it is done in leading democratic countries such as the United States.

This will help the new generations learn the virtue of apologizing,
and gain the capability of critical thinking which is one of the
fundamentals of advancement. I believe that we will have a much
stronger stand at home and abroad once all the oppressed of this
country are honoured.

[translated from Turkish]

From: A. Papazian

GROWING TENSION IN KARABAKH CONFLICT ZONE TO LEAD TO DRAMATIC CONSEQUENCES – EU REP.

news.am
Dec 6 2011
Armenia

VILNIUS.- EU representative considers important support for the OSCE
Minsk Group efforts.

Speaking during the OSCE Ministerial Council, Deputy Foreign Minister
of Poland BogusÅ~Baw Winid expressed concern over lack of progress
in the Karabakh peace process.

According to him, growing tension will lead to dramatic consequences.

In this context he stressed importance of supporting the efforts of
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent
reports from Vilnius.

Poland is holding the EU presidency.

From: A. Papazian

US VICE PRESIDENT PRESSURES TURKEY TO NORMALIZE ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

news.am
Dec 6 2011
Armenia

The Turkish press claims that, during his visit to Turkey, US Vice
President Joe Biden pressured Ankara to normalize Armenian-Turkish
relations.

During his meetings with Turkey~Rs president, PM, and parliament
speaker, Biden brought onto the agenda the Armenian-Turkish protocols,
toward normalizing relations, which were signed in 2009, Ensonhaber
website notes, referring to a senior official from the White House.

The Turkish website also recalls that, while at the US Senate, Joe
Biden always supported bills recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

From: A. Papazian

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIAN OF GREEK DESCENT BECAME NA DEPUTY SPEAKER

ARMENPRESS
DECEMBER 6, 2011
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: On December 6, Eduard Sharmazanov,
parliamentarian of Greek descent, was elected NA Deputy Speaker with
ratio of 92 yes votes to 6 no votes.

Armenpress reports that Chairman of NA Calculation Commission Gagik
Melikyan announced the results of the elections. He also informed
that no invalid ballots have been registered. Eduard Sharmazanov
expressed gratitude to all the factions for participating in the
voting. He promised to work in favor of enhancement of traditions of
the Armenian parliamentarism.

Heritage Party had forwarded the candidacy of Armen Martirosyan in the
post of NA deputy speaker. The post of NA deputy speaker was vacant
after NA Deputy Speaker Samvel Nikoyan was elected NA Speaker with
the prevailing majority of votes.

From: A. Papazian