Author: Andres-Papazian

Iran `positive’ about U.S. willingness to hold nuke talks

February 3, 2013 – 14:20 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Iran’s foreign minister is welcoming the United
States’ willingness to hold direct talks with Tehran in the standoff
over its nuclear program but isn’t committing to accepting the offer,
The Associated Press reports.

Vice President Joe Biden told a security conference Saturday, Feb 2,
the U.S. is prepared to talk directly with Iran but insisted Tehran
must show it is serious.

Iran’s Ali Akbar Salehi told the same conference Sunday that Iran
views recent U.S. statements “with positive consideration.”

But he was wary about prospects for talks. He says Iran must be sure
the U.S. has “a fair and real intention to resolve the issue” and
complains about “threatening rhetoric.”

New talks involving all five permanent members of the UN Security
Council plus Germany are due soon. Salehi said they’d be held Feb 25
in Kazakhstan.

From: A. Papazian

LA Consular Corps Annual General Meeting at the House of Armenia

16:23, 3 February, 2013

Following the tradition established in 2010, Armenia hosted the annual
general meeting and the luncheon of the Los Angeles Consular Corps on
January 31. Third largest in the world (after New York and Hong Cong),
the Los Angeles Consular corps includes almost 100 Consulates General,
Consulates and Honorary Consulates. On the last day of January 2013,
the House of Armenia in Glendale opened its doors to host the most
representative consular event of the year followed by a luncheon and a
cultural program.At the invitation of the Consul General of Armenia,
the Los Angeles County Supervisor Mr. Michael Antonovich appeared
before the consular community as a key-note speaker. CG’s past guest
speakers included the 35th Governor of California Mr. George
Duekmejian and the US Secretary of Navy, Mr. Paul Ignatius.

From: A. Papazian

REVUE DE PRESSE
Kurdes abattues : l’ombre des nationalistes turcs
Vu d’Istanbul

Par RAGIP DURAN

Tout semblait simple quand la justice française annonça la semaine
dernière la mise en examen d’Omer Güney, 30 ans, pour l’assassinat à
Paris, le 9 janvier, dans un appartement près de la Gare du Nord de
trois militantes de la guérilla kurde, dont l’une de ses figures
historiques, Sakine Cansiz. Le jeune homme servait de chauffeur et
d’accompagnateur lors de ses passages dans la capitale française à
cette fondatrice du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan qui mène la
lutte armée contre Ankara. Cela confortait l’hypothèse d’un règlement
de compte au sein de cette organisation considérée comme terroriste
aussi bien par Washington que par l’Union Européenne.

Arrivé en France en 1987 à l’ge de 5 ans, le présumé meurtrier,
employé dans une agence d’intérim comme agent d’entretien mais menant
grand train, se déclarait militant du PKK. Il venait néanmoins très
souvent- huit fois pour la seule année 2011-à Ankara. Le maire de son
village natal, près de Sivas en Anatolie centrale, assure que la
famille ne cachait pas ses opinions ultranationalistes turques, votant
régulièrement pour le Mouvement d’action nationaliste (MHP, extrême
droite turque) et plusieurs journaux affirment qu’il n’y a aucune
famille kurde sur place. Mais en France, Omer Guney, était très actif
dans les associations turques clamant sa honte d’un père kurde qui
aurait renié sa kurdité et épousé une turque.

Ce profil étrange pour un activiste de la guérilla du PKK nourrit tous
les soupçons. Qui est-il vraiment ? Et qui sont les commanditaires de
ce triple assassinat visant manifestement à saboter la négociation
entamée depuis quelques semaines entre le gouvernement
islamoconservateur de Receip Tayyip Erdogan et Abdullah Ocalan, leader
charismatique du PKK emprisonné ? Il s’agit de mettre fin à une salle
guerre qui, depuis 1984, a fait plus de 45.000 morts. « Le
gouvernement se doit de donner les éclaircissements sur qui est
vraiment Guney et s’il ne fait rien, il sera également suspect », a
déclaré hier au Parlement Gultan Kisanak, co-présidente du BDP, Parti
de la paix et de la démocratie, la principale force pro-kurde.

