Author: Antonian Lara

DRAFT RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SUBMITTED TO US SENATE

Regnum, Russia
March 15 2007

A draft resolution on the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire of
1915 has been introduced to the US Senate. The move was initiated by
Dem. Richard Durbin and Rep. John Ensign.

The draft is similar to draft Resolution 106 introduced late January
to the US House of Representatives by Congressmen Adam Schiff, George
Radanovich, Frank Pallone, Joe Knollenberg, Brad Sherman and Thaddeus
McCotter. The document has already received support of 180 congressmen.

"Armenian Genocide was the Twentieth Century’s first genocide,
a vicious, organized crime against humanity that included murder,
deportation, torture, and slave labor. U.S. clarity on this historical
fact is of utmost importance and long past due," Richard Durbin said
adding that today, when another genocide continues in Darfur, Sudan, it
is important to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Radio Liberty informs.

RUSSIA HOPES FOR SOONEST SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2007 17:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia actively participates in the talks on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement in the framework of the OSCE
Minsk Group, RF Ambassador to Armenia Nikolay Pavlov told reporters
in Yerevan.

There is nothing strange in the visits of U.S. and French Co-chairs to
the region, he said. "The mediators themselves agree on the schedule
of visits.

As a Co-chair, Russia stands for the soonest resolution of the Karabakh
problem," Amb. Pavlov emphasized.

UNTIL TURKEY RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ARMENIA’S SECURITY UNDER THREAT

Yerkir
13.03.2007 16:42

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – 218 votes are necessary for the adoption of the
Armenian Genocide resolution by the U.S. Congress, which hopefully we
can reach., Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) Aram Hamparian told a press conference in Yerevan. He
said, the U.S. legislature has such a system that neither the State
Department, and moreover nor the Turkish Foreign Minister can influence
on it.

"I would advise not to believe in what is written in Turkish
press. More often Turkish media gives misinformation in order to
show the public that it actively works for preventing the possible
adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution by the U.S. Congress,"
Hamparian stressed. He also said that until Turkey recognizes the
Armenian Genocide, Armenia’s security will be under threat. "As to
Turkey’s opinion that the United States needs Ankara’s assistance,
it is a temporary phenomena. May happen that the U.S. will be able
to find strategic allies in the region without Turkey.

Alongside I would like to underline that President George Bush does
not have a clear stance on the issue of the Armenian Genocide. He says
neither "yes" nor "no". If such a policy existed the American Armenian
community wouldn’t protest against Richard Hoagland’s nomination as
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.

Really, Armenia needs a U.S. ambassador, but the future ambassador must
not be pro-Turkish in any cases," the ANCA Executive Director told.

BAGIS ON ARMENIAN RESOLUTION

Turkish Press, MI
March 13 2007

WASHINGTON D.C. – "If the draft (on the so-called Armenian genocide)
submitted to the U.S. Congress is adopted, Turkish-U.S. relations
will be harmed by the Congress itself," Egemen Bagis, Justice &
Development Party (AKP) MP, said on Tuesday.

Bagis is a member of the Turkish parliamentary delegation actually
in Washington D.C. to lobby against the draft resolution.

In an exclusive interview with the A.A correspondent, Bagis said,
"we are endeavoring to prevent the U.S. Congress to make a wrong
historic decision. We will inform and warn them within this scope."

Expressing uneasiness over the situation since he is also the Chairman
of Turkish-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, Bagis said,
"Congress members are under pressure by their own voters. The voters
exerce pressure for their own ethnic interests."

"This resolution will also kill the chance of Armenia to open up
to the West. Turkey is the gate for Armenia to open to the Western
world. This is a passage of peace, civilization, democracy and
economic development. However, Armenia insistently try to close this
gate through such kind of campaigns," Bagis indicated.

"Armenia should abandon remaining stuck between the controversial
pages of the history and should catch up with the 21st century. In that
case we will have many things to discuss with Armenia," Bagis noted.