Ces mystères alimentent toutes les suppositions et la presse se
déchaîne. « Comment croire que Guney tout seul, ait pu tirer dix
balles sans que les trois femmes résistent », s’interroge le quotidien
populaire Hurriyet. L’affaire divise même les journalistes du
quotidien kurde Ozgur Politika. Un éditorialiste se demande si le
tueur a touché la prime prévue par une directive pour ceux qui
dénoncent les terroristes ou aident à leur arrestation. D’autres, dans
le même journal, évoquent plutôt un complot de forces
ultranationalistes visant aussi à affaiblir Erdogan.

Libération

30 janvier 2013

dimanche 3 février 2013,
Stéphane ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

PHILATELIE ARMENIENNE
La Poste d’Arménie honore l’OTSC

La Poste arménienne a émise le 17 décembre un timbre-poste sur
l’Organisation du Traité de la Sécurité Collective (OTSC),
organisation militaire regroupant la Russie, le Belarus, le
Kazakhstan, l’Arménie, le Tadjikistan et l’Ouzbékistan. Le timbre,
d’une valeur de 230 drams est émis en 40 000 exemplaires.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 3 février 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

BOXE PROFESSIONNELLE
Suzy Kendikian reprend son titre mondial WBA des super-légers

L’Arménienne Suzy Kendikian (née à Erévan en 1987) qui monte sur les
rings sous les couleurs de l’Allemagne a reconquis son titre de
champion du monde des WBA des super-légers. Le 1er février ai Dome de
Dusseldorf, Suzy Kendikian (30-2-0 dont 16 victoires avant la limite),
appelée « Killer Queen » (La reine tueuse) s’est imposée sur
l’Allemande Sanayé Zaï (7-1-0 dont 2 par K.O.). Le combat était en 10
rounds et Suzy Kendikian l’a emporté largement. Après ses deux
derniers combats qui s’étaient terminés par deux défaites, Suzy
Kendikian a ainsi retrouvé confiance par cette victoire.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 3 février 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

AZERBAÏDJAN
L’écrivain Aylisli victime de l’hystérie anti-arménienne à Bakou

La machine de propagande azérie alimentant l’hystérie anti-arménienne
est à son comble. L’écrivain azéri Akram Aylisli est la cible des
nationalistes azéris savamment entretenus et financés par le clan
Aliev. Le crime d’Akram Aylisli ? Celui d’avoir révélé dans son
dernier livre « Rêves de pierre » les crimes dont furent victimes les
Arméniens de la part des Azéris, au début du 20e siècle au
Nakhitchevan ainsi qu’à Soumgaït et Bakou à la fin du siècle dernier.
En décembre dernier, la revue russe « Droujba Narodov » avait publié
des extraits du livre d’Akram Aylisli. Avant même la parution de son
livre en azéri, Akram Aylisli essuyait une cabbale savamment
orchestrée par les nationalistes de Bakou très proches du pouvoir.
Bakou a ainsi organisé des manifestations hostiles à l’écrivain jugé «
pro-arménien » alors même que les jeunes qui défilaient devant le
domicile d’Akram Aylisli n’avaient pas lu une seule ligne du
livre…ce dernier n’étant disponible qu’en russe. Akram Aylisli est
jugé fautif d’avoir évoquée les sauvageries et massacres contre les
Arméniens exercés par les Tatars-Azéris en 1919 à Akoulis
(Nakhitchevan) ou dans les années 1988-1990 à Soumgaït et Bakou. Au
Parlement azéri, fut évoqué ce livre « Rêves de pierre » et jugé comme
« un grand coup porté à l’honneur du peuple azéri ». Nombre de
parlementaires n’hésitant pas à désigner Akram Aylisli comme «
l’ennemi de l’Azerbaïdjan ». Pire ! Le député Nizami Djafarov a même
demandé au Parlement de priver l’écrivain de sa nationalité azérie !
D’autres députés se sont alors joints pour désigner l’écrivain de «
traître ». Les médias se sont bien évidemment saisis de l’affaire et
l’hystérie est à son comble à Bakou. « Aylisli, l’Arménien doit
quitter le pays » a-t-on ainsi écrit le plus sérieusement du monde.
Dans un pays où l’Arménien ainsi que la diaspora arménienne est
déclarée par le président-dictateur Aliev comme « l’ennemi numéro un
de l’Azerbaïdjan », dans un pays où Ramil Safarov l’assassin à la
hache est devenu un héros national, Akram Aylisli doit aujourd’hui se
sentir seul. Bien seul ! Et en grand danger…

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 3 février 2013,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

From: A. Papazian

ASSAULTING ARMENIANS IN TURKEY: THIS TIME IT’S OLD LADIES

Christopher Atamian

Writer, director, producer, and translator

Posted: 01/31/2013 2:12 pm

Turkey , Armenian Genocide , Adiyaman , Alevis , Armenians , Assyrians
, Constantinople , Istanbul , Kurds , Samatya , Shabin-Karahisar ,
World News

There are few things more deleterious to human peace and mutual
understanding than knee-jerk reactionary nationalism or ethnic
generalizations. That being said, I have been shocked by the attacks
in the past few weeks that have been perpetrated in the Samatya
neighborhood of Istanbul on elderly Armenian women, one of them as she
was on her way to church. Is this the increasingly tolerant Turkey
that we keep reading about in the press and in white papers at
conferences around the world? Granted, this may be the work of one
isolated crazed killer; its effects are nonetheless chilling.

Although the Turkish police has apparently sent countless plainclothes
officers to parole the Samatya area, not enough has been done to decry
these cowardly attacks or to publicize them in the Turkish press —
the Armenian-Turkish publication Agos notwithstanding. What kind of a
coward attacks eighty- and ninety-year-old women on their way to
church, stabbing them to death in one case and beating another
senseless in the other? Coming as this does on the heels of the sixth
anniversary of Turkish-Amenian journalist and human rights activist
Hrant Dink’s assassination in front of Agos headquarters, these
attacks are particularly alarming. And given the history of
subjugation and persecution that Christians faced during the Ottoman
Empire and the upcoming 100th memorial of the Armenian genocide of
1915 — which also saw the annihilation of Turkey’s Assyrians and
Pontic Greek populations — these aggressions are particularly
shameless. The Armenian community of Istanbul, called Bolsahays in
Armenian, are understandably alarmed and cowed. As a result they have
stayed largely silent about these latest attacks on their community.

But they shouldn’t stay silent. The Bolsahays must not let the forces
of xenophobia and hatred win out. They should form neighborhood
watches and escort their elderly to and from market and church if
necessary. Along with the equally persecuted Alevi and Kurdish
minorities, they must make their voices heard as much as they can in
official and unofficial Turkish channels and become agents of change.

Easy to say, writing from the safety of the Upper West Side, some
might snicker. But the alternative is to appear defenseless and to
invite more attacks.

I happen to be a great fan of Turkish culture and the Turkish
language, and a true lover of Istanbul, once one of the world’s great
cosmopolitan cities. My Turkish friends always encourage me to visit,
to spend time, even to come back and live in Turkey as my ancestors
once did. But I need more than just these righteous few and their
welcome encouragement in order to believe that there exists a safe
haven in Turkey for people such as myself, descendants of Armenian
genocide victims deported form their homes in Shabin-Karahisar and
Adiyaman and a myriad of other villages into the Syrian desert. I need
— the entire world needs — for Turks to rise up en masse and say
enough! No more violence against our Christian, Kurdish or Alevi
minorities. We need the Turkish government to come clean and make
reparations for 1915 and we need their ongoing campaign of hatred —
in Turkish schoolbooks and on TV and in the written press — to end,
once and for all. Then Turkey can claim its rightful place as a great
country and become cosmopolitan and tolerant, one fully cognizant of
the fact that it is a country — like the United States — in fact
made up of a mosaic of interwoven and beautifully different yet
similar ethnicities and religions. It has been almost 100 years since
the Armenians of Anatolia disappeared into a haze of brutal pillage
and destruction. Turkey can transform itself from a denialist state
into a beacon of hope for the Middle East, but it must start now and
act quickly. There can be no more dithering. Time is of the essence.

From: A. Papazian

ISRAEL MUST REMOVE ALL JEWISH SETTLERS FROM OCCUPIED WEST BANK – UN INQUIRY

By RT

February 01, 2013 “RT” — A UN human rights inquiry has called on
Israel to remove all Jewish settlers from the West Bank and cease
expansion. The report said the settlements violate international law,
and are an attempt to drive out Palestinians through intimidation.