On the other hand Turkish parliamentary delegation members met
executives of AIPAC, a Jewish institution, on Monday evening.

The delegation is expected to have talks in U.S. State Department
and meet executives of some Jewish organizations today.

The delegation will also have talks in the Congress on Wednesday
and Thursday.

Radio Liberty, Czech rep.
March 9 2007

Hovannisian Says Not Responsible For Opposition Discord

By Irina Hovannisian

Former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian on Friday denied any
responsibility for the failure by several Armenian opposition parties
to form an electoral alliance, insisting that he never sought to
become its top leader.

His Zharangutyun (Heritage) party looked set last month to team up
with three other opposition groups for the May 12 parliamentary
elections. Those included the Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party, the
National Democratic Union (AZhM), and the former ruling Armenian
Pan-National Movement (HHSh).

Talks between their eventually broke down for reasons that are still
not fully clear. Some of their participants privately blame
Hovannisian for the fiasco, saying that his uncompromising desire to
top the list of the would-be bloc’s list of candidates precluded an
agreement.

Hovannisian rejected the claims, saying that the pre-election deal,
which would have boosted opposition chances in the elections, fell
through because of the presidential ambitions of some of his
partners. `One or two of my partners have announced their
presidential aspirations, which I think is quite telling,’ said the
former U.S. citizen.

One of them, AZhM leader Vazgen Manukian, confirmed this week plans
to participate in next year’s Armenian presidential election despite
his party’s decision to boycott the May 12 vote. Manukian told RFE/RL
that during the talks he suggested that the would-be bloc have a
collective leadership and decide who should top its slate by a draw.

While admitting that he rejected the idea, Hovannisian claimed that
he was ready to cede the five top places on the opposition list to
the other parties. `We had no problem with the list or presidential
candidacies,’ he said. `The sequence [of parliamentary candidates]
was never important to us.’

The opposition talks were initiated by Hanrapetutyun’s outspoken
leader, Aram Sarkisian. They initially also involved the People’s
Party of Stepan Demirchian, President Robert Kocharian’s main
challenger in the last presidential election. The four parties
reportedly rejected Demirchian’s implicit demands to endorse his 2008
presidential bid.

Today, Azerbaijan
March 10 2007

Erdogan challenges Armenian diaspora at joint forum in Baku

10 March 2007 [10:40] – Today.Az

Truth cannot be built on lies, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said Friday in Baku, as he called on the Armenian diaspora to
prove their allegations of genocide by the Ottoman Empire with
documents.

Erdogan’s remarks came as he was delivering a keynote speech at the
First Forum of the World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diasporas
Organizations, in order to counter the intensifying attacks from the
Armenian diaspora, which has been striving for international
recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide. The congress also
intended to prompt Turks and Azeris abroad to take action.

Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat also participated in the
forum, which was hosted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev — a
clear sign of Baku’s support for easing international isolation of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC).

In his speech, Erdogan called the Nagorno Karabakh dispute "a
bleeding wound for the Turkish people," and referred to a December
2006 referendum in the region by Armenia. Ankara has already
announced that it will not recognize the outcome of the referendum
backing independence in the Nagorno Karabakh region, saying the
referendum was held while "ignoring international law."

"Did the world recognize [the outcome of the referendum]?" asked
Erdogan.

"It didn’t, because what was exercised there was fake, wrong, a lie
and fabricated. Sooner or later, justice will prevail. We believe
this," Erdogan said.

The border gate between Turkey and Armenia has been closed for more
than a decade. Turkey shut the gate and severed diplomatic relations
with Armenia after Armenian troops occupied the Azeri territory of
Nagorno Karabakh.

"This is a common characteristic of Armenia, — unfortunately — a
large portion of Armenians and the diaspora. Now there are Armenian
genocide campaigns all around the world … alleged Armenian genocide
… nobody will fall for this trick. Turkey and the Turks will never
fall for this trick," Erdogan said.