“Israel must, in compliance with article 49 of the Fourth Geneva
Convention, cease all settlement activities without preconditions,”
the report read, adding that Israel must immediately begin to withdraw
all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT).

The inquiry prompted a strong reaction from Israel who slammed the
report as biased.

“The Human Rights Council has sadly distinguished itself by its
systematically one-sided and biased approach towards Israel. This
latest report is yet another unfortunate reminder of that,” said
spokesman Yigal Palmor in a statement.

The 1949 Geneva Convention prohibits the transfer of a civilian
population into an occupied area – such an act could constitute war
crimes if brought before the International Criminal Court. Following
the UN’s de facto recognition of Palestine last December, Israel
announced plans to build thousands of homes in the OPT.

In response, Palestine wrote to the UN warning that Israel’s planned
expansion into the occupied territorieswould lead to more war crimes
being committed.

The UN investigators interviewed over 50 people who were driven from
their homes. They described how their livelihoods were destroyed and
their land was confiscated, and how they were subjected to continuous
violence from Jewish settlers.

Israeli security forces apprehend a Palestinian demonstrator during a
protest in Anin village in the West Bank near Jenin city, on January
26, 2013. (AFP Photo / Saif Dahlan)
“The mission believes that the motivation behind this violence and the
intimidation against the Palestinians as well as their properties is
to drive the local populations away from their lands and allow the
settlements to expand,” said the report.

The report has the potential to significantly worsen the UN’s
already-strained relationship with Israel, particularly after Israeli
representatives failed to appear at a UN human rights review two days
ago.

The Israeli government has repeatedly ignored international
condemnations of its settlements in the occupied territories, and
continues to bar the entry of a Human Rights Council probe to assess
the impact of the settlements. Israel has insisted that the
organization is biased in favor of the Palestinians, and claimed that
historic and biblical ties justify its claim to the territories.

From: A. Papazian

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT MADE ON ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

YEREVAN, February 1 (Itar-Tass) – An assassination attempt was made
on Paruir Airikyan, one of Armenia’s eight presidential candidates,
in the centre of Yerevan late on Thursday, the local TV channels
reported on Friday.

The 64-year-old politician was hospitalized with wounds after being
shot on Tpagrichneri Street, where he lives, late on Thursday.

Police are working on the site.

The assassination attempt overshadowed Armenia’s calm presidential
campaign.

According to the public opinion survey ordered by Armenia’s leading
television company ArmNews and conducted by the Armenian Sociologic
Association and Lithuania’s Baltijos Tyrimai, Airikyan would get a four
percent support of voters at the upcoming elections on February 18.

Over 1,000 voters all over Armenia were interviewed by the pollsters
on January 15-23.

The survey demonstrated that Paruir Airikyan will share third place
with Grant Bagratyan, who was Armenia’s prime minister in 1993-1996.

Incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan appears to be a front-runner in
the presidential race.

From: A. Papazian

ISRAELI AIR ATTACK REVEALS TEL AVIV’S INVOLVEMENT IN SYRIAN CRISIS

17:40 | 2013-02-01

Syria’s Grand Mufti:

TEHRAN (FNA)- Israel’s recent aggression against a Syrian research
center in suburban Damascus disclosed Israel’s involvement in the
recent unrests in Syria, a prominent Syrian religious leader said.

Speaking at a meeting with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National
Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili here in Tehran on Thursday,
Syria’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun said Israel’s
recent airstrike on Syria clearly exposed anti-Syria bids and the
direct involvement of the Israeli regime in the Syrian unrest.

The Syrian Army said in a statement on Wednesday that two people were
killed and five others injured in an Israeli airstrike on a scientific
center in Jamraya, 25 kilometers (15 miles) Northwest of the capital
Damascus.

He also underlined the need for increased vigilance among Muslims to
foil plots devised by the enemy to create a rift among Muslims.

During the meeting, Jalili said Damascus is at the forefront of the
anti-Israel resistance campaign and the Muslim world will not allow
Israel to march on Syrian soil.

He said military action against Syria would be a bitter disappointment
for Israel like its failures in the wars it waged against Lebanon in
2006, the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip once in 2008-2009, and November 2012.

The senior Iranian official described Iran’s support for Syria and its
resistance against Israel as whole-hearted and unwavering.

From: A. Papazian