Turkey vehemently denies that Armenian allegations of a genocide
under its predecessor the Ottoman Empire. Facing a mounting Armenian
campaign to get international recognition for the alleged genocide,
Turkey called for a joint committee of Turkish and Armenian experts
in 2005 to study the allegations.

At the time, Erdogan sent a letter to Armenian President Robert
Kocharian proposing the establishment of such a committee.
Nevertheless, Yerevan hasn’t given a positive answer to Ankara’s
proposal up to date, instead arguing that such a committee should be
inter-governmental.

Armenian fear of facing Hojaly

In Baku, Erdogan brought to mind his call to Yerevan and reiterated
that conducting historical research was not an issue for politicians.
"Let historians, political scientists, archeologists, lawyers and
historians of art study this issue. If it is eventually understood
that there is a grievance, then we will do what we’re supposed to
do," he said.

"There is still no answer, because then they will have to face the
Hojaly massacre," he added.

The city of Hojaly in Nagorno Karabakh, which is still under Armenian
occupation, was seized by Armenian armed forces and Russian troops
based in the region on Feb. 25, 1992. About 2,500 civilians, the
majority of whom were women, children and the elderly, were bombarded
before military forces seized the city. People in the city, which was
largely burnt down, had fled for Agdam, the only open direction
allowed by the occupying powers, but after a short while it was
reported that this way was blocked, too, and those who had started to
flee were ambushed.

A total of 613 Azerbaijanis, including 106 women and 63 children,
were massacred by Armenian and Russian forces, in addition to earlier
attacks in Hojaly. Armenian forces occupying the city captured 1,275
people and 150 were reported missing.

Meanwhile, Erdogan thanked Aliyev for inviting Talat to a meeting,
saying this "meant a lot" for Turkey. State ministers Besir Atalay
and Mehmet Aydin accompanied Erdosan at the Baku meeting, which was
also attended by representatives from Australia, Iraq, the KKTC and
the US as well as from European and Central Asian countries. Today’s
Zaman

URL:

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland
March 10 2007

Turkish politician fined over genocide denial
A Swiss district court has found a Turkish politician, Doðu Perinçek,
guilty of racial discrimination for denying the 1915 Armenian
massacre was genocide.

The court in Lausanne agreed with the prosecutor’s demand and handed
Perinçek a suspended fine of SFr9,000 ($7,336) as well as a one:off
financial penalty of SFr3,000.

The court also ruled that Perinçek would have to pay SFr1,000 to the
Swiss:Armenian Association as a symbolic gesture.

The politician, whose left:wing Turkish Workers’ Party has no seats
in the Turkish parliament, was brought to court after calling the
genocide "an international lie" during a public speech in Lausanne in
July 2005.

Under the Swiss penal code any act of denying, belittling or
justifying genocide is a violation of the country’s anti:racism
legislation.

And Lausanne is the capital of canton Vaud, one of two Swiss cantons
along with Geneva where the parliaments have voted in recent years to
recognise the Armenian massacre as genocide.

Judge Pierre:Henri Winzap accused Perinçek of being "a racist" and
"an arrogant provocateur" who was familiar with Swiss law on
historical revisionism.

According to Winzap, the politician’s action "appears to have racist
and nationalist motives". The Armenian genocide is "an established
historical fact according to the Swiss public", he added.

Perinçek’s lawyers have called into question the authority of the
district court to hear such a case. The Turkish politician said he
would appeal against the verdict, which he called "racist and
imperialist".

He admitted in court earlier in the week that there had been
massacres but said there could be no talk of genocide. "I have not
denied genocide because there was no genocide," he argued.

Armenians maintain the mass killings in 1915 were genocide, a charge
Turkey disputes.

Reactions
Sarkis Shahinian, co:president of the Swiss:Armenian Association,
said there was "great relief" among the community. Shahinian said it
was deplorable that the Turkish state had let itself get involved
with ultra:nationalists like Perinçek.

"It is a big problem. It is necessary that Turkey recognizes the
genocide."

Ferai Tinç, a foreign affairs columnist with Turkey’s Hurriyet
newspaper, told swissinfo the case had been widely followed in the
country because it was the first time a Turkish citizen had been
tried abroad for expressing their opinion.

"We see it as a trial of freedom of thought, and freedom of opinion,"
Tinç said.

"Whether we agree or not with Perinçek, we find these type of [penal]
articles against freedom of opinion dangerous because we are
struggling in our country to achieve freedom of thought."

Tinç added that the decision to make Perinçek stand trial would
"create a problem of confidence" between Switzerland and Turkey.

Shaky ground
Ties between Bern and Ankara are already on shaky ground.

Tensions reached a peak in 2005 after Turkey criticised the Swiss
authorities’ decision to investigate Perinçek. Ankara followed it up
by cancelling an official trip to Turkey by the then Swiss economics
minister, Joseph Deiss.

The next event to raise eyebrows was a visit to Turkey by Swiss
Justice Minister Christopher Blocher last October when he announced
that Switzerland’s anti:racism legislation was incompatible with
freedom of expression.

The comments were welcomed by Ankara but caused a storm of protest in
Switzerland.

Blocher came in for renewed criticism by the media and some
politicians last weekend when he received his Turkish counterpart
Cemil Cicek in Bern. According to the justice ministry, bilateral
issues ? and not the trial ? were discussed.

On Friday Blocher said he did not want to comment on the trial
directly, but did not expect the verdict to lead to a serious
deterioration in Swiss:Turkish relations.

Armenian delegation to partake in the sitting of the CSTO Interstate
Commission

ArmRadio.am
09.03.2007 14:40

This morning the Armenian delegation left for Astana to participate in
the sitting of the Interstate Commission on Military-Economic
Cooperation of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

Assistant to RA Deputy Minister of Trade and Economic Development
Silva Antonyan told ArmInfo that the Armenian delegation will stay in
Astana till March 16. During the sitting it is expected to discuss a
number of documents, particularly the draft agreements on maintenance
of enterprises and organizations participating in the manufacturing of
goods of military importance, mutual maintenance of mental activity
results in the process of military-technical cooperation. Reference
was made also to the questions of cooperation in the sphere of
advertisements and exhibitions, as well as the 2007 working program of
the Commission.

Post Chronicle
March 8 2007

FDA Warns About Jermuk Mineral Water
By Staff
Mar 8, 2007

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning advising
consumers not to drink Jermuk brands of mineral water from Armenia.

FDA scientists say the recalled water, distributed nationally, might
be contaminated with high levels of arsenic, which is a known cause
of cancer.

FDA testing of the water revealed 500 to 600 micrograms of arsenic
per liter, exceeding the FDA’s standard for quality bottled water
that allows no more than 10 micrograms of arsenic per liter.

ANOTHER ARMENIAN INSURANCE COMPANY MIKA REACHED THE END

Arminfo
2007-03-06 15:51:00

Another Armenian insurance company Mika has reached the end. At the
today’s sitting of the Central Bank’s Council, it was declared that
the non- life insurance license issued to Mika on March 24, 1997 is
invalid. The company had no life insurance either.

Specialists of the Agency of Rating and Marketing Information said
that participants of the market have already expected an infamous
end of Mika company.

The company worked in conspiracy lacking any organizational procedures
and gave an impression of a "private business". However, it has had
big resources working in the market of tourist insurance and other
"ill-traced" fields.

With the closure of Mika, there are still 12 insurance companies
present in Armenia. The country’s insurance market lost 8 companies
in 2006. CB plays the role of a megaregulator, and its implementation
of the new insurance market conception cuts down the number of the
unfair players. It’s objective is further Armenian insurance market
up to the international and European functional standards.